Home Music Paul McCartney Tribute Album Features Eclectic Cast Including Bob Dylan, KISS, Def...

One day there had to be a Paul McCartney tribute album.  “The Art of McCartney” is here, with a very eclectic roster of artists contributing takes on McCartney or Lennon & McCartney songs. Alice Cooper sings “Eleanor Rigby.” Why? Why not? Some sound promising– Chrissie Hynde on “Let it Be” should be grand. But Bee Gee Barry Gibb is allowed to revisit “Sgt. Pepper” with “When I’m 64.” The Bee Gees mangled these songs once before in a terrible, forgotten movie.

Someone named Ralph Sall got the idea to find all kinds of people, many of whom have nothing to do with McCartney or the Beatles, in a kind of everything but the kitchen sink approach. He convinced McCartney to do this, and used his band to record the vocalists. Some we’ve never heard of. But Alice Cooper of all people has two tracks. Owl City? Yikes. Jamie Cullum?  But this is why cherry picking on digital services can be useful.

This is the best part: there are at least five different versions of this thing including a box setwith vinyl and CDs that seems like it retails for around $300. There are gatefolds, illustrated books, and all kinds of extras including a USB in the shape of a Hofner guitar. No one said “no” once during this project.

Meantime, there is no properly curated McCartney box set of his own material, or hit covers of Beatle songs, or a good re-release of “Red Rose Speedway.” But for some reason “Venus and Mars” and “Wings at the Speed of Sound” are coming out, separately, as remastered gift sets. The former I’ll gladly pick up for fun. The latter features “Silly Love Songs,” which I am surprised Ralph Sall restrained himself from including on “The Art of McCartney.”

1. Maybe I’m Amazed – Billy Joel

2. Things We Said Today – Bob Dylan

3. Band On The Run – Heart

4. Junior’s Farm – Steve Miller

5. The Long and Winding Road – Yusuf / Cat Stevens

6. My Love – Harry Connick, Jr.

7. Wanderlust – Brian Wilson

8. Bluebird – Corinne Bailey Rae

9. Yesterday – Willie Nelson

10. Junk – Jeff Lynne

11. When I’m 64 – Barry Gibb

12. Every Night – Jamie Cullum

13. Venus and Mars/ Rock Show – KISS

14. Let Me Roll It – Paul Rodgers

15. Helter Skelter – Roger Daltrey

16. Helen Wheels – Def Leppard

17. Hello Goodbye – The Cure ft James McCartney

18. Live And Let Die – Billy Joel

19. Let It Be – Chrissie Hynde

20. Jet – Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick

21. Hi Hi Hi – Joe Elliott

22. Letting Go – Heart

23. Hey Jude – Steve Miller

24. Listen To What The Man Said – Owl City

25. Got To Get You Into My Life – Perry Farrell

26. Drive My Car – Dion

27. Lady Madonna – Allen Toussaint

28. Let ‘Em In – Dr. John

29. So Bad – Smokey Robinson

30. No More Lonely Nights – The Airborne Toxic Event

31. Eleanor Rigby – Alice Cooper

32. Come And Get It – Toots Hibbert with Sly & Robbie

33. On The Way – B. B. King

34. Birthday – Sammy Hagar 

The limited edition vinyl boxset and deluxe boxset features the following eight extra tracks; 

1. C Moon – Robert Smith

2. Can’t Buy Me Love – Booker T. Jones

3. P.S. I Love You – Ronnie Spector

4. All My Loving – Darlene Love

5. For No One – Ian McCulloch

6. Put It There – Peter, Bjorn & John

7. Run Devil Run – Wanda Jackson

8. Smile Away – Alice Cooper

 

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9 replies to this post
  1. Bobm – The Beatles highly overrated? Whether you like them or not they revolutionised popular music forever! They introduced stadium rock as a means of playing to mass audiences, created the first ‘concept’ album, were the first band to have lyrics printed on their albums, innovated the early pop video and most importantly of all they introduced the singer/songwriter format to get away from being boy band manufactured!

  2. There is no way anyone can hurt Sir Paul McCartney’s career is set for life being an Beatle and ex-Beatle and his solo career this is why he is a Billionaire…Even if he decided to retire 45 years ago at the age 27, he still be a Billionaire.

  3. KISS-They like Paul McCartney’s Wings…this is why they making a tribute to Sir Paul McCartney…they were not force or made or paid by Sir Paul McCartney…they will paid by us who fans of KISS.

  4. Nothing on there to make me want to buy a copy.
    Respect to McCartney’s enduring career – not many can sustain that kind of longevity – but he was always over rated thanks to the success of The Beatles, who in turn were highly over rated thanks to the screaming teen girl fans they started with. They were a pop-based boy band at the outset. Think ‘One Direction’ of the 60s. Now all those guys who still think it’s cool to love the Beatles, think in 50 years time. Would you really wear a 1D T Shirt? His efforts with Wings and as a solo artists were…..forgettable.

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