Classic Paul McCartney, Wings Albums Come To Japanese SHM-CD

Classic albums from  Paul McCartney and Wings are set to be released via Japanese SHM-CD’s on September 20.

These limited-edition Japanese SHM-CD exports come with paper-sleeves, and the unique package features original LP replica sleeves with original finishes and artwork. Lastly, the releases come with a miniature of a Japanese obi-strap.

Releases set to arrive via Japanese SHM-CD encompass: Paul McCartney – McCartney; Paul & Linda McCartney – Ram; Paul McCartney & Wings – Wild Life; Paul McCartney & Wings – Red Rose Speedway; and Paul McCartney & Wings – Band On The Run.

Released in 1970, a month before The Beatles’ Let It Be, McCartney was Paul’s first solo album. Notable for the fact that he performed all instruments and vocals himself, aside from some backing vocals performed by Linda, it’s an album rich in experimentation, and the original home of “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Ram, which was released in 1971, was the only album credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney. Ram reached no.1 in the UK and stayed in the US Top 10 for five months. Recording after he’d left The Beatles and before the formation of Wings, Paul initially flew with Linda to New York to record the songs they’d written but arrived without a band.

Wild Life, which was also released in 1971, served as the introduction of Wings. The album wasn’t a real reflection of what was to come, instead a guiding ethos was Paul’s intention to record the entire piece quickly. Taking just two weeks, Wild Life was about spontaneity: the opening track “Mumbo’”was recorded in one take.

Released in 1973, with the addition of Irish guitarist Henry McCullough, Wings plugged away on their second album Red Rose Speedway through most of 1972, a year in which they issued no album (a first for Paul since The Beatles’ debut). By December they’d accumulated a vast amount of songs, though the idea of releasing a double-album was eventually rejected.

That album was followed by another 1973 release with Wings, Band on the Run. Paul’s fifth album since the break up of The Beatles was made under difficult circumstances: band members Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough left before recordings began in Lagos, Nigeria – which itself proved a challenging environment to work in.

Despite the setbacks, Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine persevered and Band on the Run – complete with its famous celebrity-packed cover art – proved a triumph. The album topped the US chart three separate times; in the UK, it was the biggest selling studio album of 1974 and spent a miraculous 124 weeks on the chart.

Order the Japanese SHM-CD releases of Paul McCartney and Wings albums here.