By Kory Grow at Rolling Stone
Half a century ago, Paul McCartney established himself as one of the most influential songwriters ever. Now the former Beatle is getting his due in a big way, with the compilation The Art of Paul McCartney featuring covers of songs by McCartney during his tenures in the Beatles and Wings and as a solo artist.
The roster is a veritable who's who of fellow influential singer-songwriters: Bob Dylan ("Things We Said Today"), B.B. King ("On the Way"), Smokey Robinson ("So Bad"), Barry Gibb ("When I'm 64"), Billy Joel ("Maybe I'm Amazed," "Live and Let Die"), Willie Nelson ("Yesterday"), among many others, all put their unique spin on McCartney songs.
The first song to be released from the record is a take on the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye" – as recorded by the Cure and Paul's son James – which Rolling Stone exclusively premiered on Tuesday. The full compilation is set to come out on November 18th. Elsewhere on the album, Kiss takes on "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show," Alice Cooper handles "Eleanor Rigby" and the Who's Roger Daltrey belts out "Helter Skelter."
Onetime McCartney producer Ralph Sall dreamt up the project in 2003 when he worked with the Beatle on reviving the song "A Love for You" from McCartney's sessions for the 1971 album, Ram, for the In-Laws soundtrack. It was then that Sall got the OK from McCartney to begin work on the tribute project and began recording songs with the singer's backing band – guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. – and approaching performers to record the songs. The first to accept Sall's offer was Brian Wilson, who chose "Wanderlust" from McCartney's 1982 solo record, Tug of War.
The compilation will be available in a variety of formats, ranging from standard 34-track CD, vinyl and digital releases to extravagant 42-track deluxe sets with hardbound books, a DVD documentary about the making of the comp and more, depending on the edition. The most ornate edition is a deluxe box set, which has been limited to 1,000 copies, and includes signed artwork by Beatles associate Alan Aldridge, a USB drive designed to look like McCartney's signature Hofner bass, the aforementioned DVD documentary, an audio doc, an illustrated guide to the release, art cards, CDs, vinyl and a certificate of authenticity.
The album is available for preorder on The Art of McCartney site, iTunes and Amazon.
The Art Of McCartney Track List:
1. Billy Joel - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
2. Bob Dylan - "Things We Said Today"
3. Heart - "Band on the Run"
4. Steve Miller - "Junior's Farm"
5. Yusuf Islam - "The Long and Winding Road"
6. Harry Connick, Jr. - "My Love"
7. Brian Wilson - "Wanderlust"
8. Corinne Bailey Rae - "Bluebird"
9. Willie Nelson - "Yesterday"
10. Jeff Lynne - "Junk"
11. Barry Gibb - "When I'm 64"
12. Jamie Cullum - "Every Night"
13. Kiss - "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show"
14. Paul Rodgers - "Let Me Roll It"
15. Roger Daltrey - "Helter Skelter"
16. Def Leppard - "Helen Wheels"
17. The Cure, featuring James McCartney - "Hello Goodbye"
18. Billy Joel - "Live and Let Die"
19. Chrissie Hynde - "Let It Be"
20. Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen - "Jet"
21. Joe Elliott - "Hi Hi Hi"
22. Heart - "Letting Go"
23. Steve Miller - "Hey Jude"
24. Owl City - "Listen to What the Man Said"
25. Perry Farrell - "Got to Get You Into My Life"
26. Dion - "Drive My Car"
27. Allen Toussaint - "Lady Madonna"
28. Dr. John - "Let 'Em In"
29. Smokey Robinson - "So Bad"
30. The Airborne Toxic Event - "No More Lonely Nights"
31. Alice Cooper - "Eleanor Rigby"
32. Toots Hibbert with Sly & Robbie - "Come and Get It"
33. B.B. King - "On the Way"
34. Sammy Hagar - "Birthday"
The Art of McCartney Bonus Tracks:
1. Robert Smith - C Moon"
2. Booker T. Jones - "Can't Buy Me Love"
3. Ronnie Spector - "P.S. I Love You"
4. Darlene Love - "All My Loving"
5. Ian McCulloch - "For No One"
6. Peter, Bjorn and John - "Put It There"
7. Wanda Jackson - "Run Devil Run"
8. Alice Cooper - "Smile Away"
