for the same set without Mull of Kintyre?
Holiday Gift Guide Sneak Preview: Paul McCartney Readies Massive 7-Inch Singles Box Set With 80 (Count ’Em!) 45s Inside for December 2 Release
The opening salvo ahead of our upcoming holiday gift guides is here! To wit: Paul McCartney recently announced the limited-edition release of The 7″ Singles Box, which features 80 (count ’em!) 7-inch Paul McCartney singles culled from all across the full wingspan of his long and winding solo career, for December 2.
Admittedly, The 7″ Singles Box carries quite the steep SRP at $611.98, and its limited-edition run is capped at 3,000 copies — it may even be sold out by the time you click on the link, as we all know how rabid Macca fans are about these things! — so I would also suggest immediately checking in with the preferred retailer of your choice to see if you can secure a copy through them if, like me, you absolutely must have this collection.
In the meantime, let’s see what The 7″ Singles Box looks like inside, via the official unboxing video. . .
It’s indeed fair to say the 7-inch single format itself has had a longstanding impact and influence on Sir Paul McCartney, both as a songwriter and as a fan of music. Paul recalls in his foreword that comes with this collection how he still enjoys the thrill of “flicking through crates” in record shops looking for new discoveries, and how much respect he and The Beatles had for the B-side. Macca also observes in those notes, “I hope the songs in this box set bring back fun memories for you too. They do for me, and there will be more to come.” (Yes, please!)
Let ’Em Spin: Above, Sir Paul McCartney, with just a few LP listening options looming on the shelves behind him. Photo © 2018 Mary McCartney.
Just what’s in this big box? Glad you asked. From 1971’s “Another Day” to a 7-inch version of 2022’s Record Store Day Song of the Year, “Women and Wives,” the 80 singles included herein represent 50-plus years of Sir Paul’s post-Beatles recording life. The box set features recreations of 65 singles complete with their original B-sides (using restored artwork from 11 different countries), as well as 15 singles never before released on the 7-inch format. The latter 15 singles are made up from tracks previously released in a variety of ways, whether it be 12-inchers, picture discs, CD singles, promos, digital downloads, music videos, two previously unheard demos, and a previously unheard 7-inch single edit.
Here’s the YouTube clip for the rare 1971 mono recording of “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey [Mono]” that’s in the box. . .
The 7″ Singles Box is beautifully presented in a two-piece, four-walled FSC-approved redwood pine and birch ply wooden art crate designed and built in Derbyshire in the UK, and it also includes a 148-page book featuring the aforementioned personal foreword by Sir Paul, an essay by music journalist Rob Sheffield, extensive chart information, liner notes, and singles artwork. Each box includes a randomly selected, exclusive test pressing of one of the singles.
The contents of The 7″ Singles Box have been remastered and cut at Abbey Road Studios, London.
The entire breakdown of the box set’s full contents follows. Feel free to chime in further down in the Comments section underneath the tracklisting to let us know if you were able to secure a copy of The 7″ Singles Box for yourself, want to see a
PAUL McCARTNEY
1971, Sweden
1971, US Mono
1971, UK
Previously unreleased on 7″
1972, UK
1972, UK
1972, Belgium
1973, Israel
1973, Sweden
1973, Spain
1974, Germany
1974, Germany
1974, The Netherlands
1974, Belgium
1975, Australia
1975, Germany
1975, Belgium
1976, France
1976, Germany
1977, Japan
1977, UK
1978, Germany
1978, UK
1978, The Netherlands
1978, France
1979, UK
1979, UK
1979, Japan
1979, UK
1980, UK
1980, UK
Previously unreleased on 7″
1982, UK
1982, UK
1982, UK
1983, UK
1983, UK
1984, UK
1984, UK
1985, US
1986, US
1986, Art reformatted from US 12” promotional vinyl
1986, US
1986, UK
1987, UK
1989, US
1989, UK
1989, Australia
1989, UK
1990, UK
1990, Europe
1990, UK
1990, UK
Previously unreleased on 7″
1992, Europe
1993, Germany
1997, Reformatted from 7″ picture disc
1997, Reformatted from 7″ picture disc
1997, Reformatted from 7″ picture disc
1999, UK
2001, Europe
2004, Europe
2005, Europe
2005, Europe
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
2007, Europe
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
2012, US
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
2018, Global
Previously unreleased on 7″
2019, Global
Previously unreleased on 7″
Previously unreleased on 7″
THE 7″ SINGLES BOX
(Capitol/MPL/UMe)
1A: Another Day
1B: Oh Woman, Oh Why
Promotional Release
2A: Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey [Mono]
2B: Too Many People [Mono]
3A: The Back Seat of My Car
3B: Heart of the Country
4A: Love Is Strange [Single Edit]
4B: I Am Your Singer
5A: Give Ireland Back to the Irish
5B: Give Ireland Back to the Irish [Version]
6A: Mary Had a Little Lamb
6B: Little Woman Love
7A: Hi, Hi, Hi
7AA: C Moon
8A: My Love
8B: The Mess [Live at The Hague]
9A: Live and Let Die
9B: I Lie Around
10A: Helen Wheels
10B: Country Dreamer
11A: Jet
11B: Let Me Roll It
12A: Band on the Run
12B: Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
13A: Mrs. Vandebilt
13B: Bluebird
14A: Junior’s Farm
14B: Sally G
15A: Listen to What the Man Said
15B: Love in Song
16A: Letting Go
16B: You Gave Me the Answer
17A: Venus and Mars / Rock Show
17B: Magneto and Titanium Man
18A: Silly Love Songs
18B: Cook of the House
19A: Let ‘Em In
19B: Beware My Love
20A: Maybe I’m Amazed (Live)
20B: Soily (Live)
21A: Mull of Kintyre
21AA: Girls’ School
22A: With a Little Luck (DJ Edit)
22B: Backwards Traveller/Cuff Link
23A: I’ve Had Enough
23B: Deliver Your Children
24A: London Town
24B: I’m Carrying
25A: Goodnight Tonight
25B: Daytime Nightime Suffering
26A: Old Siam, Sir
26B: Spin It On
27A: Getting Closer
27AA: Baby’s Request
28A: Arrow Through Me
28B: Old Siam, Sir
29A: Wonderful Christmastime
29B: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reggae
30A: Coming Up
30B: Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)
30BB : Lunch Box/Odd Sox
31A: Waterfalls
31B: Check My Machine
32A: Temporary Secretary
32B: Secret Friend [7″ Single Edit]
33A: Ebony and Ivory
33B: Rainclouds
34A: Take It Away
34B: I’ll Give You a Ring
35A: Tug of War
35B: Get It
36A: Say Say Say
36B: Ode to a Koala Bear
37A: Pipes of Peace
37B: So Bad
38A: No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)
38B: No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version)
39A: We All Stand Together
39B: We All Stand Together (Humming Version)
40A: Spies Like Us
40B: My Carnival
41A: Press [Video Edit]
41B: It’s Not True
42A: Pretty Little Head (Remix)
42B: Write Away
43A: Stranglehold
43B: Angry (Remix)
44A: Only Love Remains
44B: Tough on a Tightrope
45A: Once Upon a Long Ago
45B: Back on My Feet
46A: My Brave Face
46B: Flying to My Home
47A: This One
47B: The First Stone
48A: Figure of Eight [7″ Bob Clearmountain Mix]
48B: Où Est le Soleil
49A: Party Party
49B: Artwork etching
50A: Put It There
50B: Mama’s Little Girl
51A: The Long and Winding Road
51B: C Moon
52A: Birthday
52B: Good Day Sunshine
53A: All My Trials
53B: C Moon
54A: The World You’re Coming Into
54AA: Tres Conejos
54B: Save the Child
54BB: The Drinking Song (Let’s Find Ourselves a Little Hostelry)
55A: Hope of Deliverance
55B: Long Leather Coat
56A: C’Mon People
56B: I Can’t Imagine
57A: Young Boy
57B: Looking for You
58A: The World Tonight
58B: Used to Be Bad
59A: Beautiful Night
59B: Love Come Tumbling Down
60A: No Other Baby
60B: Brown Eyed Handsome Man
60BB: Fabulous
61A: From a Lover to a Friend
61B: Riding into Jaipur
62A: Tropic Island Hum
62B: We All Stand Together
63A: Fine Line
63B: Growing Up Falling Down
64A: Jenny Wren
64B: Summer of ’59
65A: Dance Tonight
65B: Dance Tonight [Demo]
66A: Nod Your Head
66B: 222
67A: Ever Present Past
67B: House of Wax (Live)
68A: Sing the Changes
68B: Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight [Radio Edit]
69A: (I Want To) Come Home
69B: (I Want To) Come Home [Demo]
70A: My Valentine
70B: Get Yourself Another Fool
Christmas Kisses
71A: The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
71B: Wonderful Christmastime
72A: New
72B: Early Days
73A: Queenie Eye
73B: Save Us
74A: Hope for the Future
74B: Hope for the Future [Thrash Mix]
75A: In the Blink of an Eye
75B: Walking in the Park with Eloise
76A: I Don’t Know
76AA: Come on to Me
77A: Who Cares
77B: Fuh You
78A: Home Tonight
78AA: In a Hurry
79A: Find My Way
79AA: Winter Bird / When Winter Comes
80A: Women and Wives
80B: Women and Wives (St. Vincent Remix)
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COMMENTS
Mull It Over
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Thu, 2022-11-17 14:27
Hah! I take it you're not akin to Kintyre, Rich...?
I Clicked on the Link
Submitted by rshak47 on Thu, 2022-11-17 15:22
. . .at 5:20 pm Central Time, and it's Sold Out.
Retailer Therapy
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Thu, 2022-11-17 21:06
...which means, it's time to check in with your favorite record shop to see if they just happened to order one -- and, if so...
Scalpers market
Submitted by Wymax on Wed, 2022-11-23 06:02
Once again it's the scalpers market now... 1.300+ USD on eBay. Limited supply always goes this way.
Gosh
Submitted by Rashers on Fri, 2022-11-18 07:12
looking through the list of singles - I can see the story of my life. I remember buying "Let em in" on a whim onceuponatime. For my generation it all started with Mull of Kintyre and ended with the god-awful Frog song. In between - some great songs - overplayed on the radio, mind.
I think this is actually a good investment - I know that there has been a lot of whining about the cost - but it really is highly collectable and is extremely unlikely to be repressed.
Let ’Em Buy
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Fri, 2022-11-18 15:06
Me too, Rashers. The first two Macca 45s I recall purchasing as a lad would be "Jet" (albeit in a repackaged, dull-green textured sleeve, so it was a later pressing) and "Arrow Through Me" (with that fadey-orange Columbia label, in a nondescript black sleeve with the word "Columbia" on it). Both are currently in storage with my other McCartney 45s, so if I'm able to get this big box in hand, it will simply be a wonderful spinnning time ahead.
Yes, an investment
Submitted by Tom L on Fri, 2022-11-18 08:44
I can't help wondering how many of these will sit on a shelf unplayed, waiting to appreciate in value.
Minor quibbles
Submitted by garrard701 on Sat, 2022-11-19 19:25
I love sets like these – on vinyl -- for the cool artwork and the fun of handling 45s, but I do think a lot of these will just end up on shelves, waiting to be flipped. The reason I specified “on vinyl” is because those Rolling Stones sets from a few years ago were SO LAME (and wasteful) on compact disk. I’m glad they’re finally being reissued on vinyl.
My issues with this set are so minor… but interesting!
First, I do hope the artwork is high quality; several of the sleeves in the Beatles set were grainy or pixelated.
Second, I wonder how some of the 12” singles will sound when recut for 7”. I have the UK 12” of “Secret Friend,” which is over 10 minutes. It’s hypnotic and sounds amazing. The track is listed here as a 7” edit, which is disappointing, and I doubt it will sound as deep as the version on the 12”.
Third, it’s cool that the canceled single from “Wild Life” is included (Love Is Strange/I Am Your Singer), but why not “The Man”/”Blackpool”? I believe that was slated for release in 1984? Perhaps there’s no need for even more MJ on this set?
I do notice that “The Girl Is Mine” is absent, likely since it’s owned by Jackson’s estate. And so are the collaborations with Kanye. But why omit “Seaside Woman” or “Walking In the Park with Eloise” or the Fireman singles? Sure, they came out under pseudonyms, but hardcore fans (like the ones buying this set) would appreciate those.
The only two singles I would have changed or added… “Eat at Home”/”Smile Away” (Germany), and I would’ve replaced the German “Band on the Run”/”Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” with its UK counterpart (Band on the Run/Zoo Gang) to provide another deep cut.
Quoobu Joobu
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Mon, 2022-11-21 11:32
Thanks for the Macca singles analysis, garrard701! I think you're absolutely right re the MJ estate not wanting to license any of that material -- and I suspect they probably have reissue plans of their own at some point anyway. (No comment re the Ye track.) I do have the Fireman LP releases, but none of the singles, so I wonder if there will be any thought given to some kind of followup box of sorts, since there are other odds and ends they could include. We could even ask them to go one step further to include guest appearances like his turn as "Paul Ramon" on Steve Miller Band's "My Dark Hour" 45, for one...
I’m wondering how many I would play.
Submitted by Anton D on Thu, 2022-11-24 21:15
I might be too lazy for this set!
Marathon, and On
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Thu, 2022-12-01 12:15
You know, I'd love to have a jukebox someday... and on a semi-related note, wouldn't it be interesting to marathon all the contents of this box set uninterrupted, save for flipping the sides and swapping out the 45s, until you got through them all... hmm, we may have to start a thread to see who's had the longest contiguous listening session, and what all that session entailed...
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