Wings Over America - Remastered At Last
tjsbeatles | Chicago, IL USA | 06/12/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The mid 1980's were not a particularly good time for CD hungry Beatlefans. The actual Beatle recordings would not appear on CD until 1987, and the solo Beatle product avaivalbe was limited, at best. Paul McCartney, who was under contract with Columbia Records at the time, was fortunate enough to see much of his solo catalog released on CD before most Lennon, Harrison, & Starr material was remastered for the "new" digital medium. One of the first Macca CD's Columbia released was a 2 disc version of "Wings Over America." Beatlefans were initially overjoyed to have 2 CD's of McCartney's best "live" solo and Beatles material. Many, however, were disappointed to find that the sound quality left something to be desired. When Paul took his catalog back to Capitol several years later, the hope was that new remastering would improve the muddy, hissy sound quality of Columbia's releases. Unfortunately, on Capitol's new "Wings Over America," there was little to no improvement. By the early 1990's, Parlophone/EMI in Europe again remastered Paul's solo catalog, and for the first time, there was finally dramatic improvement over the earlier 2 sets of reissues. However, a new "Wings Over America" was inexplicably left out of the "Paul McCartney Collection" catalog. That's all been remedied by the title's entry into EMI Japan's recent "deluxe" McCartney remasters, which present his catalog in replica LP sleeves and remarkable sound. "Wings Over America" has returned to its' album format, and is now spread out over 3 CD's. The sound is clear, bright, and a major improvement over the earlier CD incarnations. The original album graphics (including a great mini-poster) are included, making this the definitive CD edition of his greatest "officially released" live work. If only Capitol would catch on here in the states and give Paul McCartney's underrated solo catalog the respect it deserves, perhaps one wouldn't have to spend nearly $80 on the third pressing of this title. Since it looks like that may never happen, this Japanese import is more than worth the investment. All of the new Japanese remasters are worth checking out, but this one is essential for McCartney and Beatles fans."
WOA Tracks
toonces | Plano, TX, US | 08/28/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While this was the best sounding version at the turn of the 00's (purportedly 24-bit remaster, along with all the other McCartney mini-LP CD Japan releases), it does not rise to the level of the DVD remastered WOA tracks on "The McCartney Years", Vol 1. Rhino box set (3 DVDs, now OUT-OF-PRINT). While you don't get the entire concert, you do get remastered audio and video of multiple WOA tracks - it is the pinnacle in sound and visual for this title. McCartney on Rhino? After all those year with Capitol and EMI? Sounds funny, but, YES! For those who are tech savvy, you can always pull down the DVD audio to your MP3 or CD. You can still find the boxset for around $25 (but not much longer). WOA 3-CD Japanese release...about $200 (circa 2010). Look for this price to drop substantially when Hear Music releases their remaster of WOA!"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1