Paul McCartney “Back In The U.S.A.” (No Label)
Disc 1; Figure Of Eight / Jet / Rough Ride / Got To Get You Into My Life / Band On The Run / Ebony And Ivory / We Got Married / Maybe I’m Amazed / The Long And Winding Road / The Fool On The Hill / Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / Good Day Sunshine / Can’t Buy Me Love / Put It There (63:40)
Disc 2; Things We Said Today / Eleanor Rigby / This One/ My Brave Face / Back In The U.S.S.R. / I Saw Her Standing There / Twenty Flight Rock / Coming Up / Let It Be / Ain’t That A Shame / Live And Let Die / Hey Jude / Yesterday / Get Back / Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End (65:16)
Another show from Macca’s 1989 tour following the release in 2013 of “Ebony And Ivory” on the No Label set, we skip back a few days to The Forum in Los Angeles, also the opening night of the North American leg of the tour. Originally booted over 3 multicoloured LPs on the No Label – no relation – label release “Back in The U.S.A” (GWF 1189A/F) it came with no labels. Confusing for the collector who lives with a dim light in his house.
Copied from the vinyl set comes this version – It’s a great, loud, stereo audience recording that must have been recorded very close to the speakers such is it’s clarity but it’s marred by quite a bit of surface noise as if someone couldn’t be bothered to clean up their needle or bought a scrappy copy of the LP and decided to throw it out for consumption anyway. It is relatively easy to manage but turn down the bass and the recording becomes reedy, turn it up, it tends to crumble under the weight. However, the introduction to “Band On The Run” isn’t faded in – something that features from the original LP an additional bonus!
The show, as with the “Ebony And Ivory” release is a fantastic turn. Paul powered by being back on the road again, the audience excited that he’s come back to them. Theres a sense of risible energy between the two and despite the view of pushing the new material it was for the greater good that Paul dropped in a couple of Beatles classics in the mix to sate those appetites for a little bit of fabs – rather craftily, these tracks are woven in, separated by two or three Wings or solo tracks right until the end when, as you’d expect, they come thick and fast.
It’s a nice enough recording with a splendid transfer of the cover to a CD size format – The work that has gone in to that out weighs the recording itself though and I’d suggest it would be a purchase for the fan who was there on the night rather than a ‘must have’ recording.
