Driving Rain - Ultimate Archive Collection

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Track list

Disc 1

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Disc 2

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About

From the liner notes:

“It’s the season of the cultured bat.” That can only mean that it’s time for yet another installment (or, in this case, another TWO installments) of the Paul McCartney Ultimate Archive Collection! Originally, I was just going to do Driving Rain, but as the previous “release” was Broad Street, an album which is near the bottom in terms of fan’s appreciation, it made little sense to follow it up with another record that has its fair share of detractors. In the case of ‘Driving Rain’ however, the bashers have it wrong, as this happens to be a pretty terrific album and one that is in dire need of some serious re-evaluation. There are folks who have suggested that the cause for the album’s unpopularity had little do with the quality of the music itself, but instead was the result of Paul’s then-girlfriend, Mr. Heather Mills, who provided inspiration for the much of the tracks included on the record. As someone who cares not very much about who Paul is dating/marrying, it bothered me not in the slightest the source of inspiration. I just like the songs on this record. Some I really like! And there are a few that I flat-out love. BTW, to make
this a complete snapshot of who Paul was dating at the time, the rare VO!CE cd-single (featuring Heather + Macca) has been included as bonuses. So if you have been avoiding this album due to its rep, perhaps this is the time you might want to give it a chance. For bonus tracks, I have used all the various single mixes/edits that were floating around out there (including the download-only Driving Rain remix), along with a few tracks from Various Artists albums that were from this era. All in all, a pretty solid set! As with all of these, there’s full artwork / disc labels included for those who appreciate those sort of things!

NOTES:

CD 1

1-15 – Recorded in the Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles, in three weeks time, starting on February 16 2001. Producer David Kahne brought handpicked the musicians: guitarist Rusty Anderson, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and Gabe Dixon on keyboards. Paul’s son James plays guitar on a couple of songs. The album Driving Rain is released on November 12, 2001.

16 – Freedom – Recorded live on October 20, 2011in Madison Square Garden, New York and finished in the studio3 days later. Released as a last minute addition to Driving Rain.

17 – I’m Partial to your Abracadabra – recorded with The Blockheads for a tribute album to Ian Dury: Brand New Boots and Panties, released on April 9, 2001

18 – Vanilla Sky – Written in ten minutes, especially for the film of the same name. Recorded in June 2001 in the Henson Recording Studio and released on December 4, 2011 on Music from Vanilla Sky and a promo-cd. The song won a Grammy Award and was nominated for an Oscar.

19 – Calico Skies – Soundcheck recording of the Flaming Pie song (Docklands Arena, Liverpool, March 2003) for the benefit album HOPE – Warchild Album for the Children, released on April 29, 2003.

20 – Hurt Myself – Paul does some backing vocals on a song from Rusty Anderson’s Undressing Underwater, first released in Autumn 2003.

CD 2

1 – Lonely Road – remix by Dave Way, released in March 2002 on a US promo single

2 – From a Lover to a Friend – David Kahne Remix 1, released on October 29, 2001 on the single.

3 – From a Lover to a Friend – David Kahne Remix 2, released on October 29, 2001 on the single + iTunes bonus track 2007

4 – Driving Rain – remix, released on a US promo single

5 – Your Loving Flame – Remix, released in march 2002 as second track on a US promo single (Not really a remix-version. Only the intro is missing and so it´s also only 2 seconds shorter than the album version.)

6 – Freedom – radio edit – released on November 13, 2001 as a US single

7 – Freedom – promo edit

8 – Driving Rain Medley – released on a promo cd (?)

9 – So Bad – New verison of the Pipes of Peace song, recorded by Lindsay Pagano in the A&M Studios, Hollywood and released on September 25, 2001 on the album Love & Faith & Inspiration. Paul appears as co-singer.

10 – Inside Thing (Let ‘Em In) –Lulu sampled ‘Let ‘Em in’ fort his ong on her Lulu – Together album, released on May 21, 2002.

11-13 – Vo!ce – Heather Mills ft. Paul McCartney, recorded in October 1999 and released in 3 mixes, on December 1, 1999,. The song is co-written by Heather Mills and Nikko Patrelakis and partly recorded in Athens.

14 -17 – Four songs recorded live on October 20, 2001 in Madison Square Garden, New York during a concert to honor the first responders from the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department, their families, and those lost in the attacks of 9/11. Released on November 27, 2001 on The Concert for New York City.

18-19 – Two songs recorded live in Buckingham Palace, London, on June 3, 2002, for the Golden Jubilee of Elisabeth II and released on July 2, 2002 on Party at the Palace. Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker provide backing vocals on ‘All You Need is Love’ and are joined by everyone involved for the grand finale ‘Hey Jude’.

Last updated on September 24, 2020