Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)

Recording

Following the release of the solo album McCartney II, Wings regrouped in July and October 1980 to rehearse several songs which later appeared on Tug of War and Pipes of Peace. Feeling the need for direction, McCartney called upon his old producer, George Martin, to begin recording a song written for the animated Rupert Bear character (to which McCartney owned the rights), entitled "We All Stand Together", among others. The productive sessions continued until 9 December, the morning McCartney woke up to discover his old songwriting partner and fellow ex-Beatle, John Lennon, had been shot and killed the night before in New York City. Abandoning that day's session part-way through (where he and Denny Laine were recording future B-Side "Rainclouds"), both Martin and McCartney felt it was best to leave the project for the time being and start anew once they were ready.

In February 1981, two months after Lennon's death, Paul McCartney resumed his sessions, recording that month with Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clarke, Carl Perkins and Ringo Starr and laying down several songs in the process. The recordings were held at AIR Studios in Montserrat, in the Caribbean and lasted from 3 February to 2 March, ending with "Ebony and Ivory" and "What's That You're Doing," two songs featuring Stevie Wonder. 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart also became a frequent collaborator of McCartney's during this era. Further sessions that summer were also undertaken at George Martin's AIR studios at Oxford Street, London – with the producer manning the controls and giving McCartney's music the benefit of 1980s technology. The sessions were so productive that several of its tracks would be held over for the next album, Pipes of Peace, which followed in 1983. The rest of 1981 would be spent in a quiet fashion, with McCartney and Martin touching up the album and perfecting it.

Release, critical reception and aftermath

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic Stephen Holden hailed Tug of War as "the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make", and particularly admired its vivid music and consistent songwriting. Robert Palmer was less enthusiastic in his review for The New York Times and found the album "exquisitely crafted though lyrically flawed", as he thought McCartney's lyrics were often "cliched or mawkish", but that the album "at its best, is as finely crafted as his work with the Beatles".

In March 1982, McCartney's duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory", was released to considerable commercial success, reaching number one in many countries. Tug of War followed in April, and similarly became a worldwide number one. The follow-up single, "Take It Away", reached the top ten in the United States. The album went on to sell several million copies and did much to restore McCartney's critical reputation after what was viewed as a lean period for him. Tug of War was nominated for the "Album of the Year" Grammy in 1983.

The album was issued in the US on compact disc on 29 February 1984. In 1993, Tug of War was remastered and re-issued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series. There were no bonus tracks: "Rainclouds" and "I'll Give You a Ring", B-sides of "Ebony and Ivory" and "Take It Away", respectively, were omitted. In 2007, Tug of War was remastered and re-released on the iTunes Store adding a solo version of "Ebony and Ivory".

Another reissue was released on 2 October 2015, as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. This edition included a remixed version of the album, along with the original mix, and a series of videos.

Track listing

All songs were written by Paul McCartney, except "What's That You're Doing?" co-written by Stevie Wonder

1. "Tug of War" – 4:22
2. "Take It Away" – 4:14
3. "Somebody Who Cares" – 3:19
4. "What's That You're Doing?" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 6:19
5. "Here Today" – 2:27

6. "Ballroom Dancing" – 4:07
7. "The Pound Is Sinking" – 2:54
8. "Wanderlust" – 3:49
9. "Get It" (Duet with Carl Perkins) – 2:29
10. "Be What You See (Link)" – 0:34
11. "Dress Me Up as a Robber" – 2:41
12. "Ebony and Ivory" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 3:46

13. "Ebony and Ivory" (Solo version) – 3:46

2015 remaster

In 2015 the album was re-issued by Hear Music/Concord Music Group as part of the six set of releases, alongside Pipes Of Peace, in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. It was released in multiple formats:

Digital Standard: Standard Res - without Ebooklet Standard Res – with Ebooklet Mastered for iTunes – without Ebooklet Hi-Res - 24-bit/96 kHz – with Ebooklet

Deluxe: Standard Res (with or without Ebooklet) Mastered for iTunes (with Ebooklet) Hi-Res - 24-bit/96 kHz (with Ebooklet)

Remixed version of the original 12-track album.

The original 12-track album.

1. "Stop, You Don't Know Where She Came From" (demo) – 1:44
2. "Wanderlust" (demo) – 1:46
3. "Ballroom Dancing" (demo) – 2:04
4. "Take It Away" (demo) – 5:37
5. "The Pound Is Sinking" (demo) – 2:35
6. "Something That Didn't Happen" (demo) – 2:17
7. "Ebony and Ivory" (demo) – 1:46
8. "Dress Me Up as a Robber/Robber Riff" (demo) – 3:42
9. "Ebony and Ivory" (Solo version) – 3:50
10. "Rainclouds" (Co-written by Denny Laine) – 3:13
11. "I'll Give You a Ring" – 3:09

1. "Take It Away" (single edit) - 4:05

1. "Tug of War" Music Video (Version 1)
2. "Tug of War" Music Video (Version 2)
3. "Take It Away" Music Video
4. "Ebony and Ivory" Music Video
5. "Fly TIA" – Behind The Scenes on Take It Away (new 18 minute documentary using previously unreleased archive footage)

Personnel

Grammy Awards

Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Charts

Notes