Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)

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Tug of War
File:PaulMcCartneyalbum - TugOfWar.jpg
Studio album by Paul McCartney
Released 26 April 1982 (1982-04-26)
Recorded October 1980 – December 1981
Genre Rock
Length 41:10
Label Parlophone, Columbia
Producer George Martin
Paul McCartney chronology
McCartney II
(1980)McCartney II1980		 Tug of War
(1982)		 Pipes of Peace
(1983)Pipes of Peace1983
Singles from Tug of War
  1. "Ebony and Ivory"
    Released: 29 March 1982
  2. "Take It Away"
    Released: 21 June 1982
  3. "Tug of War"
    Released: 6 September 1982

Tug of War is the third solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in April 1982. It was McCartney's first album released after the dissolution of Wings in April 1981. The album was produced by former Beatles producer George Martin and was a number #1 in numerous countries.

Recording

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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.[1] 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

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[2]
Robert Christgau B+[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music 3/5 stars[4]
The Great Rock Discography 5/10[5]
Pitchfork Media 6.7/10[6]
PopMatters 7/10 stars[7]
Q 3/5 stars[8]
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3.5/5 stars[10]
Uncut 9/10[11]

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.[9] 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".[12]

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.[13] 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

Side one
  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
Side two
  1. "Ballroom Dancing" – 4:07
  2. "The Pound Is Sinking" – 2:54
  3. "Wanderlust" – 3:49
  4. "Get It" (Duet with Carl Perkins) – 2:29
  5. "Be What You See (Link)" – 0:34
  6. "Dress Me Up as a Robber" – 2:41
  7. "Ebony and Ivory" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 3:46
iTunes bonus track
  1. "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:[14]

  • Standard Edition 2-CD; remixed version of the original 12-track album on the first disc, plus 11 bonus tracks on a second disc.
  • Deluxe Edition 3CD/1DVD Box Set + 112 page essay book and 64 page scrapbook;
  • Super Deluxe CD/DVD 3CD/1DVD Box Set + 112 page essay book and 64 page scrapbook + limited edition acrylic slipcase
  • Remastered vinyl The albums will also be available on special gatefold vinyl editions (vinyl editions include a download card).

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

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

Disc 1 – remixed album

Remixed version of the original 12-track album.

Disc 2 – original album (deluxe edition only)

The original 12-track album.

Bonus Audio (disc 2 for standard version, disc 3 for deluxe edition)
  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
Additional download tracks available via paulmccartney.com[15]
  1. "Take It Away" (single edit) - 4:05
Disc 4 – DVD
  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

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
1983 Tug of War Album of the Year[16] Nominated
"Ebony and Ivory" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) Song of the Year[16] Nominated
Record of the Year[16] Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Duo or Group[16] Nominated
"What's That You're Doing?"
(Duet with Stevie Wonder)		 Best R&B Vocal Performance – Duo or Group[16] Nominated

American Music Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
1983 Paul McCartney (performer) Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist[17] Nominated
"Ebony and Ivory"
(Duet with Stevie Wonder)		 Favorite Pop/Rock Single[17] Nominated

Brit Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
1983
[18]		 Paul McCartney (performer) Best British Male Artist Won
Sony Trophy for Technical Excellence Won
George Martin (producer) Best British Producer Nominated

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
France (SNEP)[19] Gold 289,800[20]
Japan (Oricon Charts) 237,000[C][21][22]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] Gold 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Charts

Notes

  • A^ In the United States, Tug of War also entered the R&B chart, peaking at No. 11 there.[41]
  • B^ Until January 1987, Japanese albums chart had been separated into LP, CD, and cassette charts. Tug of War also entered the cassette chart, peaking at No. 12 and entering top 100 for 19 weeks.
  • C^ Combined sales of LP, CD, and audio cassette.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4, pp.213-225.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Tug of War at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 526. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ http://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/paul-reissues-tug-of-war-and-pipes-of-peace
  15. ↑ http://www.paulmccartney.com/downloads
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Tug of War in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2011
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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Preceded by UK Albums Chart number-one album
8 – 21 May 1982		 Succeeded by
Complete Madness by Madness
Preceded by Dutch Mega Chart number-one album
15 May 1982		 Succeeded by
Hot Space by Queen
Preceded by Swedish Albums Chart number-one album
18 May – 29 June 1982		 Succeeded by
Still Life by The Rolling Stones
Preceded by Japanese Oricon LP Chart number-one album
24 May 1982		 Succeeded by
Pineapple by Seiko Matsuda
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
29 May – 5 June 1982		 Succeeded by
Asia by Asia
Preceded by
La voce del Padrone by Franco Battiato
La voce del Padrone by Franco Battiato
 Italian Chart number-one album
29 May – 5 June 1982
10 July 1982		 Succeeded by
La voce del Padrone by Franco Battiato
La voce del Padrone by Franco Battiato
Preceded by West German Media Control Chart number-one album
18 June – 1 July 1982		 Succeeded by
85555 by Spliff
Preceded by
Asia by Asia
 Top Canadian Chart number-one album
19 June – 7 August 1982		 Succeeded by
Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band
Preceded by
The Concert in Central Park by Simon & Garfunkel
 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart number-one album
18/1982 – 25/1982		 Succeeded by
Avalon by Roxy Music

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