Paul McCartney / Batch 3: Japanese mini-LP SHM CDs

Paul McCartney is releasing a third batch of albums as limited edition Japanese mini-LP SHM-CDs (compatible with all CD players).

Three of the five albums are from the post-Wings era in the period, in the early 1980s, where Paul was a solo artist again and enjoyed significant chart success with singles such as ‘Coming Up’, ‘Ebony and Ivory’, ‘Pipes of Peace’ and ‘Say Say Say’ (all number ones in America and/or the UK). The albums in question are:

• McCartney II (1980)
• Tug of War (1982)
• Pipes of Peace (1983)
• CHOBA B CCCP aka ‘The Russian Album’ (1988)
• Flowers in the Dirt (1989)

As with the SHM-CDs that made up ‘Batch 2’, albums that have not received the Archive Collection treatment (in this case 1984’s Give My Regards to Broad Street and 1986’s Press to Play) are sadly excluded from this campaign. CHOBA B CCCP, or ‘The Russian Album’, is the exception.

These are sometimes called ‘paper sleeve’ editions and and each is presented as vinyl replica CDs with the usual exacting standards from Japan including OBI-strip, extra booklet with Japanese lyrics, ‘rice paper’ sleeve for disc protection and re-sealable outer clear sleeve. Original inner sleeves are recreated as is the original packaging (McCartney II and Pipes of Peace are gatefolds, the other three are not).

Masterings are all as per the original Archive Collection releases, so 2011 for McCartney II, 2015 for Pipes of Peace, 2019 for CHOBA B CCCP and 2017 for Flowers in the Dirt. Tug of War is the 2015 remix. All the CDs are ‘album-only’ with no bonus tracks. CHOBA B CCCP is the original 11-track version as issued in The Soviet Union, not the 14-track international CD that was eventually issued in 1991. Flowers in the Dirt includes the original CD-only bonus track, ‘Ou Est Le Soleil?’.

These are extremely limited, but as before the SDE shop has secured a guaranteed allocation and is offering them only as a 5CD bundle, which you can order via this link or the buttons below. Strictly one bundle per customer please (multiple orders will be cancelled).

All five are released on 23 May 2025, via Capitol.

Tracklisting

McCartney II Paul McCartney / SHM-CD

• 2011 remaster
  • 1. Coming Up
    2. Temporary Secretary
    3. On The Way
    4. Waterfalls
    5. Nobody Knows
    6. Front Parlour
    7. Summer’s Day Song
    8. Frozen Jap
    9. Bogey Music
    10. Darkroom
    11. One Of These Days

Tracklisting

Tug of War Paul McCartney / SHM-CD

• 2015 remix
  • 1. Tug of War
    2. Take It Away
    3. Somebody Who Cares
    4. What’s That You’re Doing
    5. Here Today
    6. Ballroom Dancing
    7. The Pound Is Sinking
    8. Wanderlust
    9. Get It
    10. Be What You See
    11. Dress Me Up As A Robber
    12. Ebony And Ivory

Tracklisting

Pipes of Peace Paul McCartney / SHM-CD

• 2015 remaster
  • 1. Pipes Of Peace
    2. Say Say Say
    3. The Other Me
    4. Keep Under Cover
    5. So Bad
    6. The Man
    7. Sweetest Little Show
    8. Average Person
    9. Hey Hey
    10. Tug Of Peace
    11. Through Our Love

Tracklisting

CHOBA B CCCP aka The Russian Album Paul McCartney / SHM-CD

• 2019 remaster
  • 1. Kansas City
    2. Twenty Flight Rock
    3. Lawdy Miss Clawdy
    4. Bring It on Home to Me
    5. Lucille
    6. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
    7. That’s All Right (Mama)
    8. Ain’t That a Shame
    9. Crackin’ Up
    10. Just Because
    11. Midnight Special

Tracklisting

Flowers in the Dirt Paul McCartney / SHM-CD

• 2017 remaster
  • 1. My Brave Face
    2. Rough Ride
    3. You Want Her Too
    4. Distractions
    5. We Got Married
    6. Put It There
    7. Figure Of Eight
    8. This One
    9. Don’t Be Careless Love
    10. That Day Is Done
    11. How Many People
    12. Motor Of Love
    13. Où Est Le Soleil?