Tripping the Live Fantastic

Last updated

Tripping the Live Fantastic
TrippingLiveCover.jpg
Live album by
Released5 November 1990
Recorded26 September 1989 – 30 June 1990
Genre Rock
Length138:20
Label Parlophone
Producer
Paul McCartney chronology
Flowers in the Dirt
(1989)
Tripping the Live Fantastic
(1990)
Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Essential Rock Discography 4/10 [3]
MusicHound 2.5/5 [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Tripping the Live Fantastic is Paul McCartney's first official solo live album and his first release of concert material since Wings' 1976 Wings over America live package. It was released in 1990 as triple LP, double cassette and double CD. Tripping the Live Fantastic reached number 17 in the UK and number 26 in the US. It was also simultaneously released in an abridged form, entitled Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

Contents

History

A document of the highly successful The Paul McCartney World Tour, Tripping the Live Fantastic encompasses McCartney's entire musical career from his Beatles songs to his most recent album, Flowers in the Dirt , while also including some unique covers; interspersed throughout are occasional soundcheck recordings as well. The title is an allusion to the phrase "tripping the light fantastic", meaning to dance or move to musical accompaniment, originally from the poem L'Allegro by John Milton. Although he had reversed the Lennon–McCartney credits on Wings over America in 1976, McCartney left the credits for his Beatles songs on Tripping the Live Fantastic in their original form.

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! is an abridged version of the double CD/triple LP Tripping the Live Fantastic, also released in 1990.

Cutting out soundcheck recordings and showcasing just the concert highlights, this set is notable for the exclusive inclusion of "All My Trials", not found on Tripping the Live Fantastic or on the US commercial release version (where it was replaced by "Put It There"), it was issued on the Columbia House mail-order Highlights release.

Not charting at all in the UK, Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! reached number 141 in the US on the Billboard 200 and, proving to be a sustained seller, went platinum. The original set peaked at number 26 and failed to go gold.

Videos

Paul McCartney: Put It There

A video produced in 1989, titled Paul McCartney: Put It There, featured McCartney and his band rehearsing for the tour.

Paul McCartney: Going Home

The Disney Channel filmed Paul McCartney: Going Home during the tour. The show highlights McCartney's return to Liverpool where he introduced a tribute to John Lennon, featured on the B-side of the "All My Trials" single, comprising "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Help!", and "Give Peace a Chance".

Get Back

A VHS concert film was also released, entitled Get Back . The video was directed by Richard Lester, the director of A Hard Day's Night and Help! It was his final project before his retirement.

Track listing

All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

Tripping the Live Fantastic

Disc One
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Showtime"  0:38
2."Figure of Eight" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 10 November 1989.5:32
3."Jet"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 17 January 1990.4:02
4."Rough Ride" Recorded in Paris, 10 October 1989.4:48
5."Got to Get You into My Life" Lennon–McCartney Recorded in Dortmund, Germany, 17 October 1989.3:21
6."Band on the Run"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 16 January 1990.5:09
7."Birthday"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Concurrently released as a single to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 50th birthday, recorded in Knebworth, England, 30 June 1990.2:43
8."Ebony and Ivory" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 8 November 1989.4:00
9."We Got Married" Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 16 January 1990.6:38
10."Inner City Madness"
  • P. McCartney
  • L. McCartney
  • Hamish Stuart
  • Robbie McIntosh
  • Paul Wickens
  • Chris Whitten
Soundcheck by McCartney and his touring band, recorded in Birmingham, England, 2 January 1990.1:22
11."Maybe I'm Amazed" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 8 November 1989.4:41
12."The Long and Winding Road"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19 April 1990.4:18
13."Crackin' Up" Ellas McDaniel Recorded in Los Angeles, United States, 23 November 1989.0:49
14."The Fool on the Hill"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 13 January 1990.5:01
15."Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Los Angeles, US, 23 November 1989.6:23
16."Can't Buy Me Love"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Munich, Germany, 21 October 1989.2:14
17."Matchbox" Carl Perkins Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 21 January 1990.3:09
18."Put It There" Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, 28 September 1989. Contains the outro part of the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye".2:43
19."Together" Soundcheck, recorded in Chicago, US, 5 December 1989.2:17
Total length:69:48
Disc Two
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Things We Said Today" Lennon–McCartney Recorded in Madrid, Spain, 2 November 1989.5:01
2."Eleanor Rigby"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Worcester, Massachusetts, 8 February 1990.2:36
3."This One" Recorded in Detroit, US, 1 February 1990.4:28
4."My Brave Face"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 19 January 1990.3:09
5."Back in the U.S.S.R."
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 5 March 1990.3:15
6."I Saw Her Standing There"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Montreal, Canada, 9 December 1989.3:25
7."Twenty Flight Rock"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 13 January 1990.3:09
8."Coming Up" Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 3 March 1990.5:18
9."Sally"
  • Will E. Haines
  • Harry Leon
  • Leo Towers
  • Ned Fairchild
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 21 January 1990.2:03
10."Let It Be"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Miami, US, 14 April 1990.3:53
11."Ain't That a Shame"
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 9 March 1990.2:40
12."Live and Let Die"
  • P. McCartney
  • L. McCartney
Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, 28 September 1989.3:11
13."If I Were Not upon the Stage"
  • Thomas Sutton
  • Bill Turner
  • Stan Bowsher
A faux beginning to the next song, recorded in Cincinnati, US, 12 February 1990.(N.B. Booklet has incorrect date of 26 September 1989)0:36
14."Hey Jude"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Cincinnati, US, 12 February 1990.8:03
15."Yesterday"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Worcester, Massachusetts, 9 February 1990.2:06
16."Get Back"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan 13 March 1990.4:11
17."Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Toronto, Canada, 7 December 1989.6:41
18."Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" Joe Greene Recorded in Montreal, Canada, 9 December 1989.4:31
Total length:68:16

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Got to Get You into My Life"  3:15
2."Birthday" Concurrently released as a single to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 50th birthday2:43
3."We Got Married"  7:09
4."The Long and Winding Road"  3:48
5."Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"  6:21
6."Can't Buy Me Love"  2:14
7."All My Trials
Put It There"
Traditional
UK only
US only
3:14
2:44
8."Things We Said Today"  5:01
9."Eleanor Rigby"  2:36
10."My Brave Face"
 3:09
11."Back in the U.S.S.R."  3:15
12."I Saw Her Standing There"  3:25
13."Coming Up"  5:18
14."Let It Be"  3:53
15."Hey Jude"  8:03
16."Get Back"  4:11
17."Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End"  6:41

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

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