Wings Over America deluxe box wins a GRAMMY award
Paul McCartney‘s Wings Over America box set last night won the “Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package” at the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
The fifth release in McCartney’s rather sluggish Archive Collection reissue programme, Wings Over America in its box set form was the most lavish to date. It was released in May 2013 and featured four books, including an amazing ‘Tour Itinerary’ volume which contained a seemingly endless amount of detail about the scheduling and life on the road back in 1976. Glossy photos, replicas of tour party invitations and show tickets, set-lists, lyrics and original scribbled ‘doodles’. A second book, with interviews and commentary on the tour, is also excellent, as is the Linda McCartney photo-book. Finally, a hardback book of illustrations and sketches from Humphrey Ocean, the tour artist (I kid you not), completes the set. Incidentally, one of Ocean’s paintings, Black Love Chair, would be used for the cover of Paul’s 2007 album Memory Almost Full.
In 2012, the Band On The Run deluxe reissue (from October 2010) won ‘Best Historical Album’ at The GRAMMYs, and last year the RAM deluxe set from 2011 (arguably more creative packaging-wise than the Wings Over America set) lost out to Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection.
Paul actually won four GRAMMYs yesterday. His collaboration with the surviving members of Nirvana, Cut Me Some Slack, won ‘Best Rock Song’ and the Live Kisses DVD/Blu-ray won awards for ‘Best Surround Sound Album’ and ‘Best Music Film’.
McCartney won his first GRAMMY in 1965 and thereby holds the record of the longest span of GRAMMY wins of anyone still active at 49 years.
The Wings Over America box set is still available.
Deluxe 3CD+DVD with four books and slip case
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13 thoughts on “Wings Over America deluxe box wins a GRAMMY award”
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WOW this is a fantastic SDE!! Love the books and replica tour memorabilia. Yes there are some songs that aren’t that good but there are so many that are terrific – the transition into Jet, Listen To What The Man Said, Let ‘Em In and the freshness of Silly Love Songs stand out for me. This is my favorite SDE and well deserving of the GRAMMY award.
McCARTNEY has always been able to get away with anything as he has proved so many times before ( just check his first three solo albums)
but I think its about time to get serious regarding his attitude towards his fans and buyers and stop milking them dry by releasing OVERPRICED ,real expensive nonsense like extra memorabilia with no interest at all (I DONT NEED THE SKETCHIES BOOK – MAN! )
The black dossier is the only thing I REALLY need to accompany the music and video- the rest of the three books is just a means to set the price of the package skyhigh!
Just give me a Red Rose Speedway Reissue already. I don’t need books.
This was truly a great box set in terms of packaging, this and the RAM set were just amazing in terms of how they were presented. As for the audio contents on the live Wings set: the only thing they could have added to make it better would have been the LP remixed into 5.1 on Blu Ray or DVD. As the entire set list was included on the original LP, any other bonus tracks from the tour (like the songs included from the Cow Palace) are kinda useless. They already picked the best versions w/ overdub’s added for the original LP. Who need inferior versions of the same songs. Now for the RAM set, they could have included more audio: the LP remixed into 5.1, the rest of the outtakes/extra tracks from the sessions: Get on the Right Thing, Little Lamb Dragonfly, etc, and the live tracks that were on the download only card included. But in terms of the packaging, it was just awesome.
The (highly recommended) set is currently available for 155 euros at JPC Germany.
It makes me mad they would even consider a box set without the entire contents being included on a Blu-ray.
Well deserved, this is an awesome box set, I’m also looking forward to Venus and Mars which is scheduled for a 2014 release. Not sure about Speed of Sound though, would have thought London Town might have had precedence, anyways still more in the vaults to come !
Paul, you mentioned agreeing with what Steve Levine said this morning about the NEW album. Could you paraphrase for those that didn’t catch it as it doesn’t seem to be on iPlayer…Thanks
How is it Live Kisses DVD/Blu-ray won best surround sound album when it was only released as a video? I don’t recall seeing this available as a DVD-Audio or SACD or any other format of surround sound album. I would understand if it got an award for best surround sound video. But it robs the award for best surround sound album to more worthy contenders such as Emerson Lake and Palmer’s first album or Yes’s Close To the edge.
Got the two disc set plus the Rockshow Blu-ray for less than £20 and I more than happy.
It’s easy to access plenty of tour related info and pics online gratis and I’m not interested in the reproduction ephemera.
Silly pricing.
Did it get the Grammy for most overpriced box set of the year?
“The Wings Over America box set is still available” and still at ridiculous prices !!
It’s always been that expensive. You do get a lot for your money!