Run Devil Run

Run Devil Run
Studio album by Paul McCartney
Released	4 October 1999
Recorded	1 March - 5 May 1999 (Abbey Road studios)
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	40:46
Label	Parlophone/EMI
Producer	Chris Thomas, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney chronology
Rushes (1998) Run Devil Run (1999) Working Classical (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly
Robert Christgau	A−
Rolling Stone

For the song by Girls' Generation, see Run Devil Run (song).

Run Devil Run is the eleventh solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in 1999. It features covers of both familiar and obscure 1950s rock and roll songs, along with three new McCartney songs written in the same style. As his first project following first wife Linda's death in 1998, McCartney felt the need to get back to his roots and perform some of the music he loved as a teenager. On 14 December 1999, McCartney returned to the Cavern Club stage to play a set publicising the new album.

Recording and structure

Wanting to keep things fresh, a lesson he had learned from his experiences working on The Beatles Anthology project and put to use on Flaming Pie, McCartney planned to cut the album as quickly as possible in order to capture the excitement of a live-in-the-studio performance, in much the same way The Beatles had recorded many of their early songs. Asking Back to the Egg co-producer Chris Thomas to reprise that role, McCartney booked time in Abbey Road Studios in early March to undertake his quest.

Wanting to work with reliable and empathetic musicians, he called up Pink Floyd's David Gilmour to play guitar (having already worked with McCartney as early as The Dark Side of the Moon sessions where McCartney recorded some voice-overs which were not used; Gilmour later worked with McCartney during the "Rockestra", Give My Regards to Broad Street and Flowers in the Dirt projects). Also recruited were guitarist Mick Green (who previously played on McCartney's Снова в СССР album), keyboardists Pete Wingfield and Geraint Watkins, and on drums Deep Purple's Ian Paice and Dave Mattacks. McCartney, naturally, played bass although he did play electric guitar in some instances. The initial sessions were held in early March; after a few more sessions in April and May, the album—featuring three new McCartney songs among the old classics—was complete.

The title Run Devil Run was inspired by a herbal medicine shop in Atlanta with products by that very name (the picture modifies the actual Rexall drugs sign). It appealed to McCartney as a great title for a rock and roll song, which he duly composed. The store is located at 87 Broad Street in Atlanta.

Reception

Released in October 1999, Run Devil Run received rave reviews and performed respectably, reaching #12 in the UK and #27 in the US.

Rhapsody (online music service) praised the album, calling it one of their favorite cover albums.

Bonus discs and singles

To stimulate sales, a number of different bonus discs and singles were issued to accompany the album. Two special editions of Run Devil Run with limited-edition bonus discs were available only at certain retailers. A special limited edition of the album, sold only at Best Buy, featured a bonus interview disc. A similar special limited edition of the album, sold only at Musicland and Sam Goody stores, featured a four-disc E.P. that contained the original artists' versions of four songs on the album: "Blue Jean Bop" by Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, "Lonesome Town" by Ricky Nelson, "Coquette" by Fats Domino, and "Let's Have a Party" by Wanda Jackson.

"No Other Baby" was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in Great Britain with two songs on the B-side, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and a non-album track entitled "Fabulous". In America, "No Other Baby" was released on a special juke-box single, with "Try Not to Cry" included as the B-side.

"No Other Baby", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and "Fabulous" were released together on two different CD singles, one of which contained stereo versions of the three songs and the other of which contained mono versions of the three songs.

Also, in the UK, all fifteen songs on the album, along with "Fabulous", were released on a set of eight 7-inch singles sold together in a Run Devil Run Limited Edition Collector's Box designed to look like a record case from the 1950s.

Track listing

1. "Blue Jean Bop" (Gene Vincent/Hal Levy) – 1:57
2. "She Said Yeah" (Larry Williams) – 2:07
3. "All Shook Up" (Otis Blackwell/Elvis Presley) – 2:06
4. "Run Devil Run" (Paul McCartney) – 2:36
5. "No Other Baby" (Dickie Bishop/Bob Watson) – 4:18
6. "Lonesome Town" (Baker Knight) – 3:30
7. "Try Not To Cry" (Paul McCartney) – 2:41
8. "Movie Magg" (Carl Perkins) – 2:12
9. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Chuck Berry) – 2:27
10. "What It Is" (Paul McCartney) – 2:23
11. "Coquette" (Johnny Green/Carmen Lombardo/Gus Kahn) – 2:43
12. "I Got Stung" (David Hill/Aaron Schroeder) – 2:40
13. "Honey Hush" (Joe Turner) – 2:36
14. "Shake a Hand" (Joe Morris) – 3:52
15. "Party" (a.k.a. "Let's Have a Party") (Jessie Mae Robinson) – 2:38

iTunes exclusive track

16. "Fabulous" (Bernie Lowe/Kal Mann) - 2:16
    • In 2007, upon adding McCartney's catalogue of music, the iTunes Store added his cover of the Charlie Gracie song as an exclusive bonus track on this album.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney: Hofner Bass guitar, additional guitars, vocals.
• David Gilmour: Fender Esquire on all tracks, Gibson lap steel guitar on "Run Devil Run", backing vocals.
• Mick Green: Fender Stratocaster s/nS71440.
• Pete Wingfield: Keyboards except as noted.
• Geraint Watkins: Piano on "All Shook Up" and "Try Not to Cry".
• Ian Paice: Drums except as noted.
• Dave Mattacks: Drums on "All Shook Up" and "Try Not to Cry".

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1999)	Position
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart	12
UK Albums Chart	12
Austrian Albums Chart	18
German Media Control Albums Chart	21
Swedish Albums Chart	23
United States Billboard 200	27
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart	30
Swiss Albums Chart	36
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	44
Dutch Mega Albums Chart	53
French SNEP Albums Chart	55

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
UK Albums Chart	117

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Japan (Oricon Charts)		14,870
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	105,332
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

External links

• JPGR's Beatles site: Paul McCartney's Run Devil Run
• Medicine & Curios website which inspired this record