Tripping the Live Fantastic

Tripping the Live Fantastic
Live album by Paul McCartney
Released	29 October 1990
Recorded	26 September 1989 - 30 June 1990
Genre	Rock
Length	2:18:20
Label	Parlophone/EMI
Producer	Paul McCartney, Bob Clearmountain, and Peter Henderson
Paul McCartney chronology
Flowers in the Dirt (1989) Tripping the Live Fantastic (1990) Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) (1991)

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Allmusic

Tripping the Live Fantastic is Paul McCartney's first official 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 #16 in the UK and #26 in the US. It was also simultaneously released in an abridged form, entitled Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!.

History

A document of the huge success of The Paul McCartney World Tour, Tripping the Live Fantastic encompasses McCartney's entire musical career from his famed Beatles hits to his recent hit album, Flowers in the Dirt, while also including some unique covers. Interspersed throughout the package 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 some critics have described the album as being overly polished and slick, Tripping the Live Fantastic is still considered a generous and enjoyable memento from McCartney's first world tour in over a decade.^{[citation needed]}

Despite reversing the famed Lennon–McCartney credits on Wings over America, McCartney left the credits for his Beatles songs contained 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 Tripping the Live Fantastic by Paul McCartney. Released in 1990, both packages document McCartney's highly successful Paul McCartney World Tour of 1989-1990.

Cutting out all of the soundcheck recordings and leaving merely the concert highlights (hence the album's title), this set is notable for the exclusive inclusion of "All My Trials", not found on the more complete Tripping the Live Fantastic set or on the US commercial release version, where it was replaced by "Put It There", but it was issued on the Columbia House mail-order Highlights release.

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

Get Back

This album spawned a few singles which contained live B-Sides from this tour. These B-sides were live songs that were not featured on the live album, which made the singles collectors items. A VHS concert film was also released, entitled Get Back. The film was directed by Richard Lester.

Paul McCartney: Coming Home

The Disney Channel filmed Paul McCartney: Coming Home during this period. The show highlights Paul'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".

Paul McCartney: Put It There

Another VHS film was released, titled Paul McCartney: Put It There. The film featured Paul and his band rehearsing for the tour.

Track listing

All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

Disc one

1. "Showtime" – 0:38
2. "Figure of Eight" – 5:32
   • Recorded in Rotterdam, 10/11/89.
3. "Jet" – 4:02
   • Recorded in Wembley, 17/01/90.
4. "Rough Ride" – 4:48
   • Recorded in Paris, 10/10/89.
5. "Got to Get You into My Life" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:21
   • Recorded in Dortmund 17/10/89.
6. "Band on The Run" – 5:09
   • Recorded in Wembley, 16/01/90.
7. "Birthday" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:43
   • Concurrently released as a single to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 50th birthday, recorded in Knebworth, 30/06/90.
8. "Ebony and Ivory" – 4:00
   • Recorded in Rotterdam, 08/11/89.
9. "We Got Married" – 6:38
   • Recorded in Wembley, 16/01/90.
10. "Inner City Madness" (McCartney/Linda McCartney/Hamish Stuart/Robbie McIntosh/Paul Wickens/Chris Whitten) – 1:22
    • A soundcheck jam by McCartney and his touring band, recorded in Birmingham, 02/01/90.
11. "Maybe I'm Amazed" – 4:41
    • Recorded in Rotterdam, 08/11/89.
12. "The Long and Winding Road" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:18
    • Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, 19/04/90.
13. "Crackin' Up" (Ellas McDaniel) – 0:49
    • Recorded in Los Angeles, 23/11/89.
14. "The Fool on the Hill" (Lennon–McCartney) – 5:01
    • Recorded in Wembley, 13/01/90.
15. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (Lennon–McCartney) – 6:23
    • Recorded in Los Angeles, 23/11/89.
16. "Can't Buy Me Love" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:14
    • Recorded in Munich, 21/10/89.
17. "Matchbox" (Carl Perkins) – 3:09
    • Recorded in Wembley, 21/01/90.
18. "Put It There" – 2:43
    • Recorded in Gothenburg, 28/09/89.
19. "Together" (McCartney/McCartney/Stuart/McIntosh/Wickens/Whitten) – 2:17
    • Another soundcheck jam, recorded in Chicago, 05/12/89.

Disc two

1. "Things We Said Today" (Lennon–McCartney) – 5:01
   • Recorded in Madrid, 02/11/89.
2. "Eleanor Rigby" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:36
   • Recorded in Worcester, 08/02/90.
3. "This One" – 4:28
   • Recorded in Detroit, 01/02/90.
4. "My Brave Face" (McCartney/Declan MacManus) – 3:09
   • Recorded in Wembley, 19/01/90.
5. "Back in the U.S.S.R." (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:15
   • Recorded in Tokyo, 05/03/90.
6. "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:25
   • Recorded in Montreal, 09/12/89.
7. "Twenty Flight Rock" (Eddie Cochran/Ned Fairchild) – 3:09
   • Recorded in Wembley, 13/01/90.
8. "Coming Up" – 5:18
   • Recorded in Tokyo, 03/03/90.
9. "Sally" (Will E. Haines/Harry Leon/Leo Towers) – 2:03
   • Recorded in Wembley, 21/01/90.
10. "Let It Be" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:53
    • Recorded in Miami, 14/04/90.
11. "Ain't That a Shame" (Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew) – 2:40
    • Recorded in Tokyo, 09/03/90.
12. "Live and Let Die" – 3:11
    • Recorded in Gothenburg, 28/09/89.
13. "If I Were Not upon the Stage" (Thomas Sutton/Bill Turner/Stan Bowsher) – 0:36
    • A faux beginning to the next song, Recorded in Cincinnati, 26/09/89.
14. "Hey Jude" (Lennon–McCartney) – 8:03
    • Recorded in Cincinnati, 12/02/90.
15. "Yesterday" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:06
    • Recorded in Worcester, 09/02/90.
16. "Get Back" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:11
    • Recorded in Tokyo, 13/03/90.
17. "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" (Lennon–McCartney) – 6:41
    • Recorded in Toronto, 07/12/89.
18. "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (Joe Greene) – 4:31
    • Recorded in Montreal, 09/12/89.

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

1. "Got to Get You into My Life" – 3:15
2. "Birthday" – 2:43
   • Concurrently released as a single to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 50th birthday
3. "We Got Married" (McCartney) – 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" (Traditional) – 3:14 (UK only)
   "Put It There" (McCartney) – 2:44 (US only)
8. "Things We Said Today" – 5:01
9. "Eleanor Rigby" – 2:36
10. "My Brave Face" (McCartney, Declan MacManus) – 3:09
11. "Back in the U.S.S.R." – 3:15
12. "I Saw Her Standing There" – 3:25
13. "Coming Up" (McCartney) – 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

• Paul McCartney - lead vocals, bass, piano, guitar
• Linda McCartney - keyboards, vocals
• Hamish Stuart - guitar, bass, backing vocals
• Robbie McIntosh (from an edition of The Pretenders) - lead guitar
• Paul 'Wix' Wickens - keyboards
• Chris Whitten - drums and percussion