Cold Cuts (Paul McCartney album)

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Cold Cuts
Compilation album by
Paul McCartney
ReleasedUnreleased
Recorded1970–1987
StudioVarious
GenreRock
ProducerPaul McCartney

Cold Cuts (also known as Hot Hitz/Kold Kutz) is an unreleased album of outtakes by Paul McCartney. The album was originally planned to be released in 1975 and McCartney revisited the project several times over the years until it was abandoned permanently in the late 1980s. The songs on the album were recorded during his solo career and with Wings in the 1970s and 1980s.

History[edit]

The album was originally conceived as a budget release in 1974, composed of non-album singles and previously unreleased tracks.[1][2] McCartney began work on the album during Wings' recording sessions in Nashville, Tennessee in July 1974, recording several new songs and overdubbing some previously unused tracks. The album, variously referred to as Cold Cuts or Hot Hitz and Kold Kutz, was slated for release in March 1975 but never materialized.[3][4] However, this was abandoned when McCartney's label commented “Why have cold cuts on a hot hits album?”[5] The Hot Hitz/Greatest Hits disc idea was later revisited in 1978 as Wings Greatest.

In January 1981, McCartney and Wings recorded additional overdubs for the unreleased tracks with the album slated for release in early 1981.[6] However, Columbia Records was not interested in releasing an album of outtakes and the album was shelved.[7] It was also believed that its release soon after the murder of John Lennon would seem inappropriate.[2]

The project was rebooted again in late 1986 with further overdubs to the McCartney II outtake "Blue Sway" with arranger-producer Richard Niles.[8][9] The final sessions that attempted an official release of Cold Cuts was in August 1987. McCartney mixed and edited another version of the album with producer Chris Thomas and engineer Bill Price.[10] That album also went unreleased and, after bootleg versions appeared on the market, McCartney abandoned the project permanently.[11]

Possible tracks considered for the album[edit]

Below is a list of the possible tracks that were under consideration over the lifetime of the project. Most of these songs have appeared on various bootlegs connected to the album.

Songs considered for the Cold Cuts album
Song Notes Current Release(s)
"A Love for You" Recorded in 1970 during the Ram sessions, the track received additional overdubs by Laurence Juber and Steve Holley from Wings' third line-up.[2] The Wings version was released in 2003 on The In-Laws soundtrack album; another mix of the song (c. 1981) was released in 2012 on the Special Edition re-issue of Ram.[12]
"Best Friend" Recorded live during the 1972 Wings Over Europe Tour.[13] It was originally intended to be released on the double album version of Red Rose Speedway It was officially released on the 2018 re-issue of Red Rose Speedway and the 2018 live album Wings Over Europe.
"Blue Sway" Recorded in 1979 during the McCartney II sessions, the track received additional overdubs by producer/arranger Richard Niles in 1986. It was released on the 2011 re-issue of McCartney II.
"C Moon" Previously released as a non-album single in 1972.[13] Wingspan: Hits and History
"Cage" Removed from Back to the Egg at the last minute in favour of "Baby's Request",[14] this song features the chords C-A-G-E as its riff to go along with the cage lyric. Unreleased
"Coming Up" A solo recording by McCartney from June–July 1979[15] McCartney II
"Did We Meet Somewhere Before?" Rejected as the main theme for Warren Beatty's film Heaven Can Wait,[16] the song remained on Paul's shelf until he decided to include it on the outtakes project. A snippet of the track was used in the film Rock 'n' Roll High School although it did not appear on the soundtrack album. Unreleased
"Goodnight Tonight" A solo recording by McCartney from January 1978, the track later received overdubs by Wings[15] Solo version unreleased. Wings version was released as the group's first Columbia single in March 1979.[15]
"Hey Diddle" Recorded in 1970 during the Ram sessions as a Paul and Linda duet. Later, the track received further overdubs when Wings were in Nashville in the summer of 1974. The first official release of the song was an acoustic performance from 1971 with "Bip Bop" on the Wingspan: Hits and History compilation. The original 1971 studio version was released in 2012 on the Special Edition re-issue of Ram.[12] The Nashville version was released on the 2014 re-issue of Venus and Mars.[17] A home demo version was released in 2018 on the deluxe edition of Wings Wild Life.
"Hi, Hi, Hi" Previously released as a non-album single in 1972.[2] Wings Greatest
"I Would Only Smile" Written by Denny Laine and recorded in 1972 for Red Rose Speedway, it was originally on the track listing of the double album version. Released on Denny Laine's album Japanese Tears in 1980.[13] An early mix was later released on the 2018 reissue of Red Rose Speedway.
"Junior's Farm" Released as a non-album single in 1974.[2] Wings Greatest
"Lunchbox/Odd Sox" Recorded during the Venus and Mars sessions in New Orleans in 1975. Released as the B-side of "Coming Up" in 1980.
"Mama's Little Girl" Recorded during the Red Rose Speedway sessions in 1972. It was originally intended to be released on the double album version Released as the B-side of "Put It There" in 1990.[13] An early mix was later released on the 2018 reissue of Red Rose Speedway.
"My Carnival" Recorded during the Venus and Mars sessions in New Orleans in 1975. Released as the B-side of "Spies Like Us" in 1985.
"Night Out" This Red Rose Speedway-era outtake from the abandoned double album was overdubbed multiple times by different incarnations of Wings.[13] A primarily instrumental version dating from 1972 was released on the 2018 reissue of Red Rose Speedway.
"Oriental Nightfish" Written by Linda McCartney and recorded with Wings in 1973. Released on Linda McCartney's album Wide Prairie in 1998.
"Proud Mum/Proud Mum (Reprise)" Two instrumental tracks from the Venus and Mars sessions in 1975. The song was originally recorded for use in a commercial for Mother's Pride bread.[18] Unreleased
"Robber's Ball" Recorded in 1978 during the Back to the Egg sessions.[19] Unreleased
"Same Time Next Year" Recorded in 1978 for the film Same Time, Next Year but not used. Released as the B-side of "Put It There" in 1990.
"Seaside Woman" Written by Linda McCartney and recorded in 1972, released as a single in 1977 under the name Suzy and the Red Stripes.[20] Released on Linda McCartney's album Wide Prairie in 1998.
"Send Me the Heart" Written by McCartney and Laine and recorded during the Nashville sessions in 1974. Released on Laine's album Japanese Tears in 1980.
"Thank You Darling" An outtake from the abandoned Red Rose Speedway double album Released on the Red Rose Speedway 2018 reissue.
"The Mess" A live recording from the 1972 Wings Over Europe Tour. This live version was originally intended to be released on the double album version of Red Rose Speedway Previously released as the B-side of "My Love".[21]
"Tomorrow" A instrumental remake of the song from the album Wild Life. Recorded during the Venus and Mars sessions in 1975. Unreleased
"Tragedy" This remake of Thomas Wayne's 1959 ballad dates from Red Rose Speedway sessions. The song was considered for inclusion on the album, which was originally planned to be a double.[13] It was officially released in 2018 as part of the Red Rose Speedway deluxe reissue.
"Twice in a Lifetime" Theme from the film Twice in a Lifetime, recorded in 1985. Released as a bonus track on the 1993 re-issue of Pipes of Peace.
"Walking in the Park with Eloise" Released as a non-album single in 1974 under the name The Country Hams[3] Released on the Wings at the Speed of Sound 1993 reissue and the Venus and Mars 2014 reissue.
"Waterspout" An outtake from the London Town sessions, it was to be added to All the Best!, with additional overdubs done in 1987, but was ultimately scrapped in favour of "C Moon". Unreleased
"Wide Prairie" Written by Linda McCartney and recorded in November 1973 at EMI Paris with overdubs done in Nashville in 1974. An edited version, omitting two sections with lead vocals by Paul, was released on Linda McCartney's album Wide Prairie in 1998.

Track listings[edit]

To date, an official track listing has never been announced. However, various bootlegs of the different versions have appeared on the market. These bootleg versions show the Cold Cuts project in its various stages of mixing and different overdubs on the recordings over the years.

1974/1975 version[edit]

To date, there is no information about the track selection for the album during this period. Songs recorded during the Nashville sessions in July 1974 include:[22]

Tracks newly recorded[edit]

  • "Junior's Farm" - released as a single in 1974
  • "Sally G" - released as a single in 1974
  • "Send Me The Heart" - included on the 1978 track list for Hot Hitz/Kold Kutz
  • "Walking In The Park With Eloise" - released as a single in 1974 under the name The Country Hams

Tracks reworked from early sessions (1971 - 1973)[edit]

  • "Hey Diddle" - overdubs and mixing
  • "Bridge On The River Suite" - overdubs and mixing. Released as a single in 1974 under the name The Country Hams
  • "Wide Prairie" - overdubs and mixing

Hot Hitz/Kold Kutz - the 1978 version[edit]

Side one:

  1. "Another Day"
  2. "Silly Love Songs"
  3. "Live And Let Die"
  4. "Junior's Farm"
  5. "With A Little Luck"
  6. "Band On The Run"

Side two:

  1. "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey"
  2. "Hi, Hi, Hi"
  3. "Let 'Em In"
  4. "My Love"
  5. "Jet"
  6. "Mull Of Kintyre"

Side three:

  1. "Mama's Little Girl"
  2. "I Would Only Smile"
  3. "Tragedy"
  4. "Night Out"
  5. "Oriental Nightfish"
  6. "Lunch Box/Odd Sox"
  7. "My Carnival"
  8. "Send Me the Heart"
  9. "Hey Diddle"

Side four:

  1. "Wild Prairie"
  2. "Tomorrow" (1975 instrumental version)
  3. "Proud Mum"
  4. "Proud Mum (reprise)"
  5. "Same Time Next Year"
  6. "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?"

This version was presented to EMI/Capitol in October 1978 as a possible second disc to a hits and rarities compilation to be titled Hot Hitz/Kold Kutz.[23] The Hot Hitz disc was repackaged as Wings Greatest in November 1978.[23] The Kold Kutz disc would be leaked in 1988 as bootleg LP titled Cold Cuts (Another Early Version).

Cold Cuts - 1980/1981 version[edit]

  1. "A Love for You"
  2. "Mama's Little Girl"
  3. "Night Out"
  4. "Hey Diddle"
  5. "Best Friend"
  6. "Tragedy"
  7. "Waterspout"
  8. "Same Time Next Year"
  9. "Cage"
  10. "My Carnival"
  11. "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?"
  12. "Robber's Ball"

McCartney returned to the project in 1980, this time it was to be a standalone album retitled Cold Cuts. Members of Wings added additional overdubs to the tracks "A Love For You", "Waterspout", "My Carnival" and "Same Time Next Year" in January 1981.[24] This version also removed the Linda McCartney and Denny Laine vocal tracks in order to create a more commercial offering.[25]

Cold Cuts - 1986 Version[edit]

Side one:

  1. "A Love for You"
  2. "My Carnival"
  3. "Waterspout"
  4. "Mamma's Little Girl"
  5. "Night Out"
  6. "Robbers Ball"

Side two:

  1. "Cage"
  2. "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?"
  3. "Hey Diddle"
  4. "Tragedy"
  5. "Best Friend"
  6. "Same Time Next Year"

Further overdubs to "A Love For You" were done in 1986. This version would be released on the Deluxe Edition of Ram in 2012 as the "Jon Kelly Mix".[26] In 1987, this leaked onto the bootleg market as an LP titled Cold Cuts (Club Sandwich SP-11)

Cold Cuts - 1987 version[edit]

Side one:

  1. "Blue Sway"
  2. "Hey Diddle"
  3. "Mamma's Little Girl"
  4. "Twice In A Lifetime"
  5. "Waterspout"
  6. "A Love for You"
  7. "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?"

Side two:

  1. "Same Time Next Year"
  2. "Best Friend"
  3. "Cage"
  4. "Tragedy"
  5. "Thank You Darling"
  6. "Night Out"
  7. "Robbers Ball"

This is the final known version of the album. This time, "Blue Sway" was added to the line-up, with new overdubs from arranger-producer Richard Niles. Also, "A Love for You" was remixed. According to an interview with McCartney in 1994, this version was to feature album art by Saul Steinberg.[27] Steinberg's art would later appear on the "Put It There" single cover.

Paul's new manager, Richard Odgen, recommended that, at this point in McCartney's career, releasing a best-of compilation would be a better idea, so Cold Cuts was scrapped in place of All the Best! "Waterspout" was initially planned to be released on that album but was pulled at the last minute (originally the first track on side 2). All the Best! was released in November 1987.

Richard Niles' overdubs on "Blue Sway" would be officially released on the Deluxe Edition of McCartney II in 2010.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Random Notes" Rolling Stone 21 November 1974: 26
  2. ^ a b c d e McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 72, 123, 143. ISBN 9780878333042.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, Jerry "Paul & Linda Try the Gentle Life" The Tennessean July 18, 1974: 67
  4. ^ "Record World International". Record World. New York, New York: Record World Publishing Co., Inc. 15 February 1975.
  5. ^ ""Cold Cuts" session (August 1987)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  6. ^ Terrill, Marshall (15 October 2010). "Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about having Paul McCartney as a boss". daytrippin.com. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  7. ^ Sounes, Howard. Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney (2010): 365
  8. ^ "Music and Video". richardniles.com. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  9. ^ "Overdubs for Cold Cuts project (September / October 1986)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  10. ^ Weiner, Allen. The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide (1992): 67, 83
  11. ^ Lewisohn, Mark. "The Paul McCartney Interview" Club Sandwich Vol. 72, Winter 1994
  12. ^ a b "Sir Paul McCartney 'RAM' tracklisting, reissue details revealed". paulmccartney.com. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Spizer, Bruce (2005). The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. New Orleans, Louisiana: 498 Productions. p. 199. ISBN 0966264959.
  14. ^ Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, eds. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970–2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN 9780711983076.
  15. ^ a b c Interview with Steve Holley
  16. ^ "19 Songs Rejected for Movies". 28 October 2014.
  17. ^ Wings Reissue 'Venus and Mars' and 'At The Speed Of Sound'
  18. ^ "The McCartney Recording Sessions". webpages.charter.net. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  19. ^ McGee 2003, p. 226
  20. ^ Linda McCartney: The Lady Looks Hard" Record Mirror & Disc September 27, 1975
  21. ^ "Random Notes" Rolling Stone July 31, 1975: 24
  22. ^ "Nashville sessions (July 1974)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Hot Hitz Kold Kutz - Ultimate Archive Collection (album)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  24. ^ ""Cold Cuts" overdubs and mixing (January 12th - 23th, 1981)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Hot Hitz Kold Kutz - Ultimate Archive Collection (album)". The Paul McCartney project.
  26. ^ "A Love For You (song)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  27. ^ ""Cold Cuts" session (August 1987)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
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