Back in the World

Infobox Album | Name = Back in the World
Type = Live album
Artist = Paul McCartney


Released = 17 March 2003
Recorded = 1 April - 18 May and 17 November, 2002
Genre = Rock
Length = 2:01:25
Label = Parlophone/EMI
Producer = Paul McCartney
and David Kahne
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:pt7m965okepo link]
Last album = "Back in the US"
(2002)
This album = "Back in the World"
(2003)
Next album = "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard"
(2005) |

"Back in the World" (subtitled "Live") is a live album by Paul McCartney composed of highlights from his spring 2002 "Driving USA" tour in the United States in support of McCartney's 2001 release "Driving Rain". It was released internationally in 2003, save for North America - where "Back in the US" saw issue four months earlier in 2002 - to commemorate his first set of concerts in almost ten years.

Using most of the musicians that appeared on "Driving Rain", McCartney assembled a new live act composed of Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray on guitar, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums and keyboardist Paul Wickens, who had been on McCartney's last two tours in 1989-1990 and 1993.

Although McCartney was promoting "Driving Rain", the majority of his shows would be celebrations of his past, with a substantial sampling of McCartney's solo work with and without Wings, but in particular his Beatles hits. And it was with the release of those particular songs on "Back in the US" in 2002 that sparked one of McCartney's biggest controversies in ages. Despite keeping the famous Lennon-McCartney credit intact on "Tripping the Live Fantastic", "Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)" and "Paul is Live", McCartney decided to reverse the credits to "McCartney-Lennon" much to Yoko Ono's public outcry. Reportedly, McCartney decided to act in response to Ono's recent dropping of his credit from "Give Peace A Chance" on "" in 1997. While there continues to be division among critics and fans over McCartney's move, it is worth noting that John Lennon never publicly objected to the original credit reversal that appeared on 1976's "Wings Over America", four years before Lennon's death. Undeterred by Ono's anger, McCartney swapped the credits again on "Back in the World" in 2003.

The main difference between "Back in the US" and "Back in the World" is that "Vanilla Sky" has been dropped from the latter's first disc, while two of the tracks from the second disc ("C Moon" and the post-9/11 "Freedom") have been replaced with four exclusive songs not found on "Back in the US": "Calico Skies", "Michelle", "Let 'Em In" and "She's Leaving Home". Another difference is that the version of "Hey Jude" on "Back in the world" comes from a different show then the version on "Back in the US".

Upon its release, "Back in the World" far outperformed "Driving Rain" in the UK, reaching #5 and becoming a major hit for McCartney.

Track listing

All songs by John Lennon/Paul McCartney except where noted.

Disc one

#"Hello Goodbye" – 3:46
#"Jet" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 4:02
#"All My Loving" – 2:08
#"Getting Better" – 3:10
#"Coming Up" (Paul McCartney) – 3:26
#"Let Me Roll It" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 4:24
#"Lonely Road" (Paul McCartney) – 3:12
#"Driving Rain" (Paul McCartney) – 3:11
#"Your Loving Flame" (Paul McCartney) – 3:28
#"Blackbird" – 2:30
#"Every Night" (Paul McCartney) – 2:51
#"We Can Work It Out" – 2:29
#"Mother Nature's Son" – 2:11
#"Carry That Weight" – 3:05
#*From start to 1:58, the song "You Never Give Me Your Money" is played.
#"The Fool on the Hill" – 3:09
#"Here Today" (Paul McCartney) – 2:28
#* "McCartney's tribute to John Lennon"
#"Something" (George Harrison) – 2:33
#* "A tribute cover of George Harrison's most famous song, played on the ukulele - one of Harrison's favorite instruments"

Disc two

#"Eleanor Rigby" – 2:17
#"Here, There and Everywhere" – 2:23
#"Calico Skies" (Paul McCartney) – 2:38
#*Performed at the Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan
#"Michelle" – 3:15
#"Band on the Run" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 5:00
#"Back in the U.S.S.R." – 2:56
#"Maybe I'm Amazed" (Paul McCartney) – 4:47
#"Let 'Em In" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 5:23
#"My Love" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 4:04
#"She's Leaving Home" – 3:52
#"Can't Buy Me Love" – 2:11
#"Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) – 3:05
#"Let It Be" – 3:58
#"Hey Jude" – 7:35
#* Performed in Mexico City; on "Back in the U.S.", the song is performed in New York.
#"The Long and Winding Road" – 3:30
#"Lady Madonna" – 2:21
#"I Saw Her Standing There" – 3:08
#"Yesterday" – 2:08
#"Sgt. Pepper's"/"The End" – 4:40

Charts

References