Tripping the Live Fantastic

Tripping the Live Fantastic
Live album by
Paul McCartney
Released5 November 1990
Recorded26 September 1989 – 30 June 1990
GenreRock
Length138:20
LabelParlophone
Producer
Paul McCartney chronology
Flowers in the Dirt
(1989) 		Tripping the Live Fantastic
(1990) 		Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
(1991)
Singles from Tripping the Live Fantastic
  1. "Birthday"
    Released: 8 October 1990
  2. "The Long and Winding Road"
    Released: 1990
  3. "All My Trials"
    Released: 26 November 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Essential Rock Discography4/10[3]
MusicHound2.5/5[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Tripping the Live Fantastic is Paul McCartney's first official solo live album and his first release of concert material since Wings' 1976 Wings over America live package. It was released in early November 1990 as triple LP, double cassette and double CD. Tripping the Live Fantastic reached number 17 in the UK and number 26 in the US. An abridged version of the album, entitled Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!, was released in the end of November.[6]

Overview

A document of the highly successful The Paul McCartney World Tour, Tripping the Live Fantastic encompasses McCartney's entire musical career from his Beatles songs to his most recent album, Flowers in the Dirt, while also including some unique covers; interspersed throughout 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.[citation needed]

Although he had reversed the Lennon–McCartney credits on Wings over America in 1976, McCartney left the credits for his Beatles songs on Tripping the Live Fantastic in their original form.

Several songs from the tour were released as singles' b-sides and not found on the album: "Birthday" single featured "Good Day Sunshine", "P.S. Love Me Do" and "Let 'Em In"; "The Long and Winding Road" featured "C Moon" and "Mull of Kintyre"; and "All My Trials" additionally featured a medley of "Strawberry Fields Forever / Help / Give Peace a Chance".

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

Three weeks after the release of Tripping the Live Fantastic an abridged version titled Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! was released as 17 track CD and 12 track LP.

Showcasing just the concert highlights, this set is notable for the exclusive inclusion of "All My Trials", not found on Tripping the Live Fantastic. However, on the American edition of the album the track was replaced by "Put It There".

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

Paul McCartney: Put It There

A video produced in 1989, titled Paul McCartney: Put It There, featured McCartney and his band rehearsing for the tour.

Paul McCartney: Going Home

The Disney Channel filmed Paul McCartney: Going Home during the tour. The show highlights McCartney'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".

Get Back

A VHS concert film was also released, entitled Get Back. The video was directed by Richard Lester, the director of A Hard Day's Night and Help! It was his final project before his retirement.

Track listing

All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

Tripping the Live Fantastic

Disc One
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Showtime"  0:38
2."Figure of Eight" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 10 November 1989.5:32
3."Jet"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 17 January 1990.4:02
4."Rough Ride" Recorded in Paris, 10 October 1989.4:48
5."Got to Get You into My Life"Lennon–McCartneyRecorded in Dortmund, Germany, 17 October 1989.3:21
6."Band on the Run"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 16 January 1990.5:09
7."Birthday"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Concurrently released as a single to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 50th birthday, recorded in Knebworth, England, 30 June 1990.2:43
8."Ebony and Ivory" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 8 November 1989.4:00
9."We Got Married" Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 16 January 1990.6:38
10."Inner City Madness"
  • P. McCartney
  • L. McCartney
  • Hamish Stuart
  • Robbie McIntosh
  • Paul Wickens
  • Chris Whitten
Soundcheck by McCartney and his touring band, recorded in Birmingham, England, 2 January 1990.1:22
11."Maybe I'm Amazed" Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 8 November 1989.4:41
12."The Long and Winding Road"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19 April 1990.4:18
13."Crackin' Up"Ellas McDanielRecorded in Los Angeles, United States, 23 November 1989.0:49
14."The Fool on the Hill"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 13 January 1990.5:01
15."Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Los Angeles, US, 23 November 1989.6:23
16."Can't Buy Me Love"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Munich, Germany, 21 October 1989.2:14
17."Matchbox"Carl PerkinsRecorded in Wembley, London, England, 21 January 1990.3:09
18."Put It There" Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, 28 September 1989. Contains the outro part of the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye".2:43
19."Together" Soundcheck, recorded in Chicago, US, 5 December 1989.2:17
Total length:69:48
Disc Two
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Things We Said Today"Lennon–McCartneyRecorded in Madrid, Spain, 2 November 1989.5:01
2."Eleanor Rigby"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Worcester, Massachusetts, 8 February 1990.2:36
3."This One" Recorded in Detroit, US, 1 February 1990.4:28
4."My Brave Face"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 19 January 1990.3:09
5."Back in the U.S.S.R."
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 5 March 1990.3:15
6."I Saw Her Standing There"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Montreal, Canada, 9 December 1989.3:25
7."Twenty Flight Rock"
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 13 January 1990.3:09
8."Coming Up" Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 3 March 1990.5:18
9."Sally"
  • Will E. Haines
  • Harry Leon
  • Leo Towers
  • Ned Fairchild
Recorded in Wembley, London, England, 21 January 1990.2:03
10."Let It Be"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Miami, US, 14 April 1990.3:53
11."Ain't That a Shame"
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, 9 March 1990.2:40
12."Live and Let Die"
  • P. McCartney
  • L. McCartney
Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, 28 September 1989.3:11
13."If I Were Not upon the Stage"
  • Thomas Sutton
  • Bill Turner
  • Stan Bowsher
A faux beginning to the next song, recorded in Cincinnati, US, 12 February 1990. (N.B. Booklet has incorrect date of 26 September 1989)0:36
14."Hey Jude"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Cincinnati, US, 12 February 1990.8:03
15."Yesterday"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Worcester, Massachusetts, 9 February 1990.2:06
16."Get Back"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Tokyo, Japan 13 March 1990.4:11
17."Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"
  • J. Lennon
  • P. McCartney
Recorded in Toronto, Canada, 7 December 1989.6:41
18."Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"Joe GreeneRecorded in Montreal, Canada, 9 December 1989.4:31
Total length:68:16

Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!

No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Got to Get You into My Life" Not available on vinyl3:15
2."Birthday"  2:43
3."We Got Married" Not available on vinyl7:09
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"
"Put It There"		Traditional, arr. McCartney

US only		3:14
2:44
8."Things We Said Today" Not available on vinyl5:01
9."Eleanor Rigby"  2:36
10."My Brave Face"  3:09
11."Back in the U.S.S.R." Not available on vinyl3:15
12."I Saw Her Standing There"  3:25
13."Coming Up"  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" Not available on vinyl6:41

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Tripping the Live Fantastic at AllMusic
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th edn). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 1257. ISBN 0-19-531373-9.
  3. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 696. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
  4. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 730. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  5. ^ Randall, Mac; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 526. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. ^ "The 1990s". paulmccartney.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 181.
  8. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 53, No. 5". RPM. 15 December 1990. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1991. 16. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  10. ^ "ライブ！！1989－1990／ポール・マッカートニー-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of Tripping the Live Fantastic by Paul McCartney] (in Japanese). oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  11. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  12. ^ "Paul McCartney > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  13. ^ a b Allmusic – Tripping the Live Fantastic > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  14. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Album Search: Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original (ASP) on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  16. ^ "charts.nz The Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  17. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!". Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  18. ^ "swedishcharts.com Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights! – hitparade.ch". Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  20. ^ Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995. Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^ "British album certifications – Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic". British Phonographic Industry.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic". Recording Industry Association of America.