Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) Jonesboro GA

Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)

Paul McCartney

Capitol Records, 1991

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/19/1997

It's not often that I choose to review rare albums - those which have been pressed in limited quantities as special treats for the diehard fans. Usually, if you miss your chance to buy them in the stores, you're pretty much screwed.

So when I received a second chance at one of these, I snapped it up - Paul McCartney's Unplugged (The Official Bootleg). One of the first of a plethora of "unplugged" shows, this is also one of the best. I recently went back into the Pierce Memorial Archives (moving day 48 days away) and dusted it off - damn you, VH1 for subliminally affecting me!

This album could have been a disaster - McCartney could have relied on old standards of his touring catalog such as "Hey Jude" or "Maybe I'm Amazed." He could have chosen songs from the low points of his solo career. He could have relied solely on old Beatles songs.

Instead, McCartney did a 180-degree turn and chose to perform songs mostly from - gasp! - other artists, with a slight peppering of Beatles tracks. Many of the songs on this one are songs that McCartney has not performed in several years - and in some cases, they are the first recorded performances by the ex-Beatle.