Although originally scheduled for release in October 1981, Paul McCartney’s solo album Tug Of War was released 44 years ago. It was Paul’s first record following the death of John Lennon and featured “Here Today,” a song dedicated to him. The album also included two collaborations with Stevie Wonder.

The single accompanying the album, “Ebony And Ivory,” was released in March 1982 and reached number one on the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, with “Rainclouds” as its B-side. Produced by George Martin, the album became the first number one and the best-selling record by a European artist in Japan since 1977. In the UK, it debuted at number one, staying at the top for two weeks and spending a total of 27 weeks on the charts.

A second single, “Take It Away,” was released in June 1982 with “I’ll Give You A Ring” as the B-side. The music video for this track featured appearances by Ringo Starr and George Martin, as well as actor John Hurt.

In 1993, Tug of War was digitally remastered and launched on CD under The Paul McCartney Collection series; notably, it was the only release in that lineup to exclude bonus material.

However, when the album arrived on iTunes in 2007, the digital version featured a solo rendition of “Ebony and Ivory” as a bonus track, performed entirely without Stevie Wonder.

Fast forward to October 2015, Hear Music and Concord Music Group revisited the project for the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, offering the album in several distinct formats:

• Standard Edition: A two-disc set featuring a brand-new remix of the original LP on the first CD and a second disc containing eleven supplemental tracks, such as B-sides and demos.

• Deluxe Edition: A comprehensive box set consisting of three CDs, a DVD, a 112-page essay book, and a 64-page notebook.

• Super Deluxe Edition: This version housed the entire Deluxe collection within a premium, limited-edition acrylic slipcase.

• Vinyl Edition: A physical LP release mirroring the content found in the Standard Edition.

All songs were written by Paul McCartney, except “What’s That You’re Doing?” co-written by Stevie Wonder.

Side 1

“Tug of War” – 4:22

“Take It Away” – 4:14

“Somebody Who Cares” – 3:19

“What’s That You’re Doing?”(w/Stevie Wonder)6:19

“Here Today” – 2:27

Side 2

“Ballroom Dancing” – 4:07

“The Pound Is Sinking” – 2:54

“Wanderlust” – 3:49

“Get It” (with Carl Perkins) – 2:29

“Be What You See (Link)” – 0:34

“Dress Me Up as a Robber” – 2:41

“Ebony and Ivory” (with Stevie Wonder) – 3:46

Personnel

• Paul McCartney: Vocals, guitars, bass, drums, piano, synthesizer, percussion, and vocoder.

• Denny Laine: Guitars, synthesizer, and bass on “Wanderlust.”

• Eric Stewart: Guitars and backing vocals.

• Campbell Maloney: Snare drum on “Tug of War.”

• Ringo Starr: Drums on “Take It Away.”

• Steve Gadd: Drums.

• George Martin: Electric piano.

• Adrian Brett: Pan pipes.

• Andy Mackay: Lyricon.

• Adrian Sheppard: Drums.

• Dave Mattacks: Drums.

• Carl Perkins: Guitars and vocals on “Get It.”

• Stevie Wonder: Synthesizer, electric piano, and backing vocals.

• Jack Brymer: Clarinet.

• Keith Harvey: Cello.

• Ian Jewel: Viola.

• Bernard Partridge: Violin.

• Jack Rothstein: Violin.

• Linda McCartney: Backing vocals.

• Stanley Clarke: Bass.

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