Monday 5 November 1990 · Paul McCartney · UK album release
Paul McCartney’s first solo live album, Tripping the Live Fantastic, was released in the United Kingdom on 5 November 1990. It documented his 1989–1990 World Tour, combining concert performances with soundcheck recordings. The US release followed on 6 November.
The full album appeared as a triple LP, double cassette and two-CD set. Its 37-track CD programme ranged from Beatles songs and Wings hits to material from Flowers in the Dirt, with brief interludes and rock ’n’ roll covers between the main performances.
Tripping the Live Fantastic: release facts
| Artist | Paul McCartney |
|---|---|
| UK release | Monday 5 November 1990 |
| US release | 6 November 1990 |
| UK label | Parlophone |
| Producers | Paul McCartney, Bob Clearmountain and Peter Henderson |
| Mixing | Bob Clearmountain |
| Source tour | The Paul McCartney World Tour, 1989–1990 |
| Full-length formats | Triple LP, double cassette and two CDs |
| Original CD programme | 37 tracks across two discs |
| UK chart peak | 17 |
| US chart peak | 26 |
| UK Highlights edition | 26 November 1990 |
A live record of the World Tour
The tour had begun in Drammen, Norway, on 26 September 1989 and finished at Soldier Field in Chicago on 29 July 1990. McCartney performed with Linda McCartney, Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh, Paul “Wix” Wickens and Chris Whitten.
The programme brought new songs from Flowers in the Dirt into a set spanning McCartney’s career. “Figure of Eight”, “Rough Ride”, “We Got Married”, “Put It There”, “This One” and “My Brave Face” appeared alongside Beatles songs, Wings material and earlier solo work.
Exactly one year before the album’s UK release, McCartney had played Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on 5 November 1989. That concert formed part of the first European leg. The released album drew on performances from multiple tour dates rather than presenting the Lyon show as a complete concert.
The musicians
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul McCartney | Vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards |
| Linda McCartney | Vocals, keyboards and percussion |
| Hamish Stuart | Guitar, bass and vocals |
| Robbie McIntosh | Guitar and vocals |
| Paul “Wix” Wickens | Keyboards and vocals |
| Chris Whitten | Drums and percussion |
The complete original two-CD track listing
Disc one
- Showtime
- Figure of Eight
- Jet
- Rough Ride
- Got to Get You into My Life
- Band on the Run
- Birthday
- Ebony and Ivory
- We Got Married
- Inner City Madness
- Maybe I’m Amazed
- The Long and Winding Road
- Crackin’ Up
- The Fool on the Hill
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- Matchbox
- Put It There
- Together
Disc two
- Things We Said Today
- Eleanor Rigby
- This One
- My Brave Face
- Back in the USSR
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Twenty Flight Rock
- Coming Up
- Sally
- Let It Be
- Ain’t That a Shame
- Live and Let Die
- If I Were Not upon the Stage
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End
- Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying
Concert performances and soundcheck recordings
The album included more than the main evening set. “Inner City Madness” and “Together” came from soundchecks, while short interludes and cover versions gave the running order additional variety. The concert material moved between full-band rock, piano-led performances and acoustic songs.
The released “Things We Said Today” came from the first Madrid concert on 2 November 1989. Other selections came from performances in cities including Rotterdam, London, Tokyo, Montreal and Toronto.
“Put It There” included the “Hello, Goodbye” outro heard during the tour. The closing Abbey Road sequence, “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End”, occupied a single track on the original CD programme.
Birthday: the single before the album
A live version of “Birthday”, backed with “Good Day Sunshine”, preceded the album. The single was issued in the UK on 8 October 1990, the day before what would have been John Lennon’s fiftieth birthday. It reached number 29 on the UK singles chart.
The American single followed on 16 October. “Birthday” was included on the full Tripping the Live Fantastic album, while “Good Day Sunshine” was not part of its 37-track programme.
Triple vinyl, two CDs and the booklets
The three-disc vinyl edition came with a 12-inch-square booklet. The two-CD edition contained two booklets. The full-length release reached number 17 in the UK and number 26 in the United States.
Although McCartney had previously released the Wings concert album Wings Over America, Tripping the Live Fantastic was his first official solo live album. The earlier record belonged to the Wings catalogue and documented the band’s 1976 American concerts.
The UK Highlights edition and All My Trials
An abridged edition, Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!, followed in the UK on 26 November 1990. It concentrated on concert performances, leaving out the soundcheck material.
The UK edition included “All My Trials”, which was absent from the full-length album. McCartney’s official single history identifies its performance as coming from Milan on 27 October 1989. It also became a single in its own right.
The American Highlights! programme differed: “Put It There” appeared in place of “All My Trials”. The shorter release was therefore not identical across territories.
Get Back: the concert film
The World Tour also produced the film Get Back, directed by Richard Lester and Aubrey Powell. It was released on 25 October 1991, receiving a limited cinema run before its release on VHS.
The album and film were separate releases drawn from the same touring period. The November 1990 record gave listeners the extensive audio programme; the film followed the next year.
Paul McCartney in the collection
Explore our Paul McCartney Photo T-shirt and the wider Paul McCartney and Wings collection.
Frequently asked questions
When was Tripping the Live Fantastic released in the UK?
It was released on 5 November 1990, followed by the US release on 6 November.
Was it Paul McCartney’s first solo live album?
Yes. Wings Over America had appeared earlier, but it was a Wings album rather than a solo McCartney release.
How many tracks were on the original two-CD edition?
There were 37 tracks: 19 on disc one and 18 on disc two. Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End were indexed as one medley.
Was the album recorded at one concert?
No. It combined performances from several dates on the 1989–1990 World Tour with soundcheck recordings.
Which edition included All My Trials?
The UK Highlights edition included All My Trials. The song was absent from the full-length album, and the US Highlights programme used Put It There instead.
When was the Get Back concert film released?
The film, directed by Richard Lester and Aubrey Powell, was released on 25 October 1991.
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