As Paul McCartney prepares for the remastered and expanded versions of his solo endeavors, Tug of War and Pipes of Peace, the celebrated Beatle has shared an alternative take of his hit duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory."
The premiere of the rare "Ebony and Ivory" take hit the Internet via Billboard, which also notes that listeners can hear "additional vocals and a different mix that brings out the bass a bit more" which is included in the album's bonus material. The expanded Tug of War album boasts four discs including a "2015 Mix" of the original album, a remaster of 1982's mix and a disc chock-full of unreleased audio as well as a DVD complete with a behind-the-scenes documentary and music videos, UltimateClassicRock notes.
Alongside a remastered and expanded version of 1983's Pipes of Peace, Tug of War will arrive on October 2. The 1983 album saw a pre-release a few days prior when McCartney unveiled the remastered title song. The 73-year-old icon started his ongoing Archive Collection reissues in 2012 with a deluxe, Grammy-winning version of his 1973 album with Wings, Band on the Run.
"Ebony and Ivory" marked the first of a handful of hits off of Tug of War, sparking a bit of a solo comeback for McCartney, who was resuming his career after the 1981 split of Wings. The track immediately topped charts and was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance - Duo or Group. He saw the same success on Pipes of Peace after recording a duet with Michael Jackson titled "Say Say Say."
Aside from the reissue hype, McCartney has been traveling and touring in support of his latest album, 2013's New, with five dates in North America scheduled for October.
