Paul McCartney has established himself as one of the most influential songwriters of all time. Now the former Beatle is being recognized by his industry peers with a tribute compilation called The Art of Paul McCartney, which features covers of songs McCartney wrote during his time with the Beatles, Wings and as a solo artist.
Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Smokey Robinson, Barry Gibb, Billy Joel, KISS, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, The Cure (featuring James McCartney, Paul's son), and many others contributed their covers to the project.
The compilation, due out November 18, was put together by onetime McCartney producer Ralph Sall, who got permission for McCartney to work on the tribute project.
The Art of Paul McCartney will be available in a variety of formats, ranging from a standard 34-track CD, vinyl and digital release to deluxe 42-track sets with hardbound books, and a DVD documentary about the project.
As Rolling Stone points out, the "most ornate edition" is the deluxe box set, which is limited to 1,000 copies and includes "artwork by Beatles associate Alan Aldridge, a USB drive designed to look like McCartney's signature Hofner bass, the aforementioned DVD documentary, an audio doc, an illustrated guide to the release, art cards, CDs, vinyl and a certificate of authenticity."
Check out the first song released from the record, the Beatle's "Hello Goodbye" from the Cure and James McCartney, and the project's tracklist below. Let us know what you think in the comments section!
The Art Of McCartney Track List:
1. Billy Joel - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
2. Bob Dylan - "Things We Said Today"
3. Heart - "Band on the Run"
4. Steve Miller - "Junior's Farm"
5. Yusuf Islam - "The Long and Winding Road"
6. Harry Connick, Jr. - "My Love"
7. Brian Wilson - "Wanderlust"
8. Corinne Bailey Rae - "Bluebird"
9. Willie Nelson - "Yesterday"
10. Jeff Lynne - "Junk"
11. Barry Gibb - "When I'm 64"
12. Jamie Cullum - "Every Night"
13. Kiss - "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show"
14. Paul Rodgers - "Let Me Roll It"
15. Roger Daltrey - "Helter Skelter"
16. Def Leppard - "Helen Wheels"
17. The Cure, featuring James McCartney - "Hello Goodbye"
18. Billy Joel - "Live and Let Die"
19. Chrissie Hynde - "Let It Be"
20. Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen - "Jet"
21. Joe Elliott - "Hi Hi Hi"
22. Heart - "Letting Go"
23. Steve Miller - "Hey Jude"
24. Owl City - "Listen to What the Man Said"
25. Perry Farrell - "Got to Get You Into My Life"
26. Dion - "Drive My Car"
27. Allen Toussaint - "Lady Madonna"
28. Dr. John - "Let 'Em In"
29. Smokey Robinson - "So Bad"
30. The Airborne Toxic Event - "No More Lonely Nights"
31. Alice Cooper - "Eleanor Rigby"
32. Toots Hibbert with Sly & Robbie - "Come and Get It"
33. B.B. King - "On the Way"
34. Sammy Hagar - "Birthday"
The Art of McCartney Bonus Tracks:
1. Robert Smith - C Moon"
2. Booker T. Jones - "Can't Buy Me Love"
3. Ronnie Spector - "P.S. I Love You"
4. Darlene Love - "All My Loving"
5. Ian McCulloch - "For No One"
6. Peter, Bjorn and John - "Put It There"
7. Wanda Jackson - "Run Devil Run"
8. Alice Cooper - "Smile Away"
