As controversial as the next release of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection’s approach to “Flowers In The Dirt” has been, the official release of demos from McCartney’s writing sessions with Elvis Costello has made for some excitement as regards the release for Record Store Day. Some of those fateful “McCartney/McManus” demos are now slated for an extraordinary release.
Three unheard cassette demos, part of the much-maligned download-only portion of the deluxe box set (which will also feature previously released B-sides and remixes, instead of this content on a physical disc), have been announced as a cassette for the 10th annual Record Store Day celebration on April 22nd. Those demos are “I Don’t Want to Confess,” “Shallow Grave” and “Mistress and Maid”–for the first time “available in the same form as when Paul and Elvis first cut them directly to tape.”
In a statement, Paul said of these demos:
The demos are red hot off the skillet and that’s why we wanted to include them on this boxed set. What’s great about these songs is that they’ve just been written. So there’s nothing more hot off the skillet as I say. So that was the kind of great instant thing about them. I hadn’t listened to them in ages but when I did I knew we had to put them out. We made a little tape of them and sent them to Elvis, who loved them too. We said we should put out an EP or something and now the moment’s finally arrived.
The Fat Angel Sings 