Tug Of War

• Track Listing

Limited 180gm vinyl LP repressing. Tug of War is the third solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in April 1982. It was McCartney's first album released after the dissolution of Wings in April, 1981 and McCartney's first album after the murder of former songwriting partner John Lennon. The album was produced by former Beatles producer George Martin and was a #1 hit in numerous countries. It was hailed as a return-to-form for McCartney upon release. In February 1981, two months after Lennon's death, Paul McCartney began the album's sessions, recording that month with Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clarke, Carl Perkins and Ringo Starr and laying down several songs in the process. The recordings were held at AIR Studios in Montserrat, in the Caribbean and lasted from 3 February to 2 March, ending with "Ebony and Ivory" and "What's That You're Doing," two songs featuring Stevie Wonder. 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart also became a frequent collaborator of McCartney's during this era. Further sessions that summer were also undertaken at George Martin's AIR studios at Oxford Street, London - with the producer manning the controls and giving McCartney's music the benefit of 1980s technology. The sessions were so productive that several of it's tracks would be held over for the next album, Pipes of Peace, which followed in 1983. The rest of 1981 would be spent in a quiet fashion, with McCartney and Martin touching up the album and perfecting it.