Back in the World | ||||
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Live album by Paul McCartney | ||||
Released | 17 March 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1 April – 18 May and 17 November 2002 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 2:01:25 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Producer |
Paul McCartney and David Kahne |
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Paul McCartney chronology | ||||
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Paul McCartney live album chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
Back in the World (subtitled Live) is a live album by Paul McCartney composed of highlights from his spring 2002 "Driving USA" tour in the United States in support of McCartney's 2001 release Driving Rain. It was released internationally in 2003, save for North America – where Back in the US saw issue four months earlier in 2002 – to commemorate his first set of concerts in almost ten years.
Using most of the musicians that appeared on Driving Rain, McCartney assembled a new live act composed of Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray on guitar, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, and keyboardist Paul Wickens, who had been on McCartney's last two tours in 1989–90 and 1993.
Although McCartney was promoting Driving Rain, the majority of his shows would be celebrations of his past, with a substantial sampling of his solo work with and without Wings, but in particular his Beatles hits, and it was the release of those particular songs on Back in the US that sparked one of McCartney's biggest controversies in ages. Despite keeping the famous Lennon–McCartney credit intact on Tripping the Live Fantastic, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) and Paul is Live, McCartney decided to reverse the credits to "Paul McCartney and John Lennon" much to Yoko Ono's public annoyance. Reportedly, McCartney had decided to act in response to Ono's recent dropping of his credit from "Give Peace a Chance" on Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon in 1997. While there continues to be division among critics and fans over McCartney's move, John Lennon never publicly objected to the original credit reversal that appeared on 1976's Wings over America, four years before Lennon's death. Undeterred by Ono's anger, McCartney swapped the credits again on Back in the World in 2003.