I recently referred to the three wonderful Beatles Undercover books that author Kris Engelhardt has released over the years which can be found on Amazon.
One of the highlights for me of reading his three excellent books was being able to locate and purchase a copy of an LP that I never knew existed prior to the reading of his books. In his extensive research, Kris was able to discover an album by a group named Ivory that was recorded in Barbados and featured two rare Paul McCartney tracks entitled “Runaway” and “Freedom Land.”
These tracks were recorded in the ’80s when Paul and Linda visited Barbados on holiday. Paul recorded the demo there but apparently, an agreement was made that the group could use Paul’s songs on their LP, but not Paul’s version of the numbers. It was rumored that Paul’s demo of the songs did actually appear at an auction once. However, I have not seen that substantiated anywhere!
Rare McCartney Songs
Recording a couple of rare McCartney songs for a group looking to expose their talents can be a double-edged sword, as having those rarities can certainly garnish much interest for the band as a result of having recorded them, but it also runs the risk of removing the focus of the group as the mainstay of the LP and in being able to highlight the group’s independent musical talents. This is a fact of life whenever a former Beatle assists another artist with their recordings.
At least, Ivory has achieved a special status that one of the greatest songwriters ever, has worked with them. They have been immortalized for that achievement, both on the vinyl and now in a Beatles book!
I am personally very happy and pleased to own the three Engelhardt Beatles books and the special rare Ivory LP that his books made me aware of:
These are the 3 Kris Engelhardt Beatles titles that have enlightened me to so many Beatles-related rarities:
This is the rare LP issued only in Barbados featuring the two rare McCartney-penned tunes that Paul gave to Ivory to record. After learning about this LP from the author’s books, I conducted an extensive search for the LP and was finally able to locate a copy. It took a considerable amount of time and effort to secure a copy but the seller could sympathize and understand my fervent obsession in obtaining the disk for the collection!
Front cover of the “Ivory” LP entitled “Print Out”
A signed photo of the group “Ivory”
Album Credits for the Ivory “Print Out” LP:
The two songs do appear on YouTube as someone has posted them there: Also, Kris Engelhardt has informed me that the Ivory recordings were also available for download, I believe on iTunes!
This is “Runaway”
A photo of Side 1 of the LP featuring “Runaway”
The other McCartney track entitled “Freedom Land” also appears on YouTube:
The B-side of the LP where Freedom Land appears:
Had you heard of these songs before?
Buzz
Find out more about Paul McCartney at The Beatles Bookstore
Paul McCartney
Books about Paul McCartney
I love Kris his work is incredible and it is fun and exhaustive to find all the works Fast Eddie Veltman
Thanks for this undercover work! Worthy of Philip Marlowe, the Raymond Chandler character! I would love to hear the Paul McCartney original demos too, should they ever surface! Cheers…