The Art of McCartney: The Songs of Paul McCartney Sung by the World's Greatest Artists 180g 3LP

The Art of McCartney is a celebration of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century and possibly the largest selling composer of all time. Sir Paul McCartney has written many of the world's best-known songs, and this project features some of the biggest stars in the music industry, performing his Wings' and The Beatles' greatest tracks alongside McCartney's own backing musicians.

The caliber of artists showing their respect to Paul's songwriting genius is truly staggering. Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, the Cure, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Dr. John, Yusuf, Barry Gibb, Jamie Cullum, KISS, Chrissie Hynde, ELO legend Jeff Lynne, and many more have recorded McCartney songs exclusively for this album. The Art of McCartney is the brainchild of Los Angeles producer/Beatles and McCartney fanatic, Ralph Sall, who has driven this project from conception to delivery. Sall met and worked alongside Paul in 2003 when they revived a song from the 1971 Ram sessions for a movie soundtrack. Ralph then asked Paul and his publishing company if they would support his making this album to honor him. They came back with Paul's own blessing and thumbs aloft for the project to go ahead.

This was a labor of love, not only for Ralph but also for the artists who gave their time to be part of it. All have spoken of the importance of McCartney and his songwriting in their own careers and wanted to show their appreciation.

A key strength of The Art of McCartney is the way these world class artists have got to grips with the sheer range and quality of Paul's work. From his groundbreaking recordings with The Beatles, through to key moments with Wings and his solo compositions, they are all featured on the album.

There are very few artists whose own work rivals The Beatles. So when producer Ralph Sall approached Bob Dylan to take part, he knew it was ambitious. Dylan's choice was "Things We Said Today" — a track from The Beatles' soundtrack A Hard Day's Night — and audiences will be captivated as he growls his way through his remarkable version.

All aspects of Paul's peerless back catalogue have been explored from The Beatles to his experimental early solo work, to Wings and his latter solo output. Lesser-known hidden classics such as "Junk" and "Every Night" are given a fresh outing and interpretation.

Whether it is The Cure's Robert Smith, Corinne Bailey Rae, Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel or KISS, they each bring their own special talent to Paul's much-loved songs. In so doing, they have created versions that are both new and classic at the same time.