Paul McCartney: The McCartney Years DVD: Review By timbruderek

'The McCartney Years' presents what every Paul McCartney fan has been lusting after for several decades: three full discs of Paul! This set offers two discs of practically all of Macca's promotional videos that have been released from the beginning, starting with 'Maybe I'm Amazed', up to his recent hit, 'Fine Line', from 2005. Spanning four decades and offering over 40 music videos, this spectacular box set has everything the hardcore McCartney fan has been seeking, plus much more!

The third disc in this journey through McCartney's impressive musical history takes you through the man's live concerts, from his days with Wings, through a superb Superbowl set, to his recent impressive live shows and his legendary performance at Glastonbury. Thrown in there is a snippet of his Unplugged set from the early '90s, offering a stripped-down McCartney appearance at his most intimate. This is the collection fans have been waiting for, and with a ton of exciting extras, this fantastic box set is a gold mine of McCartney music. It's perfect for those of us who have been there since the beginning, and those new fans who have come to appreciate his classic music and inspiring performances.

This set is loaded with bonus features! The 'extras' on these discs are merely continuations of the shows themselves, adding additional gems to the treasure chest of fantastic videos. Volume One throws in a few bonus videos along with an interview dusted off from the vaults. Volume Two offers a recent interview, a forgotten '80s tune, and a wonderfully insightful behind-the-scenes look at how McCartney crafts his music. And last but not least, Volume Three ads McCartney's phenomenal Superbowl XXXIX performance and the technical difficulty-laden spot at Live Aid. Coupled with snippets of live footage from the Wings movie 'Rockshow', his Unplugged performance and a section of performances from Glastonbury, this disc is a great summation of the power of Paul McCartney's live prowess. Possibly the best feature of all is McCartney's commentary track, providing insight and factual tidbits of the making of the videos, songs and live shows. Throw in the rare clips of Paul playing unreleased or long-forgotten songs during the menus and you've got a box set that is well worth it.

The videos are all digitally remastered, and wonderfully presented in widescreen format.

The sound is digitally remastered and presented in 5.1 surround, offering the much needed clarity to this wonderful collection of hit songs.

The packaging is gorgeous, with a foldout inner box holding the discs that presents a mosaic of images of Paul McCartney through his multi-decade long career. The front cover is a clever image of the man's eye with smaller photos embedded to create a stark and striking cover.

'The McCartney Years' is fantastic, bulging at the seems with wonderful McCartney hits and favorites. These videos have not been seen in years, maybe even decades, and here you can finally see them all in one place, alongside some great live footage that may never have been previously seen.