What can I tell you about Paul McCartney and Band on the Run that you don’t already know?  Let’s get to the CD.

Band on the Run first appeared on CD in the U.S. on the Columbia label, under the CBS Records umbrella. This, like all McCartney Columbia CDs, is rather rare (though available as Japanese and U.S. pressings). At about the same time, Band on the Run was released in Europe on Capitol Records. Paul McCartney’s catalog in the U.S. quickly moved to Capitol, and the same Capitol issue of Band on the Run then was available in both the U.S. and Europe by the mid-’80s.

Capitol originally issued Band on the Run on CD under catalog number CDP 7 46055 2. The earliest pressings, from Japan, are highly desirable by virtue of a stand-out black paint coating. As posted here over the years, Capitol is known for its early CDs bearing attractive paint coatings. The Japanese pressing of Band on the Run hit store shelves in the U.S. and can be located today without too much difficulty online. In the late ’80s, production switched to Capitol’s Jacksonville, Illinois plant. These “JAX” pressings (notation found in the mirror band) are very common. There is, however, a rare “in-between” pressing that was released in the U.S.

Shape Optimedia was one of many pressing plants that opened in the U.S. in the late ’80s as demand for the silver discs boomed. Though Shape Optimedia did not have a long run (operating in the state of Maine), they turned out distinctive early pressings by virtue of their unique clear plastic ring. Shape Optimedia produced a limited run of Band on the Run. Let’s have a look.

Gone is the black paint coating. Capitol abandoned paint coatings on most U.S. pressings in the late ’80s, presumably as a cost savings. The Shape Optimedia disc has black text over aluminum. The text “SHAPE OPTIMEDIA, INC.” and “MADE IN USA” is stamped on the clear plastic ring. The matrix information is “SHAPE OPTIMEDIA 10059 SA0584”. The accompanying inserts were printed in the U.S.

Shown below is the cover and back insert for the Capitol issue of Band on the Run, along with the rare Shape Optimedia pressing.

The cover for the original Capitol issue of Paul McCartney and Wings Band on the Run (catalog number CDP 7 46055 2). This is the standard cover artwork for this album.

The back insert for the original Capitol issue of Paul McCartney and Wings Band on the Run (catalog number CDP 7 46055 2). As noted along the bottom, this insert was printed in the U.S.

The Shape Optimedia plant pressing of Paul McCartney and Wings Band on the Run (Capitol, catalog number CDP 7 46055 2). “SHAPE OPTIMEDIA, INC.” and “MADE IN USA” is stamped on the clear plastic ring. The matrix information is “SHAPE OPTIMEDIA 10059 SA0584”.