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Paul McCartney, VR firm Jaunt examine Macca's solo career in doc series

The six-episode documentary series taps virtual reality to bring fans into the studio with McCartney for reminiscences about his songs.

Edward Moyer Senior Editor
Edward Moyer is a senior editor at CNET and a many-year veteran of the writing and editing world. He enjoys taking sentences apart and putting them back together. He also likes making them from scratch. ¶ For nearly a quarter of a century, he's edited and written stories about various aspects of the technology world, from the US National Security Agency's controversial spying techniques to historic NASA space missions to 3D-printed works of fine art. Before that, he wrote about movies, musicians, artists and subcultures.
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Edward Moyer
2 min read
​In a new six-part doc, Paul guides fans down a long, winding, 360-degree road.

In a new six-part doc, Paul guides fans down a long, winding, 360-degree road.

Jaunt

Paul McCartney's Fool on the Hill famously used the eyes in his head to "see the world spinning round." Now he can do it in VR.

Jaunt, a producer and publisher of virtual-reality content, is teaming with Sir Paul on a six-part documentary series timed to coincide with the release of "Pure McCartney," a 67-song collection that spans the former Beatle's solo career and is due out June 10.

The documentary features Paul in his home studio and consists of "immersive VR experiences which delve into the stories behind some of McCartney's most iconic songs," says Jaunt. The first two episodes -- for the songs "Dance Tonight" and "Coming Up" -- are out today. They'll be followed by "My Valentine" Parts 1 and 2 (out May 31 and June 7), "Mull of Kintyre" (June 10) and "Early Days" (June 14).

"We used to see artists connect with their fans through album covers and liner notes, but that personal expression, and deeper understanding of the music, has diminished over the years," Cliff Plumer, president of Jaunt Studios, said in a release. "With virtual reality, Paul McCartney is...connecting directly with his fans, to share his innermost thoughts and experiences, in an entirely new, personal and immersive way."

I've embedded a taste below.

McCartney and Jaunt have played together before. The company created an app for Google's Cardboard VR headset that let fans jump on stage with Paul during a performance of "Live and Let Die" at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

Beatle fans might also like to know about a Cardboard app that lets them tour Abbey Road studios.

And speaking of Abbey Road, longtime Beatles sound engineer Geoff Emerick, who also produced McCartney's classic solo album "Band on the Run" (and wrote a fine book about his time with the Fab Four), served as producer and soundscape architect on the new Jaunt documentary series.

Each episode of the series will be released into the custom Paul McCartney world within the Jaunt VR App. Jaunt VR is available on iOS, Android, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Desktop 360.