The Beatles did quite a bit to capitalize on their music success. They starred in movies, released books, opened a clothing boutique, started their own label, and much more. Even after the band called in quits in 1970, the former members went off to pursue their own music careers and business ventures as well. In 1984, Paul McCartney famously released the soundtrack to his film Give My Regards To Broad Street. The film, sadly, was a bit of a flop. The soundtrack, however, was quite successful and sold decently. But a movie and some music weren’t the only things McCartney released to promote that particular concept and/or project. He also released a video game.
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That’s right! Give My Regards To Broad Street was also a video game, released for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers in the year 1985. And another former Beatle makes a surprise guest appearance in the game.
Few Might Remember Paul McCartney’s Computer Game From the 1980s
Developed by Argus Press Software, Give My Regards To Broad Street would be considered “abandonware” by today’s standards, meaning it is obsolete and hard to find. Thankfully, certain hobbyists have preserved the game so it won’t be lost to time.
Give My Regards To Broad Street (the film) follows a plotline of McCartney being stuck in traffic, daydreaming about driving a flashy, modern car, and later solving a mystery. Naturally, the video game would follow the theme and be a racing game. The plot of the game takes place after the film and involves plenty of racing mechanics and puzzles. The main objective of the game is to drive around London and look for musical notes. There are a lot of fascinating little gems throughout this game, including a not-so-pleasant 8-bit version of “Band On The Run” as the background music, appearances from sprites that look quite a bit like Ringo Starr and Linda McCartney in digital form.
Even if you were around when this game dropped, you probably didn’t get your hands on it stateside. It was a European-licensed title, and let’s be honest… It’s not exactly the greatest game on the planet. However, it’s just one of many examples of Paul McCartney experimenting with different mediums and venues to promote himself throughout his solo career. If anything, it was an admirable attempt at doing something different.
Photo by Jerry Wacher/Images/Getty Images
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