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Paul McCartney expected to announce ‘McCartney III’ very soon

By Paul Sinclair

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67

Rumours and teases suggest a third ‘one-man-band’ album is on the way

Paul McCartney is expected to announce a new solo album imminently, which is very likely to be called McCartney III – a follow-up to his 1970 and 1980 albums, which in both cases, saw Paul retreat from band situations and record almost entirely alone, playing all the instruments himself.

Paul has been teasing his fans on social media with a series of images themed around the number three, and in recent days his record label have sent out, to  select few, three dice, all of which have the number three on every side (except one side which has the word ‘McCartney’ on it). The dice come in a small outer bag (see main image, above).

https://twitter.com/PaulMcCartney/status/1318500457656930307

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting paid to Paul’s ‘never-ending tour’ and also preventing him recording in a studio with his band, he has clearly seen this as an opportunity to do what he did when The Beatles dream was over at the end of the 1960s and again in 1979, when Wings had run its course. Paul is a notorious workaholic and it seems that even at the ripe old age of 78, his enthusiasm and passion for writing songs and recording music has not wained.

The question is, what can we expect from a McCartney III? When Paul recorded the previous two albums he was still a young man (in his twenties and thirties, respectively), but time is a cruel mistress and Macca’s voice is not the amazing instrument it once was, so that is potentially a problem. As much as we’d love McCartney to deliver another ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ or ‘Coming Up’ we have to acknowledge that that isn’t very likely, because his range is now a limiting factor.

Greg Kurstin did a fantastic job with the production on 2018’s Egypt Station so it will be very interesting to see what Macca does when following his own nose in the studio. I’ll hazard a guess and say it may well be quite experimental, but perhaps with a rootsy, organic, acoustic backbone; with effects on vocals and the like. Possibly, Fireman-esque. Paul also may include a handful of instrumentals, which of course would be consistent with both previous McCartney albums and makes vocals a non-issue.

It’s great to be getting another Paul McCartney album only two years after the last one. What are your thoughts and expectations around this rumoured release? Leave a comment.

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67 Comments

67 thoughts on “Paul McCartney expected to announce ‘McCartney III’ very soon”

    1. We don’t “need” paul mccartney to give us a remastered old album.

      We do “need” paul mccartney to give us new ones.

      Please let us get the new ones first….then we can try to get the old ones (again) when the new ones cant be got no more.

      Paul is not dead.

  2. Hi Paul, this is good news. As long as he sings to his voice limitations I am sure it will be just fine. On another note I noticed a comment on one of your other members posts and the person mentioned the USB stick that was hidden in the Egypt Station suitcase. I found it when I received it but dis not realise that it was a USB stick. I spoke to a friend and he did not know either. Could I suggest you send out one of your alerts just like this one as I guess a lot more people don’t know about it. Its located under the note from Macca that is attached to the lid.

    Regards
    Dave

    1. Dave!! Thanks for the info! After all this time I never knew there was a hidden USB stick! Ran upstairs to check! Glad to say I FOUND THE HIDDEN TREASURE! Love love love it!!

    1. To be fair to Bob Dylan he eventually realised the limitations of his voice (post Tempest) and on his 4 most recent albums he’s adjusted to sing better than he has for years.

  4. I saw Paul in New Orleans a little over a year ago when he kicked off the U.S. leg of his “Freshen Up” tour. The aging voice was most noticeable on the ballads. This was the sixth time I have seen him and the first time he did not sing “Yesterday”. I will confess, I bought the suitcase. I hope I get the bag full of dice. I will look forward to the official announcement, but as with all McCartney releases, it is fun to hear the speculation.

  5. An aging singing voice isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but rather a different thing. Case in point, great albums released over recent years from Bob Dylan and the late Leonard Cohen presented both recording artists with mature, raspy voices that emoted a greater authenticity to the lyrics. If a younger, more energetic singer, rather than Louie Armstrong, sang “What a Wonderful World,” it wouldn’t have had the same heartfelt poignancy.

    The trick is to write songs lyrics that are more ‘life experienced’ in topic, and to compose music more accommodating in key and range for an older voice. Sir Paul McCartney is a clever songwriter, so I’m sure he’s weighing what he should and should not do on “McCartney III.” But the idea of his new album being comprised of solo and stripped down arrangements that better befit his older voice, might prove to be Paul McCartney’s most intimate and honest body of work to date.

  6. Just posted on Twitter the 333 version has already sold out as the name suggests it’s a limited 333 run on Third Man Records on black and yellow spotted vinyl price was 60 dollars

  7. According to one reporter (Simon Boyle) from “The Sun” the official announcement it will be tomorrow (22-10) with all the details altough he has confirmed that the album was recorded by Paul alone just as we especulated..he also explained that this time there was no engineers or producers as he did it with the previous “McCartney’s” given the current COVID-19 situation..he recorded in his home even using a pot as a drum and experimenting with various sounds….so..let’s wait until the good news tomorrow..all i can say is that the last time Paul recorded all by himself (altough it was produced by Nigel Goodrich) was in “Chaos And Creation….”…and for me it’s one of his best and most beautiful albums…cheers to everyone!!

  8. Whatever MC3 will be, it will be Paul and that is all that matters.
    I was really surprised at getting the dice in the mail. I thought I ordered them and forgot.
    At first I thought it was from Jesse McCartney. The outer bubble envelope had the name of Aaron Carter so I thought boy band. So glad that I was wrong!

    If tours are out then it is time for the “Paul McCartney Fan Based Live Show” –
    Paul on stage with no audience. He has only a few cameras, one on his left hand, one on his right hand and one in front for full body shot. And 2 more cameras, one on each side.
    The songs are all non hits with never before performed songs taking center stage. He can use a teleprompter and talk about the songs and how they were written. No films or tapes to distract from his performances. It would be a fans dream come true. The true Pure McCartney release we would all like to see.

  9. Prepare your wallets for the overpriced deluxe sets bound to accompany this release.

    Still got your Egypt Station suitcase? You’ll need it when the missus finds out how much you paid.

  10. I really think it will be songs that he had lying around. He has been talking about the “Cold Cuts” album for the past thirty years. Maybe that’s it?

  13. I would be thrilled if he finally released “Return to Pepperland” as part of a ‘Cold Cuts’-type collection but I suspect he’s actually been working on some new material to keep himself busy. You’re right about the limitations of his voice these days but if anyone knows how to get the best vocal sound out of a modern recording studio, it’s him.

  14. And now I’m very excited
    My guess is he sat down with GarageBand on his Mac laptop and produced this in a week. Got a feeling he might have gone through the bits and pieces he had half written/recorded and finished them off, like he did on the b side of Abbey Road.

  15. I can’t say I’ve heard too much latter-day McCartney, but one may hope that with a voice that has been used for singing his entire career, he can harness the rigours of old-age to his advantage. The emotion, experience and frailty that Johnny Cash had in his voice on those last few albums really suited the songs he performed (‘Hurt’ in particular, even though it was a cover, he really made it his own). I know we all want to think we’ll be youthful forever, but our voices do change over the years and McCartney’s is no exception.

  16. Has anybody considered the possibility it may be a ( CHRISTMAS !!!! ) Album ??? Just saying ,thats all !! I personally would be happy with that .Oh ! and isn,t Paul meant to be working on a musical version of ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE ?? I would love to see him working with Ian Mc Nabb who is a massive fan of Pauls . Hope everybody enjoys the new album in whatever form or shape it takes . Its all very Mysterious !!!!!

  17. Starting to wonder if Paul is putting a cap on his solo (+Wings) career with M(I) and M(III) used as bookends in his discography. Has a “full circle” quality about it.

  18. I would like to see him work with Ryan Tedder again to see if he can create an albums worth of material in the vein of the last two Bon Iver and Lambchop albums. I really liked “Get Enough” despite its poor reception by fans. It would be even better if Justin Vernon or Kurt Wagner produced it.

      1. I’d love it for him to have been recording with either Nigel Godrich or Youth. Chaos and Creation was essentially recorded the same way as McCartney I and II, and that turned out great.

        1. If it’s going to be a true ‘McCartney’ album it needs to be him alone. Part of the reason Chaos and Creation was so good was that he was being pushed hard by a third party (Godrich). The danger with him doing everything himself is that he has no one to say ‘that isn’t good enough’.

          1. Cause his reply to them is normally,,,when did you last have a number 1, Hugh padgham style,!
            Then again they could reciprocate that Thea’s days ,by replying can you remember your last one Paul!

      2. Hello Paul,
        I was been a bit provocative by suggesting Tedder but was serious about Vernon & Wagner, both have made wonderful albums with a vocoder and as a one off I would love to hear McCartney try this but I realise most of his fans would not like that and I think he would be best served with simple production and his voice as it is now. I entirely agree with Peter Muscutt people need to accept voices as they grow older they can bring so much else like Sinatra, Cohen & Cash. Accepting a female voice this way seems almost impossible by the general public, if it were someone like Joni Mitchell just might have recorded a little longer despite her health problems.

  19. I’m looking forward to a song about how the temporary secretary was hired in a permanent position and later worked her way up to a management position.

    A lot can happen in 40 years. ; – )

  20. When “With A Little Luck” and “Arrow Through Me” were remastered in 2016 on “Pure McCartney”, i presumed….. (you can easily fill in the blank).

  21. MC1 and MC2, which are among my favourite McCartney solo albums, were very different musically and I anticipate that MC3 will be different again. It remains to be seen what approach he takes this time but I am reminded of Jeff Lynne, most of whose newer ELO albums have been in reality solo recordings. Paul could go for the same kind of solo/band sound or he could opt for something much more minimalist and acoustic. Or mix it up. We’ll find out soon.
    I’m beginning to sense that the product we get will be, in the first instance, either a 2-cd set (there has been mention of 25 songs) or one of those unattractive and weighty 3-lp foldover sleeves which seem to be becoming increasingly favoured by record companies. I will go on hoping for a single disc offering to match MC1 and MC2, but that seems unlikely.

  22. I don’t know what to expect and certainly don’t want to be presumptive and judgmental as Paul is entitled to release bird calls if that is his desire.

  25. Over the past few months, the local NYC papers has shown him hold up in the Hamptons. (For the folks outside of the US, he has a home on the ocean here on the east end of Long Island NY) Not sure if there is a studio out there.

  26. He does not need to release a new album just because we are fed up of it and the inspiration has already gone for years. During the Covid-19 lockdown he should think about put out Back to The Egg and London Town deluxe editions not to record a new album on his own instead.

    Such a waste!!!!! What a waste!!!!

  27. I don’t know what shape his voice is in these days. Many comments says it’s shot. Maybe in this new album he reads poetry and plays keyboards behind them!

    1. His voice will be a whole lot better off without the touring. On the Steve Hoffman forum, some “insiders” are suggesting his voice is in fine fettle. Some are also suggesting that there may be up to 25 songs. I can’t wait for this. Not matter what, Macca always delivers great melodies.

  29. Does anybody think that McCartney has been recording at home on his own, with a computer, and release a low-fi album? Since he finished Kisses on the Bottom, he is thinking that he has to leave this world with a great ROCK new album. He must have found a way to record at the higher standards. I wouldn’t expect an experimental album with flat frequencies and loops, as McCartney I. He probably did not gather with other musicians but he can play guitar, bass, piano, and drums. I wish this is not his last album, only the latest.

  31. Can’t wait – mainly because (fingers crossed) he’ll be producing himself. He’s really worked with some hacks over the last couple of records – Ronson, Epworth, Kurstin and of course Tedder – so it’ll be great to have that element gone.

    Looking forward to something a bit weird, a bit experimental, some instrumentals and that Macca feel. The two McCartney albums are really loved by the Macca hardcore

  32. Couldn’t be happier for the arrival of McCartney III.
    I think this album could be something very special, certainly for the McCartney I and II fans amongst us.

    A rough and ready experimental album could really suit Paul’s later-day voice.

    Hope there’s a coloured vinyl edition to match my clear vinyl of McCartney II…

  33. Oh no. This looks like the marbles in the Floyd Immersion sets.

    What I would really like is a CD of songs… and nothing else. No suitcases, 16 variations, or nonsense. Come, on Paul. An album, just like you used to make. Songs that stand on their own feet without a lot of fluff. You can still do it. You don’t need the marketing department. You are Paul McCartney and you can write great songs. We want to hear them, not do the jigsaw puzzle.

  34. The good question is :

    with which toys will he play?

    1970 a multitrack recorder
    1980 a multitrack recorder,drum machine and assorted synths

    2020 ? A take on samplers à la Zoolook?
    Stripped down garage rock?
    A Chemical Brothers-esque thing?
    All of the above?

    1. There are actually 3 dice in the bag. Triple album? Most likely keeping with the whole 3 theme I suspect.

      So glad you posted this Paul. I got the bag of dice yesterday and was scratching my head trying to remember if I’d ordered them, and if I did, why! haha

  37. If you listen to McCartney or McCartney II on Spotify a hand comes on and places a die with the three face over the appropriate album cover. Nice touch!

  38. Whatever it is, I just hope that he works within his vocal and age limitations and doesn’t rip us off with an expensive ‘Exclusive/Deluxe/Collectors/Limited Edition’ Box Set/Suitcase (as he knows suckers like me will buy ‘em!). But whatever he releases, it’s good to know that he’s used this current pandemic to come up with some new music and not just sat at home getting frustrated at not be able to tour etc. More power to his elbow. Looking forward to it.

    1. But then we weren’t really expecting them till then were we? I was fairly sure we had been told that they weren’t coming this year, at least unofficially. I thought that the arrival of Flaming Pie knocked them on the head pretty effectively.

  40. I agree with you Paul that it is not likely that we will get another Maybe I’m Amazed or Coming Up, but more because of his song writing than voice, which hasn’t hit that quality level for a long time.

    The Mccartney solo albums are my most beloved of his albums, and that’s because you get pure unadulterated Paul, which more than compensates for any slighter material.

    Old man Macca voice is a problem, but I wonder if the big modern productions of his later albums has highlighted this issue rather than mitigated it. Maybe a more intimate and personal setting could turn this weakness to an advantage.

    I hope that McCartney 3 will see Paul trying less to impress and is, like its predecessors, relaxed, homely and playful.

    Can’t wait!

  41. The other two McCartney records are towards the top end of my favourite Macca LPs so very pleased to hear this.

    The lack of vocal range didn’t stop Johnny Cash from making some great late career acoustic masterpieces and if anyone knows how to put a decent tune together it’s Paul, so I’m optimistic.

    1. Glad to hear someone else talking sense rather than frowning over the announcement. A new Macca album is always a thrill to hear about, after this year when my Christmas choices are very fallow, it’s nice to hear that I can at least add something to that list.

  42. If he fits his material around his voice from here on out I see nothing but great things ahead. Willie Nelson is a great example. His voice is definitely not that if man who released Stardust but it’s still a fine voice that conveys character and the miles travelled. I enjoy his recent work as much as the classics because he has adjusted masterfully. The same can be argued for Leonard Cohen and his last releases before passing.

  43. I also got a set of the dice in the mail, and from hearing from others think the criteria for me at least was purchasing the suitcase version of Egypt Station and/or the super ultra deluxe Flaming Pie.

    1. Nope. We’ve been discussing this project on the Hoffman forum for six weeks, since I first reported it on September 6th.
      However some people who ordered the “suitcase” (including me) have not received dice; same thing for some folks who ordered the oversized Flaming Pie “Collector’s Edition”. Seems to be random, based on folks who’ve ordered *something* from McCartney online…

  44. I went on a “solo Beatle” deep dive during lockdown and fell in love with “McCartney” and “McCartney II” so I am made up with this news. Cant wait.

  46. A new paul mccartney album is better than no new paul mccartney album.

    there certainly is no stopping him, but we will all lament the day when he really becomes an ex-beatle.

    looking forward to it. hopefully the price of the new album will not be mccartney-priced though!

    1. Not really fair to hope for anything like an album that came out 50 years ago! A near 30 yr old, then but now a near 80 yr old.

      Hopefully as decent as Egypt Station or New. don’t think we can hope for much more, even if recorded in a different way.

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