McCartney III - Sir Paul brings out album to complete 50-year trilogy
Many of us resolved to tackle those jobs in lockdown that had fallen to the bottom of the to-do list. In the case of Sir Paul McCartney, it was to finish a trilogy of albums that he began half a century ago.
Sir Paul announced yesterday that he has made McCartney III, 50 years after the release of his first self-titled solo album and 40 years after McCartney II.
As with the two earlier records, he plays every instrument - guitar, piano, bass, drums and more - and has written and produced every song.
The 78-year-old former Beatle had not planned to release an album in 2020, but isolation at the family home in Peasmarsh, East Sussex, proved to be an inspiration.
“I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day. I had to do a little bit of work on some film music and that turned into the opening track and then when it was done I thought, what will I do next?” Sir Paul Said.
“I had some stuff I’d worked on over the years but sometimes time would run out and it would be left half-finished so I started thinking about what I had.
“Each day I’d start recording with the instrument I wrote the song on and then gradually layer it all up. It was a lot of fun. It was about making music for yourself rather than making music that has to do a job. So, I just did stuff I fancied doing.
“I had no idea this would end up as an album.”
One of the songs is built on an unreleased track from the early 1990s, When Winter Comes, which was originally co-produced by George Martin. Sir Paul crafted a new passage for the song and it bookends the album in two versions - the opener, Long Tailed Winter Bird, and the finale, Winter Bird/When Winter Comes.
Vintage instruments used on the album include several from the 1971 Wings session, a mellotron from Abbey Road Studios that was used on Beatles recordings, and a double bass that belonged to Bill Black, part of Elvis Presley’s trio.
The album photography was shot by Sir Paul’s daughter, Mary. His late wife, Linda, took the images for the first two albums.
Sir Paul spent lockdown with Mary and her children. In an interview this summer, he said he had enjoyed the experience. “The weather’s been brilliant and Mary and her kids are great, so I’m seeing a lot of my grandkids and [wife] Nancy, so it’s been all right. I feel dreadfully sorry for all those who are less fortunate and obviously all those who have lost loved ones, but I’ve been lucky.
“I’ve been able to write and get into music, starting songs, finishing songs. And on top of all my projects, I’ve had the luxury of just being able to sit down and write songs for no reason, which is great. It keeps me off the streets.”
The first self-titled McCartney album featured the tracks Maybe I’m Amazed and The Lovely Linda. It was recorded in secrecy, at the star’s home in St John’s Wood, at a tumultuous time for the Beatles - John Lennon had recently told the band that he was quitting.
The record was released in April and Sir Paul, without informing the rest of the band, issued a release to the press in the form of a “self-interview” Q&A.
In the release, Sir Paul said the album was the start of his solo career. Asked about the reasons for his “break with the Beatles”, he replied: “Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don’t really know.”
Sir Paul also said his songwriting partnership with Lennon was at an end. The next day, The Daily Mirror ran the front page headline: Paul Quits The Beatles.
