McCartney I II III | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Box set by | ||||
Released | 5 August 2022 | |||
Recorded | 1 December 1969 – 25 February 1970 (McCartney) August – 7 September 1979 (McCartney II) Early 2020, 1992 ("When Winter Comes"), January 2016 – February 2018 (part of "Slidin'") (McCartney III) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 117:09 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
Paul McCartney chronology | ||||
|
McCartney I II III is a box set by English musician Paul McCartney. Released on August 5, 2022, [5] it contains McCartney's three eponymous solo albums: McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980), and McCartney III (2020). The release was made available on CD and both limited edition colored and standard black vinyl. [6] All three albums feature McCartney on all instruments and vocals, with the exception of harmony vocals provided by Linda McCartney on McCartney, and the track "Slidin'" from McCartney III, which features drums and guitar performed by members of his backing band. Additionally, the three albums were primarily recorded at McCartney's home studios, with the first recorded in London, the second in Scotland and the third in Sussex.
All three albums included in the box set are noted for their carefree and sometimes experimental nature, due to the circumstances under which they were recorded. The majority of the material on each album was recorded in McCartney's home studio, with him performing all instrumentation and vocals aside from the above exceptions. McCartney consists mainly of acoustic tracks, some of which are instrumentals, and contains "Maybe I'm Amazed", one of McCartney's most popular solo songs despite the studio version never receiving release as a single. The album was subject to harsh criticism at the time of its release but attained a much more positive reputation in later decades, being noted as an early example of lo-fi music. [7]
The experimental McCartney II consisted of recordings made in June 1979, once again at McCartney's home in Scotland. [8] The album spawned the successful single "Coming Up", which reached number two in the UK. [9] A live version of the track, recorded in 1979 with Wings, was included as a B-side and was more successful than the studio recording in the US, reaching the top of the chart. [6] Two further singles were released, the minimalist "Waterfalls" and the experimental "Temporary Secretary", with the latter being released exclusively as a 12" single. "Waterfalls" became a top 10 hit in McCartney's home country, reaching number 9, [9] but became his first single to miss the Billboard Hot 100 completely. "Temporary Secretary" was restricted to only 25,000 copies and did not chart in either the US or UK.
McCartney II featured prominent use of synthesizers on many tracks and a more experimental sound than McCartney's previous releases. Like its predecessor, it received negative reviews upon release but has been viewed more highly in recent years, being considered by some as a precursor to popular genres of the 1980s such as synthpop and new wave. [10]
The third album in the set, McCartney III, was released in December 2020, forty years after its predecessor. Aside from "When Winter Comes", an acoustic track dating back to 1992, the album was recorded at McCartney's home studio in Sussex during the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] The album's sound is similar to the material McCartney recorded with his band. "Find My Way" was released as the album's lead single the same day as the album's release. Unlike his previous two self-titled albums, McCartney III received positive reviews upon its release. A "reimagined" version of the album, entitled McCartney III Imagined , was released the following year and features covers and remixes of the album's tracks featuring Beck, EOB, Dominic Fike and more.
McCartney I II III received generally positive reviews from critics. The Quietus named the box set "reissue of the week", lauding the playful atmosphere of each album, and Spectrum Culture stated the albums "capture a celebrity reveling in artistic freedom." [12] [13]
All songs written by Paul McCartney.
Side one
Side two
Side one
Side two
Side one
Side two
McCartney:
McCartney II:
McCartney III:
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing that included selections from George Martin's film score. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership.
Sweets from a Stranger is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released April 30, 1982 through A&M. The album peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The band split up soon after a world tour for the record, and the two main songwriters went on to record 1984's Difford & Tilbrook. Squeeze reunited and released Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti in 1985. As with all Squeeze albums, Chris Difford wrote the words first and Glenn Tilbrook would write the music afterwards often editing Difford's material to create a streamlined narrative. Tilbrook would record a demo afterwards and play it for Difford.
Venus and Mars is the fourth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings. Released in May 1975 as the follow-up to Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' run of commercial success and provided a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour. The album was Paul McCartney's first post-Beatles album to be released worldwide by Capitol Records rather than Apple.
Wild Life is the debut studio album by the British-American rock band Wings and the third studio album by Paul McCartney after the breakup of the Beatles. The album was mainly recorded in seven sessions between 24 July and 4 September 1971, at EMI Studios by McCartney, his wife Linda, session drummer Denny Seiwell, whom they had worked with on the McCartneys' previous album Ram, and guitarist Denny Laine, formerly of the English rock band the Moody Blues. It was released by Apple Records on 7 December in the UK and US, to lukewarm critical and commercial reaction.
Flaming Pie is the tenth solo studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 5 May 1997 by Parlophone in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded after McCartney's involvement in the highly successful Beatles Anthology project. The album was recorded in several locations over two years, between 1995 and 1997, featuring two songs dating from 1992.
Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in February 1967 (Epic Records LN 24239 / BN 26239, but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.
"Birthday" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, mainly by McCartney, it is the opening track on the third side of the LP. Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed it for Starr's 70th birthday at Radio City Music Hall on 7 July 2010.
"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album A Hard Day's Night and was released 20 July 1964, along with "If I Fell", as a single release by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
McCartney II is the second solo studio album by the English musician Paul McCartney, released on 16 May 1980. It was recorded by McCartney at his home studio in the summer of 1979, shortly before the dissolution of his band Wings in 1981. Like his debut solo studio album, McCartney (1970), he performed all the instruments himself. It yielded three singles: "Coming Up", "Waterfalls", and "Temporary Secretary".
"Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by English musician Paul McCartney that was first released on his 1970 debut solo album McCartney.
Pipes of Peace is the fourth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney, released on 31 October 1983. As the follow-up to the popular Tug of War, the album came close to matching the commercial success of its predecessor in Britain but peaked only at number 15 on America's Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. While Pipes of Peace was the source of international hit singles such as "Say Say Say" and the title track, the critical response to the album was less favourable than that afforded to Tug of War.
Tug of War is the third solo studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 26 April 1982. It is his 11th album overall following the break up of the Beatles in 1970, his first album released after the dissolution of his band Wings the previous year, and his first album following the murder of his former songwriting partner John Lennon. The cover features an abstract oil painting by the artist Brian Clarke, a frequent McCartney collaborator, incorporating an overpainted transparency of a portrait of Paul taken by Linda McCartney.
"Coming Up" is a song written and performed by the English rock musician Paul McCartney, released as the opening track on his second solo studio album McCartney II (1980). Like other songs on the album, the song has a synthesised sound, featuring sped-up vocals created by using a vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all instruments.
"Temporary Secretary" is a song by Paul McCartney, released as the third single from his album McCartney II in September 1980. Dominated by a dissonant sequenced synthesiser line, NME later described the song as "wonky electropop that didn't sound so much ahead of its time as out of it altogether." While initially met with highly negative critical reception, it has since become a cult classic and favorite among McCartney fans.
"Jet" is a song by Paul McCartney and Wings from their third studio album Band on the Run (1973). It was the first British and American single to be released from the album.
"Goodnight Tonight" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings. Written and produced by Paul McCartney, it was released as a non-album single on 23 March 1979 by Parlophone in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded during the sessions for the band's 1979 album Back to the Egg and is notable for its disco-inflected sound and spirited flamenco guitar break.
"Waterfalls" is a Paul McCartney ballad from his first solo album after Wings, McCartney II. The song has a minimalist sound, with McCartney only playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano and a synthesizer and singing, and a short solo performed on acoustic guitar.
"Eight Days a Week" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon based on McCartney's original idea. It was released in December 1964 on the album Beatles for Sale, except in the United States and Canada, where it was first issued as a single A-side in February 1965 before appearing on the album Beatles VI. The song was the band's seventh number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, a run of US chart success achieved in just over a year. The single was also number 1 in Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Egypt Station is the 17th solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney, released on 7 September 2018 through Capitol Records.
McCartney III is the 18th solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 18 December 2020 by Capitol Records. It serves as a continuation to his solo albums McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980). Similar to those albums, McCartney III features McCartney on most instruments.