McCARTNEY 111 |
Paul McCartney |
|
TITLE: McCartney 111
ARTIST: Paul McCartney LABEL: Universal Music FORMAT: CD/LP/Cassette/Digital Platforms RELEASE DATE: 17th December 2020 R/T: 44:42 |
TRACK LISTING
Long Tailed Winter Bird
Find My Way
Pretty Boys
Women and Wives
Lavatory Lil
Deep Deep Feeling
Slidin
The Kiss of Venus
Seize the Day
Deep Down
Winter Bird / When Winter Comes
Find My Way
Pretty Boys
Women and Wives
Lavatory Lil
Deep Deep Feeling
Slidin
The Kiss of Venus
Seize the Day
Deep Down
Winter Bird / When Winter Comes
bonus tracks
Available on the Japanese import edition & One track disc demo's available through Paul McCartney's website
- Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)
- Lavatory Lil (Studio Outtake)
- The Kiss of Venus (Phone Demo)
- Slidin' (Düsseldorf Jam)
DESCRIPTION
50 years following the release of his self-titled first solo album 'McCartney', featuring Paul playing every instrument and writing and recording every song except for 'Slidin'.
Paul McCartney releases 'McCartney III'. Paul hadn't planned to release an album in 2020, but in the isolation of 'Rockdown,' he soon found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating even more new ones. Before long an eclectic collection of spontaneous songs would become 'McCartney III': a stripped-back, self-produced and, quite literally, solo work marking the opening of a new decade, in the tradition of 1970's 'McCartney' and 1980's 'McCartney II'.
'McCartney III' spans a vast and intimate range of modes and moods, as unexpected circumstances are turned into a personal snapshot of a timeless artist at a unique point in history.
Paul McCartney releases 'McCartney III'. Paul hadn't planned to release an album in 2020, but in the isolation of 'Rockdown,' he soon found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating even more new ones. Before long an eclectic collection of spontaneous songs would become 'McCartney III': a stripped-back, self-produced and, quite literally, solo work marking the opening of a new decade, in the tradition of 1970's 'McCartney' and 1980's 'McCartney II'.
'McCartney III' spans a vast and intimate range of modes and moods, as unexpected circumstances are turned into a personal snapshot of a timeless artist at a unique point in history.
review
Did 'everybody out there' hear of the 'McCartney Marathon'? it was doing the rounds on social media in late October.
Somebody had worked out a schedule, if you played Paul's first solo album 'McCartney' on the 29th October 2020 you could listen to every official solo release from Paul ending with an airing of McCartney 111 on it's original release date the 11th December 2020, . Of course Paul threw a spanner in the works by delaying the album's release by a week, at least he didn't bring it forward!
The marathon sounded like a challenge and it didn't involve running so bring it on.
Since the 29th October I've listened to every official release by Paul McCartney, singles, b-sides, download releases, official albums, classical albums, The Fireman output, Twin Freaks and the Archive Collections including the DVD's, the whole damn thing!
Here we are now with the McCartney 111 album, ready to cross the finishing line...
If anything positive has come out of 2020 then it's this album, just for the fact that the release appears a mere two years after Egypt Station.
Recorded during 'rockdown' as Paul called it, he must have had a ball making the album as it includes something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, but you can work that one out for yourselves.
The best albums are the releases that creep up on you with each play and McCartney 111 falls into that category.
It opens with the mostly instrumental 'Long Tailed Winter Bird' including a wicked guitar intro by Paul.
It seems the rest from touring has done his vocal chords the power of good. Find My Way is a fine McCartney song with a great vocal.
'Pretty Boys' and the compelling piano based 'Women and Wives' lead into the first rocker of the album 'Lavatory Lil'. Paul McCartney quite rightly won't reveal who the song is about as the lyrics are quite unkind to that person to say the least.
Strangely track six of eleven, placed directly in the middle of the album, the 8.25 'Deep Deep Feeling' is a song that seems to go nowhere but after a few plays, trust me you'll love it.
The publicity for McCartney 111 pointed out that as with McCartney 1 & 2 it was a true solo album, all vocals and instruments by Paul who also produced the album, but its not true!
The heavy rocker 'Slidin' features Abe Laboriel 111 (sic!) on drums, Rusty Anderson on guitar while producer Greg Kurstin also plays his part which suggests it could be another outtake from the Egypt Station sessions.
The wonderful 'The Kiss Of Venus' & the even more wonderful 'Seize the Day' are followed by the second longest song on the album, 'Deep Down' clocking in at 5.52, Paul hits a groove and it's brilliant, not lyrically but we were up dancing...
They say, save the best until last.
On first hearing I thought the closing sing Winter Bird / When Winter Comes was an outtake from 'Ram'. Wrong, It was produced by George Martin around 1992 at the same time as Calico Skies from Flaming Pie.
After reprising the guitar riff from Long Tailed Winter Bird it seamlessly moves into Paul playing acoustic guitar and vocals. A McCartney classic if ever there was one.
Here it is then, McCartney 111 crosses the finishing line and proves an excellent ending to the McCartney Marathon.
Somebody had worked out a schedule, if you played Paul's first solo album 'McCartney' on the 29th October 2020 you could listen to every official solo release from Paul ending with an airing of McCartney 111 on it's original release date the 11th December 2020, . Of course Paul threw a spanner in the works by delaying the album's release by a week, at least he didn't bring it forward!
The marathon sounded like a challenge and it didn't involve running so bring it on.
Since the 29th October I've listened to every official release by Paul McCartney, singles, b-sides, download releases, official albums, classical albums, The Fireman output, Twin Freaks and the Archive Collections including the DVD's, the whole damn thing!
Here we are now with the McCartney 111 album, ready to cross the finishing line...
If anything positive has come out of 2020 then it's this album, just for the fact that the release appears a mere two years after Egypt Station.
Recorded during 'rockdown' as Paul called it, he must have had a ball making the album as it includes something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, but you can work that one out for yourselves.
The best albums are the releases that creep up on you with each play and McCartney 111 falls into that category.
It opens with the mostly instrumental 'Long Tailed Winter Bird' including a wicked guitar intro by Paul.
It seems the rest from touring has done his vocal chords the power of good. Find My Way is a fine McCartney song with a great vocal.
'Pretty Boys' and the compelling piano based 'Women and Wives' lead into the first rocker of the album 'Lavatory Lil'. Paul McCartney quite rightly won't reveal who the song is about as the lyrics are quite unkind to that person to say the least.
Strangely track six of eleven, placed directly in the middle of the album, the 8.25 'Deep Deep Feeling' is a song that seems to go nowhere but after a few plays, trust me you'll love it.
The publicity for McCartney 111 pointed out that as with McCartney 1 & 2 it was a true solo album, all vocals and instruments by Paul who also produced the album, but its not true!
The heavy rocker 'Slidin' features Abe Laboriel 111 (sic!) on drums, Rusty Anderson on guitar while producer Greg Kurstin also plays his part which suggests it could be another outtake from the Egypt Station sessions.
The wonderful 'The Kiss Of Venus' & the even more wonderful 'Seize the Day' are followed by the second longest song on the album, 'Deep Down' clocking in at 5.52, Paul hits a groove and it's brilliant, not lyrically but we were up dancing...
They say, save the best until last.
On first hearing I thought the closing sing Winter Bird / When Winter Comes was an outtake from 'Ram'. Wrong, It was produced by George Martin around 1992 at the same time as Calico Skies from Flaming Pie.
After reprising the guitar riff from Long Tailed Winter Bird it seamlessly moves into Paul playing acoustic guitar and vocals. A McCartney classic if ever there was one.
Here it is then, McCartney 111 crosses the finishing line and proves an excellent ending to the McCartney Marathon.
Review - Eddie M