The new album arrives on December 18 via Capitol.
Paul McCartney has today announced the third instalment in his self-titled McCartney series, fulfilling a trilogy that the legendary Beatle began over 50 years ago.
McCartney III, which arrives on Friday December 11 through Capitol, continues the lineage of Paul’s 1970 solo debut McCartney and its more eclectic follow-up McCartney II, which hit shelves back in 1980.
Recorded while Sir Paul was in a self-imposed ‘Rockdown’, McCartney is set to comprise a much more stripped-back sound compared to the Beatle’s more recent efforts, with McCartney tracking all drums, guitars, keys, bass and vocals heard across the record.
Many of the songs heard across McCartney III were also said to be tracked on much of the same gear that McCartney was using while recording with the Beatles and Wings over 50 years ago, with Paul utilising a Mellotron from the Beatles’ Abbey Road sessions in conjunction with his classic Hofner bass and an upright bass formerly owned by Elvis Presley’s bassist Bill Black.
“I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day,” McCartney said of the recording process in a statement released today. “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?
“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.”
Watch a trailer for the new record below.
McCartney III is out on Friday December 18 – preorder the record here.
