Vinyl copies of McCartney & McCartney II were recycled into 333 copies of McCartney III
Paul McCartney and Third Man Records have released McCartney/333, a mini-documentary detailing the vinyl pressing process for the limited “333 Edition” version of McCartney’s acclaimed 2020 solo album McCartney III. The documentary specifically illuminates the process by which vinyl copies of 1970’s McCartney and 1980’s McCartney II were broken down and reformed into 333 limited edition copies of McCartney III at Third Man Pressing. Several Third Man Records employees, including co-founder Ben Swank, are interviewed for the film alongside esteemed Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield, all spliced in alongside footage of McCartney creating the album in his studio.
In addition to the “333 Edition,” McCartney recently released the “3333 Edition,” an indie-store exclusive limited to 3,333 copies worldwide on yellow-and-black splatter vinyl, also composed of a “regrind” of McCartney & McCartney II records at Third Man Pressing.
Recorded during “Rockdown” while in Sussex in 2020, McCartney III is mostly built from live takes of McCartney on vocals and guitar or piano, overdubbing his bass playing, drumming, etc. atop that foundation. The process first sparked when McCartney returned to an unreleased track from the early ’90s, “When Winter Comes” (co-produced by George Martin). McCartney crafted a new passage for the song, giving rise to album opener “Long Tailed Winter Bird” — while “When Winter Comes,” featuring its new 2020 intro “Winter Bird,” became the new album’s grand finale.
Vinyl configurations range from standard 180-gram to 3,000 hand-numbered red vinyl copies, a US indie retail exclusive pressing of 4,000 hand-numbered white vinyl LPs, and more.
The album inspired a second iteration of the project, called McCartney III Imagined, released earlier this year featuring an A-List assortment of friends, fans and brand new acquaintances, each covering and/or reimagining their favorite McCartney III moments in their own signature styles. Damon Albarn, Beck, Blood Orange, Phoebe Bridgers, Josh Homme, Khraungbin, 3D RDN of Massive Attack, Ed O’Brien (EOB), Anderson .Paak, St. Vincent and more appear on the set. Exclusive color vinyl editions are available at Target, Barnes & Noble, Indie record stores, Newbury Comics, and PaulMcCartney.com with all physical configurations featuring the exclusive bonus track “Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix).”
