Paul McCartney to issue a ‘McCartney’ box set

Macca proves you can reheat a soufflé with this ill-advised reissue

On the eve of his 80th birthday, Paul McCartney has announced some new product. His three solo albums –McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980) and McCartney III (2020) – will form a vinyl, or CD box set, called simply, McCartney.

This will be available as a limited edition 3LP coloured vinyl set (clear, white and creamy white vinyl, respectively) that comes with three 8 x 10” photo prints with introductions from Paul. This is available initially from Paul’s online shop. A black vinyl edition will be available from normal retail channels from Monday. The three-CD box includes three smaller photo prints.

Given that there were at least NINE coloured vinyl editions of 2020’s McCartney III (not forgetting the four CDs with different bonus tracks) and that the McCartney album from 1970 was issued as a half-speed mastered vinyl pressing only two years ago as well as the fact that McCartney II was issued on limited edition clear vinyl in 2017 (McCartney was issued on red vinyl at the same time!) you do have to question THE POINT of this box set which offers nothing in the way of bonus audio and zilch that hardcore fan doesn’t already own. Hell, the 1987 CD edition of McCartney II had two bonus tracks (‘Check My Machine’ and ‘Secret Friend’) which won’t be included 35 years later on this box. Progress?

We love Paul and wish him the best for his 80th, but this product isn’t much more than a mechanism to allow Macca to put his hand in your wallet and take out £100 (while whistling ‘Happy Birthday’ to himself as he does so). Putting the three McCartney albums in a box is an obvious, but nevertheless dumb, idea.

Paul has now put out just one Archive Collection reissue (Flaming Pie) in the last three-and-a-half years. Fans will be hoping that MPL and Capitol and get this “multi-year” campaign back on track and finally get all the Wings albums over the line by delivering London Town and Back to the Egg at some point this year.

McCartney will be released on 5 August 2022. The coloured version is available via McCartney’s website but the black vinyl and CD sets are also available below.

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Paul McCartney

McCartney I II III - 3CD box set

Shop Price gbp Stock Amazon uk   25.98 Order Amazon de   43.11 Order Amazon usa   27.99 Order Amazon fr   45.68 Order Amazon it   46.2 Order Amazon es   46.66 Order Amazon ca   41.45 Order JPC de   44.99 Order FNAC fr   53.76 Pre-Order

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Compare prices and pre-order

Paul McCartney

McCartney I II III 3LP - black vinyl box set

Shop Price gbp Stock Amazon uk   90.65 Order Amazon de   78.99 Order Amazon usa   62.99 Order Amazon fr   66.89 Order Amazon it   78.99 Order Amazon es   79 Order Amazon ca   107.93 Order JPC de   79.99 Order FNAC fr   94.97 Pre-Order

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Tracklisting

McCartney Paul McCartney / 3LP vinyl or 3CD

• • McCartney
    1. The Lovely Linda
    2. That Would Be Something
    3. Valentine Day
    4. Every Night
    5. Hot As Sun / Glasses
    6. Junk
    7. Man We Was Lonely
    8. Oo You
    9. Momma Miss America
    10. Teddy Boy
    11. Singalong Junk
    12. Maybe I’m Amazed
    13. Kreen-Akrore
  • McCartney II
    1. Coming Up 3:52
    2. Temporary Secretary 3:13
    3. On The Way 3:36
    4. Waterfalls 4:41
    5. Nobody Knows 2:51
    6. Front Parlour 3:30
    7. Summer’s Day Song 3:24
    8. Frozen Jap 3:38
    9. Bogey Music 3:25
    10. Darkroom 2:18
    11. One Of These Days
  • McCartney III
    1. Long Tailed Winter Bird
    2. Find My Way
    3. Pretty Boys
    4. Women And Wives
    5. Lavatory Lil
    6. Deep Deep Feeling
    7. Slidin’
    8. The Kiss Of Venus
    9. Seize The Day
    10. Deep Down
    11. Winter Bird / When Winter Comes