McCartney III didn't have a notable single or notable radio airplay beyond the classic rock stations that would have played some new McCartney for its intro normally. There's no song everyone needs to hear or is being talked about exclusively. It wasn't running up huge numbers on Spotify on its own. Heck, the biggest promotion for it at the time was a Rolling Stone piece with Taylor Swift – who was getting a lot more notice at the same release window. That, and posters in select cities. (If you're in Canada, Toronto is the last city most want to visit so the promotion is limited to people in that area… during a harsh lockdown with no stores open and travel discouraged….) So, yes, in a way it was the name McCartney that drew people's attention to it – compared to other records being released at the time. Once you get the album, you judge it by the quality of the music that's in there. Whether you enjoy it is dependent on you, but it's hard not to argue there's no 'must buy' factor the way there was with other McCartney albums in the past. III Imagined was a little better, since the collaborations were with other artists who might never have been assumed to want to work with McCartney and/or it was a fantasy pairing until made reality, and with "Kiss Of Venus" being so strong there it was generating heat on its own.
I love both albums, for different reasons. MIII ... I think I do not need to repeat myself. Imaginend is quite an interesting collection with it's own dynnamic and highlights. Who would have thought we would ever get a McCartney/Massive Attack colab? Well, Deep Deep Feelings is the next best thing. And it is even longer than the original, and I hear it as a cinematic story telling song, in it's remixed and restructured form. The most striking moment though was hearing Kiss Of Venus at JOY 94.9 who are not very McCarteny leaning, but in a show presenting new potential hit stuff, the new version by Dominic Fike. The presenter went on to say that Dominic's next high profile colab would be Justin Beaber, this does give you some context. I was quite excited to hear it there! To me that remix album was a genius strike, showcasing how very different songs can be approached. And that even those modern and contemporary productions that sound so very different to what is usually discussed on this forum ... can be both: charts material and good songs. So besides MIII now being one of my very favourite albums ever, I also see a great (accidental) teaching moment in there ... not always to rely on context, production and names, but to listen to the music. But let us be honest: our brains work with primarily emotions and relations, i.e. we react to faces and names, because they convey emotions. We know that musician X has done great stuff (that touched us emotionally) before, therefore our approach is biased. Brain science. Yes, I listened in to both MIII because it is McCartney and I am emotionally tied to his art. Heck, I had them both on preorder long before actually hearing them. Talk about biased. But I guess all of us are more likely to listen to follow opinions and advice from close friends and lovers than from random strangers. Fundamental behavioural science. That is how we tick, and there is a survival strategy backing this behaviour up. And if not actual survival, then it is a useful strategy against information overload. Which means I see an undenyable value here. I do also see a value in consciously working against that and to sometimes sidestep these behavor and cognition patterns a tiny bit. Which in this context means that I also try to listen to a lot of other stuff. And I find I do enjoy it. Music that has moved me in 2021 included the magnificent Halsey album, certainly Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X. And I have even deeper entangled myself into the 50+ history of Tangerine Dream. Impatiently expecting their new album due in less than a month. And their extended universe has got so much to offer on it's own. Peter Baumann's "Romance '76" is so amazing I understand that people like Björk have been hit deeply by it. I am right now exploring their current members' solo music. Thorsten Quaeschning is an outstanding mind, Hoshiko Yamane just blows me away with a lot of her achievements, Ulrich Schnauss ... I am still struggling, and Paul Frick as a member of Brand Brauer Frick are mind boggling expanding and negating all existing borders between Dance, Jazz, Modern Composition and huge classical events creating with band and choir and orchestra. This genre bending is what I also love about Tangerine Dream's history and I am excited to Paul Frick now being on bord of TD. That could open up so many possibilities, not only taking their best 80s and mid 70s moments into the now, but also their early 70s busting classical avantgarde with rock approaches. So far we only have the BBF Ensemble to let our imagination and hopes go wild. But Frick already hinted at scoring the TD album Zeit for possible performances. But still McCartney III has become a cornerstone for my wellbeing. By now listening to it means being home and hosed. No matter how far away I may roam, I always keep coming back to this album. That is what MIII means to me today.
I think I mentioned this before - but this is weird. Looking at the US McCartney Store it appears you can still order the US Pink Cassette and the Mini Jacket CD (plain black and white cover) for McCartney III Imagined, at normal prices. Only thing is they do not post outside US - I find it weird because no copies of these have appeared anywhere (Ebay / Discogs). Perhaps some kind person in US could order them and agree to post overseas. No harm in asking, but just that these releases seem to be readily available on the McCartney Store.
It's the shipping — prices are in tremendous fluctuation right now. I have seen numerous reports of couriers raising prices significantly in the past year as they overwhelmed with demand, having rising fuel costs to deal with, increased tariffs (like Canada's on anything printed in China), etc. My guess is that MPL made those products based on average sales and, realizing the cost of shipping outside the US, hoped that the number of buyers in the US might offset the loss of international sales. The problem is that average buyers really didn't think to go looking at Paul's site for variants on something widely available in other variants elsewhere – like Target and Newbury, which are more standard – and are happy with what they have. The buyers who would collect all those are dispersed around the world.
The Note You Never Wrote is to me, one of Wings’/Paul's most underrated tracks. Anyone know if a demo exists with him on lead vocals, seeing as he wrote the song?
Irony: Prostitutes and lesbians. Brian Epstein. Alistair Crowley on Sgt. Pepper cover. Keep The Beatles away from children! Sesame Street sings The Beatles. Keep Sesame Street away from children! Oh, and Autotune.
I have a complicated relationship with this song. The verse melody is beautiful, the chorus is one of Paul’s worst in a while IMO, but the big psychedelic part towards the end is one of the most beautiful things Paul has EVER recorded to my ears. Hmmm. So I don’t care much for the chorus but other than that it’s a solid tune worth repeated listenings. the auto tune doesn’t bother me as much but it does seem quite unnecessary.
I agree that it is not the best use of autotune. But I am 100% Lennon would have embraced it to the max. It would have suited for example some of his more strange songs. And that is what my problem with McCartney's "Get Enough" is: This song does not need or profit from autotune in my mind. It is use of an effect at the wrong place. It could for example be interesting with some stuff on Electric Arguments or Twin Freaks etc. I have been thinking about which track on MIII would have profited, but in McCartney's production I say: none. The production is very "natural" and "direct" (acknowledging that any production is not "natural", but I hope you understand what I want to say). Though a remix of Slidin' would be a candidate where I'd try it out. "I'm sliding through the air ... I can see my body ..." (Relistening to Imagined right now with this question in mind. Idris Elba's remix ... how great is that ... I would have expected some AT there. But not over-use an effect. And ... oh, I just still love very cinematic 3D RDN remix of Deep Deep Felings ... sooo great ...) There are several examples on Youtube where people have experimented with applying AT to The Beatles. As for pitch correction, I do not really like it, I prefer their natural recordings. But there are other examples. This remix ... is currently my favourite Beatles remix. I am celebrating it so much. (And his rhythmic vocalizations in the end actually work even better this way IMO.) I have not yet watched the Ronson-Lennon show where they are playing with Lennon's vocals of Hold On and autotune, but I found this and I think it does show some potential for use of the tool for effect. I think it actually adds an interesting texture here. May not be the perfect song for it, but interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdrIphTKTEU And here is a glimpse of what could be done with Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. I'd like to hear a remix with using this as a wet effect over the dry original vocals. I have not yet thought about it, but some lines this way, some lines without could make an interesting very Lennonesque approach to masking his original vocals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUUfq_gcQt8 I am a bit fearful how McCartney will follo-up on MIII. I love this album so much anything coming now is in danger of being a let-down ... But ... bring it on.
You are right, thank you for giving me a perspective on this. I have always been a completist when it came to McCartney releases from back in the 1980's when I started - but am I going to be sad because I did not get a cassette and CD from something released ages ago now - no of course not, not now. Thank you again.
I've been collecting Paul's stuff for so long and it's always the same: If something is made to look 'collectible' just by means of marketing, it will hardly ever be. Buying the 2LP 'Driving Rain' back in 2002 was no big thing, but so mich limited and promo stuff turned out to be junk in the end ...
I have decided long ago that for me collecting does primarily mean getting the stuff that makes me happy, in whatever way. I have decided that my preference is the music. I once decided I want to own have got every song with a Beatle's involvement. I have since learned that already is quite a task and have reverted to at least trying to collect every song that belongs to an album I like. Buying the same album over and over again is not what makes me happy. I can only listen to the same music once, so as long as it is not an upgrade to the original release such as the Egypt Station expanded (or Flowers In The Dirt or Off The Ground) or interesting remaster it is not interesting for me. Recently (which means already some years ago when the box set releases began) the price tag has become another breakpoint. So far Electric Arguments is the only McCartney box set I own, and as it seems it may remain the only one. Which for me resulted in that for MIII all I wanted and need is the Japanese bonus track edition and that is it. I know that collecting different releeases, releases from different countries etc. can be interesting, whith a lot of stories and history attached. Like libraries who are collecting every edition of books for subjects(s) xy, origin etc. There is a historical and scientific value in that. Ot is just that my decision has been this kind of completism is not what I want.
Over a year later, I still enjoy McIII and think it would make the upper end of my post Beatles Paul "best of list" An album made in horrific world times, I feel it was a great Christmas gift to the Beatles/Solo Beatles world in December 2020. But IMHO the color CD/Vinyl variations was way too much....I get a few variations but this release got out of hand!
I haven't listened in a good 8 months so after the initial repeat blast it might be time for a revisit. I maintain that "Find My Way" is a modern day masterpiece and remains pinnacle radio single material along with "Ever Present Past". Seriously top notch and I'll take 'em all day long. Throw in "I Don't Know" and some sinister track from the NEW sessions like "Road" and you'd have the single greatest 20th century EP that could ever exist.
I Don't know if this has been posted but a few RSD titles are coming out soon, Ringo the 4th two different colored vinyl, Shankar Family and Friends (Harrison) blue vinyl and (I have no confirmation of this) special Macca 12" 'Women and Wives'.
UK RSD page isn't showing any artwork for the 12", but gives a tracklisting suggesting it's the regular version + the St. Vincent version.
Perhaps this upcoming 12" single is the "Part 3" of McCartney III? I hope it is, so that he can finally leave this album behind and move on to the next project.
So... yeah - Ringo The 4th: Ringo The 4th [Translucent Orange Vinyl] Ringo Starr Friday Music LP 'RSD First' 1000 Ringo The 4th [Translucent Blue Vinyl] Ringo Starr Friday Music LP 'RSD First' 1000 (from here: https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases ) Oddly enough - I'd "predicted" this - kinda: Heh. Cheers, Paul
New RSD release PAUL MCCARTNEY/ST. VINCENT Women and Wives Limited edition exclusive 12” vinyl celebrating the 2022 Record Store Day Song of the Year “Women and Wives”. Featuring Paul McCartney’s original version of the song from the #1 album McCartney III on side A, and St. Vincent’s reimagined version from McCartney III Imagined on side B. One-time worldwide run of 3000 numbered copies. A - "Women and Wives" Paul McCartney B - "Women and Wives (Reimagined)" St. Vincent RSD '22 Special Release: Paul McCartney/St. Vincent - Women and Wives
