In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candor, – Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career – from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. Arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscopic rather than chronological account, it establishes definitive texts of the songs’ lyrics for the first time and describes the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
Presented with this is a treasure trove of material from McCartney’s personal archive – drafts, letters, photographs – never seen before, which make this also a unique visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies, the moments of inspiration. The voice and personality of Paul McCartney sings off every page. There has never been a book about a great musician like it.
“More often than I can count, I’ve been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I’ve always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I’ve learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.”
-Paul McCartney
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney will be released on November 2, 2021 and you can pre-order the book HERE.
Paul McCartney has announced the third album in a trilogy of classics, with McCartney III arriving on December 11 2020. McCartney IIIwill be Paul’s eighteenth solo studio album, following on from 2018’s Egypt Station, and has been uniquely “Made in Rockdown”.
2020 marks 50 years since Paul McCartney released his self-titled first solo album. Featuring Paul playing every instrument and writing and recording every song, McCartney’s effortless charms have only grown in stature and influence over time. The chart-topping album would signify not only a creative rebirth for Paul, but also as a template for generations of indie and lo-fi musicians seeking to emulate its warm homespun vibe and timeless tunes including ’Maybe I’m Amazed’, ‘Every Night’ and ’The Lovely Linda’.
The 1970s saw Paul forming his second band Wings and dominating the charts, stages and airwaves of the world, with multiple #1 singles, sold-out world tours, multi-million-selling albums including Band on the Run, Venus and Mars, Wings at the Speed of Sound, London Town and more. In 1980, 10 years from the release of McCartney, Paul wrapped up the decade of Wings with the surprise release of his second solo album, the electronic-tinged McCartney II. Once again featuring Paul entirely on his own, McCartney II would come to be regarded as a leftfield classic, with classic cuts such as ’Coming Up’, ‘Temporary Secretary’ and ’Waterfalls’.
The 1980s saw Paul start again, this time kicking off an unprecedented solo run. The following four decades would see Paul’s iconic and legendary status grow exponentially, with solo masterpieces including Tug of War, Flowers in the Dirt, Pipes of Peace, Flaming Pie, Memory Almost Full and New, and massive live shows the world over — actually setting the World Record for the largest attendance at a concert. In 2018, 54 years since The Beatles first hit #1 on the Billboard Album Charts – Paul’s Egypt Station would be yet another historic #1 McCartney album.
Hard as it is to believe, it’s only been two years since Egypt Station went #1–and it was only last year that Paul’s Freshen Up tour played its last show before Covid hit pause on live music, a legendary blowout at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
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.
Recorded earlier this year in Sussex, McCartney III is mostly built from live takes of Paul on vocals and guitar or piano, overdubbing his bass playing, drumming, etc. atop that foundation. The process first sparked when Paul returned to an unreleased track from the early 90s, ’When Winter Comes’ (co-produced by George Martin). Paul 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.
Speaking about III, Paul said: “I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day. 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.”
‘Long Tailed Winter Bird’ and ’Winter Bird/When Winter Comes’ bookend McCartney III’s vast and intimate range of modes and moods, from soul searching to wistful, from playful to raucous and all points between — captured with some of the same gear from Paul’s Rude Studio used as far back as 1971 Wings sessions. And Paul’s array of vintage instruments he played on the new album have an even more storied history, including Bill Black of Elvis Presley’s original trio’s double bass alongside Paul’s own iconic Hofner violin bass, and a mellotron from Abbey Road Studios used on Beatles recordings, to name but a few.
In keeping with McCartney & McCartney II’s photography by Linda McCartney, the principal photos for III were shot by Paul’s daughter Mary McCartney—with additional photography by Paul’s nephew Sonny McCartney as well as photos Paul took on his phone (it’s a family affair). The cover art and typography is by celebrated American artist Ed Ruscha.
McCartney and McCartney II each saw Paul open up a new decade with reinvention, both personal and musical. Just as McCartney’s 1970 release marked Paul’s return to basics in the wake of the biggest band break-up in musical history, and the 1980 avant-garde masterpiece McCartney II rose from the ashes of Wings, McCartney III finds Paul back on his own, turning unexpected circumstances into a personal snapshot of a timeless artist at a unique point in history.
McCartney III will be released December 11 on Capitol Records across digital platforms, on CD, and on LP manufactured by Third Man Pressing. Vinyl configurations will range from standard 180g to a Third Man Edition of 3000 hand-numbered red vinyl copies, a ‘333’ Edition sold only via Third Man Records online store and limited to 333 copies on yellow-with-black-dots vinyl created using 33 recycled vinyl copies of McCartney and McCartney II, a U.S. indie retail exclusive pressing of 4000 hand-numbered white vinyl LPs, and more.
James Corden and Michael Buble kick off a holiday mashup of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with the musicians who joined James for Carpool Karaoke in 2018, including Migos, Cardi B, Paul McCartney, Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande, Barbra Streisand, Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera.
In his first profile on 60 Minutes, Paul McCartney walks down memory lane while looking through old pictures and videos and talks about how he still feels the need to prove himself with his music.
Over the last few days, Paul McCartney has been teasing fans and hinting at something coming this week in New York City.
Yesterday he confirmed that he will be joining forces with YouTube Originals to livestream a secret concert via his channel this coming Friday September 7th to celebrate the release of his new album Egypt Station.
Fans will be able to tune in to watch Paul perform tracks from Egypt Station along with Beatles, Wings and solo classics from 8:00pm (ET). The venue is rumored to be Grand Central Station.
James Corden heads to Liverpool for a special day with Paul McCartney spent exploring the city of Paul’s youth, visiting his childhood home where he wrote music with John Lennon, performing songs in a local pub and of course driving around singing a few of Paul’s biggest hits.
Pre-order Paul McCartney’s new album Egypt Station and download his two new songs “Come On To Me” and “I Don’t Know” HERE.
This once-in- a-lifetime concert will take place in Indio, California on October 7, 8 and 9 when six of the world’s most iconic and influential rock and roll artists come together for Desert Trip.
Friday Night – October 7
The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan
Saturday Night – October 8
Paul McCartney and Neil Young
Sunday Night – October 9
Roger Waters and The Who
Empire Polo Club · Indio, California
Passes will go on sale Monday May 9, 2016 at 10AM (Pacific)
The three night concert kicks off Friday night, October 7 with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and His Band, followed on Saturday night, October 8 by Paul McCartney and Neil Young + Promise of the Real, with the weekend coming to a close on Sunday night, October 9 with Roger Waters and The Who.
With performances starting after sunset, each artist will play a full set, serving up three incomparable nights of rock ‘n’ roll. Located at the home of the critically acclaimed Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this is the only time and place to see this incredible lineup.
Reserved seats and general admission passes go on sale Monday, May 9 at 10am Pacific Time at DesertTrip.com
3 day passes and single passes are available.Hotel packages, premium seating, RV and tent camping available.
The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Who and Roger Waters have all released teasers surrounding their involvement in a rumored mega-festival set to take place at the Coachella festival grounds from October 7-9.
All of the acts posted teasers for the blockbuster fall event on their social media accounts. In a 30-second clip, the Stones showed a record spinning “All Down The Line” while cigarette smoke wafted upward. Waters’ clip showed a grainy black-and-white concert footage playing a stadium show. Dylan posted a brief career reel to the song “Ballad of a Thin Man.” McCartney posted live audio footage singing the Beatles’ “I’ve Got a Feeling.” All of posts involved the same cryptic word “October…” hinting at the massive event.
Neil Young is also rumored to appear at the event, but did not post anything to his social media accounts. A representative for Young did not immediately return a request for comment. Tentatively, two of the six Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will play each night, with Dylan and the Rolling Stones opening up the festival Friday night. Saturday would see Young and the Promise of the Real performing before McCartney. The Who and Waters would end the festival on Sunday night.
Goldenvoice and AEG Live, the organizers behind Coachella, Stagecoach, FYF, Firefly and Panorama, are reportedly involved in producing the festival, but have not officially confirmed their involvement.
Paul McCartney and his music need no introduction. Together with three of his friends, he changed the cultural landscape forever.
And Paul’s accomplishments since then as a member of Wings and a solo artist make for a staggering body of work that stands proudly alongside those eight sensational years with The Beatles.
Pure McCartney, a new compilation of his solo, Wings and Fireman work, celebrates that fact, showcasing 67 highlights from one of the most-revered catalogues in music – from ‘McCartney’ in 1970, his debut solo album, right through to ‘Hope For The Future’, his 2014 track taken from ‘Destiny’, the most-anticipated video game of the last decade.
As a songwriter Paul has never stood still, dipping his toe in countless genres and styles. ‘Pure McCartney’ is testament to that fact. From the songwriting masterclass of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ and adventurous, three-songs-in-one of ‘Band On The Run’ to the irresistible groove of ‘Say Say Say’ and ahead-of-its-time electronica of ‘Temporary Secretary’, described by NME when compiling a list of the greatest ever songs as “not so much ahead of its time, but out of it altogether”, ‘Pure McCartney’ charts the unstoppable adventures of McCartney’s unique and eclectic songwriting talents and shines a light on his post-Beatles artistic achievements. Pure McCartney will be released on June 10, 2016 in a 2 CD set, 4 CD set and a 4 LP set.
Tracklistings:
DISC 1:
1. Maybe I’m Amazed 2. Heart Of The Country 3. Jet 4. Warm And Beautiful 5. Listen To What The Man Said 6. Dear Boy 7. Silly Love Songs 8. The Song We Were Singing 9. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey 10. Another Day 11. Sing The Changes 12. Jenny Wren 13. Save Us 14. Mrs Vandebilt 15. Mull of Kintyre 16. Let ‘Em In 17. Let Me Roll It 18. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five 19. Ebony and Ivory DISC 2: 1. Band on the Run 2. Arrow Through Me 3. My Love 4. Live and Let Die 5. Too Much Rain 6. Goodnight Tonight 7. Say Say Say [2015 Remix] 8. My Valentine 9. The World Tonight 10. Pipes of Peace 11. Dance Tonight 12. Here Today 13. Wanderlust 14. Great Day 15. Coming Up 16. No More Lonely Nights 17. Only Mama Knows 18. With a Little Luck 19. Hope For The Future 20. Junk
Pure McCartney: 4CD – 67 tracks
DISC 1: 1. Maybe I’m Amazed 2. Heart Of The Country 3. Jet 4. Warm And Beautiful 5. Listen To What The Man Said 6. Dear Boy 7. Silly Love Songs 8. The Song We Were Singing 9. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey 10. Early Days 11. Big Barn Bed 12. Another Day 13. Flaming Pie 14. Jenny Wren 15. Too Many People 16. Let Me Roll It 17. New DISC 2:
1. Live and Let Die 2. English Tea 3. Mull of Kintyre 4. Save Us 5. My Love 6. Bip Bop 7. Let ‘Em In 8. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five 9. Calico Skies 10. Hi, Hi, Hi 11. Waterfalls 12. Band on the Run 13. Appreciate 14. Sing The Changes 15. Arrow Through Me 16. Every Night 17. Junior’s Farm 18. Mrs Vandebilt DISC 3: 1. Say Say Say [2015 Remix] 2. My Valentine 3. Pipes of Peace 4. The World Tonight 5. Souvenir 6. Dance Tonight 7. Ebony and Ivory 8. Fine Line 9. Here Today 10. Press 11. Wanderlust 12. Winedark Open Sea 13. Beautiful Night 14. Girlfriend 15. Queenie Eye 16. We All Stand Together DISC 4: 1. Coming Up 2. Too Much Rain 3. Good Times Coming / Feel the Sun 4. Goodnight Tonight 5. Baby’s Request 6. With a Little Luck 7. Little Willow 8. Only Mama Knows 9. Don’t Let it Bring You Down 10. The Back Seat Of My Car 11. No More Lonely Nights 12. Great Day 13. Venus and Mars / Rock Show 14. Temporary Secretary 15. Hope For The Future 16. Junk Pure McCartney Vinyl:
A1:
1. Maybe I’m Amazed 2. Heart Of The Country 3. Jet 4. Warm And Beautiful 5. Listen To What The Man Said 6. Dear Boy A2: 1. Silly Love Songs 2. The Song We Were Singing 3. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey 4. Another Day 5. New
B1:
1. Mull of Kintyre 2. Sing The Changes 3. Jenny Wren 4. Mrs Vandebilt 5. Save Us B2: 1. Let ‘Em In 2. Let Me Roll It 3. Ebony and Ivory 4. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five C1:
1. Band on the Run 2. Arrow Through Me 3. My Love 4. Live and Let Die 5. Too Much Rain C2:
1. Say Say Say [2015 Remix] 2. My Valentine 3. Goodnight Tonight 4. The World Tonight 5. Pipes of Peace D1:
1. Dance Tonight 2. Here Today 3. Wanderlust 4. Great Day 5. Coming Up 6. No More Lonvely Nights D2:
1. Too Many People 2. Only Mama Knows 3. With a Little Luck 4. Hope For The Future 5. Junk