Paul McCartney Releasing Limited-Edition Third Anniversary ‘McCartney III’ Vinyl Variants

Paul McCartney is celebrating the third anniversary of his 2020 solo album, McCartney III, by releasing limited-edition colored-vinyl versions of the record. The McCartney III — 3×3 Edition hits stores this Friday, December 15, and is available in three different multiple-color variants.

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One version of the LP features a tri-color vinyl disc, with blue, red, and yellow sections. It comes packaged with a replica of McCartney’s handwritten lyrics for the album track “Pretty Boys.”

[RELATED: Buy McCartney Got Back Tour Tickets]

A second variant features blue, red, and yellow stripes and includes a print of a hand-drawn album-art sketch by McCartney.

A third version is pressed multi-colored swirl vinyl, and is packaged with a replica of McCartney’s handwritten lyrics for the McCartney III song “The Kiss of Venus.”

The McCartney III — 3×3 Edition also will feature a new album cover, and a poster of of Ed Ruscha’s hand-sketched draft for the original album’s artwork. Those purchasing a copy of the limited-edition LP will receive one of the three variants chosen randomly. You can order McCartney III — 3×3 Edition at McCartney’s official online store.

Original McCartney III Release

Originally released December 18, 2020, McCartney III was the third in a trilogy of McCartney solo albums that he recorded totally or almost completely by himself. The others were his 1970 solo debut, McCartney, and the 1980 McCartney II album.

McCartney III was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Beatles legend was in “Rockdown,” as he jokingly described it. The album topped the U.K. chart, and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

McCartney III Imagined

In March of 2021, McCartney released McCartney III Imagined, a collection of remixed and reworked versions of McCartney III tracks. Among the artists who contributed to McCartney III Imagined were Beck, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Blur’s Damon Albarn, Queen of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Anderson .Paak, and actor/DJ Idris Elba.

50th Anniversary Band on the Run Reissue

Meanwhile, McCartney also recently announced plans to release an expanded 50th anniversary edition of his hit 1973 album with Wings, Band on the Run, on February 2, 2024. The deluxe reissue will include an extra disc offering “underdubbed” mixes of the nine songs from the original U.K. release. The Band on the Run (Underdubbed) collection features mixes of the tunes stripped of orchestral overdubs. These rough mixes were created by longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, with assistance from Pete Swettenham, in October 1973.

Pre-order the Band on the Run 50th Anniversary reissue here.

[RELATED: Paul McCartney & Wings Releasing 50th Anniversary Band on the Run Reissue with Bonus “Underdubbed” Disc]

McCartney Tour Plans

As previously reported, McCartney currently is winding down his 2023 Got Back Tour with a series of shows is Brazil. McCartney has two shows left—on December 13 in Curitiba and December 16 in Rio de Janeiro.

Get McCartney tickets here.

Photo: Mary McCartney / Nasty Little Man

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