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Paul McCartney's 2020 "lockdown" - make that "rockdown" - album, McCartney III, was seemingly ubiquitous upon its release with various-color editions on CD, LP, and cassette; Discogs currently shows 57 unique versions of the album. (That's not counting the remix album McCartney III-Imagined or the 2022 box set which bundled III with its two predecessors in the artist's self-titled trilogy.) Now, for its third anniversary, Macca is offering another release with yet more variants. McCartney III: 3x3 Edition arrives December 15 on Capitol Records in three randomly-distributed vinyl configurations. Each features one of three combinations of multi-color vinyl and prints of McCartney's handwritten lyrics or a hand-drawn art sketch:
- Tri-color vinyl + "Pretty Boys" lyric draft;
- Three-striped vinyl + album artwork sketch; or
- Swirl vinyl + "The Kiss of Venus" lyric draft.
All versions of McCartney III -- 3x3 Edition will feature new cover artwork, and will include a poster of Ed Ruscha's hand-sketched draft for the original McCartney III album art. Concluding the homemade "D.I.Y." trilogy that began in 1970, McCartney III debuted at No. 1 on both the U.K. Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard Top Album Sales Chart. The 3x3 Edition is available now at Macca's webstore. Naturally, it retails for $33.33.
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The Rolling Stones are revisiting an even more recent album. Hackney Diamonds - The World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band's 24th British and 26th American studio album - hit stores worldwide on October 20. Their first album of original material since 2005's A Bigger Bang, first studio album since 2016's Blue and Lonesome, and first released after the death of drummer Charlie Watts, Hackney Diamonds topped the U.K. Album Chart, reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (and No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums survey), and also went to No. 1 in an additional nineteen countries around the world.
On January 19, Hackney Diamonds: Live Deluxe arrives on 2 CDs with a bonus disc of seven songs recorded at the band's launch event at New York City's Racket club on October 19. The brief set (featuring veteran drummer Steve Jordan, now firmly ensconced behind the kit) encompassed performances of the album's "Angry," "Whole Wide World," "Bite My Head Off," and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" (the latter with guest vocalist Lady Gaga, who also appears on the album) as well as classics "Shattered," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "Tumbling Dice." The Live Deluxe edition anticipates the Stones' U.S. stadium tour which begins on April 28 in Houston, Texas and wraps up on July 17 in Santa Clara, California.
Hackney Diamonds: Live Deluxe is available now at Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 6
Try to See Things Their Way: Ace Preps 'Here, There and Everywhere,' Third Collection of Beatles Covers Through a Black Lens
Shattered: The Rolling Stones' 1999 Shepherd Bush Gig Arrives in November from Mercury Studios
All Their Loving: New Mono Vinyl Box Set Celebrates The Beatles' First American Albums
The Stones Deluxe edition seems a fair set, but the continual flogging of new editions of McCartney III seems like nothing more than an unnecessary money grab and a snub to the fans who are still clamoring for more Archival box set releases.
You are correct.
It’s beginning to seem as though Paul won’t be satisfied until there’s a variant for every person affected by the pandemic that caused the lockdowns. It’s been said before, but how about finishing the dang Archives first?
Macca’s fans want London Town & Back To The Egg.
The endless variations on McCartney 3 doesn’t reflect very well on his ecological impact on the planet I don’t think.
Less interested in recent tours, which all look and sound the same to me, I would most love to see a super deluxe revisit of the Stones '69 tour.
McCartney cash grabs come well nigh to self-abasement for both artist and fan.
3 shows exist in soundboard quality. they are the 2 madison square garden show ans baltimore maryland. in fact love in vain is from there on the yas yas issue. abcko own the rights to all pre june 1970 material whether studio or live. a 3 cd set of the 3 complete shows would have real stones fans jumping with joy. also ya\ yas had studio overdubs. the raw tapes would be amazing.
sorry abkco that allan and betty klien
It'll always be on my wish list. Thanks for the info.