All three McCartney albums to be reissued in box sets

Paul McCartney’s self-titled solo albums McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980), and McCartney III (2020), are to be reissued in three limited edition box sets on 5 August 2022.

There will be standard black vinyl and compact disc editions, plus a coloured vinyl option. The artwork for the McCartney I II III box set is by Ed Ruscha, who did the same for McCartney III.

The triple CD box set will cost $40/£40, while the coloured and black vinyl boxes will cost $100/£105 and $90/£95 respectively.

Here’s the full press release:

Written, performed, and produced entirely by Paul McCartney, his three eponymous career-spanning solo albums (1970’s McCartney, 1980’s McCartney II, and 2020’s McCartney III) will now be packaged together and available in one special boxset for the first time.

McCartney I II III box set will be available in three different formats – Limited Edition Colour Vinyl, Black Vinyl Edition, and CD – each including three special photo prints with notes from Paul about each album. The newly created boxset cover art and typography for the slipcase are by Ed Ruscha.

Bookending 50 years of unparalleled work, each album demonstrates Paul McCartney’s restless creativity and adventurous artistic spirit. McCartney, the Number One Album was Paul’s first solo album released in 1970 and features timeless tracks “Every Night” and “Junk,” along with the immortal classic “Maybe I’m Amazed.” This album saw a global music superstar pioneer a novel homespun approach to recording that would, in time, become a sought-after sound and the highly influential precursor to the “lo-fi” alternative genre.

Just as McCartney marked the end of an era with Paul’s first release after leaving the biggest band in history, Paul did it again in 1980, this time signaling the end of 70s rock giants Wings. Taking a fresh approach to things, Paul wrote, performed, and produced the avant-garde masterpiece McCartney II, which reached Number One in the UK, and Number 3 in the US, producing such classics as “Coming Up,” “Waterfalls,” and “Temporary Secretary.”

With McCartney III Paul went back to basics again to create some of his most revealing work to date. Released in December 2020, just two years after Paul’s Billboard-topping Egypt Station album, “Rockdown,” saw Paul turn unexpected time on his hands into an opportunity to get into the studio on his own. An intimate and loose record featuring “Find My Way” and the now live favorite “Women and Wives,” McCartney III features Paul’s melodic gift at its forefront throughout. Upon release, McCartney III charted at Number One on the UK’s Official Album Charts and Number One on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart.

In an unrivaled career, Paul has always been willing to take risks and have fun along the way – his musical projects have included classical albums, electronic albums, ballet scores, writing for video games, and left-field collaborations — along the way, breaking chart records, box office records, winning countless awards and remaining one of the world’s most influential and revered artists of all time. McCartney, McCartney II, and McCartney III captured and documented landmark moments of his singular career, each offering a personal snapshot of a unique artist at a particular moment in time.

McCartney I II III box set will be released on the following formats:

Limited Edition Colour Vinyl

Three-disc 180g audiophile vinyl set (McCartney – clear, McCartney II – white, and McCartney III – creamy white vinyl)

Three x 8 x 10” photo prints with introductions from Paul

Limited Edition Black Vinyl Edition

180g audiophile vinyl set

Three x 8 x 10” photo prints with introductions from Paul

CD

Limited Edition three-disc set.

Three photo prints with introductions from Paul