McCartney III – It’s Official and the Many Different Vinyl Versions Emerge

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It is now official, and here is the news release.

Like Egypt Station before it, this latest Paul McCartney LP McCartney III will be offered in a multitude of variations. Absolute completist collectors will be driven to distraction!

First variation to be offered for pre-order today will probably become the most sought after, and the rarest.

It will be pressed at Jack White’s Third Man Records pressing plant in Detroit, Michigan. Known as the ‘333 Edition’, this is limited to 333 copies only, pressed on ‘yellow-with-black-dots’ vinyl:

This vinyl is created by recycling 33 vinyl copies of old McCartney and McCartney II LP’s. The special “regrind” pressing, the first version of McCartney’s third self-titled solo album available for purchase, is hand-numbered, comes in an exclusive screen-printed jacket, and contains a printed inner sleeve and poster.

Just how Jack White’s company became the first to offer this brand new Paul McCartney recording to the world – even before McCartney’s own website store had the same thing on offer, only in red vinyl – remains a mystery. Not surprisingly the 333 copies sold out within minutes:

Next up in the rarity stakes is another Third Man Records pressing, offered a little bit later in the day exclusively on the official US Paul McCartney Store website:

This is described on the site as a “Hand-numbered gatefold featuring photography by Mary McCartney, Sonny McCartney and Paul McCartney (it’s a family affair!). Limited-edition (3000 units worldwide) store exclusive made in collaboration with Third Man Records,180g red vinyl disc with printed inner disc sleeve and a 12” x 18” insert poster.” Again, this is showing as “SOLD OUT”.

Both these pressings are distinguished by a prominent yellow Third Man Records logo on the front cover.

There is also a non-Third Man red vinyl pressing. This is a limited edition available on the official UK Paul McCartney Store site:

This is presented in a gatefold cover and is limited to 3000 units worldwide as a “store exclusive” in 180g red vinyl. It comes with a printed inner disc sleeve and the 12” x 18” insert poster. Also listed as “SOLD OUT” at the moment. However, it is still available in Europe at the German UMe online store Bravado. The difference between this and the UK listing is that the German red vinyl is in a hand-numbered gatefold cover with poster.

Interestingly, the MusicVaults store in Canada (a UMe subsidiary) also had this version on sale briefly. It too was listed as “SOLD OUT”.

Then came news of a white vinyl edition, exclusive to independent record stores. Rumoured to be limited to 4000 copies in the USA, and 3000 copies in the UK. It comes in a hand-numbered cover and includes a poster. Try your local independent store for this one:

Newbury Comics in the United States has a pink vinyl exclusive:

After this came the bigger chain stores who bagan offering their coloured vinyl variants. Target in the US is to have an exclusive green vinyl:

They also have an exclusive Target-only cover for the CD version:

And, here in Australia, the big chain JB Hi Fi is to offer an exclusive blue limited edition:

Like Target US, the Aussie store will also have the CD outer cover available to pre-order in an exclusive colour variant (the same as the Target US one actually!):

The “exclusive” blue vinyl version is also being made available in the UK via the HMV chain of stores, at FNAC in France and at JPC in Germany. Looks like these aren’t 180 gram vinyl and don’t come with the poster.

And the anomaly of the group – again, like they did with Egypt Station – there’s a “Coke bottle” clear vinyl edition being made availble associated with the streaming music company Spotify. I don’t reallly get why vinyl records are being marketed by streaming music companies, but maybe that’s just me? Anyway, this too is “SOLD OUT” on the McCartney Store site. But, if you live in Australia it is still available here.

But of course, if you can’t get your hands on any coloured vinyl there’s always the humble, plain old 180 gram black vinyl, in a gatefold cover:

 

15 thoughts on “McCartney III – It’s Official and the Many Different Vinyl Versions Emerge”

  4. Is there anywhere where you can swap colored vinyl versions with others? I have a white Indy version and a green Target version to trade for a purple and a red. Any interest?

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    • I like this! We need to set up a McCartney III colour vinyl record exchange service. There are so many out there – 12 in all at last count. For completists (of which I’m one) it is near-impossible to source them all, let alone pay for them all……

      I’d LOVE a green Target version, but I can’t help you with either the red or the violet as a swap. Sorry. I have a red coming – which I’ll keep – but no violet.

      Anyone else out there able to help?

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  6. Are all of these different color pressings the same tracks? i.e. ‘bonus tracks’, remixes, etc. sounds like just different color – perhaps special sleeves and artwork, but the same ‘music’, right? (I love the idea of recycling old McC Ones and Twos to make the Threes, that’s pretty neat!)

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    • Correct! All the current vinyl in different colours have exactly the same tracks and running order as each other.
      There is a Japanese CD with the album plus 4 bonus tracks (demos, etc.), plus the Paul McCartney store site is selling four CD’s (each with a different coloured outer cover) that have the album plus one bonus track each. So you have to buy four CDs to get them all! They are the same as the bonus tracks on the Japanese CD.

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  7. I’m still waiting for my 3rd Man version to arrive. But I have got my Red vinyl from the UK store. Unfortunately it’s not limited to 3000 as was advertised. Mine is number 7409 of 9200.
    I emailed the McCartney site but have yet to receive a reply.
    Does anyone know any more about it?

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    • Yes – any additional info on the EU pressings of the red vinyl would be helpful. Why the site says limited to 3000 when the product clearly says 9200 (in the EU at least).

      And why the EU edition has a Third Man Records logo on it, but the small print says “Made in the EU” is a mystery. Third Man’s only pressing plant is in Detroit as far as I’m aware!

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    • I still need the red vinyl but everywhere I’ve looked says it’s sold out. I also need the violet (purple) version. I wish they would make more because they were already gone by the time I found out about the multiple versions. I have a white vinyl and a green vinyl for trade if anyone has a red, violet, pink, or clear (Coke bottle) to trade. Does anyone know how many green versions were made?

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