Rockdown brings out instrumental talents
The music business is gearing up for a slew of blockbuster album releases in the run-up to Christmas. With live dates cancelled due to the pandemic, it turns out many of the world's biggest stars have been using their spare time to record in secret.
Taylor Swift and Charli XCX enjoyed success this summer with albums made entirely in lockdown. Digital technology enables musicians and producers to operate long distance, sharing sound files across the internet.
Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, pop superstar Ariana Grande and rappers Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Drake are all believed to have albums on the way. And news that Adele is to host Saturday Night Live this weekend set the industry abuzz at the return of the biggest selling artist of our century. But whatever the competition, Sir Paul Mccartney is likely to be the only superstar to have done it all single-handedly. Recorded during a period he describes as Rockdown, Mccartney III, as the title suggests, is the ex-beatle's third completely solo album.
The first, Mccartney, was released in 1970. Its raw, homey style received heavy criticism, with fans blaming it for the band's breakup (in fact, Lennon had already quit The Beatles).
Mccartney went on to a decade of further world beating success with his new band Wings. But when the group's popularity began to fade, the singer-songwriter embarked on a second one-man album. Mccartney II came out in 1980, and marked a big departure, embracing new wave and synth pop. Forty years on, circumstances have forced Mccartney to rely on his multi-instrumental skills once again.
Mccartney III has been built from live takes of the musician on vocals and guitar or piano, overdubbing his bass playing, drum
ming and other instruments. One fan site lists 54 instruments Mccartney has played during his career, including mandolin, bouzouki, flugelhorn, trumpet, harpsichord and vibraphone.