The Paul McCartney dead rumor dates back to the late 1960’s, with many fans believing Paul died and was replaced by an imposter, with Billy Shears taking his place in public life after a deadly car crash. The rumor started with a call to a radio station on October 12, 1969, with fans discussing hearing ‘Paul is Dead’ backwards in a song as well.
McCartney just told Loud and Quiet, “It’s the rumour mill, but that’s OK. When we did Abbey Road I was dead, so everything else is a bonus.”
Paul just announced the release of McCartney III on December 11th, and he said he’s happy to see the warm reception McCartney II now has 40 years after its release.
“That’s a great thing for me, because you do these records and the spirit you do them in is very optimistic. You think, this is great, it’s a record, and you’re pleased with it. And then you get the reception, which is, ‘Oh no, bloody hell. What’s he doing?’ So it’s disappointing when it doesn’t go down well, and it doesn’t sell well – you just think, nobody likes that. And then a few years ago, someone said to me, “’ere, there’s this DJ in Brighton and he’s playing ‘Temporary Secretary’.” I said, “Get out.” And he said, ‘It’s going crazy over there.’
I thought, well, I can see that – it sounds very modern with the sequencer and stuff. And that’s a great thing. I mean, Ram [1971] has become something that people talk about. At the time it got some scathing reviews. So you just have to put up with it and think, ‘I dunno, I liked it.’ Suddenly it comes through and you think, ‘Great! Vindication!!!’”
Lptomtom reacted to the McCartney III trailer on The Beatles Reddit, “This is the most exciting Beatles-related news since they announced Peter Jackson’s Let It Be movie, I love both McCartney I and II and this could be Paul’s return to a much simpler and less produced sound (unlike his last albums).”
XanderVaper responded, “The sound I just heard from that trailer seems a little overproduced tbh. Like something you would expect from a big corporation releasing a new product. But it does sound simpler. Just sounds like 2020 pop music with that auto tune and horn riff/loops. High hopes though nonetheless :)”
Lptomtom shot back, “Strangely, one of my highest hopes is that he brings out his Rickenbacker bass once again instead of the Hofner. The Rick was his main bass on both McCartney albums and he hasn’t used it for 20 years because it’s too heavy for live playing (also, his Hofner is more iconic) but it’s the best sound he ever got IMO and it absolutely deserves a feature here.”
