How Paul McCartney Remains Cool and Relevant While Other Aging Rockers Whine About the Way Things Were

The former Beatle has enlisted Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent and more for his upcoming album "Ill Imagined"

Sir Paul McCartney performs live on stage at the O2 Arena during his 'Freshen Up' tour, on December 16, 2018 in London, England.
Sir Paul McCartney performs live on stage at the O2 Arena on December 16, 2018.
Getty Images

It’s only been a few months since Paul McCartney released McCartney III, but he’s already set to dive back into the material. On Thursday, the former Beatle announced McCartney III Imagined (meant to rhyme with “reimagined,” presumably) — a new album featuring an all-star lineup of collaborators covering, remixing and reimagining tracks from the original album.

Set to be released on April 16 via Capitol Records, the album features contributions from St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Blood Orange, Beck, Khruangbin, Josh Homme, Damon Albarn, Anderson .Paak, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien (under his solo EOB moniker) and more.

If anything, the inclusion of so many talented contemporary artists serves as proof that McCartney, despite being 78 years old, remains cool as ever and still has his finger on the pulse of today’s music scene. While many of his peers have turned into cranky old men, McCartney seems genuinely excited and intrigued by what the kids are up to these days, and instead of getting into a Twitter fight with Phoebe Bridgers over her guitar-smashing à la David Crosby, he has invited her to appear on his record.

Last year, McCartney cited St. Vincent, Khruangbin, Dominic Fike and Beck as his favorite contemporary artists in a Reddit AMA, admitting, “I’m lucky, I have a friend who sends me new music which helps me keep in touch with the modern scene.”

You can check out the full tracklist for McCartney III Imagined as well as Dominic Fike’s version of “The Kiss of Venus” below.

III Imagined Tracklist

1. Find My Way (feat. Beck)
2. The Kiss of Venus (Dominic Fike)
3. Pretty Boys (feat. Khruangbin)
4. Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix)
5. Deep Down (Blood Orange Remix)
6. Seize The Day (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
7. Slidin’ (EOB Remix)
8. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Damon Albarn Remix)
9. Lavatory Lil (Josh Homme)
10. When Winter Comes (Anderson .Paak Remix)
11. Deep Deep Feeling (3D RDN Remix)
12. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix)

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.