Paul McCartney FLAMING PIE 20 years later

An interesting album in that I love it for its tunefulness and warmth but I would be the first to admit that it's one of Macca's most straightforward and least quirky albums ever. If not THE most straightforward. I've been a huge fan of the album (save for two or three songs: most of the "rockers" pretty much) since I first head it when I was 16 and played it to death when I first bought it but if I'm in the mood for "Mad Genius" Paul, it can sound like a real disappointment. Otherwise, though, it probably still is in my top 5 Paul McCartney albums along with Ram, Band on the Run, Tug of War and Chaos and Creation (though Venus and Mars does sometimes shove its way in there). The ballads, especially, rank as some of Paul's most beautiful post-Beatles songs.

 

I am a big Beatles fan who thinks the vast majority of McCartney's solo stuff is mediocre at best but think Flaming Pie and Band On The Run are the only 2 solo albums that are top shelf.Venus and Mars,Tug Of War and Flowers In The Dirt are ok and the rest wouldn't rank in the top 100 albums that came out in their year of release.

 

McCartney said circa 1997-98, that he wrote many of the Flaming Pie songs, just after doing the Beatles Anthology. He said coming on the heels of Anthology & hearing all that Beatles music, caused him to write some of the tunes in that Beatley style. Which is sort of obvious when you listen to it.

I'll go a step further & speculate, after hearing the Beatley vibe to 8-10 of the songs, & how McCartney chose Jeff Lynne, Ringo, Geoff Emerick & George Martin to all record it with him.

I'll go a step further & speculate he hoped some of the Flaming Pie tunes would be part of that new Beatles-Threetles studio album-which "They considered" recording, before Harrison vetoed further new Beatles recordings.

Harrison I believe was first diagnosed with cancer 96-98, & I don't know if McCartney ever asked him to play on Song We Were Singing, Flaming Pie, Beautiful Night, or any others. But it sure sounds like McCartney, would have wanted George to guest on a few of them. The songwriting seems a tailor-made fit, for Paul's contributions for new Threetles tunes. It's only rarely McCartney went back & crafted a batch of Beatley sounding songs. Tug Of War, Flaming Pie, arguably Chaos. But not often. If it was discovered someday a Flaming Pie Outtake existed with Paul & George, I'd be over the moon if they released it.

At any rate I like Beatley Paul, so for me Flaming Pie ranks in his top 3-4 studio albums. It's amazing pushing 60 he came up with Flaming Pie & then in his 60s followed it with Chaos, MAF & Run Devil Run, Fireman 3, & NEW.

Recently I read something indicating McCartney have had some of the Flaming Pie songs & initial studio sessions by late 95. If that's true, it really was right on the heels of Real Love.

 

I love Souvenir (that song still gets regular plays), and I like the title track a lot. In The World Tonight is okay. There are a couple other songs that are okay, but they are so unmemorable that I can't name which they are at the moment. Young Boy has always been really annoying to me though, for sure that isn't one of the good ones. Overall I think this album is actually pretty boring. The few times I've tried to listen to it all the way through, it always ends up putting me to sleep. Considering all the good people who worked on it, the album was a big disappointment from what I was thinking it would be while reading about it being made. Mostly just because of the songs I guess, the production I didn't have an issue with.

Since it's not an album I actively ever listen to, or have any desire to listen to, I can't rate it any higher than something middling in the catalog. There are many I dislike more. There's a slight chance it might scrape bottom top 10 but I'm not that into ranking anything in exact orders.

 

Its one of those albums that i dont play too often but when i do i always really enjoy it. I am playing it now and wonder why its been so long since i played it. The CD sounds good and i have no need to spend more money on it but it is a bloody good album.

 

I completely agree with your top 5 / 6. Although I don't mind the rockers on FM so much. I just can't stand the meandering bluesy jams.

 

Yeah. "meandering blues jams" is probably the better description.

 

I'm not trying correct your wording or anything. I was just drawing a distinction in my own tastes. I guess the litmus test is: Do you like the following songs: "Flaming Pie," "If You Wanna," and "The World Tonight?" Because all of those are rockers, but they aren't bluesy, and they don't meander. I'm just curious as to if we're on the same page on this. "Used to Be Bad," to me, is insufferable. As is "Really Love You." And both of those are what I would consider "blues jams." Take off those tracks, IMO, and you have, quite possibly, the perfect McCartney album. Thoughts?

 

Top songs on Flaming Pie:

1. Calico Skies
2. Little Willow
3. Somedays
4. Beautiful Night
5. Souvenir
6. The Song We Were Singing

The one song I can’t stand is Young Boy. Gets on my nerves for some reason.

 

I'd go so far as to say all the Steve Miller session stuff should have been cut from the album. It just doesn't fit the Jeff Lynne or George Martin vibe of the rest of it.

Cut: "If You Wanna", "Young Boy", "Used to Be Bad" and while you're at it "Really Love You." IIRC "Young Boy" was featured prominently in a Robin Williams film soundtrack in 1997, so it's not like that song would have been wasted. The others are b-side material IMHO.

Throw in "Love Mix" b-side from one of the Oobu Joobu cuts (which had roots in an early 1970s recording), and have George play guitar and sing harmony on "The Song We Were Singing", and you've got a much stronger, 11-track record that feels like a classic, with George guesting on the opening track, and Ringo guesting on the second to last track ("Beautiful Night"), and the final song ("Great Day") being just Paul and Linda.

Paul and Jeff Lynne worked great together, at least the results are good, and by all accounts they get along.

I'd love to see Lynne produce a couple songs on Paul's next album. My dream team would be Lynne producing a couple songs and Tame Impala producing the rest.

 

I love this album--I only "discovered" it about a month ago. I think it would be a great album to play on a road trip.

Flaming Pie is a sunny day listen, while Chaos and Creation is an autumnal evening (preferably raining). Both are fantastic, though Chaos slightly edges it for me.

 

I like Used to Be Bad and Really Love You and If You Wanna. Cut the overblown overthought overwrought noise like Song We Were Singing and Young Boy and Beautiful Night (or replace it with the 1986 version) IMO and leave the organic musician stuff.

 

As great a solo album as he's ever released! Up there with any you'd care to name.

I don't dislike "Used To Be Bad" or "Really Love You", but they are a cut below the other 12 terrific tracks of varying degree of greatness.

 

Not a fan of If You Wanna, which isn't terrible but could be removed from the album with very little impact, but I do like the other two. Neither are in my, say, top 5 songs on the album but I do very much enjoy both.

 

If those Steve Miller songs were removed, then my affection for Flaming Pie would be reduced by 75%.

 

Horses for courses!

 

Flaming Pie is one of Pauls best albums
Plenty of great songs here
Thats just about it

 

Well recorded, lovely album but 2 songs too long for me (If You Wanna, Used To Be Bad).

How McCartney sat on Beautiful Night for over 10 years is crazy!

 

His first 20-21 years as a solo artist are nearly immortal for me. In my all time top 3. Flaming Pie was the first of his post golden period for me. I never really warmed to it. Played a few times. It's marred for me by the cloud of Linda dying. By this point he was firmly a nostalgia act. Listened to Young Boy the other day and it just sounded lazy and by numbers. Most of the last 20 years albums got just a couple plays from me.

 

Really Love You is indeed awful (Paul's improvised lyrics are almost always terrible), but it does have great bass, so I keep it for that reason alone. "Used To Be Bad" is an easy one to jettison, though. Awful.

 

Agreed! "Really Love You" should have been a B-side. As for "Used To Be Bad," I just don't need to hear Steve Miller singing any leads on a Paul record.

 

The Twin Freaks version is better...but obviously a very different album.

 

Yeah I love the Twin Freaks remix! Very cool. I've used that one on a Threetles playlist of Paul, George and Ringo (and Jeff Lynne) tracks post-Anthology era.

 

Wish I could feel the love for the album that is communicated on this site and also by friends of mine who like Macca. Only Heaven On A Sunday gives me a true dose of Macca magic. The rest is ok with the exception of Really Love You which should have been ditched.

 

Top tier Mccartney, a great favorite of mine. IMHO, the beginning of the McCartney renaissance period which continues today.