I link OJ and Flaming Pie because OJ was found liable in February 1997 and Flaming Pie was released in May 1997 and I was in the same apartment for both.
The McCartney Legacy book mentions the recording of a song called Oobu Joobu during 1972/73, although I've not yet seen mention of whether it's the same recording used in the 1990s.
In fact it's first mentioned in August 1971 : "The second reel included more takes of ‘Seaside Woman,’ plus a tune called ‘Tea Bud.’ On the third reel, McCartney and company stretch out on a wordless (but for the title) jam that, in the spirit of ‘Mumbo’ (from ‘Mumbo-Jumbo’) Paul named ‘Oobu Joobu.’"
managed to score the 3LP version for FREE at Sound of Music.... I just had to pay 8$ shipping. I'm over the moon!
They had certain titles listed at $0.00, but you had to order them 1) one by one, 2) pay the aforementioned $8 shipping, and 3) within USA only.
I was eyeing that one up but I already have the 2 LP version and figure I can always stream the rest should I fill the need. I did pick up Tug of War blue vinyl, New pink vinyl, Red Rose Speedway archive and Wild Life archive in that deal though along with 2 by The Band and 1 from the Stones. Too good a deal to pass up.
I follow a group on reddit called r/VinylDeals where people post the newest and best deals for others to benefit from. After years of missing out on insanely good deals, I finally managed to catch this one on-time. I don't live in the USA currently so I send all my vinyl purchases to a buddy's house so I can pick them up when I visit.
I have the 2-disc vinyl. Sounds tremendous. The coda at the end of Beautiful Night is magnificent....The End on roids. I've always loved that part of Beautiful Night....I do wish he had a horn-rimmed-glasses-wearing partner to sharpen the lyrics in the first part though.
I remember reading that at one point Paul wanted George to be involved with 'Flaming Pie' in some form; there was some friction but he worked really well with Paul on 'FAAB' and 'Real Love', including completing the writing of the lyrics for 'FAAB', and I think he could have really been of use with lyrical help for 'Beautiful Night'. As it is, I love it anyway, even with the lyrics being specific and less universal, and it has always sounded like a 90's Beatles track to me. I also love the original 80's studio version, where Paul really goes for it vocally.
Funny I’ve never cared for Beautiful Night. It reminds me of April’s worst instincts as a songwriter.
I have a 1997 EU press of Flaming Pie, and the 2020 is better in almost every way. Being a double LP instead of having 55 minutes of content crammed onto a single disc surely helps. The only drawback to the remaster is the weird glitch in "Souvenir" which is not present in the OP.
I agree with @jacden . The 2020 beats my original pressing, and I did not find that to be the case with other archival releases.
Yeah don’t know why Paul came out as April. Curious but sure Paul’s April wine! LOL. No whining just not such a Beautiful Night.
@wayneklein made a typo that spelled "Paul" as "April". I ribbed him for this. He responded to that ribbing.
The Song We Were Singing and the title track certainly call back to Beatles days. I wonder if either of those songs is one that Paul had maybe wanted George to play on. Both of those are 2 of the 8 that Lynne produced. My guess is Paul asked George to play on the album and he declined or was busy, but we'll never know the details or full story.
Always thought “The World Tonight” sounded a bit like a George song. I can imagine him playing the solo on that.
“Mumbo” is called that as a play on its mumbled lyrics. At least, that’s the revelation I came to when listening to Wings Over Europe versions where the lyrics were fully intelligible and not actually mumbled.
On my iphone, when I put in Paul I typed too fast and didn't check it. It came out as April rather than Paul (or May LOL).
My opinion is very much colored by Peter Doggett's "You Never Give Me Your Money," (which is a fantastic read and made me see the "Threetle" clips from the Anthology in a whole new light - you always sensed something was a little off, but with better context, you get a better idea of the stress underlining everything), but I think the Anthology and having to take the Beatle suit out of mothballs was a huge pain in the neck for George. That whole project happened at that time after it came to light that George's manager had swindled millions and it was a clear that only a Beatle product would provide the kind of financial shot in the arm needed to maintain his portfolio. I mean his barely-able-to-grin-and-bear-it "just the short version" jam session, that "**** this" look at the camera at Abbey Road when Ringo and Paul tease him for not remembering what album "Golden Slumbers" was on, tinkering away on the uke when Paul and Ringo are talking... I think George was cool being friendly with Paul again, but away from the public eye. I get the sense that after 1969, he really had no desire to ever make music with the guy again. Which is also why I take all his negativity about "Now and Then" with a grain of salt - it sounds like "Free as a Bird" was a bit of a slog to complete in terms of fighting for the best lyric or trying to determine what chords would best bridge the incomplete sections. "Real Love" was an easy choice because it was basically a complete composition, they just had to punch up the music, but George didn't seem to relish the "Anthology" stuff that actually necessitated him collaborating or being onscreen with McCartney, so I wouldn't doubt him trying to save himself the hassle and declaring "Now and Then" not worth it before any momentum got going with it. There might have been an invite to play on "Flaming Pie," and maybe having Jeff Lynne around might have been a little bit of a carrot, but I can also see the cynical point of view (which I'd wager is why George declined): First release post-Anthology, Beatle-referencing title, all surviving Beatles playing on it, what would you think about some shows? Maybe just a TV appearance? What would you think about a new Beatles album? What would you think about some group interviews? And as it's a Paul album, Paul stands to enjoy the spoils of the interest generated by having his two surviving bandmates pitching in on his record. I don't think "Flaming Pie" is a worse album for not having George on it, but I remember reading some quote about him trying to get George on it in 1997 and even then thinking that was pretty transparently, pardon the phrase, pie in the sky.
