POLL: How do you rate Paul McCartney's "Flaming Pie" album?

Yep, I agree on the length. I've just listened to this twice in a row and it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if Used To Be Bad ended up on the cutting room floor. I listened and listened and kept thinking, man that sounds just like Steve Miller...and checked it out and confirmed that it WAS Steve Miller! Had to laugh at myself, but it's filler on an album that doesn't need it.

There's a few other possible culls but, to me, that's the obvious one.

Overall, though, I put this in that second from the top category (a pretty solid effort).

 

To me, it's Essential.

With Flaming Pie, Driving Rain, Chaos, Memory and New to listen to, I never have time for early Paul!

 

I like it, but it's way too uneven for me. If you ditch "Used To Be Bad", "If You Wanna", and especially "Really Love You", which is, like, Paul's worst song EVER, and place the b-side "Broomstick" somewhere on side two (right before "Beautiful Night" maybe), you'd have a legitimate classic on your hands.

 

A very solid Paul release with the usual uneven spots kept to a minimum. One of his best. Loved loved loved "The World Tonght", "Souvenir" and espcially "Great Day".

 

I had to go with "A pretty solid effort".

I'm not sure why but I didn't get into this album when I first got it. I guess I didn't have high expectations after his previous album and I had other things going on in my life at the time, all of which weren't good. So, this album ended up being a "slow grower" for me. I agree with most here that 'Really Love You' and 'Used To Be Bad' are the clunkers but I actually kind of like 'If You Wanna' - it's a lot of fun if you crank it up. I didn't really like The World Tonight when it was released as a single but it has since grown on me.

I've got a theory that whenever Paul does a duet/collaboration with someone (Elvis Costello being the obvious exception) he feels obligated to put it on the album. Stevie Wonder, Carl Perkins, Steve Miller, etc. Unfortunately, I think many times they just get together and "see what happens" and the result, many times, is "not much". Ebony and Ivory seems an exception that Paul had worked out quite a bit before Stevie was involved. Some of the other songs sound like jams that really don't take off. Regardless though, I think he feels 'obligated' to include them on the album... or maybe they really were fun sessions even though the music from them is sub-par.

 

Well said, it really has been a great run of albums. Who would have thought that from the age of 50 onwards, Paul would be able to write songs such as: Calico Skies, Somedays, Young Boy, Heaven On A Sunday, Beautiful Night, Little Willow, Souvenir, Your Way, From A Lover To A Friend, Your Loving Flame, Heather, Fine Line, Friends To Go, Jenny Wren, This Never Happened Before, Riding To Vanity Fair, At The Mercy, A Certain Softness, Too Much Rain, House Of Wax, Why So Blue, Mr Bellamy, That Was Me, Ever Present Past, Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight, Sing The Changes, (I Want To) Come Home, My Valentine, Only Our Hearts, New, Appreciate, Scared, Queenie Eye, Alligator, Road, etc.

I would happily pay to see Paul just play these songs.

 

Let's not forget Meat Free Monday!

 

The only filler track for me is the Paul & Ringo jam. This is one of my 4-5 favorite McCartney titles.

 

not that much into Paul's solo output (got 6 of his solo albums on my cdshelf) but this one is my favourite one, half of it sounds like a f***ing classic lp (world tonight, if you wanna, young boy, heaven on a sunday, beautiful night...), it's seriously that good. also you have to remember when it came out - in 1997 - more brilliant albums (ok computer, vanishing point, urban hymns, in it for the money, blur, when i was born for the 7th time, dig your own hole, dots and loops, radiator, ladies and gentleman we're floating in space...) were released that year than in the last decade so Paul really had a strong competition.

 

Pretty solid effort. I was relieved the first time I heard "The World Tonight" because I knew he could still rock. "Calico Skies", "Great Day" - short, simple and beautiful. There are 2 or 3 I'd consider throwaways though, and the record is full without them.

I just realized that by belatedly responding to these Macca polls, I'm cluttering the front page with more Beatles related posts. Oops.

 

One of his best. This was that album where Paul was really back (even though I did enjoy OFF THE GROUND). This album's in my current Top 5 (at #5)... There are a few moments I'm not as wild about, but so many good ones:

Somedays
Little Willow
Calico Skies
World Tonight
Song We Were Singing
Flaming Pie
Beautiful Night
Young Boy

 

Hey, it's repetitious and probably took two minutes to write...but I like it.

 

Read a nifty story today that relates to Flaming Pie and thought I'd share it with all of you who love/like the album. A bunch of memorabilia has apparently been discovered by the family of the late drummer from Jimi Hendrix's band, Mitch Mitchell. Included in the stuff was a framed limited edition copy of Flaming Pie that he'd received from Paul and Linda. Read on:

How cool, eh? I like the idea of Paul sending out copies of this album, not to record company execs or reviewers, but to "extremely groovy" people.

Here the full story.

 

Flaming Poo.

 

I voted "a pretty solid effort." There was a time when I thought it was absolute top tier, but as I've warmed up to some of his albums that I didn't think as highly of at the time, this one has regressed to the mean ever so slightly.

 

Julian Lennon was one of the people (200) that got the limited edition pressing.



The letter dated 14 April 1997 confirms that this is just one of the 200 examples pressed, signed and inscribed by Paul, 'I hope you'll enjoy this! Best personal regards from me and the family'.

 

Very cool. Mitch Mitchell was of course friends with Linda from her photography days in NYC, when she used to take photos of Jimi, so it all fits in. And I believe that Mitch was allowed to audition for Wings after Denny Seiwell left (Geoff Britton got the job, but didn't last long).

 

Have not heard it, but mis-read the title as "Flaming Pile" anyone else?

sean

 

Most of us are probably relatively familiar with the album and its title that this mistake would not happen.

 

A literal thread-crap.

 

I've placed FLAMING PIE within my "Top Five" from Macca (and NEW is in there as well). It's really one of his finest albums, I think. Both "The World Tonight" and "Young Boy", at least, should have been hits. But really, there are so many others here which I truly feel may go on to be McCartney classics: like "Somedays", "Little Willow", "Calico Skies", and "Beautiful Night".

 

Loved it on first listen.. and that never happens to me and new Macca releases. Great album.

 

Not if you're possessed with an irresistible, sophisticated, urbane wit.
"Mom! More meatloaf please!"

 

I love FLAMING PIE.
I go back and forth with it and TUG OF WAR as my 3rd and 4th favorite McCartney albums behind RAM and BAND ON THE RUN.
Calico Skies is one of the best songs Paul has ever written!

 

Middling album.
Not as strong as other (relatively) recent albums Memory, Chaos, Flowers.
Don't know about "usual throwaways", but IMO there are too many average tracks (Used to be Bad, If You Wanna, The World Tonight, Really Love You) that outweigh the small handful of classics (Souvenir, Young Boy, Calico Skies).
Having said that I still enjoy it all the way through from time to time.