POLL: How do you rate Paul McCartney's "Flowers In The Dirt" album?

Nice Ben. I, of course was just commenting on the album as it was released.

Not that you asked, but..I tend to listen to ESM then skip to LSM . (Early solo McCartney, then later solo McCartney ) McCartney through Red Rose Speedway and then Flaming Pie onward.
Because Paul is my favorite living artist though, I'll play all of his other things from all periods of his career at one time or another, but the mid period not as much.

At some point I should compile a comp of "my favorite songs from that middle period", but I've never gotten around to it.

 

Strangely I don't really see his solo career in this way, maybe because I have only ever experienced the releases of the albums from MAF onwards. I think that his 'middle years' do contain a fair share of gems, some of which are on FITD.

Another song that I forgot to mention was Don't Be Careless Love; another song where I much prefer the original demo to the finished version.

 

A good, interesting, song. And a TERRIBLE recording.

 

Well, I'm a big enough fanboy that I can find something to like in almost anything Paul has released. It's all a matter of degree.I can find a half a dozen songs I LOVE on any of Paul's mid period stuff, with the exception of Broadstreet.

 

Six songs you LOVE on Pipes? Fire when ready, Mr. C!

 

Jerk. You had to pick the tough one.

1. Pipes of Peace
2.So Bad
3.Through Our Love
4. Pipes Of Peace
5. So Bad
6.Through Our Love

There you go .

 

Hey ! If I add the 93 bonus tracks "Twice In a Lifetime"," Simple As That" and" We All Stand Together"...I've scratched out six !

 

Yep, Biker is on Off The Ground

 

Apparently even a self-professed 'big enough fanboy' can't name 6 good songs on Pipes of Peace without repeating a title... It is the title of the one song on that album I'd ever want to hear again.

 

I have to agree with you there. So Bad is a lovely song... Probably my POP fave...

 

Not Bad -- but that's being kind. It was Paul starting to get on the right track again, but there is a lot of dull filler here. I did not think "My Brave Face" was a good single; I think he should have kicked off with "This One". I like "This One" and "Put It There" best of all on this album, and also "Figure of Eight" and "Rough Ride". The rest don't do much for me. I didn't think Elvis Costello helped things much.

 

Funny, I didn't see you there. (My first also).

 

Not terrible, but disposable. The only thing I really like is the B-side he did with Elvis Costello ("Back on My Feet") and even that has an unwelcome slickness that's typical of McCartney's '80s and '90s work.

 

It has some really good songs( "My Brave Face", "Put It There",etc.), some nice skewed lines written with Elvis Costello, and at least one outright dud("Motor of Love"). Somehow it has a melancholy, almost depressive vibe for me. I thought Off the Ground was a big improvement over it, and Flaming Pie, even better. Driving Rain, back to the downer vibe.

 

Have not listened to it in quite awhile, but one of my favorite Macca albums. Hard to believe it was released 25 years ago!

 

Great verses. Lame choruses.

 

I like "Back On Me Feet" quite a bit, and wish it was on FLOWERS to boost it.

 

As was every Paul album after BOTR, this was seen as a 'comeback' album. Decent reviews at the time. The Costello collaborations got some positive feedback too. It's seen as one of his best 80s albums, and probably is. I do prefer Press To Play, which got the exact opposite reaction to FITD when released. Somehow PTP is more interesting and although both this and FITD are long albums, it's the former I return to more often. Even though FITD had the more typically 'honeyed' McCartney sound.

 

I think that FLOWERS IN THE DIRT got overpraised because, as you said, it was a "comeback" album... and after BROAD STREET we were wondering what was happening with Paul and when he was going to snap out of it. FLOWERS is not a good album in my view, just so-so, with a handful of strong Paul tracks amidst a lot of lightweight filler (there's that 'f' word again ) .I really disliked PRESS TO PLAY, both then and now (one of his worst albums for me)... but I suppose if one liked PTP, they never felt Paul "lost it" prior to FITD.

 

PTP took years to grow on me. I was as disappointed as everyone else when I first bought it! FITD was more instant, but it's far too long and could do with some severe pruning. I came to a lot of McCartney/Wings stuff much later on and maybe I was more accepting because the 'pressure' of a new album was off by this time.

Another album I got much later on was Fleetwood Mac's Tusk. Now, I do like it, but I'm not sure I'd have fallen into it's arms had I bought it on release day! That album got some dreadful reviews..

 

It's one of my favorites. A very solid effort.

 

For me, Motor of Love and This One are the two best tracks

 

A few observations......Firstly the album reached number one in 1989, certainly the last time mccartney has troubled that height.
The lead singles 'my brave face' and even more so 'this one' where pretty decent hits for mccartney both hanging around the charts quite a while although only reaching about 17 [i think].
Those two songs are the last time [for me] that mccartney has reached that glossy pop perfection akin to the monster brilliant 1970s singles with wings [LTWTMS,my love,live and let die,with a little luck].
The album is excellent with a few flaws which to be honest is par for the course with mccartney generally.The weak links are the throway rehashed mid 1970s demo 'oust est le solie'..truely dreadful and the equally annoying 'rough ride' goes nowhere.The other really bad mark is actually all down to the woeful overproduction of a fine song in its raw state 'dont be careless love'.
Other positive standouts for me are 'we got married','put it there'distractions' and 'motor of love'.....'that day is done ' is also better than average as is 'you want her too'.
That leaving 'figure of eight' which despite being possibly the last solo song mccartney has ever opened his whole tour with losses its charm and vibe on the record and sounds so much better with mccartney singing the vocals live in concert.....[its the last time you will ever be able to say that!!!]

 

Paul's vocal on "Motor of Love" is terrific--I also love the 10CC feel to the backing vocals on that cut.

I do agree that "Flying to My Home" should have replaced "Soleil," but that's quibbling--all-in-all, Paul's best 80s album IMHO.