Poll: Paul McCartney - Flowers In The Dirt (1989 Album) - Top 5 to 7 songs

I like My Brave Face, but I always thought that it just wasn't quite there to be a hit, close but something was still missing, it still didn't have that hook.
A song like I Can Bet has more of a hook to me, I've always thought it should of been the very first song released from the album New.

 

My Brave Face
Rough Ride
You Want Her Too
Distractions
Put It There
This One
That Day Is Done

 

My 7, in the order they appear, not 1-7:

My Brave Face
You Want Her Too
Put It There
Figure of Eight
That Day Is Done
Back on My Feet
Flying to My Home

Can't believe the latter two were relegated to B sides.

 

My Brave Face
You Want Her Too
Distractions
Put It There
Figure of Eight
This One
That Day Is Done

But I like the entire album.
Had the cassette in 1990 after seeing Paul live in Miami.
Was one of my very first cds when I got my first cd player in 1992.

From 82-97, 15 years, he had three great albums.
Tug of War, Flowers in the Dirt and Flamming Pie.

 

A solid offering from Sir Paul. “Rough Ride” is the kind of credible rock song that is far too rare in McCartney’s solo work. As one of the few (tasteful) people who voted for “Ou Est La Soleil”, I should offer some explanation. Great groove, lots of fun and not enough lyrics for McCartney to sabotage it with schmaltz or stoned-out nonsense.

 

"My Brave Face"
"Figure Of Eight"
"Put It There"
"This One"
"That Day Is Done"
"Motor Of Love"
"Back On My Feet"
"Fly Me To My Home"

 

I absolutely adore "Ou Est La Soleil". Catchy, groovy, well mixed and mastered with high dynamics (I think DR15 or so on the latest remaster), which is so so rare today. Rough Ride is a good one, but I think it would be better with standard drums. The snare drum sounds too "drum machiney" to me.

 

Yeah, “Motor” and “How Many People” are terrible. In fact, I’d call “Motor” possibly the worst thing Paul’s ever written (Which is saying something). “Ou’est” is not great either, but listenable I guess.

For me, the album ends with “That Day Is Done” (which makes for a great finish anyhow) and is my favorite song on the album. Everything before that is good or great (I can take or leave “Distractions” though). Very strong as a 10 song album.

Having now heard the demos, early takes, and B-sides though, I’d have to say that many of them are as good, or better, that the finished album.

 

Ooh, difficult one this, as on most days this is my favourite McCartney album. At the time, this was easily his best since Tug of War, yet I prefer it to even that album.

Gonna choose 7:

1. "My Brave Face" (absolutely perfect pop song)
2. "You Want Her Too" (revisits the theme of "The Girl is Mine", but does it better)
3. "Distractions" (very heartfelt lyric that feels very much rooted in real life experience)
4. "We Got Married" (love the production and arrangement on this, plus Gilmour's guitar playing)
5. "Figure of Eight" (the song that I'm named after and one of my favourite McCartney songs - love his vocal, and particularly love the change in his voice/melody on "is it betteeeeer" later on in the song)
6. "This One" (again, a really great lyric and beautiful melody)
7. "That Day Is Done" (really soulful and bluesy, should be a standard)

Also, I don't have much of a problem with "Motor of Love" beyond the lyric, which could have been better. Musically and production wise I could easily hear it fitting in nicely on a late '80s XTC album...