Customer Reviews

Flaming Pie

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Trite or not, cruel or not, James Paul McCartney creates better under stress and in emotional pain. Only months after this CD was released, the new Knight Bachelor lost the only woman he believed he'd ever love. Surely, even though the press was being assured Linda was "fine", she wasn't, the fact of her illness was informing his work.

Just as "McCartney" was created during the hazy period he was trying to define himself after the Beatles, and "McCartney II" surfaced after his jail experience in Japan, "Flaming Pie" shows a more vulnerable, less cheeky McCartney, and with good results.
Unlike a lot of Wings albums, or "Tug of War" or "Pipes of Peace", this album doesn't just yield one or two songs for the "It's got a beat AND you can dance to it!" crowd. Instead, the lyrics reign here, introspective, haunting at times.

Not that some of the songs don't rock! How could they not with Jeff Lynne and Steve Miller helping out? Even fellow Two-tle, Ringo, helps out with Beautiful Night. But since it's his voice in addition to drums, that's an element of sentiment, not one of quality.

The unusual production of some cuts, like the Victrola in "Souvenir", reminds one of the days the Beatles were experimenting with all kinds of sound at Abbey Road.

My one disappointment about this CD happened a couple years after its release. "Little Willow" shows up here, dedicated to a friend who'd died of cancer and her children. Only a bit of detective work would reveal that this friend was Maureen Starkey, Ringo's ex-wife, and the kids Lee and Zak. But after Princess Diana was killed and a memorial album put together for her, the song Paul "donated" in her memory was...."Little Willow." This was puzzling, maybe even disturbing.

Seeing beaming Sir Paul stroll in pictures with his new wife Heather and baby Beatrice, one can't help but feel happiness for him. But I must confess, sometimes I wonder if a bit, just a bit, of stress or hardship could come his way to promote that creativity; nothing major, just a stubbed toe or lost set of keys or something. Because he hasn't recorded anything as good as "Pie" since.

Oh, if you're wondering...Beatleoligists will remember that when John Lennon was asked to write in "Mersey Beat" how the Beatles got their name, and wrote, "A man in a flaming pie came and said, 'You shall be Beatles with an 'A'". So the name is a nod to John, and to the Beatles...of whom McCartney just may be the biggest fan.

In the mid-to-late 90s, many things were happening in Paul McCartney's life. One of the most important was his involvement in the massive Beatles Anthology project, both instigated by and contributing to the resurrection of 60s and 70s nostalgia in the 1990s. Another was, his wife of almost thirty years had contracted breast cancer. Both of them knew she would not last but a couple of years. It was primarily these two influences that came together on 1997's Flaming Pie.

It's safe to say that Paul McCartney has never made a record as mature, as poignant, or as personal as Flaming Pie since leaving the Beatles. Driven both by the Anthology and (more importantly) Linda's impending death, it finds Paul at his most intimate and introspective, looking back down the years across his incredible life and career. From the title itself (a reference to John Lennon's story of the Beatles' "origin") and waltzing nostalgia of the very first track (The Song We Were Singing), this record is a celebration of Paul's past. This imbues upbeat songs like Calico Skies and Young Boy with a rainy-day melancholy, and the plaintive ballads (quite possibly Paul's finest) with a sense of inextinguishable hope and rebirth. Two of the latter, Somedays and Little Willow, heartbreaking tributes to Linda in retrospect, stand head and shoulders above almost anything McCartney has ever done - including the Beatles.

Also, Flaming Pie finds Paul combining his personal troubles with his penchant for beneficial collaboration. More than half the album is co-produced and supported by the phenomenal Mr. Jeff Lynne, mastermind behind ELO and producer for the likes of Tom Petty and George Harrison. Longtime friends Ringo Starr and Steve Miller also make appearances (as does Paul's son James on guitar), and Sir George Martin lends his genius to a few songs, making Flaming Pie one of his final projects. And even if a few duds managed to slip through the cracks (the bluesy jams Used to Be Bad and Really Love You with Steve and Ringo/Jeff, respectively), for the most part it's solid, twenty-four-carat gold as only Paul McCartney can mine it.

Flaming Pie closes on two seemingly disparate but perfectly complimentary songs: Beautiful Night and Great Day. The former is an orchestral epic ala Abbey Road, a grand culmination of all Flaming Pie's ingredients; the latter a simple, touching folk song from the days of the original McCartney album in 1970, a last loving duet between Paul and Linda. And that sums it up nicely, I believe. Only Band on the Run can topple it.

In this album, recorded shortly after Paul finished work on the Beatles' Anthology albums, we see Paul's creative energies reborn. These songs are mostly simple pop/rock songs that tie back to the best stuff he did with John. We also see Paul looking back on a life that is full of many great memories. (Linda's illness may have motivated this). In "The Songs We Were Singing" the lyrics paint a picture of Paul hanging out with friends (John, Rings, George, or maybe later) and just enjoying a good time discussing all those things that seem so frightully important at that time. "Flaming Pie" is a 2 minute rock song that is a great example of Beatles work, and probably would have been included on a Beatles album in the 60's (as would "Calico Skies")The final song "Great Day" is a wonderful little duet between Paul and Linda. All the more poignant is "Little Willow" a song wrote for the children of a family friend who died. It takes on added meaning with Linda's passing.

I loved this album, I enjoyed the work from Steve Miller, Ringo, and Jeff Lynne. If you enjoy Paul McCartney, the Beatles, or just good pop/rock music, this is a must have for your collection

The beginning of McCartney's later day career renaissance

Bob Dylan in a recent interview has said there's really only one person in music today that to him is absolutely stunning. That person, naturally, is Paul McCartney. ""I'm in awe of McCartney. He's about the only one that I am in awe of. He can do it all. And he's never let up... He's just so damn effortless." (Taken from a Rolling Stone interview from summer 2007).

High praise from someone so iconic as Bob Dylan. The last ten years for both McCartney and Dylan have proven them to be the most interesting artists of their generation currently recording. Over the last decade, both Dylan and McCartney have had a massive resurgence in their careers. While each are following their own idiosyncractic paths, both have proven themselves to have remarkable fertile songwriting during this stage in their careers.

And here's the trick. Both are the best at what they do. Sure, you can't imagine Paul McCartney being able to pull of the effortless aural history lessons in songs Dylan has been doing, each steeped in the American tradition and that "Old, Weird, America" of the Anthology of American Folk Music. Come on, could Paul really write "Nettie Moore", "Ain't Talkin'", "Mississippi", "Things Have Changed," "Tell Ol' Bill", or the masterpiece "Cross the Green Mountain"? But then again, you can't see Dylan writing the effortless melodic pop masterpieces McCartney written in FLAMING PIE, DRIVING RAIN, CHAOS & CREATION IN THE BACKYARD (one of my favorite albums of the 2000s), or MEMORY ALMOST FULL.

When FLAMING PIE hit the stores in 1997, four years separate it from McCartney's previous studio offering, OFF THE GROUND. A lot happened during those four years, namely, The Beatles multi-media project THE ANTHOLOGY. The ANTHOLOGY was a massive undertaking, resulting in three double albums of outtakes, a massive coffee-table book that really is one of the definitive resources for us Beatles nuts, and then the hours long documentary as well. Anything like that may get you thinking McCartney would really be in a reflective mood about mortality and unusually somber. Well, not really (the somber, reflective McCartney would come out in his 2005 masterpiece CHAOS).

Instead, according to the liner notes, the Anthology project would be a refresher course on how to construct a well-made song. And FLAMING PIE is full of such songs. According to Wikipedia, "McCartney sporadically recorded the entire album in a space of two years, working not only with Lynne, but with Steve Miller, George Martin, Ringo Starr and his own son, James McCartney, who plays lead guitar on "Heaven on a Sunday". "Calico Skies" and "Great Day" both hailed from a 1992 session, recorded even before Off the Ground had come out." McCartney recorded the album in the space of two years.

The album is really a return to the basic sensibilities that produced records like MCCARTNEY. The music, while carefully considered, doesn't get bogged down in rather pretentious production styles. It's carefully produced, but the music has much more of a live feel to it. While there are a couple of sore spots (the collobaration with Steve Miller always strikes me as generic 1970s rock), this is an album I find myself returning to again and again. It's that good. "Flaming Pie", the song, is just a basic rock and roll song, and while it's drawn from the Lennon story about the man on the flaming pie telling him in a dream they shall be The Beatles with an A, the song's one of the poorer ones on the record. But the rest is great, whether it's the Beatles send up "Song We Were Singing" (one of Paul's best, and just makes you smile), his refletive ballads, or just gorgeous orchestration. McCartney has always been amazing with melodies, and this record has it in spades.

Buy it. The last ten years have made both Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney extraordinarily more relevant than you could hope for if you followed their careers in the 1980s (especially Dylan). And don't worry. McCartney only gets better from this starting point in his discography. Make sure you pick up his other studio albums post dating this - there just as good, and in some cases (CHAOS), better.

McCartney has proven himself to be truly remarkable, and he has released some of his strongest music of his solo career in 1997-2007. He has proven himself remarkably consistent in the following releases. This is the starting point for his new critical revival, but thank God and thank love this isn't the ending point.

The sweet waft of nostalgia filled the air when Macca served up this pie.
However there is an underlying sense of sadness and impending loss, no doubt attributed to the declining health of his wife, which balances out an otherwise lighthearted Macca pop showcase.

1. The Song We Were Singing - Macca looking back to the past. We always came back to the songs we were singing. Those memories will never cease to be. Its an anthemic song sung by a proud and fortunate artist.

2. The World Tonight - Rocking and had a very modern feel to it when it came out as a single.

3. If You Wanna - Average mid tempo rocker.

4. Somedays - Simply stunning. Heartfelt and contemplative. One of the best songs he wrote. As good as many Beatle songs.

5. Young Boy - Moderately successful single. Find love in any situation. Love the instrumental break at the end, very Whiter Shade of Pale.

6. Calico Skies - Was happy when Paul played this live. It is truly a magnificant and jubilant song. Its what Paul does best.

7. Flaming Pie - A fun rocker.

8. Heaven On A Sunday - Sounds like something of London Town. Adult contempory sounding yet a lovely song featuring his son.

9. Used To Be Bad - A jam with Steve Miller. Dispensable but adds a fun and lighthearted moment to the album.

10. Souvenir - An underrated gospel tinged pop song with a dark and edgy production. Great work from Jeff Lynne. The chorus is great.

11. Little Willow - A tender and heartfelt acoustic performance. Up with his best work.

12. Really Love You - The second jam.

13. Beautiful Night - Power pop. Similar to No More Lonely Nights. A Moderate hit.

14. Great Day - A charming pre Wings sounding acoustic ditty that had been lying around for a while.

Fantastic pop album.

This album sometimes gets unfairly overlooked. For example, recent critical raves over "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" often state that it's "the best MACCA album in years", forgetting that "Flaming Pie" is as recent as 1997. The reality is that after McCartney's Wings period that yielded several excellent albums topped by "Band on the Run" and "Venus and Mars", his best 1980s album was "Tug of War" (with a solid B+ to "Flowers in the Dirt") and his best 1990s album was "Flaming Pie" (with "Run Devil Run" a solid second).

After the disappointing 1993 "Off the Ground" release, "Flaming Pie" was a return to form for McCartney, clearly influenced (as Paul acknowledges) by his experience with preparing "The Beatles Anthology". Critics generally agreed, and for once they were right. Basically, you'd have to dislike the Beatles not to like "Flaming Pie", as this is as good as a Beatles album. "Calico Skies" is a wonderful acoustic piece that ranks up there with "Blackbird" and "Mother Nature's Son." "Young Boy" is one of MACCA's finest pop songs, with a great guitar solo by Steve Miller-- unfortunately this tune didn't get much mileage being the feature song running over the opening titles to the rather lackluster Billy Crystal/Robin Williams comedy "Father's Day." "Souvenir" would have fit nicely on the White Album. "Flaming Pie" fits into a long line of rollicking McCartney piano-based classics. The somber "Somedays" and "Little Willow" are typical beautiful McCartney melodies. The big closing ballad "Beautiful Night" has a great orchestral build-up courtesy of George Martin, while the short acoustic actual final track "Great Day" is so poignant in retrospect knowing that this is Linda's last time singing on a Paul album (notwithstanding his production of Linda's posthumous album "Wide Prairie"). "The World Tonight" and "The Songs We Were Singing" makes me wish McCartney would work more with Jeff Lynne-- who after all, did wonders in reviving George Harrison's solo career in the 1980s. But let's be clear-despite the lumps from lots of idiot critics, the truth is that McCartney has written a number of classic songs since 1970 that are of "Beatles-caliber." He's not the greatest editor of his own material, leaving songs on some albums that make you scratch your head, but when he gets it right (like "Flaming Pie" and the new "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard") the results really do recapture the Beatles magic.

A very heartfelt and moving album. I had been inclined to dismiss Mr. Mccartney's albums over the years as being sort of lightweight, but recently have been re-listening,and very much enjoying some of these albums, so I guess I was wrong! The guy is the master songwriter, and this album is excellent.

I am surprised that of the 126 reviews I read, only a handful mentioned Linda McCartney's death in reference "Flaming Pie." This album is a beautifully-crafted, soul-searching valentine to Linda McCartney before her passing.

Although not all of the songs deal with this subject specifically, when you listen closely, you cannot help but hear Paul add the echoes of what will soon pass on this album. Knowing that this would probably be his last recording with Linda, Paul seemed to dig deep into his Beatle influences and ideas... the very things he and Linda shared together in their beginnings. Songs like "Calico Skies" and "Beautiful Night" bring back the Beatles sound and remind us of Paul's very public love for his wife. Having old hands from the past, such as Ringo and George Martin, complete the idea of this recording as a back-to-basics, emotion driven record.

"Flaming Pie" manages the deft feat of professing complete love for your soul mate while revisiting a personal past of creativity and music that changed the world. I believe this record emboldened Paul McCartney to push his music and life further. "Driving Rain" is evidence of that.

Now if you ask me, and many individuals interested in comebacks do now and again, this here album should definitely not be viewed as a McCartney comeback. Contrary to what my learned fellow reviewers are rambling on about, McCartney never went away! If you don't go away, then how is it that you can come back?

Here's the deal, see, McCartney was making good music all along. Even in all them years when he was releasing albums with paltry sales and no radio airplay, he was still making music that was head and antlers above all the rest of the pabulum they try to force feed us. McCartney, after all, is the standard for pop. So all the sudden in 1997 he come up with this here album and folks what weren't really paying him any heed start lip-flappin about a comeback. Well brethren (and cistern) you got it wrong. This is a stand out album like Band on the Run was a stand out album, sure enough, but betwixt Band on the Run in 1973 and this here album in 1997 Sir Paul wasn't just lollygagging around the house in his undershirt and slippers.

So, before you commence to purchase this album (which you most definitely should) also consider purchasing some of the interim albums betwixt 1973 and 1997 because there is some good stuff in there as well. I have endeavored to review each and every one of them and if you look you can see my erudite and learned comments and insightful tidbits scattered about the place.

I guess the testament to the quality of this here album is in the public vote, represented here in folk plunking down their pocket money and walking out of the record shop with this album under their arm... or in the case of many of us, clicking on the appropriate buttons right here at Amazon (dot come if you will) and having the thing whisked to the mailbox in no time. This album went all the way up to the #2 spot and remained there for a fortnight (as our pasty British cousins say) and this is significantly better than most of his albums for the past decade. He was on a roll again and some folk think it was because of his work on the Beatles Anthology and his association with Jeff "Electric Light Orchestra" Lynn. I ain't sure. I think Sir Paul (I refuse to call him "Macca" because I ain't British and that nickname sounds infantile to me) had it in him all along and maybe he was cooking this album up even before the Anthology work and the exposure to Lynn.

I'd go ahead on and get this one if I was you. This is the absolute favorite of one of the twins, but I can't tell you which one because I struggle to tell them two apart most of the time. Junior likes it pretty good, and Mama likes to call this one her "chicken cookin' album" because she has it on when she makes chicken-and-dumplings. Bernice (that's Betty Mae's cousin who's staying here while she and Lester get things worked out) likes this one an awful lot too and she sometimes puts it on and gets her fat bottom in to the hot tub we got outside beside our double wide trailer and soaks in the hot water and soaks in the music simultaneously (that means "at the same time")

I am a child of the 80's, but I was always into the Beatles... practically wearing out my vinyl copies of the red and blue albums. So as McCartney released records that were rather high profile in the 80's, I was interested in finding that special something that Paul brought to those Beatles records - unfortunately, I just never heard that same magic in much of his solo work. Not to say he didn't have some great post-beatle songs, but overall, they just didn't move me. Fast forward to 1997... In a nutshell, "Flaming Pie" is the closest that McCartney has come to creating music that stands up to his work with the Beatles. In a rather striking comparison to his other solo records, this one isn't packed with too much filler songs, and is actually engaging and enjoyable almost the whole way through. A couple compositions fall a bit flat, but there are some great acoustic moments on this disc that are among the best songs he has ever written. Check out "Little Willow", "Calico Skies", "Somedays", and "The Song We Were Singing" for some of the disc's best moments. This collection of songs becomes even more poignant when you take into consideration that it was written and recorded while his wife Linda was nearing death - it pays her a fitting tribute. A completely worthwhile addition to any music collection.