Flaming Pie

Infobox Album | Name = Flaming Pie
Type = Album
Artist = Paul McCartney


Released = 5 May 1997
Recorded = 22 February 1995 – 14 February 1997, except "Calico Skies" and "Great Day": 3 September 1992
Genre = Rock
Length = 53:44
Label = EMI, Parlophone, Capitol
Producer = Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, George Martin
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fi5zefrkogf5~T0 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/306673/paulmccartney?pageid=rs.ArtistDiscography&pageregion=triple1 link]
Last album = "Paul is Live"
(1993)
This album = "Flaming Pie"
(1997)
Next album = "Paul McCartney's Standing Stone"
(1997)

"Flaming Pie" is an album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful "The Beatles Anthology" project. Quoted in "Flaming Pie"'s liner notes as saying, "(Anthology) reminded me of The Beatles' standards and the standards that we reached with the songs. So in a way it was a refresher course that set the framework for this album."

Recording and structure

Beginning in February 1995, McCartney teamed up with Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra lead singer and guitarist and an ardent Beatles fan who had previously worked with George Harrison on his 1987 album "Cloud Nine", while both were members of The Traveling Wilburys, and who had also co-produced "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" for the "Anthology" project. With a keen sense to produce something pure and easy — and without indulging in elaborate productions — 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.

The title "Flaming Pie" (also given to one of the album's songs) is a reference to a humorous story John Lennon told journalists in 1961 on the origin of The Beatles' name when they became newly famous: "I had a vision that a man came unto us on a flaming pie, and he said, 'You are Beatles with an A.' And so we were." The album itself definitively has a Beatles flair to it; "The Song We Were Singing" was written about the Lennon/McCartney writing team.

Reception

Upon its May 1997 release, the critical reaction to "Flaming Pie" was very strong, with McCartney achieving his best reviews since 1982's "Tug of War". The commercial reaction was everything McCartney could have hoped for. With fresh credibility even with young fans who had been introduced to him through the "Anthology" project, and anticipation raised with the excellent reviews, "Flaming Pie" debuted at #2 in the UK and US, giving McCartney his first US Top 10 album since "Tug of War". In both countries, the album was the biggest entry in its initial week, knocked off the top spot by Spice Girls's "Spice" album and went gold quickly. Singles "Young Boy", "The World Tonight" and "Beautiful Night" became UK hits, all making the top 40 in the sales charts. The biggest single in the US from the album was "The World Tonight", a top 30 entry on the Billboard mainstream rock listing.

To promote the album McCartney held an online chat party, and consequently the event entered the Guinness Book Of World Records for the most people in an online chatroom at once.

Some consider "Flaming Pie" to be one of Paul McCartney's finest solo outings. It did, indeed, receive a nomination for "Album of the Year" Grammy, although the Grammys have been criticized for nominating artists for more nostalgic reasons at times [such as when Jethro Tull beat Metallica in 1989, or when Steely Dan beat Eminem in 2001] .

Track listing

All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted. Tracks 3, 5 and 9 were recorded solely by McCartney and Steve Miller.
#"The Song We Were Singing" – 3:55
#"The World Tonight" – 4:06
#"If You Wanna" – 4:38
#"Somedays" – 4:15
#* Orchestration by George Martin
#"Young Boy" – 3:54
#"Calico Skies" – 2:32
#"Flaming Pie" – 2:30
#"Heaven on a Sunday" – 4:27
#* Lead guitar performed by son James McCartney
#"Used to Be Bad" (Miller, McCartney) – 4:12
#"Souvenir" – 3:41
#"Little Willow" – 2:58
#*A tribute to the memory of Maureen Starkey
#"Really Love You" (McCartney, Richard Starkey) – 5:18
#* The day after Ringo and Paul recorded "Beautiful Night", the two improvised a jam session with Jeff Lynne resulting in this song.
#"Beautiful Night" – 5:09
#* The first collaboration on the album with Ringo Starr (drums, backing vocal, and additional percussion), with an orchestration by George Martin.
#"Great Day" – 2:09
#* Written in the early 1970s

Other songs

Also released on the singles were four songs, plus 6 Oobu Joobu mini episodes.
*"Looking For You" (McCartney)
**Another jam with Ringo and Jeff Lynne
**On "Young Boy" Single
*"Oobu Joobu Part 1"
**Features the song "I Love This House" (McCartney), a track from 1987 with David Gilmour
**On "Young Boy" single
*"Broomstick" (McCartney)
**Another track with Steve Miller
**On "Young Boy" single
*"Oobu Joobu Part 2"
**Features the song "Atlantic Ocean" (McCartney), from 1987
**On "Young Boy" single
*"Oobu Joobu Part 3"
**Features the song "Squid" (McCartney), and instrumental from 1987
**On "The World Tonight" single
*"Oobu Joobu Part 4"
**Features Paul's solo version of "Don't Break The Promise" (McCartney), later done with 10CC
**On "The World Tonight" single
*"Love Come Tumbling Down" (McCartney)
**A song from 1987
**On "Beautiful Night" single
* "Oobu Joobu Part 5"
** Features the original version of "Beautiful Night" (McCartney), done in 1987.
* *On "Beautiful Night"
* "Same Love" (McCartney)
** Recorded in 1987
** On "Beautiful Night" single
*"Oobu Joobu Part 6"
**Features the song "Love Mix" (McCartney), from 1987
**On "Beautiful Night" single

Personnel

* Paul McCartney – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, harmonium, vibes
* Dave Bishop – saxophone
* Richard Bissill – French horn
* Chris "Snake" Davis – saxophone
* Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitars, keyboards
* George Martin – orchestral arrangement
* James McCartney – guitar
* Linda McCartney – vocals
* Steve Miller – vocals, guitar
* John Pigneguy – French horn
* Kevin Robinson – trumpet
* Ringo Starr – drums, vocals, percussion
* Michael Thompson – French horn
* Richard Watkins – French horn
* Geoff Emerick - recording engineer

Charts

Album

* The album entered the Billboard 200 album chart on June 14, 1997 at number 2, with sales of 121,000 copies sold. It spent 20 weeks on the chart. It was awarded a certified gold record by the RIAA on August 8, 1997.

ingles

References

External links

* [http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pcsd171.html "Flaming Pie"] at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages