Beatle Bytes

Flaming Pie - A Fan's Review

Susan Petersen

As a Paul McCartney fan for the last 33 years, I've never been one to be overly critical of his work. However, I've never fallen in love with any of his studio albums immediately, either. It usually takes me about five listens to even pick out the four or five songs from each album that I really end up embracing.

This has not been the case with McCartney's latest album, "Flaming Pie." I was fortunate enough to have heard three of the album tracks over the last month, all of which left me craving more. There was something magical present in those three songs that left me convinced that the remainder of the album would be nothing less than his best studio album to date.

Now, having heard the entire album, even as a die-hard McCartney fan, I am left overwhelmed. His latest offering truly can be classified as a masterpiece, his crowning glory.

"Flaming Pie" brings us classic and vintage McCartney. The album is pure Paul, yet with something very new. With this new album, we have the McCartney with whom we are all so familiar - yet he brings to this work the life experiences of a man who has grown up, faced life's challenges and matured into the person he is today, just as many of us who were around in the 60s have also done.

I've never experienced the wide range of emotions while listening to a new McCartney release as those I experienced while listening to "Flaming Pie". The album elicits feelings of melancholy, bittersweet past, reflection, haunting beauty and the expression of true love within a lifelong, committed relationship. While the songs from the "Off the Ground" sessions included several tracks with an angry edge to them ("Big Boys Bickering," "Long Leather Coat," "Looking for Changes"), we see a much more mild-mannered, mellowed and mature McCartney on "Flaming Pie."

The new album includes a mix of frivolity and depth, ballads and rockers. There's definitely a theme that carries throughout the album - one of love and devotion to Linda and their children, as well as one man's coming of age. Each of us can probably read into the lyrics whatever we want, but it seems quite clear that many of the songs included are a loving tribute to Linda, and a relationship made even stronger as a result of her illness.

On first listen, the lyrics are what make this a very powerful album. The words are those of a mature songwriter, a man who has reached the age of being a philosopher and statesman, who can look back over his life with the perspective that only comes from having lived through several decades and life's experiences. The lyrics seem to have emerged from the deepest core of his soul, to produce McCartney's most personally revealing album ever.

Many of the songs remind me of other Paul works, and some have a pinch and a dash of a few other artists. His own musical influences, as well as his own musical evolution are apparent on the album. The Jeff Lynne influence is apparent in many of the songs. No doubt some critic will refer to "Flaming Pie" as "Paul McWilbury," but personally, I find the Lynne touch adding some spice to the tracks, without suffocating what is pure McCartney.

• "Flaming Pie" opens with "The Songs We Were Singing" - a nice upbeat and catchy number with a Dylanesque style narrative sprinkled in. It's a nice introduction to the total piece of work.

• "The World Tonight" clearly has Lynne's mark on it and has the potential of being a Top 10 hit should radio decide to give it airplay. It somehow gives me the impression of a song that could have been used as the theme for a British television spy show in the late 60s.

• "If You Wanna" is a nice track and I like it, but it's not as strong lyrically as some of the other offerings on the album.

• "Somedays" is one of the cuts I heard a few weeks ago. Hauntingly beautiful is the best way I can describe it. Clearly a tribute to Linda, for me, it's one of McCartney's best songs ever. He's looking back at their lives, when they were young, recognizing that love is more important than possessions. One who has experienced a deeply loving and committed relationship knows of what he sings when he says, "Some days I look into your soul." The music has a bit of a baroque feel to it and the instrumentation is reminiscent of "Eleanor Rigby". Have your box of Kleenex handy.

• "Young Boy" has been making the rounds with a brief real audio appearance on the WWW. It's a catchy tune which should receive some air play. This song is the more typical McCartney that we are used to hearing. It's up, bright and optimistic. Lynne is quite evident in this song.

• "Calico Skies" - wow! I first heard this in the car while driving around running errands. There haven't been very many songs that have brought me to tears, but as I was driving, the tears were streaming down my face. Hearing Paul sing "I'll hold you for the rest of my life" elicited emotions at many levels. On subsequent listens, this song has had the same effect on me. It is probably one of the most revealing McCartney lyrics on the album. It's another song about long term, committed love. It's easily a two-hanky song.

• The McCartney genius is so apparent in the song line-up, because just as a tear is being wiped away during "Calico Skies", he launches directly into the title track, "Flaming Pie". It's a silly rocker of self-mockery with lyrics like "stick my tongue out and lick my nose". Just visualizing the pictures that the lyrics present brings a smile to ones face. The intro of the song reminds me a bit of Dave Edmunds' "I Hear You Knocking."

• "Heaven on a Sunday" is a nice ballad which fits the theme of the rest of the collection. It's reminiscent of some of the Cold Cuts material - and a reminder that it's a shame that much of McCartney's better work remains unreleased commercially.

• "Used To Be Bad" is real bluesy with a strong bass line. It has a Clapton-ish style to it. This song would be fantastic in concert, with some additional jamming. This is one that can grow on you, much like "Biker Like An Icon" eventually did.

• "Souvenirs" is another emotion eliciting number - again, feelings of melancholy, bittersweet, reflection. The bass seems similar to "I've Got a Feeling". For me, this was not an immediate standout, but I think after a few listens, I will come to love it.

• "Little Willow" - while on the surface a song of nature, it's clearly a metaphor and a tribute to children. This ballad is a classic-to-be in the class with "I Will" and "Blackbird".

• "Really Love You" is for those who enjoy Paul as a screaming rocker. While not in the class with "Helter Skelter", it generates the feel of "Party Party" from the "Flowers in the Dirt" sessions. My original notes upon hearing the song were "a throwaway, tossed in to balance the sweetness of the rest of the album." It definitely sounds like the type of material Paul performs during his soundchecks. After a few listens, it may get better.

• "Beautiful Night" is an uplifting number which would be right at Broadway musical. Considering Paul's recent Knighthood, I had to smile over the lyrical reference to "getting a medal from a local neighborhood."

• The closing "Great Day" is a perfect way to end the album. It's awesome and upbeat, very Wings-ish with a bit of "Big Barn Bed" thrown in for flavoring.

The critics may not like it; those who like to trash McCartney may not like it. But for McCartney fans, this is his best work to date and deserves a serious and open-minded listen as well as air play. I seldom enjoy a McCartney album on a first listen, but "Flaming Pie" is much different. There is nothing bad on this album. It's already my favorite McCartney collection. While I generally don't care what the music critics have to say about McCartney's work, I do hope that they recognize the true genius of this man within his lifetime, as we fans have. Musically and emotionally, "Flaming Pie" delivers even more than I ever expected from this talented songwriter, musician and performer.

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Another Slice Of Flaming Pie

A Review by Mr H.

I don't expect many new fans will climb aboard the Paul McCartney bus based upon his latest effort, "Flaming Pie", but it's a little late for Paul to start another crusade to convert the non-believers anyway. If he is to ever regain the sales success and respect he once commanded, he does need to win back the prodigal believers. This one should do just that.

Non-fans may also say "Huh?" to the albums title, but fans will recognize its reference to John Lennon's tongue-in-cheek answer to the question "Where did you get the Beatles name from?", to which John once responded, "It came to me in a vision. A man appeared on a flaming pie and said you will be called Beatles, with an "A".

With just a few flaws, "Flaming Pie" is perhaps still not a five-star masterpiece, but it is an excellent collection of work that should be received well by fans. Paul borrows liberally from his own past (it's about time Paul, everybody else does), and winds up with an overall effort that at times sounds like the best of his Beatles and early solo work, and at other times like nothing we've ever heard from him before.

Like all McCartney albums, "Flaming Pie" is a bit uneven, but overall, this is arguably his strongest effort in his almost thirty-year solo career.

• "The Song We Were Singing": in this somewhat Beatlesque treatment, Paul opens with a nostalgic look back at his own past, both in storyline and arrangement. There are plenty of 60's-era references to "pipe smoking", "cosmic solutions", and the like, but mostly, it is about how the music was the glue that held it all together.

  Paul reflects nostalgically on how he and his "friends" sat around getting stoned and solving the problems of the world, and no matter what, they always came back to "the song we were singing". The first thing you hear on "Flaming Pie" is Paul's acoustic guitar, followed by his inimitable voice, in a slow, reflective tempo that sets the mood for "The Song We Were Singing". In the second line, this is augmented by a luscious Paul-on-Paul harmony that is stirring. Right here, you know an old friend has returned, and that you're just gonna love this album. The song then takes what, for me, was an unexpected twist and segues to a waltzy hurdy-gurdy style that evokes the 60's, without sounding too dated. As a listener, I was a little uncomfortable with the busy-ness of this arrangement at first, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a great song, and easily one of my favorites on the album. I'd give it a strong 8.

• "The World Tonight": This is not your father's Paul McCartney. This song is pretty much what you'd hope for in a Macca/Jeff Lynne collaboration, although more restrained than some of Jeff's more "over the top" production. Being a Jeff Lynne fan, I would have actually preferred he use a little heavier hand on this one, but the song definitely works. I particularly like the lead vocals sung in two-part unison (early Sqeeze?).

  This is not Paul McWilbury! This is a strong, ballsy, interesting, yet still "Pop" Paul, and it's just what the airplay doctor ordered - I hope. That is to say, if Rock and/or Classic Rock radio are ever gonna play Paul's music, then this is probably his last shot, and if not a bullseye, this is as close as old Paul'2s gonna come. My own early informal poll of non-fans suggest this one has potential beyond Paul's usual crowd, and the station's that have played it have been the right ones. I give this one a 9.

• If You Wanna opens with Paul and Steve Miller strumming along in a style and tempo reminiscent of the opening bars of "Gloria" (Shadows Of Knight). It's a likable enough tune, with some interesting musical turns, and at times also reminds me a little of Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday Someway". At first, I couldn't get past the dumb "make arrangements for the trip" lyric, which alone almost destroyed the song for me, but after a few listens, it's growing on me. Steve Miller puts in a strong performance musically, and overall the result is a harder sound than Paul usually gets. It'2s certainly not a throwaway, as Paul has been known to pepper in abundantly on many an album, it just that it doesn't go anywhere lyrically. I'll give this one a strong 6 though.

• Somedays: Some have already added this to their all-time McCartney list, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet. Like "The Song", this somewhat melancholy and emotional ditty is another Beatleish affair, this time reminiscent of Paul's "Eleanor Rigby", with it's string quartet backing tracks. In this case, Paul plays acoustic guitars, including some very nice but brief Spanish Guitar work, accompanied by the classical musicians. Though for my money it's not nearly the equal of "Eleanor" , I'd still give it about a 7. Paul also takes some unusual chances vocally on this one which will grow on you.

• Young Boy: I'm happy to say emphatically, I don't know what those critics (or were they just Paul-bashers?) were smoking when they described and commented on their early reactions to this song. To me, this seems like a Paul fan's Paul song. Although perhaps not a great song, this is much better than the garden variety Paul you've either come to love or loathe. It's simply a good pop song; a nice, catchy melody, with a great Steve Miller electric guitar over rhythm electric and acoustic guitars, with a much "tougher" sound than "Hope Of Deliverance", for example. It bounces along until a rather sudden tempo slow down at the end, where a hammond organ drops into the mix. This organ is tasty, and some have said evocative of "Whiter Shade Of Pale", though I would say not nearly as stirring as that Gary Brooker/Procol Harum classic. I give it an 8. And by the way, I've read a few reviews about the "Lynne influence" in this song. Just for the record, Jeff did not produce, play on, or otherwise come anywhere near this song, although it would have been just fine with me if he did. Either Jeff's had more influence than we think, or perhaps it was the other way around?

• Calico Skies: Another early favorite with some to make the all-time list. Again, I'm not quite ready to do that, but I do like it quite a bit. It has sort of a "Blackbird" feel, although not in the same class, with a similarly sparse "Paul on acoustic guitar" arrangement. At just over two minutes, it makes a nice intermezzo for the next track. There is an odd plot twist in the last verse from straight love song to an anti-war statement. This is another very good McCartney song. I'll give it about an 8.

• Flaming Pie: Again coming in at just over two minutes, this track is a good-time, lyrically and musically fun number, which evokes Dave Edmund's "I Hear You Knocking", Paul's own "Lady Madonna", and Jeff Lynne/ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down". Though perhaps not as strong commercially as any of those, it's a good tune, and an excellent closer for side one (for you vinyl hounds). Let's say 7 on this.

• Heaven On A Sunday: This one sort of makes you expect Sade, a la "Smooth Operator", to be on vocals. It has kind of a "lounge" sound, complete with Paul's rimshots on the snare. As this type of stuff goes, it's actually quite listenable, although I expect the Paul-bashers may have a field day on this one. "Heaven" is a mostly acoustic affair, with some interesting electric guitar by Paul's son James, which is masked partially by Paul's competing and somewhat ineffective acoustic lead. After a few listens, it has become a guilty pleasure - definitely not Paul at his worst, but stylistically more of a lounge song than a Rock song. I'll still give "Heaven" about a 7.

• I Used To Be Bad: "Bad", like "Really Love You" later in the set, just simply goes nowhere. Trying to evoke a "Texas Blues" feel, it just never gets up a head of steam like Stevie Ray Vaughn would. Steve Miller is a decent enough guitar player, but this thing just never heats up. Steve and Paul trade vocals, as Paul has done before in other past solo-period duets, with much the same emotionless result. It sounds a bit like Bob Welch-era "Fleetwood Mac", but not nearly as successful in execution. Although it's a fully structured song, and not a "jam" or incomplete work like Paul often includes on his albums, it is still one of my least favorite tracks on this album. I think about 4 is in order.

• Souvenir is among my absolute favorites on "Flaming Pie". This one sounds like "Natural Woman" (Carole King/Aretha Franklin) Meets "I've Got A Feeling". Paul's liner notes say he was trying for a "Wilson Pickett" type feel, and that he hoped someone of that ilk would cover it. I think it probably has too hard an edge for that treatment, but it's definitely got "soul". Proving that "to each his own", I've been astounded by unflattering reviews of this song (as will some who read this review); I simply can't imagine why anyone would not like this song. Oh well! Anyway, I give this one a 9.

• Little Willow is another fairly simple, yet great acoustic song reminiscent of the early 70's, "Red Rose Speedway-era" Paul. This one also features some nice subtle harpsichord work by Jeff Lynne buried in the mix (perhaps a little too buried). Still, another excellent song, another 9.

• Really Love You: This McCartney/Starr collaboration (and the only song in history ever credited as such) is apparently the one the critics most love to hate. I'd like to say the critics are wrong about this, but I can't. This "jam" is one of those funky little "groove things", and features some nice bass playing by Paul, but not much else of note. As throwaways go, this is better than some, but, at over 5 minutes in length, it just goes on forever, without ever really going anywhere. This textbook B-side could easily have been swapped with "Broomstick", "Looking For You", "I Love This House", or an edited "Atlantic Ocean", all available already as B-sides, and although none are classics in their own right, all are much better than this one. In the liner notes, it says Ringo called this "relentless". Indeed! Let's say 3 on "Really Love You".

• Beautiful Night: This one is your father's Paul song, and that's not a compliment. I have similar feelings about this as I originally did about "Heaven" above (no pun intended). Although "Heaven" has grown on me, this one has not. This one starts out on the right foot, it seems to just deteriorate into a formulaic, Paul-at-his-worst style. To me, it sounds like "London Town" vintage, but it just doesn't do that much for me. And the uptempo addition tacked onto the end is pointless, except perhaps to give the song an "end of the album" feel. I guess that would be excusable, except that it makes "Great Day", which follows, sound like an afterthought. All of that said, I'm sure many of you will like this song a lot, even if I don't. For satisfying your expectations, I'll give it a 6.

• Great Day is a harmless little ditty. It actually sounds good to hear Linda's voice featured prominently in the harmony for the first and only time on this entire set (although she is credited on the previous track). This tune is, again, very reminiscent of Paul'2s early 70'2s work (which is when he first penned this one). In fact, with its opening strains, I expected to hear "Who's that coming 'round that corner" . The similarity to "Big Barn Bed" should be obvious even to those who never seem to hear such things. I'd give "Great Day" a simple 7.

Please don't mistake my attempts at objectivity as disappointment with this album. Compared to most albums, the 14 slices of "Pie" here are a generous serving, with very little filler, and mostly good to excellent offerings. After a few more listens, my CD "program" will probably simply edit "Use To Be Bad", "Really Love You", and "Beautiful Night". Minus those tracks, and not counting live albums and hits compilations, this is the best collection of Paul McCartney songs ever found in one place. In fact, tracks 1-8 are probably the greatest continuous string of 8 songs Paul has recorded in his lifetime. Even if you don't think these songs are that strong, go get out your old albums and CD's and try it for yourself; compare any string of 8 on any album to tracks 1-8 here.

So, here's the bottom line. If you're not a Paul fan, you probably shouldn't bother with this one - Paul breaks very little new ground here, and certainly does not go for, nor does he get, a very contemporary sound. With a few exceptions, this album sounds like it could have been released in 1975, although I'd prefer to call it timeless. It does, at times, have a storyline maturity, perhaps reflecting his mature self-confidence, not usually found in his work.

If you're a fan who likes those 70's albums, or one who's been burned before (and have helped to populate the used CD bins), and you're indecisive about whether you should invest in "Flaming Pie", do not hesitate for one minute this time around -- this is Paul McCartney's finest album.

I give it **** (of 5).