Originally released May 5, 1997, Flaming Pie ended a four-year gap between studio albums from Paul McCartney. It was mostly recorded after release of The Beatles Anthology series, which reminded McCartney of “the Beatles’ standards and the standards that we reached with the songs.” That “standard” is pretty much perfect songwriting and superb playing and vocals from guests like Jeff Lynne (who produced the record), Steve Miller, and Ringo Starr. George Martin also helps out one last time.
“The Song We Were Singing” has McCartney singing over a soft-plucked acoustic before it kicks into a super-strong melody chorus and beat. “The World Tonight,” is built around a string-bending riff and snappy snare. These two songs both have strong choruses and ridiculously catchy melodies, proving that McCartney is an expert at presenting tightly woven tunes with personal, heartfelt messages.
“If You Wanna” has a cool layering of electrics, but it’s a little light as far as presenting any real meat on the bones. There is a clean lead played on this by Steve Miller — the first time he appears on the record. He’s the best thing about this tune. “Somedays” is the first piece of a ballad we get in this particular pie. It’s McCartney, picking acoustics and layering on harmonies, with the atmosphere of sweet strings and horn orchestration managed by Beatles producer George Martin. The melancholic lyric and a middle spot acoustic lead on a Spanish guitar are a perfect touch.
“Calico Skies” reminds me instantly of “Blackbird,” which is fitting as McCartney claims he set out to write a song reminiscent of that classic after Hurricane Bob hit the northeast of the U.S. in 1991. The singer was staying in Long Island, riding that storm out, and without a doubt, this is one of the best of the original album’s tracks. There is a heartbreaking, descending melody, a straightforward, yet very effective lyric, perfectly plucked acoustic, and McCartney singing at the sweetest high-end of his register.
The title track sees McCartney singing live while playing the piano (he’d later overdub drums, bass, guitar, and harmony vocals), while Jeff Lynne plays guitar. It’s a fun rocker with the title taken from something John Lennon said about how he came to name the Beatles. He had a vision of a man coming to him on a flaming pie; the man said he saw a band with the name ‘Beatles’ with an ‘A.’
“Used To Be Bad, “another highlight, is the second tune to feature Steve Miller. In addition to his crystal clean lead playing, he also duets with McCartney. As suspected, the two musicians are quite the combination, even if the song just flowed from a jam and is nothing more than a loose rocker. A combination of rock and bluesy piano ballad, “Souvenir” follows and is another highlight. “Little Willow,” a song McCartney wrote two years before Flaming Pie was released, is a tribute to Ringo Starr’s first wife, Maureen, who died of cancer in 1994. The layering of vocals and droplets of sound, lilting and perfectly placed augmentation by Jeff Lynne, makes for the sweetest song on the album.
“Little Willow” provides a nice opening for Starr himself to make an appearance, as he does on the next song, “Really Love You.” This one finally delivers a McCartney’s prominent bass playing moment (playing his iconic Hofner, no less) with his former Beatles band mate on drums and Lynne on guitar. McCartney seems to be having a ton of fun on this rocker, whooping it up into his falsetto at times. This tune came from a jam after he and Starr recorded “Beautiful Night,” the song that follows. It was written years before this version that made it to Flaming Pie, and it’s classic McCartney with another George Martin orchestration pushing the piano along.
Countering the “bigness” as McCartney called “Beautiful Night,” he goes back a quarter of a century to a song he and his wife, Linda, used to perform sitting around the kitchen while their kids danced. Along with plucking acoustic and singing, McCartney plays percussion on his leg, adding to the DIY feel.
As part of the Archive Collection, Flaming Pie has become available in multiple formats, including a five-CD, double-DVD and four-LP Collector’s Edition, a five-CD and double-DVD Deluxe Edition, plus triple LP, double LP, and double CD editions. The extra CDs run the gambit of at-home demos, “rude cassette” versions, cuts from McCartney’s radio show “Oobu Joobu,” and other nuggets hardcore fans love. Revisiting the original album n all its remastered glory truly brings home what an effortless pop songwriter Paul McCartney is.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
