Paul McCartney Delivers a Bounty of Rarities, Curiosities and Gems on ‘Flaming Pie’ Box Set

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Paul McCartney Delivers a Bounty of Rarities, Curiosities and Gems on ‘Flaming Pie’ Box Set
With demos, rehearsals and documentaries, the former Beatle finally presents a full picture of one of his best solo albums
By KORY GROW
JULY 30, 2020


Paul McCartney unveils his previously unreleased acoustic instrumental jam 'Broomstick' with Steve Miller from his 'Flaming Pie' sessions.
Richard Haughton/ © 1997 MPL Communications Ltd.

In the mid-Nineties, Paul McCartney reminisced on his fab years for The Beatles Anthology doc, received his knighthood from Her Majesty (indeed, a pretty nice girl), and hosted a freewheeling radio show, Oobu Joobu, that allowed him to goof off as he DJ’d rehearsal tapes and oddities from throughout his life.

Those experiences put him in an excellent frame of mind for whipping up 1997’s Flaming Pie, a sturdy potpourri of rockers, ballads, and jams that sound more inspired (and more enjoyable) than his previous record, 1993’s Off the Ground. With George Martin co-producing and guest appearances by Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Miller, he hit some personal high-water marks for the decade. “Beautiful Night” was a gloriously soppy, everything-but-the-kitchen sink ballad. The title cut was whimsical and owed a debt to John Lennon (“It came in a vision,” Lennon once said, “a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, ‘From this day forward you are Beatles with an A'”). And the guitar-snarling “The World Tonight” remains one of his sharpest solo singles; you believe Sir Paul when he sings, “I go back so far, I’m in front of me,” even if you don’t know what he means. These songs sounded urgent enough to forgive some of the LP’s fluff, like “Somedays” and “Young Boy” and the meandering blues jam “Really Love You.”

McCartney puts Flaming Pie under a microscope on the super-deluxe reissue with home recordings, studio run-throughs, outtakes, and a whole lotta Oobu Joobu for a fascinating portrait of his creative renaissance. His home demos are sparse and intimate, as he strums “The World Tonight” on an acoustic guitar, and treats “Flaming Pie” like Daniel Johnston–style outsider art, banging away on a piano and singing as nasally as possible. Ringing phones and barking dogs attempt to interrupt him throughout, but he keeps his fab focus. On the studio run-through of “Beautiful Night,” you hear Ringo tell him how he needs to “get into it,” and the “rude cassette” version of “Heaven on a Sunday” sounds subversive with its drum machine beat and jazzy vibraphone line; it even devolves into a sing-along with Macca and his mates (maybe Ringo?) riotously singing, “You’re a baha-stard,” and laughing like a they were having a night out singing music hall in a cigar bar. The outtake “The Ballad of the Skeletons” features Allen Ginsberg roasting late-Nineties politics, and “Looking for You” finds Paul hollering like Nilsson Schmilsson as Ringo keeps a steady beat.

But what pulls it all together and makes it feel like more than an archival project are the inclusions of excerpts from McCartney’s Oobu Joobu shows and a one-hour guided tour of his home studio. On one of the radio shows, he talks about how he tagged along with his wife, Linda, to a cooking class and just plucked away on an acoustic until he stumbled on the chords for Flaming Pie’s “Young Boy,” as she was chopping onions. Imagine looking for some flour and finding McCartney in the cupboard with a new tune. (He also includes recipes and rare photos Linda took in the accompanying book.)

And the studio tour, Flaming Pie at the Mill, is a manic journey from Mellotron to drum set to a guitar he bought in the Sixties, as he explains the roles each instrument played on Flaming Pie and in the Beatles. He sings a little “Heartbreak Hotel” while playing a bass once owned by Elvis Presley’s sideman Bill Black, demonstrates the flute sound on “Strawberry Fields,” and reminisces not so fondly about the toilet paper at Abbey Road Studios (it was imprinted with “Property of EMI”) after playing some bells from there. All of the pieces in the box set complete a puzzle that explains how McCartney found himself again and hit the stride that has propelled him to the present day.

americansongwriter.com
‘Flaming Pie’ Reissue Provides a Savory Paul McCartney Treat
Lee Zimmerman
July 30, 2020

Paul McCartney | Flaming Pie | (Capitol)
Five out of Five stars

Wow. Ummm, this really is something. Overwhelming almost. Those few words alone could sum up any critical reaction to this lavish five CD/two DVD/four LP box set. It is, in a word, mind-blowing. (Granted, that’s actually two words, but the description will still suffice.)

The latest entry in Macca’s archival series featuring expanded reissues of his seminal solo catalogue, the remake of Flaming Pie makes for the most ambitious offering yet, particularly the  so-called “Collectors Edition” discussed here. It boasts five CDs — the original album, home recordings, demos, his “Oobu Joobu” series and quite a bit of unreleased material —along with four LPs containing the album and outtakes and two DVDs containing the original “In the World Tonight” documentary, as well as interviews, live performances, videos, and all sorts of other odds and sods.  Add to that beautiful oversized art prints suitable for framing, handwritten lyrics, an expansive book documenting the making of the album, reproductions of original studio notes, an edition of his fanzine “Club Sandwich,” and extensive notes detailing each selection, and it becomes a treasure trove indeed. (Other editions careless ornate but still offer added music with a less intimidating price tag.)

Consequently, there’s a lot to digest as far as the larger edition is concerned, and its hefty cost — upwards of a few hundred dollars — is matched by its bulk. Bound in a 17” by 21” box, the entire package weighs several pounds, which makes it somewhat challenging as displaying is concerned. It’s not one that can simply be stuck on a shelf. Likewise, considering the art — and the artifacts — that accompany this edition, the value comes into focus. More than merely audio embellishment, the visual addendum makes this something a museum piece. And a rare acquisition as well.

Of course the focus necessarily falls back to the original album, which still stands as one of Paul’s best, although in retrospect it may have been a bit unappreciated. That’s easy to understand; after all, many of McCartney’s albums get an initial splash on release (Flaming Piereached number two on both the U.S. and U.K. charts), and yet the impact seemed to fade all too quickly. Likewise, few if any of the album tracks made it into Macca’s live sets, all but dooming them to oblivion. Still, Flaming Pie — famously named for John Lennon’s facetious explanation of how the Beatles got their  handle — is a solid album even on its own, with several song that still stand up some 25 years on. Given that it was released on the heels of McCartney’s involvement with the Beatles Anthology series, it was at least partially inspired by his look back at past achievements. In the handwritten notes that accompany the new box McCartney calls his involvement with theAnthology “ a refresher course that set the framework for this album.”

Of course, that’s a high bar, one that McCartney has always had to contend with throughout his solo career. Nevertheless, there’s no reason to negate Flaming Pie on the basis of its songs alone. Yes, it is, as is Paul’s norm, somewhat lightweight overall, but several standout selections —  the effusive title track, the wistful “Calico Skies” the calming caress of the sweetly nostalgic “The Song We Were Singing,” the breezy “Young Boy,” and the steady groove of “The World Tonight” and “If You Wanna” — cast the album in tender trappings and a summery haze. Reunited with producer George Martin, fellow Fab Ringo Starr, old pal Steve Miller, and fellow traveler Jeff Lynne, the man who helmed the “Threetles” current Anthology recordings of “Real Love” and “Free As a Bird,” it’s a solid set of songs that still stand up well with this belated revisit.

Of course the other additives allow for added embellishment as well. Paul’s audio tour through his home studio and the commentary about the various instruments used in the recording of the new album and various Beatles classics should be of special interest to to archivists. Hearing him reproduce the opening mellotron riff of “Strawberry Fields Forever” offers a special fascination all its own. A CD of home demos find McCartney entirely on his own working out the songs on acoustic guitar. Another disc allows the listener to become a fly on the wall while the songs are worked out in the studio.

So too, the other discs delve into the oddities. The opening track on disc four, “The Ballad of the Skeletons” is easily one of the most unusual entries in the McCartney catalog, an unlikely collaboration with Allen Ginsberg that finds Paul, Phillip Glass, Marc Ribot, David Mansfield, and Lenny Kaye accompanying the poet on an expressive read of an otherwise obtuse offering. The ditties that make up the outtakes, the chat and alternative takes that encompass his “Oobu Joobu” series and the B-sides “Same Love,” “Love Comes Tumbling Down” and “Love Mix” mostly cater to the completist, but are interesting enough to warrant at least an initial listen.  Likewise, the DVDs — the aforementioned documentary in particular — offer long-unseen footage of McCartney promoting the then-new album in a conversation with David Frost as well as behind the scenes footage taken during the album’s conception and creation.

It’s a lot to delve into. As much a scholarly treatise as serious source material, the relit Flaming Pie is finally served up with the stature it deserves.