Take It Away: The Complete Paul McCartney Archive Podcast
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Arturoman wrote:
It seemed like a long wait for the latest episode.
It covers The Beatles Anthology's influence on McCartney's Flaming Pie. I personally don't think this album was McCartney's strongest songwriting and it kinda propped up by a lot of excellent production. Beautiful Night is my favourite example of that. Thoughts on Flaming Pie?
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/2018/06/04/episode-23-flaming-pie-part-1-of-2/
Good news and you probably already know Arturoman...Part 1 of the Flaming Pie episode has finally been released on the Take It Away Podcast. Pretty busy schedule for me but I will try to listen later in the day.
As far as the album itself, I consider FP to one of Paul's Best...Top 7 or 8 for sure. The good news is that FP contains 4 or 5 of Paul's very best Solo Songs period...maybe I would include most or all of them in a list of Paul's Top 20 Post Beatles songs. The down side is that Paul (as he often seems to do) includes a clunker or two on FP where he had far better alternatives. The prime example was Paul including "Really Love You" (basically a jam session with Ringo) when he should have included the wonderful "Love Come Tumbling Down" which became the B-side for "Beautiful Night". It should have been reversed where the former should have been the B-side for Beautiful Night and the latter would have made FP an overall "stronger album". I'll be interested in hearing what the boys say about "Really Love You" and "Love Come Tumbling Down" in this episode.
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LOVE Flaming Pie! Agree about Really Love You, B J.
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So a podcast is an audio blog.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Since we're still waiting for the next Podcast (Flaming Pie) I wondered if I can enlist someone's help on something from YouTube. I'm an "old dog trying to learn new tricks" when it comes to technology!
There are a couple of YouTube video's that demonstrates how some of Paul's "live" versions on some Off the Ground tracks in my opinion are much better than their studio album counterparts.
If someone can pull these videos up, it would be much appreciated.
The specific ones I have in mind are:
*Paul McCartney - Peace in the Neighboarhood live 1993 (rare). It doesn't refer to a specific show but the video portion is clearly edited. It is the audio version of this video that I especially listened to. To me the overall vocals and music is so much better (and exciting) in my opinion than the studio counterpart with Hamish's outfront background singing and Robbie's great guitar solo. This is the kind of track that I would want on a future Macca "lost and forgotten" Anthology/Compilation focusing on rare tracks (both released and unreleased).
* Paul McCartney - Biker Like an Incon live 1993 (rare)... Same result as above with a much better version than its studio counterpart
*Paul McCartney - C'Mon People live 1993 (rare)... Ditto as the above Videos
There are also a couple of "live" versions of these songs I found from a "Chili" Show. Again better than their Studio counterparts.
Just curious if other Board members feel similar.
I agree, live versions are better but I think that is true with most McCartney songs.
BJ I forgot to tell you this story when I got back from our 4 day cruise to the Pacific Northwest from Seattle, Nancy may appreciate it also since she goes on cruises also. The ship we were on (Holland America - Eurodam) had two piano players playing every night and they were great and tons of fun. Anyway, every night one of their 45-60 min sets would be requests from the audience. Every cruise I go on when piano players ask for requests I always ask for "Maybe I'm Amazed" and nobody has ever known how to play it for me. I figured what the heck lets try again and what do you know they did it !! I was absolutely stunned when one of the guys said I am going to do this Paul McCartney request. Let me tell you, they did a great job and the piano player that sang the song nailed it !! It was the happiest I have even been in a ships lounge ever !!
Great story and especially the fact that the singer nailed the vocal.
Years ago I took my daughter on a 7 Day Alaska cruise. It was on Royal Caribean and it was wonderful. It sailed from Vancouver and we purposely got to Vancouver 3 days early to see the sights. That portion of the trip was as good as the Alaska experience.
What ports of call did your 4 Day cruise do. I've only been to Seattle one time (and it was a very quick business trip) so I would love to go back to the Northwest at some point.
Spent a little over a day in Seattle before going on ship and it was great time. Ship stopped at Victoria BC and Vancouver. It also went through the inside passage which was so pretty.
Yankeefan,
Sounds like a great trip. I'm getting married in October and we are talking about future trips. Would love to get back to the spectacular Northwest. When my daughter and I were in Vancouver, we did take a ferry to Victoria and that was terrific, By the way, one of the best trips I took with my daughter was the Canadian Rockies. We did it in the Summer and flew into Calgary. The scenery with those gorgeous mountains and lakes was as breathtaking as I have ever seen. I want to return with my future wife because she has never been.
Thought of you this morning as I was driving to Dunkin for my usual cup of coffee. Sirius Radio and the Beatles' channel played "Take It Away". Criminal that Paul never played this live back in the day (2002 tour would have been perfect when his voice was still top notch).
Congrats on your upcoming wedding !! Did you go to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria? Yes it is criminal, such a fun and bouncy song. I always got a kick out of the "Take It Away" video. Nice to know the Beatle channel played this song and not just the "standard" McCartney hits from Wings.
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HaileyMcComet wrote:
So a podcast is an audio blog.
Hailey,
Yes, that is the best way I would describe it. As I have said, I like these Podcasts alot. I am a big fan of Paul's Post Beatles' career and that includes all his Post Wings' stuff to the current day. If one is not, then I understand how a person would be bored with the "Take It Away" podcasts.
I have a friend who is about 60 and is a huge Beatles' fan. He listened to their albums all the time. That being said, he could never get into their individual music very much after they split. I think there are many Beatle fans (from the baby boomer generation) who are like that. I guess that is why Paul continues to sell out venues and why he plays such a Beatle heavy setlist.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Since we're still waiting for the next Podcast (Flaming Pie) I wondered if I can enlist someone's help on something from YouTube. I'm an "old dog trying to learn new tricks" when it comes to technology!
There are a couple of YouTube video's that demonstrates how some of Paul's "live" versions on some Off the Ground tracks in my opinion are much better than their studio album counterparts.
If someone can pull these videos up, it would be much appreciated.
The specific ones I have in mind are:
*Paul McCartney - Peace in the Neighboarhood live 1993 (rare). It doesn't refer to a specific show but the video portion is clearly edited. It is the audio version of this video that I especially listened to. To me the overall vocals and music is so much better (and exciting) in my opinion than the studio counterpart with Hamish's outfront background singing and Robbie's great guitar solo. This is the kind of track that I would want on a future Macca "lost and forgotten" Anthology/Compilation focusing on rare tracks (both released and unreleased).
* Paul McCartney - Biker Like an Incon live 1993 (rare)... Same result as above with a much better version than its studio counterpart
*Paul McCartney - C'Mon People live 1993 (rare)... Ditto as the above Videos
There are also a couple of "live" versions of these songs I found from a "Chili" Show. Again better than their Studio counterparts.
Just curious if other Board members feel similar.
I agree, live versions are better but I think that is true with most McCartney songs.
BJ I forgot to tell you this story when I got back from our 4 day cruise to the Pacific Northwest from Seattle, Nancy may appreciate it also since she goes on cruises also. The ship we were on (Holland America - Eurodam) had two piano players playing every night and they were great and tons of fun. Anyway, every night one of their 45-60 min sets would be requests from the audience. Every cruise I go on when piano players ask for requests I always ask for "Maybe I'm Amazed" and nobody has ever known how to play it for me. I figured what the heck lets try again and what do you know they did it !! I was absolutely stunned when one of the guys said I am going to do this Paul McCartney request. Let me tell you, they did a great job and the piano player that sang the song nailed it !! It was the happiest I have even been in a ships lounge ever !!
Great story and especially the fact that the singer nailed the vocal.
Years ago I took my daughter on a 7 Day Alaska cruise. It was on Royal Caribean and it was wonderful. It sailed from Vancouver and we purposely got to Vancouver 3 days early to see the sights. That portion of the trip was as good as the Alaska experience.
What ports of call did your 4 Day cruise do. I've only been to Seattle one time (and it was a very quick business trip) so I would love to go back to the Northwest at some point.
Spent a little over a day in Seattle before going on ship and it was great time. Ship stopped at Victoria BC and Vancouver. It also went through the inside passage which was so pretty.
Yankeefan,
Sounds like a great trip. I'm getting married in October and we are talking about future trips. Would love to get back to the spectacular Northwest. When my daughter and I were in Vancouver, we did take a ferry to Victoria and that was terrific, By the way, one of the best trips I took with my daughter was the Canadian Rockies. We did it in the Summer and flew into Calgary. The scenery with those gorgeous mountains and lakes was as breathtaking as I have ever seen. I want to return with my future wife because she has never been.
Thought of you this morning as I was driving to Dunkin for my usual cup of coffee. Sirius Radio and the Beatles' channel played "Take It Away". Criminal that Paul never played this live back in the day (2002 tour would have been perfect when his voice was still top notch).
Congrats on your upcoming wedding !! Did you go to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria? Yes it is criminal, such a fun and bouncy song. I always got a kick out of the "Take It Away" video. Nice to know the Beatle channel played this song and not just the "standard" McCartney hits from Wings.
Yes we did go to Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Would love to take my fiancee there in the future since she loves flowers and gardens so much. BTW, loved the Take It Away video too especially with George Martin on the piano.
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Go to Callaway Gardens in Georgia sometime!
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As usual I enjoyed this latest podcast (1st half of Flaming Pie including the Beatles' Anthology section). Really liked the 2 British guest who I hadn't heard of....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor. They have their own Podcast in England called "Sodajerker" which has been around since 2011 and dealsl with various known "songwriters" in general.
This perhaps more than any other episode, I had significant disagreements with Chris but that is always good...getting someone else's perspective doesn make you think. Ryan on the other hand likes Flaming Pie (FP) a lot much like I do. It was fun listening to their contrasting thoughts on FP. I definitely got the feeling that the 2 guests were on Ryan's and my side but they were very diplomatic with Chris usually saying things like "I get what you're saying Chris". I would not have been so diplomatic I'm sure and at points neither was Ryan. Anyway I got a kick of the disagreements back and forth.
I have my own opinion of FP which I briefly mentioned a couple of posts before. I think FP is one of Paul's top tier albums and again it is much different than many others in his Catalog. Yes, Paul frustratingly and as usual included a couple of duds (especially one of them) when he had such better alternatives. But is is the great songs (I mean great songs) that puts FP in the Top 7 or 8 Paul albums' for me. This is where I totally disagreed with Chris. When Chris said the FP as a whole was weak/lowpoint in his career and that even the top 5 songs wouldn't make his list of Top 100 Macca Post Beatles' songs, I was floored. I feel just the opposite. The top 4 or 5 songs on FP would easily make my list of Top 30 (and probably top 20 Macca songs) since 1970. I do have to keep in mind that Chris is much younger and didn't get the "sentimental" feel of many of the lyrics. Ryan and the guests felt the opposite but they were more kinder than I would have been. And I'm not saying that I'm right; it is just opinions but this is how I feel about the top songs on the album. Like Ryan, I love these top FP Songs. Unlike other Paul songs (and good ones I'm speaking about), Paul is especially pensive, serious, and vunerable in his lyrics on FP. That is unusual for Paul and I love that aspect of the album!
Here is my track by track rundown with grades:
*The Song We Were Singing 7 - Good opener but I agree with Chris that the song doesn't develp enough. But on the whole I like it as an album cut and opener. Like the mid tempo guitars and Paul's "harkening back to the 60's"lyrics.
* The World Tonight 9 - like this rocker a lot. Why Paul has never played this (and other FP Songs) live just blows my mind
*If You Wanna 7.5 - Another good album cut that I personally like but understand that it isn't one of the highlights. I agree with the guys that is it a rocking "American driving song". To me it also had a nice little "Eagles and American West Coast kind of feel and I like the driving guitar section.
*Somedays 10 - this is where I really disagreed with Chris. Like Ryan said, I love this song. Chris didn't even like George Martin's score addition to the song which again I really love. This hits home the "pensive, mature" parts of FP. I agree with one of the guests that "Somedays" to me is about Paul and Linda and her health issues at the time. One of Paul's best Solo songs!
*Young Boy 9 - Again, another big disagreement with Chris. I like this rocker a lot. I think it should have been the 1st single in the US off FP. While I like "The World Tonight" I think Young Boy was more radio friendly at the time.
* Calico Skies - Even the guys convinced Chris at the end, that this is another Great, Great song on FP. I love both the album version and Paul's "live" performances I've seen over the years.
* Flaming Pie 7.5 - Definitely not one of the highlights but it is a good "album name" because of the history (John's dream of the Beatles being like a "Flaming Pie"). With just Paul and Jeff Lynne playing, they seem to be having a lot of fun. Not sure why Paul chose this song to do live on his tours along with Calico Skies (much deserving btw) when he had several much better songs that he could have done. One of the guests mentioned that this self parody type song showed Paul's "goofy" and silly side. As he said, it was a good contrast to some of the other far more serlious songs on the album.
(1st part of FP concludes here as they complete side 1 of the original vinyl so I will continue with the other songs when they add it to the "Take It Away" Podcast.
Definitely a good Podcast to hear.
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B J Conlee wrote:
As usual I enjoyed this latest podcast (1st half of Flaming Pie including the Beatles' Anthology section). Really liked the 2 British guest who I hadn't heard of....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor. They have their own Podcast in England called "Sodajerker" which has been around since 2011 and dealsl with various known "songwriters" in general.
This perhaps more than any other episode, I had significant disagreements with Chris but that is always good...getting someone else's perspective doesn make you think. Ryan on the other hand likes Flaming Pie (FP) a lot much like I do. It was fun listening to their contrasting thoughts on FP. I definitely got the feeling that the 2 guests were on Ryan's and my side but they were very diplomatic with Chris usually saying things like "I get what you're saying Chris". I would not have been so diplomatic I'm sure and at points neither was Ryan. Anyway I got a kick of the disagreements back and forth.
I have my own opinion of FP which I briefly mentioned a couple of posts before. I think FP is one of Paul's top tier albums and again it is much different than many others in his Catalog. Yes, Paul frustratingly and as usual included a couple of duds (especially one of them) when he had such better alternatives. But is is the great songs (I mean great songs) that puts FP in the Top 7 or 8 Paul albums' for me. This is where I totally disagreed with Chris. When Chris said the FP as a whole was weak/lowpoint in his career and that even the top 5 songs wouldn't make his list of Top 100 Macca Post Beatles' songs, I was floored. I feel just the opposite. The top 4 or 5 songs on FP would easily make my list of Top 30 (and probably top 20 Macca songs) since 1970. I do have to keep in mind that Chris is much younger and didn't get the "sentimental" feel of many of the lyrics. Ryan and the guests felt the opposite but they were more kinder than I would have been. And I'm not saying that I'm right; it is just opinions but this is how I feel about the top songs on the album. Like Ryan, I love these top FP Songs. Unlike other Paul songs (and good ones I'm speaking about), Paul is especially pensive, serious, and vunerable in his lyrics on FP. That is unusual for Paul and I love that aspect of the album!
Here is my track by track rundown with grades:
*The Song We Were Singing 7 - Good opener but I agree with Chris that the song doesn't develp enough. But on the whole I like it as an album cut and opener. Like the mid tempo guitars and Paul's "harkening back to the 60's"lyrics.
* The World Tonight 9 - like this rocker a lot. Why Paul has never played this (and other FP Songs) live just blows my mind
*If You Wanna 7.5 - Another good album cut that I personally like but understand that it isn't one of the highlights. I agree with the guys that is it a rocking "American driving song". To me it also had a nice little "Eagles and American West Coast kind of feel and I like the driving guitar section.
*Somedays 10 - this is where I really disagreed with Chris. Like Ryan said, I love this song. Chris didn't even like George Martin's score addition to the song which again I really love. This hits home the "pensive, mature" parts of FP. I agree with one of the guests that "Somedays" to me is about Paul and Linda and her health issues at the time. One of Paul's best Solo songs!
*Young Boy 9 - Again, another big disagreement with Chris. I like this rocker a lot. I think it should have been the 1st single in the US off FP. While I like "The World Tonight" I think Young Boy was more radio friendly at the time.
* Calico Skies - Even the guys convinced Chris at the end, that this is another Great, Great song on FP. I love both the album version and Paul's "live" performances I've seen over the years.
* Flaming Pie 7.5 - Definitely not one of the highlights but it is a good "album name" because of the history (John's dream of the Beatles being like a "Flaming Pie"). With just Paul and Jeff Lynne playing, they seem to be having a lot of fun. Not sure why Paul chose this song to do live on his tours along with Calico Skies (much deserving btw) when he had several much better songs that he could have done. One of the guests mentioned that this self parody type song showed Paul's "goofy" and silly side. As he said, it was a good contrast to some of the other far more serlious songs on the album.
(1st part of FP concludes here as they complete side 1 of the original vinyl so I will continue with the other songs when they add it to the "Take It Away" Podcast.
Definitely a good Podcast to hear.
Meant to put a "10" as a grade for Calico Skies.
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B J Conlee wrote:
As usual I enjoyed this latest podcast (1st half of Flaming Pie including the Beatles' Anthology section). Really liked the 2 British guest who I hadn't heard of....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor. They have their own Podcast in England called "Sodajerker" which has been around since 2011 and dealsl with various known "songwriters" in general.
This perhaps more than any other episode, I had significant disagreements with Chris but that is always good...getting someone else's perspective doesn make you think. Ryan on the other hand likes Flaming Pie (FP) a lot much like I do. It was fun listening to their contrasting thoughts on FP. I definitely got the feeling that the 2 guests were on Ryan's and my side but they were very diplomatic with Chris usually saying things like "I get what you're saying Chris". I would not have been so diplomatic I'm sure and at points neither was Ryan. Anyway I got a kick of the disagreements back and forth.
I have my own opinion of FP which I briefly mentioned a couple of posts before. I think FP is one of Paul's top tier albums and again it is much different than many others in his Catalog. Yes, Paul frustratingly and as usual included a couple of duds (especially one of them) when he had such better alternatives. But is is the great songs (I mean great songs) that puts FP in the Top 7 or 8 Paul albums' for me. This is where I totally disagreed with Chris. When Chris said the FP as a whole was weak/lowpoint in his career and that even the top 5 songs wouldn't make his list of Top 100 Macca Post Beatles' songs, I was floored. I feel just the opposite. The top 4 or 5 songs on FP would easily make my list of Top 30 (and probably top 20 Macca songs) since 1970. I do have to keep in mind that Chris is much younger and didn't get the "sentimental" feel of many of the lyrics. Ryan and the guests felt the opposite but they were more kinder than I would have been. And I'm not saying that I'm right; it is just opinions but this is how I feel about the top songs on the album. Like Ryan, I love these top FP Songs. Unlike other Paul songs (and good ones I'm speaking about), Paul is especially pensive, serious, and vunerable in his lyrics on FP. That is unusual for Paul and I love that aspect of the album!
Here is my track by track rundown with grades:
*The Song We Were Singing 7 - Good opener but I agree with Chris that the song doesn't develp enough. But on the whole I like it as an album cut and opener. Like the mid tempo guitars and Paul's "harkening back to the 60's"lyrics.
* The World Tonight 9 - like this rocker a lot. Why Paul has never played this (and other FP Songs) live just blows my mind
*If You Wanna 7.5 - Another good album cut that I personally like but understand that it isn't one of the highlights. I agree with the guys that is it a rocking "American driving song". To me it also had a nice little "Eagles and American West Coast kind of feel and I like the driving guitar section.
*Somedays 10 - this is where I really disagreed with Chris. Like Ryan said, I love this song. Chris didn't even like George Martin's score addition to the song which again I really love. This hits home the "pensive, mature" parts of FP. I agree with one of the guests that "Somedays" to me is about Paul and Linda and her health issues at the time. One of Paul's best Solo songs!
*Young Boy 9 - Again, another big disagreement with Chris. I like this rocker a lot. I think it should have been the 1st single in the US off FP. While I like "The World Tonight" I think Young Boy was more radio friendly at the time.
* Calico Skies - Even the guys convinced Chris at the end, that this is another Great, Great song on FP. I love both the album version and Paul's "live" performances I've seen over the years.
* Flaming Pie 7.5 - Definitely not one of the highlights but it is a good "album name" because of the history (John's dream of the Beatles being like a "Flaming Pie"). With just Paul and Jeff Lynne playing, they seem to be having a lot of fun. Not sure why Paul chose this song to do live on his tours along with Calico Skies (much deserving btw) when he had several much better songs that he could have done. One of the guests mentioned that this self parody type song showed Paul's "goofy" and silly side. As he said, it was a good contrast to some of the other far more serlious songs on the album.
(1st part of FP concludes here as they complete side 1 of the original vinyl so I will continue with the other songs when they add it to the "Take It Away" Podcast.
Definitely a good Podcast to hear.
My first thought reading this was how somebody had to be convinced "Calico Skies" is a great song. It is just beautiful and they lyrics are very moving IMO. I loved "The World Tonight" the minute I heard it, good rocker and the video was probably last time people saw Linda alive. I agree with you that in retrospect "Young Boy" would have probably been a better first single, like you said more radio friendly. I hate to say it by I actually almost hate the song "FP", for some reason it just grates on me. I can see young guys not appreciating "The Songs We Are Singing" because it is about nostaglia and most young guys don't appreciate that at their age. I liked the song but like you said it just does not seem finished. We are both in agreement about "Somedays", definitely one of FP highlights. Will be interested in Part 2 of FP,
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Just an fyi B J, the story John told was that a man on a flaming pie came to them and said, “From now on you are Beatles with an ‘a’!”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/out-of-a-flaming-pie-comes-the-beatles/
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Nancy R wrote:
Just an fyi B J, the story John told was that a man on a flaming pie came to them and said, “From now on you are Beatles with an ‘a’!”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/out-of-a-flaming-pie-comes-the-beatles/
Thanks for this great little article. I had heard the "flaming pie" story before but this tells better why it came about....with the Fabs at their beginnings (especially in America) constantly getting the same "stupid questions". Loved their answers and definitely showed their sense of humor which George Martin often talked about.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
As usual I enjoyed this latest podcast (1st half of Flaming Pie including the Beatles' Anthology section). Really liked the 2 British guest who I hadn't heard of....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor. They have their own Podcast in England called "Sodajerker" which has been around since 2011 and dealsl with various known "songwriters" in general.
This perhaps more than any other episode, I had significant disagreements with Chris but that is always good...getting someone else's perspective doesn make you think. Ryan on the other hand likes Flaming Pie (FP) a lot much like I do. It was fun listening to their contrasting thoughts on FP. I definitely got the feeling that the 2 guests were on Ryan's and my side but they were very diplomatic with Chris usually saying things like "I get what you're saying Chris". I would not have been so diplomatic I'm sure and at points neither was Ryan. Anyway I got a kick of the disagreements back and forth.
I have my own opinion of FP which I briefly mentioned a couple of posts before. I think FP is one of Paul's top tier albums and again it is much different than many others in his Catalog. Yes, Paul frustratingly and as usual included a couple of duds (especially one of them) when he had such better alternatives. But is is the great songs (I mean great songs) that puts FP in the Top 7 or 8 Paul albums' for me. This is where I totally disagreed with Chris. When Chris said the FP as a whole was weak/lowpoint in his career and that even the top 5 songs wouldn't make his list of Top 100 Macca Post Beatles' songs, I was floored. I feel just the opposite. The top 4 or 5 songs on FP would easily make my list of Top 30 (and probably top 20 Macca songs) since 1970. I do have to keep in mind that Chris is much younger and didn't get the "sentimental" feel of many of the lyrics. Ryan and the guests felt the opposite but they were more kinder than I would have been. And I'm not saying that I'm right; it is just opinions but this is how I feel about the top songs on the album. Like Ryan, I love these top FP Songs. Unlike other Paul songs (and good ones I'm speaking about), Paul is especially pensive, serious, and vunerable in his lyrics on FP. That is unusual for Paul and I love that aspect of the album!
Here is my track by track rundown with grades:
*The Song We Were Singing 7 - Good opener but I agree with Chris that the song doesn't develp enough. But on the whole I like it as an album cut and opener. Like the mid tempo guitars and Paul's "harkening back to the 60's"lyrics.
* The World Tonight 9 - like this rocker a lot. Why Paul has never played this (and other FP Songs) live just blows my mind
*If You Wanna 7.5 - Another good album cut that I personally like but understand that it isn't one of the highlights. I agree with the guys that is it a rocking "American driving song". To me it also had a nice little "Eagles and American West Coast kind of feel and I like the driving guitar section.
*Somedays 10 - this is where I really disagreed with Chris. Like Ryan said, I love this song. Chris didn't even like George Martin's score addition to the song which again I really love. This hits home the "pensive, mature" parts of FP. I agree with one of the guests that "Somedays" to me is about Paul and Linda and her health issues at the time. One of Paul's best Solo songs!
*Young Boy 9 - Again, another big disagreement with Chris. I like this rocker a lot. I think it should have been the 1st single in the US off FP. While I like "The World Tonight" I think Young Boy was more radio friendly at the time.
* Calico Skies - Even the guys convinced Chris at the end, that this is another Great, Great song on FP. I love both the album version and Paul's "live" performances I've seen over the years.
* Flaming Pie 7.5 - Definitely not one of the highlights but it is a good "album name" because of the history (John's dream of the Beatles being like a "Flaming Pie"). With just Paul and Jeff Lynne playing, they seem to be having a lot of fun. Not sure why Paul chose this song to do live on his tours along with Calico Skies (much deserving btw) when he had several much better songs that he could have done. One of the guests mentioned that this self parody type song showed Paul's "goofy" and silly side. As he said, it was a good contrast to some of the other far more serlious songs on the album.
(1st part of FP concludes here as they complete side 1 of the original vinyl so I will continue with the other songs when they add it to the "Take It Away" Podcast.
Definitely a good Podcast to hear.
My first thought reading this was how somebody had to be convinced "Calico Skies" is a great song. It is just beautiful and they lyrics are very moving IMO. I loved "The World Tonight" the minute I heard it, good rocker and the video was probably last time people saw Linda alive. I agree with you that in retrospect "Young Boy" would have probably been a better first single, like you said more radio friendly. I hate to say it by I actually almost hate the song "FP", for some reason it just grates on me. I can see young guys not appreciating "The Songs We Are Singing" because it is about nostaglia and most young guys don't appreciate that at their age. I liked the song but like you said it just does not seem finished. We are both in agreement about "Somedays", definitely one of FP highlights. Will be interested in Part 2 of FP,
Thanks Yankeefan. Yes I was kind of surprised that Chris was so negative about FP (the album). Not surprised about some of the "downsides" of FP (again we get back to Paul's track selection capabilities) but not seeing the greatness of the top songs. When the other 3 went on about what a fantastic little acoustic song Calico Skies was, he did have to "rethink" his earlier comment about not one song on FP cracking his Top 100 of Macca's Post Beatles' career. Calico Skies would probably make my top 10.
The title song (FP) doesn't bother me as much and doesn't personally marr the album as a whole for me. It does go along with the "harkening back to the Beatles concept" and it is an interesting "title" for the album. It is kind of a "Why Don't We Do It In the Road" style number and I also get the idea of a self parady and nonsense lyrics style song as a contrast to the heavy, serious lyrics on some of the main songs on FP. But why in the heck would you "then" include another nonsense lyric and jam type song like "Really Love You" (easily the worse song on FP in my opinion) when you have several other "much better" alternatives.
Getting back to his "live" setlists (our favorite subject) I still can't believe that Paul had the Flaming Pie song in his tour setlists for so long especially when he never played the "great or near great FP songs with the exception of Calico Skies. Again, another example of Paul playing something he and the band can do in their sleep rather than taking the time to do something great (and more complex) like Little Willow or Beautiful Night. And World Tonight and Young Boy are far better rocker type songs!! We could go on and on about that. Where were some of these songs on the 2002 tour when he started playing again with the new band.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Just an fyi B J, the story John told was that a man on a flaming pie came to them and said, “From now on you are Beatles with an ‘a’!”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/out-of-a-flaming-pie-comes-the-beatles/
Thanks for this great little article. I had heard the "flaming pie" story before but this tells better why it came about....with the Fabs at their beginnings (especially in America) constantly getting the same "stupid questions". Loved their answers and definitely showed their sense of humor which George Martin often talked about.
I believe the original flaming pie story was printed in Bill Harry’s Mersey Beat magazine.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
As usual I enjoyed this latest podcast (1st half of Flaming Pie including the Beatles' Anthology section). Really liked the 2 British guest who I hadn't heard of....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor. They have their own Podcast in England called "Sodajerker" which has been around since 2011 and dealsl with various known "songwriters" in general.
This perhaps more than any other episode, I had significant disagreements with Chris but that is always good...getting someone else's perspective doesn make you think. Ryan on the other hand likes Flaming Pie (FP) a lot much like I do. It was fun listening to their contrasting thoughts on FP. I definitely got the feeling that the 2 guests were on Ryan's and my side but they were very diplomatic with Chris usually saying things like "I get what you're saying Chris". I would not have been so diplomatic I'm sure and at points neither was Ryan. Anyway I got a kick of the disagreements back and forth.
I have my own opinion of FP which I briefly mentioned a couple of posts before. I think FP is one of Paul's top tier albums and again it is much different than many others in his Catalog. Yes, Paul frustratingly and as usual included a couple of duds (especially one of them) when he had such better alternatives. But is is the great songs (I mean great songs) that puts FP in the Top 7 or 8 Paul albums' for me. This is where I totally disagreed with Chris. When Chris said the FP as a whole was weak/lowpoint in his career and that even the top 5 songs wouldn't make his list of Top 100 Macca Post Beatles' songs, I was floored. I feel just the opposite. The top 4 or 5 songs on FP would easily make my list of Top 30 (and probably top 20 Macca songs) since 1970. I do have to keep in mind that Chris is much younger and didn't get the "sentimental" feel of many of the lyrics. Ryan and the guests felt the opposite but they were more kinder than I would have been. And I'm not saying that I'm right; it is just opinions but this is how I feel about the top songs on the album. Like Ryan, I love these top FP Songs. Unlike other Paul songs (and good ones I'm speaking about), Paul is especially pensive, serious, and vunerable in his lyrics on FP. That is unusual for Paul and I love that aspect of the album!
Here is my track by track rundown with grades:
*The Song We Were Singing 7 - Good opener but I agree with Chris that the song doesn't develp enough. But on the whole I like it as an album cut and opener. Like the mid tempo guitars and Paul's "harkening back to the 60's"lyrics.
* The World Tonight 9 - like this rocker a lot. Why Paul has never played this (and other FP Songs) live just blows my mind
*If You Wanna 7.5 - Another good album cut that I personally like but understand that it isn't one of the highlights. I agree with the guys that is it a rocking "American driving song". To me it also had a nice little "Eagles and American West Coast kind of feel and I like the driving guitar section.
*Somedays 10 - this is where I really disagreed with Chris. Like Ryan said, I love this song. Chris didn't even like George Martin's score addition to the song which again I really love. This hits home the "pensive, mature" parts of FP. I agree with one of the guests that "Somedays" to me is about Paul and Linda and her health issues at the time. One of Paul's best Solo songs!
*Young Boy 9 - Again, another big disagreement with Chris. I like this rocker a lot. I think it should have been the 1st single in the US off FP. While I like "The World Tonight" I think Young Boy was more radio friendly at the time.
* Calico Skies - Even the guys convinced Chris at the end, that this is another Great, Great song on FP. I love both the album version and Paul's "live" performances I've seen over the years.
* Flaming Pie 7.5 - Definitely not one of the highlights but it is a good "album name" because of the history (John's dream of the Beatles being like a "Flaming Pie"). With just Paul and Jeff Lynne playing, they seem to be having a lot of fun. Not sure why Paul chose this song to do live on his tours along with Calico Skies (much deserving btw) when he had several much better songs that he could have done. One of the guests mentioned that this self parody type song showed Paul's "goofy" and silly side. As he said, it was a good contrast to some of the other far more serlious songs on the album.
(1st part of FP concludes here as they complete side 1 of the original vinyl so I will continue with the other songs when they add it to the "Take It Away" Podcast.
Definitely a good Podcast to hear.
My first thought reading this was how somebody had to be convinced "Calico Skies" is a great song. It is just beautiful and they lyrics are very moving IMO. I loved "The World Tonight" the minute I heard it, good rocker and the video was probably last time people saw Linda alive. I agree with you that in retrospect "Young Boy" would have probably been a better first single, like you said more radio friendly. I hate to say it by I actually almost hate the song "FP", for some reason it just grates on me. I can see young guys not appreciating "The Songs We Are Singing" because it is about nostaglia and most young guys don't appreciate that at their age. I liked the song but like you said it just does not seem finished. We are both in agreement about "Somedays", definitely one of FP highlights. Will be interested in Part 2 of FP,
Thanks Yankeefan. Yes I was kind of surprised that Chris was so negative about FP (the album). Not surprised about some of the "downsides" of FP (again we get back to Paul's track selection capabilities) but not seeing the greatness of the top songs. When the other 3 went on about what a fantastic little acoustic song Calico Skies was, he did have to "rethink" his earlier comment about not one song on FP cracking his Top 100 of Macca's Post Beatles' career. Calico Skies would probably make my top 10.
The title song (FP) doesn't bother me as much and doesn't personally marr the album as a whole for me. It does go along with the "harkening back to the Beatles concept" and it is an interesting "title" for the album. It is kind of a "Why Don't We Do It In the Road" style number and I also get the idea of a self parady and nonsense lyrics style song as a contrast to the heavy, serious lyrics on some of the main songs on FP. But why in the heck would you "then" include another nonsense lyric and jam type song like "Really Love You" (easily the worse song on FP in my opinion) when you have several other "much better" alternatives.
Getting back to his "live" setlists (our favorite subject) I still can't believe that Paul had the Flaming Pie song in his tour setlists for so long especially when he never played the "great or near great FP songs with the exception of Calico Skies. Again, another example of Paul playing something he and the band can do in their sleep rather than taking the time to do something great (and more complex) like Little Willow or Beautiful Night. And World Tonight and Young Boy are far better rocker type songs!! We could go on and on about that. Where were some of these songs on the 2002 tour when he started playing again with the new band.
His song selections skills have always disappointed me - lol. He will play a song like FP live and not the others you mentioned. He finally adds a solo song and he picks "Temporary Secretary" - SMH !!!
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Chris' reactions to Flaming Pie were quite surprising. While I do think the album definitely has some filler and some tracks are better than others, the core of the album is quite strong. To me, however, we cannot separate our views of an album from our life experiences with the album. This is an album that plays an important role in my life perhaps more than any other Paul or Beatles album.
Flaming Pie came out only a few months after I had surived a major health issue (lymphoma) as a relatively young person in 1996. I was newly married and songs like Somedays, Calico Skies, and Little Willow really reasonating with me because they were mature and reflective. They are very personal songs for Paul and for the listener. Then of course, there are the typically fun and inspiring Paul Songs like the title track, Great Day and Beautiful Night and just pretty and soothing songs like Heaven on a Sunday. Many years later in 2013, I sent the video of the song Little Willow to a nephew after my sister (his mom) had died too young of cancer. I later learned how the song had touched and inspired my nephew and his family (who is much younger and had never necessarily been Paul fans), it was the best "gift" that I could have given.
Paul's songs are intertwined with our own lives, I have grown older with him and he has grown older with me. There are those who say that artists should only release new music as youngsters (like Billy Joel who quit after 1994 or so). But to me, listening to what Paul has to say at 55, 65, 76 (in a few days) is an important as what he had to say as a 26 year old in 1968. Our society saddly has this fascination with youthfulness. Flaming PIe is an album where Paul had to confront Linda's health and reflect upon what she meant to him. It is the most personable Paul album up to that time (Memory Almost Full and to some degree Chaos and Creation are later in the same vein). The album started an incredible streak of great music for him and he had something to say in each subsequent album and what he says is often tied to memory and growing older. I look foward to what a 76 year old Paul has to say in his next album because someday I hope to be 76. Long live Paul McCartney.
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thrillington wrote:
Chris' reactions to Flaming Pie were quite surprising. While I do think the album definitely has some filler and some tracks are better than others, the core of the album is quite strong. To me, however, we cannot separate our views of an album from our life experiences with the album. This is an album that plays an important role in my life perhaps more than any other Paul or Beatles album.
Flaming Pie came out only a few months after I had surived a major health issue (lymphoma) as a relatively young person in 1996. I was newly married and songs like Somedays, Calico Skies, and Little Willow really reasonating with me because they were mature and reflective. They are very personal songs for Paul and for the listener. Then of course, there are the typically fun and inspiring Paul Songs like the title track, Great Day and Beautiful Night and just pretty and soothing songs like Heaven on a Sunday. Many years later in 2013, I sent the video of the song Little Willow to a nephew after my sister (his mom) had died too young of cancer. I later learned how the song had touched and inspired my nephew and his family (who is much younger and had never necessarily been Paul fans), it was the best "gift" that I could have given.
Paul's songs are intertwined with our own lives, I have grown older with him and he has grown older with me. There are those who say that artists should only release new music as youngsters (like Billy Joel who quit after 1994 or so). But to me, listening to what Paul has to say at 55, 65, 76 (in a few days) is an important as what he had to say as a 26 year old in 1968. Our society saddly has this fascination with youthfulness. Flaming PIe is an album where Paul had to confront Linda's health and reflect upon what she meant to him. It is the most personable Paul album up to that time (Memory Almost Full and to some degree Chaos and Creation are later in the same vein). The album started an incredible streak of great music for him and he had something to say in each subsequent album and what he says is often tied to memory and growing older. I look foward to what a 76 year old Paul has to say in his next album because someday I hope to be 76. Long live Paul McCartney.
Thrillington,
Your Post above is one of the best ones I have ever seen on Maccaboard. So glad that you recovered from lymphoma back in 1996. Having gone through that kind of scare and the fact that you were newly married around the time, there is no doubt (and not surprising) that the "personal and heartfelt" songs on FP would resonate so much with you. I still love those songs you mentioned because they were different (and equally as good) as his best songs from the 70's and 80's.
I couldn't agree more with what you said in the last paragraph above. I too like a lot of Paul songs from his "later" career (from FP on). Society and particularly "commercial music" does put too much emphasis on "youthfullness". I love many of Paul's "later period" songs that are more mature, reflective in nature. Unfortunately, you have to be a "real" fan because you won't hear them anywhere on the commercial stations. Even the relatively new Sirius Beatles' Channel hardly plays anything from the 90's and beyond.
While I don't always agree (many times I do agree however) with Chris and Ryan on specific songs/albums on these "Take It Away" Podcasts, I love the fact that they started their show. Yankeefan and I have often said that we wished Paul would talk far more about his different Solo periods musically in his interviews. He just seems to have a fixation on his Beatle days. That is also reflected on his Tours/Setlists.
Not only looking forward to the 2nd half of FP with the guys, but also going forward into Run Devil Run, Driving Rain, Chaos, Memory almost Full etc. I particularly love the latter 2 albums.
Talk later.
PS Hopefully the 2nd half of FP will be out this week.
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thrillington wrote:
Chris' reactions to Flaming Pie were quite surprising. While I do think the album definitely has some filler and some tracks are better than others, the core of the album is quite strong. To me, however, we cannot separate our views of an album from our life experiences with the album. This is an album that plays an important role in my life perhaps more than any other Paul or Beatles album.
Flaming Pie came out only a few months after I had surived a major health issue (lymphoma) as a relatively young person in 1996. I was newly married and songs like Somedays, Calico Skies, and Little Willow really reasonating with me because they were mature and reflective. They are very personal songs for Paul and for the listener. Then of course, there are the typically fun and inspiring Paul Songs like the title track, Great Day and Beautiful Night and just pretty and soothing songs like Heaven on a Sunday. Many years later in 2013, I sent the video of the song Little Willow to a nephew after my sister (his mom) had died too young of cancer. I later learned how the song had touched and inspired my nephew and his family (who is much younger and had never necessarily been Paul fans), it was the best "gift" that I could have given.
Paul's songs are intertwined with our own lives, I have grown older with him and he has grown older with me. There are those who say that artists should only release new music as youngsters (like Billy Joel who quit after 1994 or so). But to me, listening to what Paul has to say at 55, 65, 76 (in a few days) is an important as what he had to say as a 26 year old in 1968. Our society saddly has this fascination with youthfulness. Flaming PIe is an album where Paul had to confront Linda's health and reflect upon what she meant to him. It is the most personable Paul album up to that time (Memory Almost Full and to some degree Chaos and Creation are later in the same vein). The album started an incredible streak of great music for him and he had something to say in each subsequent album and what he says is often tied to memory and growing older. I look foward to what a 76 year old Paul has to say in his next album because someday I hope to be 76. Long live Paul McCartney.
Getting back to FP as a whole, Thrillington's 1st paragraph above really sums up my basic feelings about the album. The great/core tracks on FP (4 or 5 songs) are as good in my opinion as Paul's best from his entire Post Beatles' career. Then you have another 4 or 5 good to very good album tracks (Great Day, Heaven on a Sunday, Souvenir, Young Boy etc.) so on the whole FP is one of Paul's Best Solo albums in my opinion. I'll be interested in what Ryan and Chris (and their guests) think about "Really Love You". To me, that one track marrs FP big time and keeps FP from being on a "masterpiece" type level. It kinds of reminds me of Tug of War where "What's That You're Doing" keeps "Tug" from being a masterpiece. Both songs are basically "jams" that run entirely too long. Still FP is a terrific solo album for Paul and as Thrillington says, it started an "incredible streak of great music for him". Unfortunately, the masses don't know many of these songs because of a total lack of airplay. Paul doesn't help himself since he doesn't include so many of his very good Solo songs in his setlists.
Having relistened to the latest Podcast (Flaming Pie - 1st half) I have to apologize to Chris. In this episode, Chris didn't think too much of FP as a whole (which is fine since it is an opinion show afterall) and he mentioned that the top 4 or 5 top FP songs woundn't make his top 100 Paul McCartney songs. I interpreted that to mean Top 100 from his Post Beatles' career which I thought at the time was totally crazy. Chris actually said "top 100 Paul songs"which is a very important distinction since Paul wrote so many classic Beatle songs. While I would probably still include 4 FP songs (Somedays, Little Willow, Calico Skies and Beautiful NIght) in a top 100 Paul song list from all eras, Chris's comment based on his entire career is certainly credible especially from most McCartney fans. I just happened to love some of Paul's later period music so my opinion would be quite different than most.
Chris's comment did make me think about a top 100 Song list from Paul's entire career. First of all, all of these lists that you see on the Internet are so subjective. Even from big time Macca fans, a top 100 list from all eras would vary greatly. And how do you compare for example "Little Willow" from just 2 early Paul songs like "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Can't Buy Me Love". All, in my opinion, are great songs and how can you say that one is better than the others. From a commercial/sales point of view, you can't compare the former ones with the latter song. Those 2 early songs came from a period (Beatlemania in the US) where they were played on American radio every 30 minutes. It was also a time where AM radio ruled and typically there was only one dominant Top 40 station on the air. Everyone heard those songs! Conversely by the time FP came out (1996) hardly anyone heard a great song like "LIttle Willow". As Thrillington says above, by the time FP was released Paul was significantly older and he had something to say in many of those later perod albums. Little Willow (along with Calico Skies, Somedays and Beautiful Night) had quite serious and very meaningful lyrics that were tied to getting older, his loving family, losing love ones etc. You find more examples in earlier albums (like Tug of War and Flowers in the Dirt) and post FP albums (like Chaos and Memory Almost Full) as well.
As I said, can't wait for future "Take It Away" episodes getting into Paul's later music periods and I again express my apologies to Chris for misinterpreting what he really said.
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For those interested, the 2nd Half Podcast of Flaming Pie is now up. As usual, I loved both Podcasts and I really like their guests here....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor who have their own Podcast in Britain. They are far broader focusing on many different songwriters. I liked that both guys showed a little of the "British perspective" on Macca especially his Post Beatles' career.
As I said previously, I had more disagreements on FP (pretty much Chris) than all the other previous Podcasts but that made it so interesting at the same time. I appreciated Chris's honesty and it just proves how subjective music is especially someone as widely known as McCartney. With that in mind, I will continue my own views of the 2nd half/side of Flaming Pie (FP) along with the commentators' opinions. I will also include my ranking of each song (1 to 10 with 10 being a perfect score):
Heaven on a Sunday (9) - This was one song where I disagreed with all the guests (except Ryan) mostly. I love "Heaven" whereas Simon thought it should have been left off of FP and didn't fit with the rest of the album. Don't understand that latter point at all. While I don't consider it one of the very top songs on FP, I love the overall jazzy, relaxing sound and Paul's vocals. I also 100% agree with Chris about the french horns adding a classy touch to the overall sound. While it's not one of Paul's most inventive melodies, again I love the overall feel and I think it fits the album mood very well.
Used to be Bad (5) - Here I agree with all the guys that this track is one of the weakest ones on FP. Paul was quoted as saying how quickly this song came together in the studio and that is probably the main problem I have with it. It just sounds like a stereotypical average bluesy number you might hear walking into a regular Blues club in Chicago. It's inoffensive to me on FP but, as always, Paul had far better alternatives for the album. The guys pointed out that Paul seems to have difficulty with selecting final tracks for his albums in general (Yankeefan and I have been talking about this for years). Chris and Simon brought up a great point that Paul is too often guilty of "honoring his various collaborators" much to the detriment of the specific overall album. Chris pointed out "Hey Hey" on the Pipes of Peace album. I would use "What's That You're Doing" as another even better example where Paul put a Stevie Wonder jam type song on the great Tug of War album when it, in my opinion, didn't "fit" the rest of the tracks at all. To me it kept Tug from being a true masterpiece and marred the album's momentum especially the greatness of the 1st 3 tracks.
Souvenir (10) Fortunately, Paul gets back on track with this great R&B number and all the guys agree. I often love Paul's "soul" voice and this is no exception. Love this one!
Little Willow (10) All of the guys (except Chris) loves this one and I 100% agree. I love Paul's vocals here and particularly his lyrics. Jeff Lynne's production is also great and as Ryan describes as the "reverse acoustic guitar sound". Simon and Brian use the words poignant and emphathy to describe the songs meaning and I agree concur totally. Relative to ranking Paul's Post Beatles' songs, I would put "Little Willow" (and Beautiful Night, Calico Skies, Somedays and possibly Souvenir) in his Top 20 and that is what makes FP, in my opinion, one of Paul's best Solo albums. More on the lyrics later.
Really Love You (3) As I have said, this is the worse track on FP in my opinion. It was nice to hear that all of the guys agree with me that it should have been left off the album. It is just a jam session (with Paul and Ringo) with Paul just plucking out lyrics as he is going along). It also goes on entirely too long (like the similarly mentioned "What's That You're Dong" from Tug of War). I get that Paul enjoyed jamming with Ringo but in retrospect it should have been"only" a B-side to the Beautiful Night single. Really Love You and Used to be Bad keeps FP from being a masterpiece. Again, not the first time that Paul has done this when he had so much better alternatives.
Beautiful Night (10) Another fantastic song on FP in my opinion with only Chris not in love with it. Again I respect his opinion and honesty. This is what makes their Podcasts so great because you do get varying thoughts. I agree with the fact that Beautiful Night is one of Paul's best melodies. I also love the changes as the song progresses. While it is a long track, it doesn't seem long if you get my drift. I also agree with Ryan 100% that the "middle 8" is the best part of the song. I also agree with Simon or Brian who said that the lyrics in the middle 8 are the best words on the song. I also agree that the outro portion on Beautiful Night (with Ringo's vocals and George Martin's score) is also outstanding.
Great Day (9) While a very simple and short acoustic song, I agree with the guys that "Great Day" is a great ending song to FP. One of the guys points out that sadly this song is possibly Linda's last (relative to being there in the recording process). I also think her background vocals on Great Day are outstanding.
I will talk more about the extra songs during the FP sessions later. As I said, I love these podcasts.
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B J Conlee wrote:
For those interested, the 2nd Half Podcast of Flaming Pie is now up. As usual, I loved both Podcasts and I really like their guests for these 2....Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor who have their own Podcast from Britain although their's are broader focusing on many different songwriters. I liked that both guys showed a little of the "British perspective" on Macca especially his Post Beatles' career.
As I said previously, I had more disagreements with the "Take It Away"commentators (pretty much Chris) than all the other Podcasts but that made it so interesting. I appreciated Chris's honesty and it just proves how subjective music is especially someone as widely known as McCartney. With that in mind, I will continue my own views of the 2nd half/side of Flaming Pie (FP) along with the commentators' opinion. I will also include my ranking of each song (1 to 10 with 10 being a perfect score):
Heaven on a Sunday (9) - This was one song where I disagreed with the guests (I think it was Simon) mostly. I love "Heaven" whereas Simon thought it should have been left off of FP and didn't fit with the rest of the album. Don't understand that latter point at all. While I don't consider it one of the very top songs on FP, I love the overall jazzy, relaxing sound and Paul's vocals. I also 100% agree with Chris about the french horns adding a classy touch to the overall sound. While it's not one of Paul's most inventive melodies, again I love the overall feel and I think it fits the album mood very well.
Used to be Bad (5) - Here I agree with all the guys that this track is one of the weakest ones on FP. Paul was quoted as saying how quickly this song came together in the studio and that is probably the main problem I have with it. I just sounds like a stereotypical bluesy number you might hear walking into a regular Blues club in Chicago. It's inoffensive to me on FP but, as always, Paul had far better alternatives for the album. The guys pointed out that Paul seems to have difficulty with selecting final tracks for his albums in general (Yankeefan and I have been talking about this for years). Chris and Simon brought up a great point that Paul is too often guilty of "honoring his various collaborators" much to the detriment of the overall album. Chris pointed out "Hey Hey" on the Pipes of Peace album. I would use "What's That You're Doing" as another example where Paul put a Stevie Wonder song on Tug of War when it, in my opinion, didn't fit the album themes at all. To me it kept Tug from being a true masterpiece and marred the album.
Souvenir (10) Fortunately, Paul gets back on track with this great R&B number and all the guys agree. I often love Paul's soul voice and this is no exception. Love this one!
Little Willow (10) All of the guys (except Chris) loves this one and I 100% agree. I love Paul's vocals here and particularly his lyrics. Jeff Lynne's production is also great. Simon and Brian use the words poignant and emphathy to describe the songs meaning and I agree 100%. Relative to Paul's Post Beatles' work, I would put "Little Willow" (and Beautiful Night, Calico Skies, Somedays and possibly Souvenir in his top 20) and that is what makes in my opinion one of Paul's best Solo albums. More on the lyrics later.
Really Love You (3) As I have said, this is the worse track on FP in my opinion. It was nice to hear that all of the guys agree with me that it should have been left off the album. It is just a jam session (with Paul and Ringo) with Paul just plucking out lyrics as he is going along). It also goes on entirely too long (like the similarly mentioned "What's That You're Dong" from Tug of War). I get that Paul enjoyed jamming with Ringo but it would should have "only" been a B-side to the Beautiful Night single. Really Love You and Used to be Bad keeps FP from being a masterpiece. Again, not the first time that Paul has done this when he had much better alternatives where those became relegated to obscurity.
Beautiful Night (10) Another fantastic song on FP in my opinion with only Chris not in love with it. Again I respect his opinion and honesty. This is what makes their Podcast great because you do get varying thoughts. I agree with the fact that Beautiful Night is one of Paul's best melodies. I also love the changes as the song progresses (while it is a long track, it doesn't seem long). I also agree with Ryan 100% that the "middle 8" is the best part of the song. I also think like Simon or Brian said, the lyrics in the middle 8 are the best lyrics on the song. Like I think Simon said, the outro portion of the song (with Ringo's vocals and George Martin's score) is also outstanding.
Great Day (9) While a very simple and short song, I agree with the guys that "Great Day" is a great ending song to FP. One of the guys points out that sadly this song is possibly Linda's last relative to being there in the recording process. I also think her background vocals on Great Day are outstanding.
I will talk more about the extra songs later along with a few other points about FP as a whole. As I said, I love these podcasts.
Thanks again BJ for these posts. Just curious as to the reasons Chris did not love "Little Willow" and "Beautiful Night". You and the guys make great point about McCartney honoring his collaborators to the detriment of the album. I think it is a great idea if these songs don't fit the album or not that good, make them a B side. I agree 100% about "Great Day" and it always will put you in a great mood after hearing the song. BTW - My new picture was taken when my wife and I were in France last summer. I don't know if you are into Broadway musicals but that is a "Hamilton" shirt I am wearing - lol.