Multi-Format ‘Flaming Pie’ Joins Paul McCartney Archive Collection

Paul McCartney’s tenth solo album, 1997’s Flaming Pie, is available now as the 13th instalment in his Grammy-winning Archive Collection. The acclaimed set, which featured such favourites as “Young Boy,” “Calico Skies” and “Beautiful Night,” is out from July 31 in multiple formats with a treasure trove of unheard home recordings, demos and other rarities.

The formats for the Flaming Pie archive sets include a 5CD/2DVD/4LP Collector’s Edition and a 5CD/2DVD Deluxe Edition as well as 3LP, 2LP and 2CD formats. All digital pre-orders for the release included the remastered “Young Boy,” which was also available as a stand-alone for digital download & streaming.

Flaming Pie was originally released on 5 May 1997, ending a four-year gap between McCartney studio albums since Off The Ground. It was recorded largely after Paul’s involvement in the curation and release of The Beatles Anthology series and took inspiration from that experience.

“A refresher course”

Anthology, he said, “reminded me of The Beatles’ standards and the standards that we reached with the songs. So in a way it was a refresher course that set the framework for this album.” Flaming Pie was produced by Paul, Jeff Lynne and George Martin and featured family and friends including Starr, Miller, Linda McCartney and son James.

As Beatles aficionados know, the album was titled after a quote from an early interview with John Lennon, in which he gave a typically satirical explanation of the origin of The Beatles’ name: “It came in a vision – a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, ‘from this day on you are Beatles with an A.’”

Flaming Pie received rapturous reviews and became McCartney’s most commercially successful release of the 1990s. It achieved his highest chart positions since the 1980s and went gold in the US, UK, Japan and beyond.

The Young Boy EP released ahead of the album recreates the 1997 maxi-single with the remastered lead track (which featured McCartney’s old friend Steve Miller and was a top 20 hit in the UK and top three in Spain). It also offeres a home-recorded version of the song, the original B-side “Looking For You” and excerpts of “Oobu Joobu Part 1,” also from the original single. “Looking For You” featured Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne. The two music videos for the track have been restored and are also now available. Two additional EPs and videos came out ahead of the Flaming Pie reissue, “The World Tonight” on June 26 and “Beautiful Night” on July 17.

The numbered, limited seven-disc (5CD/2DVD) Deluxe Edition Box Set of Flaming Pie features the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, 32 bonus audio tracks including unheard home recordings and demos, alternative studio recordings, rough mixes and B-sides including selections from Oobu Joobu parts 1-6.

‘Flaming Pie At The Mill’

Also included is the Flaming Pie At The Mill CD (Paul’s hour-long tour of his studio), video content including the In The World Tonight documentary, original music videos, EPKs, interviews, performances and behind-the-scenes material. There’s a 128-page book containing previously unpublished images by Linda McCartney, expanded album artwork from the archives and the story behind the album written by Chris Heath.

This includes track-by-track information, recipes and new interviews with Paul, Ringo, Jeff Lynne, Steve Miller and key album personnel, studio notes, handwritten lyrics, the 1997 Flaming Pie issue of the McCartney Fanclub official newspaper Club Sandwich, downloadable 24bit 96kHz HD audio and more.

McCartney and Ginsberg

A 4LP/5CD/2DVD Collector’s Edition, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies issued in a cloth wrapped two-piece collector’s box, features everything in the Deluxe Edition plus a marbled art print portfolio of six silkscreened Linda McCartney art prints. It houses exclusive vinyl versions of the remastered album cut at half speed across 2LPs in an exclusive gatefold sleeve; an LP of home recordings in a hand-stamped white label sleeve; and The Ballad of the Skeletons, Paul’s 1996 collaboration with Allen Ginsberg, also featuring Philip Glass and Lenny Kaye. This is released for the first time on vinyl and is cut at 45 RPM with vinyl etching and poster.

Additional Flaming Pie Archive Collection formats includes 2CD (the remastered album + 21 tracks of bonus audio), 2LP (remastered album cut at half speed across two 180 gram LPs in gatefold sleeve with booklet), and 3LP (the remastered album cut at half speed across two 180g gram LPs in gatefold sleeve with booklet, plus single 180g LP of unreleased home recordings in hand-stamped white label sleeve both housed in a slipcase). The release is also available on streaming platforms.

Flaming Pie is available now in multiple formats, and can be bought here.

The full Flaming Pie tracklists are:

DELUXE EDITION
Numbered cloth wrapped clam shell box
CD portfolio containing 5CDs and 2DVDs
128-page book containing previously unpublished images by Linda McCartney, expanded album artwork from the archives and the story behind the album – including track-by-track information, recipes and new interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Steve Miller and key album personnel, written by Chris Heath.
Facsimiles of John Hammel studio notebook, Club Sandwich Magazine, Flaming Pie plectrum, and envelope containing handwritten lyrics for 8 tracks and The Flame newspaper

CD1 – Remastered Album
1. The Song We Were Singing
2. The World Tonight
3. If You Wanna
4. Somedays
5. Young Boy
6. Calico Skies
7. Flaming Pie
8. Heaven On A Sunday
9. Used To Be Bad
10. Souvenir
11. Little Willow
12. Really Love You
13. Beautiful Night
14. Great Day

CD2 – Home Recordings
1. The Song We Were Singing [Home Recording]
2. The World Tonight [Home Recording]
3. If You Wanna [Home Recording]
4. Somedays [Home Recording]
5. Young Boy [Home Recording]
6. Calico Skies [Home Recording]
7. Flaming Pie [Home Recording]
8. Souvenir [Home Recording]
9. Little Willow [Home Recording]
10. Beautiful Night [1995 Demo]
11. Great Day [Home Recording]

CD3 – In The Studio
1. Great Day [Acoustic]
2. Calico Skies [Acoustic]
3. C’mon Down C’mon Baby
4. If You Wanna [Demo]
5. Beautiful Night [Run Through]
6. The Song We Were Singing [Rough Mix]
7. The World Tonight [Rough Mix]
8. Little Willow [Rough Mix]
9. Whole Life [Rough Mix]
10. Heaven On A Sunday [Rude Cassette]

CD4 – Flaming Pies
1. The Ballad Of The Skeletons
2. Looking For You
3. Broomstick
4. Love Come Tumbling Down
5. Same Love
6. Oobu Joobu Part 1
7. Oobu Joobu Part 2
8. Oobu Joobu Part 3
9. Oobu Joobu Part 4
10. Oobu Joobu Part 5
11. Oobu Joobu Part 6

CD5 – Flaming Pie At The Mill

DVD1 – In The World Tonight

DVD2 – Bonus Film
1. Beautiful Night
2. Making Of Beautiful Night
3. Little Willow
4. The World Tonight [Dir. Alistair Donald]
5. The World Tonight [Dir. Geoff Wonfor]
6. Young Boy [Dir. Alistair Donald]
7. Young Boy [Dir. Geoff Wonfor]
8. Flaming Pie EPK 1
9. Flaming Pie EPK 2
10. In The World Tonight EPK
11. Flaming Pie Album Artwork Meeting
12. TFI Friday Performances

Plus downloadable 24bit 96kHz HD audio

COLLECTOR’S EDITION
All the contents of the Deluxe Edition plus:
Numbered cloth wrapped two-piece collector’s box
4LPs including: exclusive remastered album cut at half speed across 2LPs; hand-stamped white label vinyl featuring home recordings; exclusive “The Ballad Of The Skeletons” 12” single with vinyl etching and poster
Exclusive marbled art print portfolio housing six Linda McCartney art prints
Watch the unboxing video here:

LP1 – Remastered Album
Side 1
1. The Song We Were Singing
2. The World Tonight
3. If You Wanna
Side 2
4. Somedays
5. Young Boy
6. Calico Skies
7. Flaming Pie

LP2 – Remastered Album
Side 3
8. Heaven On A Sunday
9. Used To Be Bad
10. Souvenir
Side 4
11. Little Willow
12. Really Love You
13. Beautiful Night
14. Great Day

LP3 – Home Recordings
Side 1
1. The Song We Were Singing [Home Recording]
2. The World Tonight [Home Recording]
3. If You Wanna [Home Recording]
4. Somedays [Home Recording]
5. Young Boy [Home Recording]

Side 2
6. Calico Skies [Home Recording]
7. Flaming Pie [Home Recording]
8. Souvenir [Home Recording]
9. Little Willow [Home Recording]
10. Beautiful Night [1995 Demo]
11. Great Day [Home Recording]

LP4 – The Ballad Of The Skeletons
Side 1
1. The Ballad Of The Skeletons

Side 2
Vinyl etching

3LP FORMAT

LP1 – Remastered Album
Side 1
1. The Song We Were Singing
2. The World Tonight
3. If You Wanna
Side 2
4. Somedays
5. Young Boy
6. Calico Skies
7. Flaming Pie

LP2 – Remastered Album
Side 3
8. Heaven On A Sunday
9. Used To Be Bad
10. Souvenir
Side 4
11. Little Willow
12. Really Love You
13. Beautiful Night
14. Great Day

LP3 – Home Recordings
Side 1
1. The Song We Were Singing [Home Recording]
2. The World Tonight [Home Recording]
3. If You Wanna [Home Recording]
4. Somedays [Home Recording]
5. Young Boy [Home Recording]
Side 2
6. Calico Skies [Home Recording]
7. Flaming Pie [Home Recording]
8. Souvenir [Home Recording]
9. Little Willow [Home Recording]
10. Beautiful Night [1995 Demo]
11. Great Day [Home Recording]

2LP FORMAT

LP1 – Remastered Album
Side 1
1. The Song We Were Singing
2. The World Tonight
3. If You Wanna
Side 2
4. Somedays
5. Young Boy
6. Calico Skies
7. Flaming Pie

LP2 – Remastered Album
Side 3
8. Heaven On A Sunday
9. Used To Be Bad
10. Souvenir
Side 4
11. Little Willow
12. Really Love You
13. Beautiful Night
14. Great Day

2CD FORMAT

CD1 – Remastered Album
1. The Song We Were Singing
2. The World Tonight
3. If You Wanna
4. Somedays
5. Young Boy
6. Calico Skies
7. Flaming Pie
8. Heaven On A Sunday
9. Used To Be Bad
10. Souvenir
11. Little Willow
12. Really Love You
13. Beautiful Night
14. Great Day

CD2 – Bonus Audio
1. The Song We Were Singing [Home Recording]
2. The World Tonight [Home Recording]
3. If You Wanna [Home Recording]
4. Somedays [Home Recording]
5. Young Boy [Home Recording]
6. Calico Skies [Home Recording]
7. Flaming Pie [Home Recording]
8. Souvenir [Home Recording]
9. Little Willow [Home Recording]
10. Beautiful Night [1995 Demo]
11. Great Day [Home Recording]
12. Beautiful Night [Run Through]
13. Whole Life [Rough Mix]
14. Heaven On A Sunday [Rude Cassette]
15. Great Day [Acoustic]
16. Calico Skies [Acoustic]
17. C’mon Down C’mon Baby
18. Looking For You
19. Broomstick
20. Love Come Tumbling Down
21. Same Love

Listen to the best of Paul McCartney on Apple Music and Spotify.