Flaming Pie

Flaming Pie is the tenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful Beatles Anthology project. The album was recorded in several locations over two years, 1995 and 1997, featuring two songs dating from 1992. The album featured several of McCartney's family members and friends, most notably McCartney's son, James McCartney. In Flaming Pie's liner notes, McCartney said: "[The Beatles Anthology] 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 peaked at number two in both the UK and US and was certified gold. The album, which was well received by critics, also reached the top 20 in many other countries. From its release up to mid-2007, the album sold over 1.5 million copies.

Background

"Calico Skies", which Paul McCartney had written when Hurricane Bob had hit while McCartney was staying on Long Island in 1991, and "Great Day", which features backing vocal from his wife Linda McCartney, hailed from a 1992 session, recorded even before Off the Ground had come out. Starting from the mid-1990s for four years, McCartney was involved in The Beatles Anthology, a documentary on the history of the Beatles. The documentary was originally titled The Long and Winding Road, named after McCartney's song of the same name. During 1995, as the Anthology albums were starting to be released over a two-year period, EMI did not want McCartney to release a solo album in the meantime. McCartney said that he "was almost insulted at first" before then realising that "it would be silly to go out against yourself in the form of the Beatles. So I fell in with the idea and thought, 'Great, I don't even have to think about an album.'" McCartney was occupied with working on Standing Stone in the interim.