Paul McCartney - Flowers In The Dirt (1989) [Super Deluxe Edition 2017] (Official Digital Download 24-bit/96kHz)

Super Deluxe Edition of one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the eighties, nominated for both BRIT and Grammy Awards, Flowers In The Dirt. The audio has been remastered at Abbey Road Studios and in terms of bonus audio includes nine demos of songs written with Elvis Costello, in both acoustic (with Elvis) and band (no Elvis) variations. Surprisingly, period B-sides and remixes aren’t being offered on CD at all, as part of the "Flowers in the Dirt archive collection" - there are 16 of them and they come as download-only tracks.

Paul McCartney must not only have been conscious of his slipping commercial fortunes, he must have realized that his records hadn't been treated seriously for years, so he decided to make a full-fledged comeback effort with Flowers in the Dirt. His most significant move was to write a series of songs with Elvis Costello, some of which appeared on Costello's own Spike and many of which surfaced here. These may not be epochal songs, the way many wished them to be, but McCartney and Costello turn out to be successful collaborators, spurring each other toward interesting work. And, in McCartney's case, that carried over to the album as a whole, as he aimed for more ambitious lyrics, themes, sounds, and productions for Flowers in the Dirt. This didn't necessarily result in a more successful album than its predecessors, but it had more heart, ambition, and nerve, which was certainly welcome. And the moments that did work were pretty terrific. Many of these were McCartney/McManus collaborations, from the moderate hit "My Brave Face" to the duet "You Want Her Too" and "That Day Is Done," but McCartney also demonstrates considerable muscle on his own, from the domestic journal "We Got Married" to the lovely "This One." This increased ambition also means McCartney meanders a bit, writing songs that are more notable for what they try to achieve than what they do, and at times the production is too fussy and inextricably tied to its time, but as a self-styled comeback affair, Flowers in the Dirt works very well.

Tracklist

Disc 1 - Original ablum Remastered:
01 - My Brave Face
02 - Rough Ride
03 - You Want Her Too
04 - Distractions
05 - We Got Married
06 - Put It There
07 - Figure Of Eight
08 - This One
09 - Don't Be Careless Love
10 - That Day Is Done
11 - How Many People
12 - Motor Of Love
13 - Où Est Le Soleil?



Disc 2 - Original Elvis Costello Demos:
01 - The Lovers That Never Were (Original Demo)
02 - Tommy’s Coming Home (Original Demo)
03 - Twenty Fine Fingers (Original Demo)
04 - So Like Candy (Original Demo)
05 - You Want Her Too (Original Demo)
06 - That Day Is Done (Original Demo)
07 - Don’t Be Careless Love (Original Demo)
08 - My Brave Face (Original Demo)
09 - Playboy To A Man (Original Demo)
10 - The Lovers That Never Were (Geoff Emerick Mix)



Disc 3 - 1988 Demos
01 - The Lovers That Never Were (1988 Demo)
02 - Tommy 's Coming Home (1988 Demo)
03 - Twenty Fine Fingers (1988 Demo)
04 - So Like Candy (1988 Demo)
05 - You Want Her Too (1988 Demo)
06 - That Day Is Done (1988 Demo)
07 - Don't Be Careless Love (1988 Demo)
08 - My Brave Face (1988 Demo)
09 - Playboy To A Man (1988 Demo)



Disc 4 - B-Sides, Remixes & Single Edits
01 - Back On My Feet (2017 Reissue)
02 - Flying To My Home (2017 Reissue)
03 - The First Stone (2017 Reissue)
04 - Good Sign (2017 Reissue)
05 - This One (Club Lovejoys Mix) (2017 Reissue)
06 - Figure Of Eight (12" Bob Clearmountain Mix) (2017 Reissue)
07 - Loveliest Thing (2017 Reissue)
08 - Ou Est Le Soleil? (12" Mix) (2017 Reissue)
09 - Ou Est Le Soleil? (Tub Dub Mix) (2017 Reissue)
10 - Ou Est Le Soleil (7" Mix) (2017 Reissue)
11 - Ou Est Le Soleil? (Instrumental) (2017 Reissue)
12 - Party Party (Original Mix) (2017 Reissue)
13 - Party Party (Club Mix) (2017 Reissue)
14 - I Don't Want To Confess (Cassette Demo)
15 - Shallow Grave (Cassette Demo)
16 - Mistress and Maid (Cassette Demo)


Thanks to the Original customer!
Please note: Disc 4 available as digital download in 16/44 only.