I'll be the first to admit it: I'm a Maccamaniac. I have McCartney, Ram, all the Wings albums, Tug of War, Flowers in the Dirt, Flaming Pie, Driving Rain, two live double-albums, and assorted classical and instrumental projects. I've got more Paul than I do John, George, and Ringo combined and doubled. So when I made my latest purchase, 1993's Off the Ground, I figured I had reached the lower echelon of the man's catalogue and was simply rounding out my collection. Suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Flowers in the Dirt from 1989 and the monstrously successful world tour that accompanied it were viewed as a comeback for Paul after his mid-80s slump. Off the Ground might be considered "Flowers in the Dirt, Part II". Again collaborating with Elvis Costello on a handful of tracks and playing with his touring band, the albums have a similar feel to them; and yet not so similar. For one thing this disc is less produced than its predecessor, while still maintaining a crisp, clean sound comparable to Steely Dan - a few cuts even sound a bit like the Dan (Peace in the Neighbourhood, for instance). It has fewer highs (and lows) as well, but it compensates in overall consistency.

Off the Ground may be Paul's most socially conscious outing to date. Several songs are pleas for peace and animal rights, including the epic closer C'mon People/Cosmically Conscious (orchestrated by the one and only George Martin, no less). Two more McCartney-Costello collaborations grace the record, - Mistress & Maid and The Lovers that Never Were - both of which would have felt quite at home on Flowers in the Dirt. Toss in a few love ballads and one of Paul's punchiest rockers (Get Out of My Way) and you get more than the usual McCartney fare - you get one of Paul's most impressive, balanced offerings. The only downer is Biker like an Icon, a bland bit of the character-sketching Paul is usually so good at, and Winedark Open Sea may be just a minute too long. But apart from that, it's great.

For being such a fine album Off the Ground sold pretty miserably - it is, to the best of my knowledge, Paul's least successful outing commercially at any rate. It deserves better. After being woefully overlooked for years I'd say it earns the dubious distinction of "Most Underrated McCartney Record", and if that means anything to you Off the Ground is well worth a listen.

It's true that this 1993 album came at what could be considered McCartney's commercial nadir: I remember reading somewhere that '97's Flaming Pie sold more than his previous three or four albums combined (take this stat with a grain of salt). Plus, much has been made out of Paul's "rejuvination" after the Beatles Anthology project. All of this may be true, but OTG is miles above many of Paul's other albums in terms of melody, inspiration and pure listenability. The centerpiece is "Hope of Deliverance," one my all-time favorite Macca tunes. Most of the songs qualify, at worst, as pleasantly catchy. As with any album, there are other assorted peaks ("Mistress & Maid" and "Peace in the Neighborhood"), valleys (mainly lyrical: the words to "Biker Like an Icon" and "Golden Earth Girl"), and all points in between. In retrospect, this album represents Paul at his most relaxed and domesticated, focusing mainly on ecological issues and the benefits of love and family. It's worthy to note that two of the best songs on "Flaming Pie" (the acoustic "Great Day" and "Calico Skies") were actually recorded during the OTG period but deemed to "solo"-ish for a band-based album. They both exude peace and optimism and would have fit in perfectly!

The biggest problem occuring with reviews of McCartney's solo material is that it inevitably gets compared to the Beatles. Off the Ground is an underrated album because of this. People say, Why doesn't he write "Hey Jude" again? (For an example of formulaic rock, one need only look at the Rolling Stones.) Off The Ground is a feel good album, it is music existing for the sake of music. Nothing subliminal here, and the content is varied; from rockers like "Biker" and "Looking For Changes" to ballads like "Winedark Open Sea" , and downright mystical songs like "Owe it all to you" and "Golden Earth girl". If you want the Beatles, go buy Sgt. Pepper. If you want a fine Paul McCartney album, give Off The Ground a shot. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I heard this album in high school and brushed it off as older McCartney fluff, preferring The Beatles and his 70's stuff. But now having just heard it again it has aged quite well, almost like a fine wine. I remember seeing the "OFF THE GROUND" video and that song was and still is the best one. But there are very few fillers here. "Mistess & Maid" and "The Lover's That Never Were"are two other highlights. "Flaming Pie" still is his better 90's album but this is a worthy predecessor. So put this album in your cd mix with "Flaming Pie", "Driving Rain", and "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" and have a Good Time.

I just read AMG's review of this great album, and decided to write a much needed rebuttal. AMG's review paints this beautiful music as "mawkish sentiment" & "weak", and I've heard others refer to this music as "saccharine". The truth is, however, that these are well written, well performed songs about love, peace & understanding. Unfortunately, in today's world, these great qualities are sometimes written off as rubbish. Yet these are the very thoughts/feelings that make life worth living! I'm not going to review the album song by song because it is beautiful from start to finish. I consider this to be one of Paul McCartney's best albums since his days with Wings & certainly one of the best collections of songs by any artist to come out in 1993. If you like Paul McCartney's work on records such as "Tug Of War", "Pipes Of Peace" or just about anything he's released in the 80's-90's then I think you'll like this one as well. Highly recommended listening, and well-worth the money for a truly high-quality album from one of the most talented recording artists of the last 40+ years!!! 'Nough said.