Thrift Store Music: Paul and Linda McCartney

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Paul and Linda McCartney - RAM

Name: Paul and Linda McCartney
Album: Ram
Year: 1971
Style: Pop, Indie Pop
Similar Bands: Beatles obviously. Badfinger, Kinks,
"One-Word" Review: Oh-this-is-a-McCartney-Album-Duh.
Based Out Of: Liverpool, England
Label: Apple Records

Cover, Back, Record

Gatefold, Record

Ram (1971)

Too Many People 4:09
3 Legs 2:46
Ram On 2:30
Dear Boy 2:14
Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey 4:50 (single, #1 in US)
Smile Away 4:01 /
Heart of the Country 2:22
Monkberry Moon Delight 5:25
Eat At Home 3:22 (single)
Long Haired Lady 6:05
Ram On 0:55
Back Seat of My Car 4:29 (single)

Album Rating (1-10): 9.5

Members & Other Bands:

Paul McCartney - Producer (Wings, Beatles)
Linda McCartney - Producer, Photos (Rockestra, Suzy & the Red Stripes, Wings, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, more )
David Spinozza - Guitar (Buddy Rich, Giant, Mike Mainieri, Ernie Wilkins, The Goggles, The Niff Bros, Phoenix Authority, SNL Band, White Elephant, Garland Jeffreys, John Denver, Jim Carroll, Don McLean, BB King, Herbie Mann more)
Hugh McCracken - Guitar (Chuck Bene & the Mice, Genuine John, Mike Mainieri, Leon Thomas Blues Band, Writers, White Elephant, Gordon Lightfoot, Janis Ian, BB King, more)
Denny Seiwell - Drums (Wings, J&K, Billy Mitchel, Pacheco & Alexander, Jeremiah, Gary McFarland, Lotti Golden, Karen Dalton, Bobby Gosh, Gilberto, Billy Joel, John Bassette, Randy Edelman, Bill Quateman, Donovan, Thornton, Fradkin & Unger, Don Preston, Melanie, Andy Fairweather, Michael d'Abo, Mike McGear, Art Garfunkel, Keith & Donna, Juice Newton, Liza Minnelli, Rick Danko, Diana Hubbard, Mary Russell, Jerry Williams, Jennifer Warnes, Wornell Jones, Dave Lambert, Flower, Tim Hardin, Janis Joplin, Buzzy Linhart, Denice Williams, Denny Laine, Cris Williamson, Carol Joy Robins, Johnny Bennett, Margie Gibson, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Lon & Derrek Van Eaton, Flip Wilson, Bob Dylan, Mary Kay Place, Stanley Turrentine, Kai Winding, JJ Johnson)
Marvin Stamm - Flugal Horn (Bob Mntzer, Duke Pearson, Enoch Light & Light Brigade, Oliver Nelson, Stan Kenton, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, American Jazz Orch, Charlie Calello, George Grunts, Hotel Orch, Inventions Trio, Jazz Interactions Orch, Bob Stroup, Ed Soph, Woody Herman, Westchester Jazz Orch more)
NY Philharmonic Orchaestra - Strings
Eirik the Norwegian - Mix Engineer
Armin - Sound Engineer
Dixon - Sound Engineer
Jim - Sound Engineer
Phil - Sound Engineer
Ted - Sound Engineer
Tim - Sound Engineer

Unknown-ness: My thrift store copy of this record was somewhat beat up, so i could not make out the picture on the front clearly. Also, with no mention of Paul or Linda on the cover, i didn't know what it was, and was not familiar enough with McCartney's catalogue that i'd recognize the album. I remember thinking that it looked like an interesting, weathered album, so it might be good from the amount of use. But i don't remember what i expected that i was buying, so i can't give this one a good prediction.

Album Review: Most of the album picks up where the Beatles were heading, released almost exactly a year after Let It Be, the final Beatles album. Released during a turbulent period between Paul & John, some lyrics are interpreted to be slights against the latter, leading to the official, legally recognized Beatles break up. The support band for the album was hired under the pretense that they'd be working on a commercial jingle in NYC. There's so much out there, it feels pointless to write more, except my stand out track Monkberry Moon Delight (featuring Linda's eldest on background vox) sounds like a Man Man song, which is one of my favorite bands of all time.

Stand Out Track: Monkberry Moon Delight

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