While some albums come close, I've never heard an "all killer, no filler" McCartney solo/Wings album. However, at the very least, every McCartney solo album contains a few fantastic pop songs. This one fits that description, to be sure. It's not a coherent album by any means and took a drubbing from critics because of it. And even though the influences are readily apparent, this thing really gets under your skin after a few listens then continually rewards repeated spins. It's no Band On The Run or Speed Of Sound, but that's a high mark. The fact that Linda plays such a big role doesn't bother me as much as it does some people. Sure, she wasn't in the same league as Paul as a musician, but he obviously loved her so powerfully that he didn't care and I find that sort of love to be a very admirable trait in a person.
Press of the time:
- Record World: "The quality of the album will be debated around the world"
- Billboard: "A good part of the fun is McCartney's light, clever arrangements and superb rhythm changes."
- CashBox: "McCartney has written better material during his Beatle days."
- Rolling Stone: "unbearably inept"
- Stereo Review: "McCartney has some musical talent, but on this regrettable album it is clutching at straws, not knowing which way to go, and ends up going nowhere."
- Robert Christgau (C+): "most of the songs are so lightweight they float away even as Paulie layers them down with caprices."
In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Ram at #450:
In its day, Paul McCartney’s second post-Beatles album was widely disliked; John Lennon dismissed it as 'muzak,' and Ringo Starr said the lack of good songs made him 'sad.' In retrospect, it’s a modest, goofy, loose-limbed outing about domestic pleasures, full of eccentric, pastorale tunes like 'Heart of the Country' and 'Munkberry Moon Delight.' The loopy pastiche of whimsical song fragments 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' became Paul’s first post-Beatles Number One hit. 'I was in a very free mood,' he said.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #2
- CashBox: #2
Tracks: let's rank 'em!
- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey: a #1 tune in the US, this track is a patented McCartney medley where he stitches a couple of songs together (see also: Band On The Run, Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun, and many others. Hell, see also the incomparable side two medley of Abbey Road)
- Too Many People: this was the b-side to the Uncle Albert single and there must have been a radio programmer in Odessa that loved the b-side because I remember hearing it on the radio as a child. An early diss track, it takes a few shots at John Lennon.
- Ram On/Dear Boy/Ram On (Reprise): these gotta be Paul's tribute/knockoff/homage to Brian Wilson, right?
- Eat At Home: a silly but fun rocker as if Buddy Holly was a country picker.
- The Back Seat Of My Car: a quality album closer, this thing starts of as typical McCartney piano ballad, moves to some orchestration (arranged by George Martin), has an upbeat section before returning to the orchestration with a little upbeat coda tacked on to the end.
- Heart Of The Country: a folk-pop tune with a touch of Carl Perkins in which the lyrics perfectly match the music.
- Long Haired Lady: after a horrible start (which needlessly repeats itself mid-song), this thing eventually settles into a comfortable soft rock feel, including with an attempt to duplicate the sing-along playout of Hey Jude.
- Smile Away: a straight-ahead rocker with a noticeable '50s influence
- 3 Legs: a bluesy little number which completely works as a straight acoustic blues, but falls apart at the ending with an inexplicable change of feel.
- Monkberry Moon Delight: this raw stomper doesn't do much for me, although the chorus is miles better than the verse. Goes on a bit longer than it probably should.
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| From my personal collection |
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
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