Music Review: Paul McCartney – Ram (Reissue)

By Ben Sauder
Published on June 12, 2012
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<strong>Paul McCartney</strong>
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<em>Ram </em>
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<a title=”Hear Music” href=”http://www2.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/Ram-CD-DVD-HRM-33450-00/” target=”_blank”>Available now on Hear Music</a>
 (May 22nd) </p>
<p>Released as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, the reissue of <em>Ram </em>looks
to reignite the pop music memories of listeners who first heard the
album upon its original release and turn younger fans on to the
post-Beatles, pre-Wings magic of Paul McCartney. The 12-track album has
been remastered at Abbey Road Studios to wonderful effect, sounding
crisp and clear as if it were recorded today. In addition to the
remastered album, an 8-song bonus disc offers a sampling of tracks that
were recorded during the sessions, but didn’t appear on <em>Ram</em>.
While several versions of this reissue have been made, like the Deluxe
Edition that comes with 5 discs, a 112-page booklet, t-shirts and more,
the remastered album alone is enough reason  to invest in these now
historic recordings.<br />
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Amidst
the brutal breakup of the Beatles, and Paul’s lawsuit against his
former bandmates, McCartney retreated to a Scottish farm with Linda and
their kids where he conceived of <em>Ram</em>.
Despite his modest ambitions for the album, McCartney’s songwriting
prowess of the early 70s was not easily tamed and is only amplified
with the remastered version. “Ram On,” cleaned and polished, captures
the vulnerability in Paul and Linda’s voices as they harmonize softly on
a bed of ukulele and Wurlitzer piano. Other tracks, like the linear
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and the playful, yet intense, “Monkberry
Moon Delight” are punchier than before–creating an overall better
listening experience. The real gift to fans, however, is the bonus CD. 
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</span>McCartney’s
first single as a solo artist, “Another Day,” and its B-side, “Oh
Woman, Oh Why,” begin the bonus disc, but from there the selections have
either been underexposed or never officially released. One standout
track is the folky “Hey Diddle,” which could have happily called <em>The Beatles</em> (White
Album) home – alongside “I Will” and “Mother Nature’s Son.” Another,
called “Rode All Night,” is a nearly 9-minute rocker of fast chugging
guitar and drums with McCartney’s often unintelligible vocal shouts
above it. As an added incentive, the Special Edition of the reissue also
contains a DVD with several music videos from <em>Ram </em>and the short documentary about the making of the album, called <em>Ramming</em>.</p>
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<em>Ben Sauder is an Online Editorial Assistant at Ogden Publications, the parent company of </em>Utne Reader<em>. Find him on </em>
<a title=”Google+” href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/106554742814696917594″ target=”_blank” rel=”author”>Google+</a>.</p>
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