This Is The Thread Where We Praise And Canonize Paul McCartney's "Ram"

.. then to balance the mega-hype of Ram I decided to create an alter ego. We took personal ads in Private Eye and the Evening Standard saying, "Percy Thrillington seeks the love of his life." People eventually began to ask, "Who is this Percy Thrillington who keeps taking out small ads?" And then on holiday in Ireland with Linda we decided to find an actual Percy. We found a lad working in a farmer's field. We went up to him and asked, "Would you mind doing a photo shoot?" And so for a modelling fee we persuaded him to put on a dinner jacket and Linda took some pictures. And this Irish farmhand became Percy Thrillington.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/nov/29/paul-mccartney-the-fireman-interview

anyone ever see these photos, press ads etc?

McCartney in the early 70s seems like such a much more interesting guy - alternately down in the dumps on slacker benders, enjoying the relief of 4-track DIY recording, throwing together goofball inside-joke stunts. So much less of that unflagging public persona clarity and showmanship which defines him for basically the entire rest of his career. I sort of love that stuff too, but man, does this guy play it close to the vest.

I don't really see a significant change post-'70s. People just got burnt out on McCartney interviews and the pop/rock albums were not always top-tier. Still, there have been three Fireman albums, Liverpool Sound Collage, four classical albums, etc.

Pitchfork interview reveals Paul McCartney invented hipsters:

Pitchfork: When you went to the nearby town in Scotland, were people unfazed by the fact that Paul McCartney was in their grocery store?

PM: Yeah, a little bit. People get used to it when you live locally, because you go to into the pub with them, or you go to dinner with your local solicitor, or you hang with a couple of guys working on the farm. You gradually get to know other people, and they become very protective of you. The only people who would bother us would be the tourists, but it was never a real problem.

Also, you gotta remember, I had a big black beard, and not everyone recognized me as a Beatle. When we went to New York, I'd go to Harlem or wherever and I had this beard and an old thrift-shop jacket on, like a Vietnam vet-- I used to joke with people, like, "I look the guy who might mug you." People didn't want to look me in the eye. It was quite a good cover at the time.

One of things about beards is that, when men reach a certain age, they'd like to see if they can grow one. It's a phenomenon I understand very well. So I thought, "I'm gonna be in Scotland, there's nobody to see me if I fail." After you get over the itchy face, you go, "Oh, I don't have to shave, that's cool." And then you move into the philosophical thing-- people say, "Oh, you look weird, you have a beard." And you say, "No, actually, it's weird to shave." Having a beard is natural. When you think about it, shaving it off is quite weird. [laughs]

That Pitchfork interview ain't bad - short, but they ask some reasonable questions and it gets Paul talking at least a little bit in specifics about what was going into the record, although it's not much you wouldn't have guessed. Cute stuff anyway. Here's hoping they can pin him down on Red Rose Speedway and London Town, about whose creation I know next to nothing.

Listening to this today, always great for a rainy day. Occurs to me for the first time: how much might the vibe/approach of this been inspired by Nilsson? Granted their sensibilities were always pretty similar - pre-war pop, dooty-doot-doot-doo stuff, etc., but I feel the like "wacky stoned guy making an album by himself and not touring, string together medleys, follow your sense of humor" kind of approach is similar.

"Uncle Albert's" radio voice is such an ape of "Yellow Submarine"

if i don't really like the Beatles-era-Paul-songs, will i like Ram?

Its already too late for you I'm afraid.

♫ doo dee doo yee oo doo doo ♫

I adored this at 14 years old. Then was eclipsed and soon erased from memory by the predictable underground's incipient mainstream

While on a school outing to Whitby, my best mate stole from a quaint little family-run bookshop, at my behest, a copy of Christgau's Rock albums of the 70s (in exchange for a half-melted Topic extracted from my trouser pocket).

Over subsequent years I came to realize how closely my own tastes matched those of Xgau, but as he'd rated Ram a C+, I mentally filed it away with those other credulous enthusiasms of burgeoning youth: Racey, David Soul, and god knows what else.

This thread, 30 years later, finally inspired me to give it another go, and to my great surprise was moved by its casual home-made delicately-produced ambiance, that was at the same time professional produced with elegance and style. It's charming, sweet, home-spun, and sincere yet never mawkish or sentimental. The harmonizing of Paul and Linda are such a contributory factor to the overall unpretentious down-to-earth family-oriented minor pleasures herein that she fully deserves co-credit (also, the minor pleasures to be found within this record together amount to a major one. I loved this as a child; then stupidly abandoned it for decades on say so of Mr Xgau (whose low ratings of McCartney's other output I generally agree with). Only gave Ram another chance because of this thread. My young self was right all along - this is A+ all the way.

"erased from memory by the predictable underground's incipient mainstream"

It's nearly 6am, been drinking all night - fuck knows what that was supposed to mean

was moved by its casual home-made delicately-produced ambiance

honestly sad Paul started Wings in the 70s rather than just continued making DIY records w Linda

JBR saying it's really bad in the second post!

really REALLY bad

reading about the background about this a couple things leap out to me as unexpected: 1) this was recorded in New York!? It has such a homespun rustic feel to it, I was surprised that it wasn't recorded similarly to McCartney (ie begun at home on a 4-track) and 2) critics sure did hate it, including the other Beatles. The latter's maybe not that surprising but the former is def odd. People had it in for Macca back then I guess.

Yeah, I agree, it sounds quite "home made" in places rather than sounding like it was recorded in an expensive New York studio. I think the critics had it in for Macca because in their eyes he was perceived to be just pissing about (or "squandering his gifts" as I read someone put it once) whereas George was busting out triple albums and John was going through his "everything is all about me and Yoko" phase. It's taken years for people to catch up and realise this is the charm of McCartney's earlier records. There's a breeziness that's absent from Harrison's dour Spector-rock, and nobody wants to hear a millionaire superstar whining on about how much his life sucks anymore, a la John's Plastic Ono Band, so in the long term those early McCartney records have held up quite well. Apart from Wild Life, which I still think is mostly gash.

The critics would probably have been more satisfied if McCartney had made his debut with something like Band On The Run, or some kind of "statement"

found a copy the other day. so happy. this album means a lot to me. I notice new things about it every time I come back to it.

nobody wants to hear a millionaire superstar whining on about how much his life sucks anymore

lol isn't this basically all mainstream chart darlings now - Kanye, Beyonce, Drake etc.

(personally I really love the *sound* of those first couple Lennon solo albums more than anything else fwiw)

Hehehe... well yeah, that's true, but I don't think either of those artists have created anything quite like Plastic Ono Band. It's still tiresome to hear, though. I totally agree about the sound of those first couple of Lennon albums, though... I enjoy how simple and uncluttered the arrangements are.

yeah the combination of strict economy and minimalism with the slapback echo is so striking

It's the most un-Spector-like record with Spector's name on it!

i fucking love plastic ono band

i love ram as well. and all things must pass. those beatles were pretty good!

It's the most un-Spector-like record with Spector's name on it!

nah that's Some Time in New York City, his contributions (if there actually are any) are literally inaudible

I love the roughness of that guitar tone on 'I Found Out'

goddamn when the backing vocals kick in and the bass jumps up an octave (I think that's what's happening?) at 2:45 on the coda of "Smile Away", that is some quality rockin

according to what I've read, Spector was hardly involved on JLPOB; it's a Yoko-John production.

Lennon asked Spector, who had produced Lennon's hit "Instant Karma!" earlier that year,[4] to co-produce the album. Spector played piano on "Love",[5] but Lennon and Ono produced the album largely on their own, as Spector was unavailable during most of the recording sessions. Spector mixed the album for three days towards the end of October.[2]

yeah that's discussed in the Spector productions thread

although fwiw I don't consider mixing "hardly involved", mixing is a big deal

true

I get the sense that some of the critical hate for this album came from a general disillusionment with the 60s ideal that McCartney represented. Lennon was more in tune with the creeping cynicism and "aren't the 70s a drag" vibe, while McCartney was still spinning out whimsy. It made some listeners question if his music was ever as serious as they had believed, like somehow the tossed off Uncle Albert medley cheapened the medley on Abbey Road.

I love this album; had no idea McCartney had so much Beatle-juice left in him. I always imagine Dear Boy would be a fun one to bash out on a baby grand in some hotel lobby.

Ram [Apple, 1971]

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is a major annoyance. I tolerated McCartney's crotchets with the Beatles because his mates balanced them out; I enjoyed them mildly on McCartney because their scale was so modest; I enjoy them actively on "Monkberry Moon Delight" because it rocks and on "Smile Away" because it's vulgar and funny. But though nothing else here approaches the willful rhythm shifts and above-it-all silliness of the single, most of the songs are so lightweight they float away even as Paulie layers them down with caprices. If you're going to be eccentric, for goodness sake don't be pretentious about it. C+

Ram On came on my Discover Weekly Spotify playlist this morning and I'd forgotten how great even some of the tossed off bits on that record are.

Ram On is the eye of the duck of that album. So sweet

The vocal harmonies all over this record are really lovely... you can really tell Paul worshipped The Beach Boys.

I dislike the album, even after giving the reissue a few years ago several chances (and I loathe "Uncle Albert," for me the worst major solo Beatles single). But "Eat at Home" is still a good cunnilingus song.

as cunnilingus songs go

he's got a few

"Eat at Home" vs. "She's My Baby"

It's a bonus track on the Special Edition of Ram, but anyway I was previously unaware of Little Woman Love vs. TVC15. I'm pretty sure there's a common ancestor, but I don't know what it is.

The vocal harmonies all over this record are really lovely...

there's some grating stuff though. "Long Haired Lady" would be the worst song on any album it appeared on. sometimes if I'm in the right mood the twee charmingness of it is okay but if it was on a Beatles album i would say yeah the Beatles suck.

i've come to really love both of mccartney's first two albums a lot -- the self-titled one has a genuinely melancholy feel, even the instrumentals feel laconic and lonely, like paul's sitting in a room by himself, picking up one instrument after another and messing about with it, trying to cheer himself up. whereas this one is bursting with fun and playfulness, maybe a bit too much ("uncle albert" is at once dazzling and empty, like the abbey road medley without the emotion), but lots of it is on par with paul's late beatles work ("smile away" could have fit onto abbey road, i can easily imagine a great lennon backing vocal for it). and yeah like someone said upthread i wish this album had gotten better reviews so paul had kept making records like this instead of starting wings.

"Long Haired Lady" would be the worst song on any album it appeared on.

whaa?

The "Bees are buzzing" bit with the phased, space echoed acoustic guitars is just all kinds of amazing and totally worthy of the Beatles.

"I get the sense that some of the critical hate for this album came from a general disillusionment with the 60s ideal that McCartney represented. Lennon was more in tune with the creeping cynicism and "aren't the 70s a drag" vibe, while McCartney was still spinning out whimsy."

Yeah, but it's not really psychedelic whimsy per se. I don't see McCartney from "Lady Madonna" on as being particularly of "the '60s."

I absolutely adore "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," by the way. It's "You Know My Name (Look up the Number)" made into a number one hit.

Yes.

The 'long haired lady' hate is about the intro, yeah?

I'm less keen on 'Monkberry', its too long really.

how come no one talks about the backseat of my car? it's better than the long and winding road. dang it's one of the best songs ever written!