Ram (album)

R.A.M
Studio album by Paul & Linda McCartney
Publication (s)	May 28, 1971 ( US ) , May 17, 1971 ( UK )
Label (s)	Apple / EMI / Universal Music
Format (s)	LP , MC , CD , download , app
Genre (s)	Rock music
Title (number)	12
running time	43 min 15 s
occupation	Paul McCartney : vocals , bass , keyboards Linda McCartney : vocals Denny Seiwell: drums David Spinozza: guitar Hugh McCracken: guitar George Martin : arranger Marvin Stamm : flugelhorn (5) New York Philharmonic (5), (10), (12) Sound engineers : Tim Geelan, Ted Brosnan, Phil Ramone , Dixon Van Winkle, Armin Steiner and Jim Guercio
production	Paul and Linda McCartney
Studio (s)	Columbia (CBS) Studios, New York City A&R Recording Studios, New York City Sound Recording Studios, Los Angeles
chronology McCartney (1970) R.A.M Wild Life (1971)

Ram is the second solo album by Paul McCartney . It was released on May 17, 1971 in the USA and on May 28, 1971 in the UK. The album named Linda McCartney as an equal co-interpreter. She was also named as co-producer and co-composer on six of the twelve pieces on the album.

The making of the album

With the Beatles' breakup, it was Paul McCartney who fell into depression; he withdrew with his family for months to his farm in Scotland , where he became a temporary alcoholic and became increasingly neglected until his wife Linda encouraged him to record new music together.

He said: “I then spent a long time up in Scotland where I own a farm. I usually go there on vacation, but this time I stayed for a full year wondering what to do. Probably the thing that bothered me the most at that time. I felt superfluous. I suddenly had the feeling that without the Beatles I was worthless. I had also lost a pretty good job - the Beatles. My whole life had consisted of that since I was seventeen, so the breakup now came as quite a shock. "

In contrast to Paul McCartney's first solo album McCartney , which was created with simple means and almost entirely without the participation of others, Ram was a far more complex production. This time McCartney hired studio musicians to support him. He had various drummers and guitarists audition and chose Denny Seiwell as drummer and David Spinozza as guitarist. The latter was later replaced by Hugh McCracken because Spinozza was otherwise bound. The backing tracks were recorded with these musicians.

The majority of the recordings took place from October 12 to November 16, 1970 at Columbia Studios (CBS Studios) in New York . So the album titles: Too Many People , 3 Legs , Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey , Smile Away , Heart of the Country , Monkberry Moon Delight , Eat at Home , Long Haired Lady and The Back Seat of My Car and others did not Songs included on the album are recorded.

After a break for Christmas and New Years celebrations, Paul and Linda McCartney resumed work at A&R Studios in New York in February 1971 . From February 5 to 8, 1971, the songs for the single Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why were completed. Then on February 22, 1971 the song Ram On was recorded.

In overdub process vocal tracks have been added. Paul McCartney also hired some musicians from the New York Philharmonic to record string and wind parts for the pieces Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey , Long Haired Lady and The Back Seat of My Car , the arrangements of which were written by George Martin .

The final work took place in March 1971 in the Sound Recording Studios in Los Angeles . Paul McCartney added final instrumental and vocal recordings and finally did the final mixing of the album; the song Dear Boy was also recorded there.

In addition to the twelve songs published on the album, Paul and Linda McCartney recorded other titles - as mentioned, the commercially successful single Another Day with the B-side Oh Woman, Oh Why was released in February 1971 . The song Another Day was rehearsed in a not yet finished version with the Beatles during the Get Back sessions in January 1969 . Other recorded songs were: Little Woman Love (released as the single B-side of Mary Had a Little Lamb in May 1972), Dear Friend (the song was re-recorded during Wild Life recordings and also on this album in December 1971 released), Get on the Right Thing and Little Lamb Dragonfly (released on the Red Rose Speedway album in May 1973), A Love for You (first released in June 2003 on the soundtrack album Music from the Motion Picture The In-Laws in Another Mixing) as well as Hey Diddle , Great Cock and Seagull Race , Rode All Night and Sunshine Sometime , which only appeared in May 2012 and When the Wind is blowing , which appeared on the re-release of the album Wild Life in December 2018 .

The name and the cover

According to Paul McCartney, the title Ram was chosen because it was a good word that could have two meanings. As a verb to ram , it can mean “thrust forward” and as a noun it is the name for a male sheep , making a direct reference to McCartney's rural farm life in Scotland. The cover shows Paul McCartney on the front, holding a ram by its horns. There were two photos on the back. One showed a family picture of the McCartneys, the other two beetles (English: Beetles) mating . His former bandmate John Lennon was a parody record in a similar pose a photo of themselves and a pig on the cover. The relationship between the two at this point was marred by personal, financial, and creative differences.

Track list

page 1

1. Too Many People (Paul McCartney) - 4:10
2. 3 Legs (Paul McCartney) - 2:48
3. Ram On (Paul McCartney) - 2:28
4. Dear Boy (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 2:13
5. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 4:55
6. Smile Away (Paul McCartney) - 3:52

Page 2

1. Heart of the Country (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 2:22
2. Monkberry Moon Delight (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 5:22
3. Eat at Home (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 3:20
4. Long Haired Lady (Paul and Linda McCartney) - 6:05
5. Ram On (Paul McCartney) - 0:55
6. The Back Seat of My Car (Paul McCartney) - 4:28

Information on individual songs

• Too Many People is one of three songs on the album , alongside Dear Boy and The Back Seat Of My Car , that John Lennon found addressed to himself. In a reprinted interview with Paul McCartney in the RAM Deluxe Edition book , he mentions that the text of Too Many People was addressed to John Lennon. McCartney then (1970) thought "that John Lennon preached and made suggestions on how to live one's life". Paul McCartney found that hypocritical .
• Dear Boy was addressed to Linda McCartney's ex-husband.
• The naming for the title Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey is as follows: One of Paul McCartney's uncles was named Albert. By the Admiral Halsey is meant William Frederick "Bull" Halsey, Jr..
• Ram On contains a short fragment of Big Barn Bed , which later appeared on the Red Rose Speedway album. The idea for this song came to Paul McCartney when he remembered his stage name "Paul Ramon" (Ram On) , which he used in 1961 during the tour of the then (Silver) Beatles in Scotland.
• The Back Seat of My Car was first recorded in January 1969 during the Get Back sessions with the Beatles, still unfinished.

Re-releases

• On April 27, 1987, the album was first released on CD, with no bonus songs. A four-page illustrated booklet is enclosed with the CD.
• In April 1993 the CD was released in a version remastered by Peter Mew , which also contained the songs Another Day and Oh Woman, Oh Why as bonus tracks . A four-page illustrated booklet is enclosed with the CD.
• The CD was released in June 1993 remastered by Steve Hoffmann in the DCC Compact Classics Edition as a 24-carat gold-plated CD without bonus pieces. The CD comes with an eight-page booklet.
• In May 2007 the album was released in download format.
• In May 2012, Ram was released , remastered for the third time, by the Hear Music / Concord Music Group label as part of The Paul McCartney Archive Collection . The remastering was done by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke and Simon Gibson at Abbey Road Studios . Allan Rouse and Lucy Launder were in charge of the project. The CD album has a cardboard cover that can be opened and a 22-page illustrated booklet is enclosed, which contains information about the album and the lyrics. The design comes from the company YES. It appeared in the following formats:
• Standard Edition
  The original 12-track album
• Special Edition
  Two CDs: The original 12-track album with a bonus CD containing the following songs, some of which were previously unreleased:

1. Another Day (single A-side) - 3:42
2. Oh Woman, Oh Why (single B-side) - 4:35
3. Little Woman Love (single B-side) - 2:08
4. A Love for You (Jon Kelly Mix) - 4:08
5. Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle Mix) - 3:49
6. Great Cock and Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle Mix) - 2:35
7. Rode All Night - 8:44
8. Sunshine Sometime (Earliest Mix) - 3:20

• Deluxe Edition
  The original 12-track album with the bonus CD mentioned above, plus two further CDs ( Remastered Mono Album and Thrillington [instrumental version by Ram , recorded in June 1971]), a DVD and a 112-page bound book, one 32-page booklet with pictures and notes, a small book ("A Small Book of Sheeps") with 38 photos, eight handwritten lyrics as facsimile and five glossy photos, the issue also contains a code to download the album with the bonus titles. The entire content is in a hinged box. The DVD has the following content:

1. Ramming - 11:15
2. Heart of the Country (music video) - 2:41
3. 3 Legs (music video) - 3:03
4. Hey Diddle (music video) - 2:48
5. Eat at Home on Tour - 4:31

• Download Edition
  Release with the same content as the double CD with two exclusive bonus tracks:

1. Eat at Home / Smile Away (Live in Groningen, 1972) - 8:24
2. Uncle Albert Jam - 2:17

• The album was also released as a vinyl version as a double LP (newly remastered) including the eight bonus tracks.
• The album was also released as a vinyl mono version with a redesigned white cover.
• On July 14, 2014, an iTunes app was released with the following content: twelve songs, five music videos and an interview with Paul McCartney as well as photos.
• On November 17, 2017, the vinyl album by Capitol Records , pressed on 180 grams of yellow vinyl, was released.

Single releases

Another day

On February 19, 1971, the single Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why was released , which was not included on the album Ram , although the two songs were released during the sessions on October 12 (Another Day) and November 3, 1970 (Oh Woman, Oh Why) were recorded at the CBS studios. An EP with the following songs was released in Mexico: Another Day / Junk / Oh Woman, Oh Why / Valentine Day (Junk and Valentine Day are from McCartney's album ) .

Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey

On August 2, 1971, two months after the album was released, Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey - with the song Too Many People on the B-side - was released as a single in the USA. The single was awarded a gold record and received a Grammy in the “Best Vocal Arrangement” category. Furthermore, Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey became the first number one hit for Paul McCartney in the USA.

The US promotional single Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey / Too Many People contains mono versions of the songs.

In Venezuela , the single was released with the B-side Ram On .

The Back Seat of My Car

In Great Britain it was decided to split The Back Seat of My Car with the B-side Heart of the Country , which appeared on August 13, 1971.

Eat at home

In Germany and other continental European countries, as well as Japan and New Zealand, the decision was made for Eat at Home with Smile Away as the B-side. The single was released in Germany in August 1971.

Further single releases

• In Mexico , the EP was released in August 1971. Monkberry Moon Delight / Dear Boy / Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey / Heart of the Country .
• In 1974 the EP Heart of the Country / Ram On / Dear Boy / Eat at Home was released in the Soviet Union .
• In December 1980 the following single was re-released in the USA on Columbia Records : Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey / Jet .

Music videos

Music videos were made of the songs Heart of the Country and 3 Legs , but not the single A-sides.

Chart placements

year	album						annotation
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1971	R.A.M	22nd	-	-	1	2	The album also reached the top ten in the Dutch, French and Norwegian charts.
2011	Ram (re-release)	-	-	-	41	24
year	Single release						annotation
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1971	Another Day Separate single	6th	10	7th	2	5	The single reached number one on the Australian charts
1971	Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey Ram	30th	-	-	nv	1	The single reached number one on the Canadian and New Zealand charts
1971	The Back Seat of My Car Ram	nv	nv	nv	39	nv
1971	Eat at Home Ram	28	-	-	nv	nv	The single reached seventh place on the New Zealand charts

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Canada (MC)	platinum	100,000
United States (RIAA)	platinum	1,000,000
All in all	2 × platinum	1,100,000

criticism

The album was rejected by a large number of critics. A particularly damning criticism was found in the music magazine Rolling Stone , where Jon Landau identified it as the low point in the collapse of rock music in the 1960s. Despite the numerous negative reviews, Ram sold excellently, reaching number two in the US and number one in the UK on the album hit parade. In the USA, the LP was awarded a gold record on June 9, 1971 .

McCartney's former bandmates also commented on Ram . John Lennon thought it was "terrible" after the first listen. In his opinion, the first solo album was somehow better, it would have at least contained a few songs.

“The first time I heard it I thought it was awful, and then the second time, ahem, I fixed the record player a bit and it sounded better. I enjoyed a couple like 'My Dog It's Got Three Legs' or something, and the intro to 'Uncle Albert.' […] In general I think the other album he did was better in a way. At least there were some songs on it. "

“When I first listened to it I thought it was horrible, the second time I set the turntable a little different and it sounded better. I liked a couple of tracks like 'My Dog It's Got Three Legs' or whatever that is called and the introduction to 'Uncle Albert.' […] All in all I think his other album was somehow better. There were at least a few songs on it. "

- John Lennon, Interview with Hit Parader Magazine , February 1972

Ringo Starr was disappointed with the result.

“I think Paul didn't bring all of what he was into this album. Ram is just a series of technical tricks. "

- Ringo Starr, quoted from Hans Rombeck a. a .: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes. P. 225 f.

George Martin simply stated that Linda was in no way a substitute for John Lennon.

Over time, the critics' opinion on this album changed in the opposite direction. Allmusic writes z. B. "[...] in retrospect it looks like nothing so much as the first indie pop album, a record that celebrates small pleasures with big melodies", the Musikexpress described it as a "masterpiece" (both rated six out of six stars ).

Dispute over Linda McCartney's involvement

Linda McCartney had already been named as co-author of the previously released single Another Day , which was met with skepticism at the music publisher Northern Songs and its new owner ATV Music . It was doubted that a photographer had suddenly matured into a composer, and instead saw her mention as an attempt to withhold royalties from the publisher. Paul McCartney's lawyers resolved the matter in his favor. After Ram was released , ATV Music Linda McCartney refused to pay royalties. The dispute lasted until 1973 when Paul McCartney produced a television show for ATV called James Paul McCartney .

Promotional publications

• For promotional purposes, two unusual albums were distributed to radio stations; so in 1971 (catalog number: Apple MAS-3375) 1000 copies of a special mono mix from the album Ram were made. It was not until May 2012 that a wider audience was able to purchase this album as a vinyl LP, and it was released in CD format in May 2012 as a supplement to the deluxe edition of the album Ram .
• The second specially recorded album brung to ewe by (catalog number: Apple SPRO-6210) contains 15 different spots, between 30 and 60 seconds long, which serve as introductions to the individual songs on the album Ram . The album also contains a short played song entitled: Now hear this Song of Mine . Parts of this album can be heard as an introduction on the DVD that was released as a supplement to the deluxe edition of the album Ram.

Thrillington

Shortly after the release of Ram , Paul McCartney hired arranger Richard Hewson to write and record an orchestral version of the album. The finished album was released on April 29, 1977 in Great Britain (May 16, 1977 in the USA) under the title Thrillington .

On April 22, 1977, the single Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey / Eat at Home was released in Great Britain, which could not place in the charts.

literature

• Martin A. Grove: Paul McCartney: Beatle with Wings . Manor Books, 1978, ISBN 0-532-17191-8 .
• Barry Miles : Paul McCartney. Many Years From Now . Rowohlt, Reinbek 1998, ISBN 3-498-04396-X .
• Hans Rombeck, Wolfgang Neumann, Rainer Moers: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes. Lübbe, 1981, ISBN 3-404-61015-6 .
• Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records . Four Ninety-Eight Productions, New Orleans 2005, ISBN 0-9662649-5-9 .
• Chip Madinger, Mark Easter: Eight Arms To Hold You - The Solo Compendium , 44.1 Productions, 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 , pp. 156-162.
• Luca Perasi: Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013). A Journey Through Paul McCartney's Songs After The Beatles. LILY Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4 .

Web links

• Images and additional information (English)
• Images and additional information (English)
• More information about the 2012 re-release
• Official Homepage: Ram
• Recorded by Paul McCartney in 1970
• Recordings by Paul McCartney from 1971
• Paul McCartney singles from 1970 to 1973
• Ram at Allmusic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 349
2. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. P. 128.
3. ↑ RAM-Deluxe Edition book, p. 39.
4. ↑ RAM-Deluxe Edition book, p. 42.
5. ↑ RAM-Deluxe Edition book, p. 49.
6. ↑ Single: Another Day
7. ↑ Mexican EP Another Day
8. ^ Single Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
9. ↑ Hans Rombeck, Wolfgang Neumann, Rainer Moers: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes. P. 226
10. ↑ US promo single: Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
11. ↑ Venezuela 7 ″ single: Uncle Albert / Ram On
12. ↑ Single Back Seat of My Car
13. ↑ Single Eat at Home
14. ↑ Mexican EP Monkberry Moon Delight
15. ↑ Soviet Russian EP Heart of the Country
16. ^ Single Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey / Jet
17. ↑ www.rollingstone.com: Ram represents the nadir in the decomposition of Sixties rock thus far. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
18. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records
19. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. P. 128.
20. ↑ allmusic.com Review by Thomas Erlewine on allmusic.com , accessed on August 22, 2012.
21. ↑ Review by Mike Köhler in Musikexpress , June 2012 edition, p. 98.
22. ↑ Hans Rombeck, Wolfgang Neumann, Rainer Moers: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes. P. 224.
23. ^ Promotional album Mono Ram
24. ↑ Promotional album to ewe by