Thoughts on Ram - then and now?

Yes, sort of. I think in Ringo's case it was more that he was hurt so he was lashing out. He and Paul had suffered a major falling out over the release schedule for McCartney, Let It Be and Sentimental Journey the previous year. At that point Lennon, Harrison & Starr were continuing to work with each other on their various solo projects. McCartney shut them all out, partly because of the legal situation. Ringo was hurt and wanted to hurt Paul back. I doubt whether that was what he really thought or whether he had even listened very closely to the album at that point.

 

I agree. In addition, I have no idea what Starr's opinions are about any other albums that I may love/hate/like/dislike etc. It doesn't make one whit of difference to me, in my opinion of the music.

 

Loved Ram as a kid (was 7 when it came out) and have been playing it ever since. My go-to Paul (& Linda) album. Very glad it made the Archive Collection!

 

Don't think they compare. Ram is much better

 

Maybe there's a flow that I don't feel with it that you all do.
Song for song it's not all that strong.
And it's not the kind of album you introduce someone to the artist with.
Solo Lennon or Harrison you could introduce their "masterpieces" (POB, Maybe Imagine, and ATMP) to someone as a reflection of the artist.
I don't believe RAM is a reflection of Paul.
Band on the Run and to a lesser degree Venus and Mars are however.

 

For me, Ram was just part of the mix of albums being passed around and played when I was 13 or 14. I didn't look at any of those, thinking "masterpiece ". I just liked the album.

I just did an exercise yesterday, instigated by the weakest link game, where I did a quick review of the McCartney discography: by "like" or not (not necessarily "dislike". Could be "indifferent "). I ranked Band on the Run and Ram tied for first. I like every single song. Then, tied again, McCartney and Venus and Mars tied for second place (I think each album had one song I either disliked or am indifferent to).

So, as you have indicated a favorable opinion of two of those albums, we're probably not that far apart in at least part of our music preferences.

But, yeah, we differ on Ram. As above, I think it holds its own on a song for song basis. You don't.

 

It s obvious you don t feel the same about Ram as many others do. Nothing to do about that-those things sometimes happen. I for instance certanely regognice Pink Floyd as a great band but I actually never enjoyed listening to them. Sometimes one connect sometimes not. It s not even something to argue about-nothing you said would make me enjoy Ram less and nothing I or others say would make you like Ram more. Nothing to worry about at all really.

 

Ringo was wrong. I suspect he didn't like it because there's a couple of songs directed at his ex's. I probably wouldn't like it too if it had a picture of one beetle screwing another and I was ones his ex-bandmates.

It holds my attention and has some marvelous stuff on it

 

Nah, it was slammed by many at the time but not as badly as Wild Life was.

 

Paul's early solo output is amazing. I prefer his debut record over Ram a bit, but I love both albums.
I have an original US Apple first pressing of Ram, but shame I don't own the super deluxe book yet. The prices are (still) high on that one.

 

Interesting. I'm just the opposite. I see Ram as the most deeply personal album Paul ever made, and more of a reflection of his complicated personality and musicality than any other album he ever made.

 

I mean it's not a reflection of the Paul musician that was so organized and well produced as with his Beatles material.
Sure some of Ram is like his White Album stuff but he has the some polished stuff on there too.
So for me Band in the Run and forward is where he strated sounding like Beatle Paul again.

 

^Thought RRS was his last Beatle sounding one myself.

 

Maybe, but I'm amazed MFSL didn't do any McCartney titles.

 

My twenty year old son tells me that Ram has gained significant credibility among his generation.

 

I found that with my 30 year old daughter. She's pretty familiar with the majority of McCartney's 70's albums but she somehow got attached to Ram.

 

It is his best album. I was a teenager in the 90's and most of my friends got into the Beatles because pretty much every band at the time cited them as a major influence. But we were told that apart from Band on the Run Paul's ouput was rubbish, Ram especially, this is pretty much backed up in every review prior to its later reissue. I didn't get round to listening to it till I was in my 20's and it absolutely blew me away, like a longer version of side 2 from Abbey Road. It is one of the most complete albums I have ever heard. While I love all the songs I truly feel that Ram is more than the sum of its parts, an album that needs to be listened together to get the best out of it.

Chritagau and the Rolling Stone ****ed the music world over by pettily slamming a great album. As much as I love Wings, we could have gotten a few more albums like Ram in the 70's if the critics did not tear it to pieces.

 

It has done so for the same reasons it was panned initially.
I have to hear it through a hipsters ears to dig it.

 

Well, I first heard it in the 80's and I liked it but thought it was minor macca, now I think it's the best thing he ever did outside of the fabs

 

My story is opposite of yours.
I grew up with all the Capitol Beatles albums in the 80s then all the UK cds in the early 90s.
So when I started my solo Beatles collection, RAM was an early purchase and I hated it.
But I was no doubt approaching it track for track instead as an album experience.
I still don't place it above Band On The Run which is just so close to perfection as a commercial album, but I no longer hate it.
It's now probably 4th among by McCartney albums.
1. Band On The Run
2. Flowers In The Dirt
3. Tug Of War
4. Ram.

The reason Plastic Ono Band is so great for Lennon is because John's style always fit a more stripped or raw style.
He sounded good polished but better with a more basic approach.
Paul sounds good stripped too but his style so fits a polished production.

 

I didn’t hear it in 1971 —I turned 8 that year, didn’t own any albums, probably 20 45’s. I and my friends listened to the radio, and we all liked soul music. I didn’t read the Landau review until the latter part of the decade. I wasn’t reading Rolling Stone as an 8 year old — Mad magazine and Baseball Digest were more my thing. I probably first heard it between 1973-75. I thought it was pretty good, it wasn’t one of my favorites, but I kept it, and still have it @ 45 years later.
Today I like it fine. I bought all of McCartney’s albums through Tug Of War, and I think it’s by far his best — much better than Band On the Run, but given an hour or so, I could come up with 100 albums from 1971 that I like more.

 

I too think it's the best album Paul ever made. Bought it when it came out, still play it regularly. It would be great if he did one of those "play the whole album" concerts featuring Ram. Back Seat of My Car is just sublime.

 

A great album then
A great album now.
It’s the bloody Paul McCartney Ram album.
Shut up

 

I loved Ram from Day One. Still do.

 

Likewise. Always makes me smile. I never tire of it