POLL: How do you rate Paul & Linda McCartney's "Ram" album?

One of his best....and we all know what Rolling Stone thought about it!

 

Rolling Stone represents the nadir in the decomposition of '60s countercultural institutions thus far. (IMO.)

 

Clearly essential, it's one of the finest albums of all time.

 

Simply put it's his masterpiece.

 

On many days, I think Ram might be my favorite album by anyone.

 

One of the greatest albums of all time.

 

One of his best, no doubt about it.

 

For the life of me I could never understand why Ram receives so much praise as a great album. I own all of Paul's stuff, and compared to Wildlife and Red Rose Speed Way, Ram is much better. But I still think it's uneven. IMHO his debut "McCartney", Band on the Run, Tug of War and Flowers in the Dirt are all better.

 

I got RAM when I was a kid of about 12. I didn't read Rolling Stone and I never realized that it was the nadir of Western Civilization or whatever he said. So instead I just formed my own opinion. And I loved it. My 16 year old son loves it. I still love it more than 40 years later. My wife likes it too so when we are all together I often play RAM because we are all happy. There is no doubt that it is my most played album of all time. I have an Aussie vinyl, UK vinyl, Archive edition vinyl (mono and stereo) and hi res down load. Plus Another Day 7" single. Can't get enough RAM.

 

Not just Rolling Stone, but the fact that their review was written by future long time Springsteen producer/manager Jon Landau. Somebody NEEDS to ask this guy what the hell he was thinking, especially when his artist had no problems in putting utter garbage like Outlaw Pete out!

 

I think it's his best solo album. In fact, side two is one of my favorite sides of ANY album. His first was exciting to listen to when it came out, but seems so incomplete and rushed now.

 

People sure take a 40 plus year old review seriously.

 

Amazing album. I've always thought it was great. Although, truthfully, I had a hard time getting over Linda's harmonizing back in the day. But that has since become part of the albums personality. Dear Boy alone makes the album a must purchase.

It's as good as anything he's done. Before or since.

 

Truth be told, I kind of hated Ram when it first came out.

Although quality-wise, McCartney was basically on a par with some Beatles bootlegs that were around at the time, there was enough of the "old Paul" on that album to believe he would never really go away. But upon its release, Ram was a true "WTF?" moment for me. In the vernacular of the time, I thought it sounded like bubblegum music, and it was the point, in my mind, when I knew for sure the Beatles were gone for good.

It took me a few years, around 1975-76 but I finally came around to Ram's charms. I still think Band on the Run is probably Macca's best album, but Ram is certainly in his Top 5.

 

Paul's VERY BEST for me. I truly respect this album, and always am amazed at how much of a turnaround its reputation has enjoyed today as opposed to some circles back in 1971. I have always believed this was due to both fans and critics in '71 still expecting McCartney to continue his straight "Beatle Path". This is a great album of many differing styles!

 

RAM is a great album. The musical variety is incredible! Hooks all over the place. "Back Seat Of My Car" is one of Paul's truly great songs. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Too Many People, Dear Boy, Ram On, Heart Of The Country, Eat At Home all very good. Monkberry Moon Delight and Smile Away good fun rockers. The only song I don't care for is "Three Legs".
Amazing to think it was bashed by critics when it first came out. I think they were still looking for "political" commentary and only "Too Many People" fits that criteria. Paul was ahead of the curve with the whole back to family/nature vibe of the album.

 

His best solo LP. Period.

 

T-Roo
Maybe we should have a fantasy Beatle album thread....has it been done?

 

It would have been unlistenable without Linda McCartney

 

No Steinbeck influence in Ram, I suppose.

 

Maybe not, but you could draw a parallel between Travels with Charley and "Martha My Dear" (along with "Jet").

 

Just listened to the song "Great Day" for the first time in a long while. It sounds like it could be a lost outtake from Wild Life or Red Rose Speedway, and I mean that as high praise. Might just be my favorite track on Flaming Pie because of this.

The more I think about it, it seems my favorite McCartney albums are those first four (McCartney/Ram/Wild Life/Red Rose Speedway). After that, including Band On The Run, while there may be good if not great albums, there's a certain undefinable magical element that's missing. Great Day, for me is one final glimpse of the magic before it disappeared forever.

 

It does have that feel. Get up and grab a chair!

 

I feel it's one of the most overrated albums of all time and it has a darkness to the production that I find unsettling. Most of the tracks are just stupid lyrically and melodically uninspired, IMO. "Monkberry Moon Delight" is silly but is one of the few tracks that I actually like, along with "Ram On" and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey".

I try at least once a year to see if the album gets any better, but it only gets worse for me!

 

I find I love McCartney and Ram equally. Soundwise I prefer the first. my copy of Ram is Japanese so there may be better sounding versions. My interest trails off after that and haven't really kept up after Venus and Mars