Album of the Day #1: RAM - Paul & Linda McCartney

Title: RAM
Artist: Paul & Linda McCartney
Label: Apple/Capitol/EMI
Year: 1971
Songs: Too Many People/3 Legs/Ram On/Dear Boy*/Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey*/Smile Away/Heart Of The Country*/Monkberry Moon Delight*/Eat At Home*/Long Haired Lady*/Ram On/The Back Seat Of My Car
Written by: Paul McCartney, except *by Paul & Linda McCartney
Produced by: Paul McCartney
Personnel: Paul McCartney: bass, guitars, piano, vocals/Linda McCartney: keyboards, vocals/Denny Seiwell: drums/Dave Spinozza: guitars/Hugh McCracken: guitars
Thoughts: One of my favorite albums of all time, RAM is also one of the most polarizing. Originally slammed by the Rolling Stone (at a time when everyone hated Paul's guts), today it is celebrated and hailed as one of Paul's best...which it is. It's a sloppy album with little structure, but the songs that have a structure are some of his best. "Heart Of The Country" is a wonderful ode to Paul's new farm and "Long Haired Lady" is an amazing, sweeping climax to the album. "Too Many People" is an energetic opener. Many might feel that the silly "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" medley (which gave Paul his first solo #1 in the U.S.) is the highlight, but I disagree. "The Back Seat Of My Car" is one of my favorite Paul songs (which somehow fared terribly on the charts in the U.K., where it was the lead single in place of "Uncle Albert...") and a great closer. Simply put, this is another one you can't live without.
Rating: 8/10