Ram--Paul McCartney's Second Solo Effort

Ram, Paul McCartney's second solo effort, was released in 1971 as a follow up to McCartney, his first release. On Ram, McCartney departed from the "I'll do everything" philosophy of McCartney and brought in additional musicians, noted sessions guitarist Dave Spinoza, Denny Siewell (who would later join Paul in Wings), and Hugh McCracken. Of course, wife Linda had a hand in the background vocals and took the photographs which appear on the album and liner.

A word about the album cover: Paul is shown manhandling a sheep. On John Lennon's album, Imagine, John is depicted satirically manhandling a pig, just another step in the progression of events which describe the animosity between these two over the Beatles breakup. The confrontation continued musically with Lennon's How Do You Sleep, and Paul's response, Dear Friend. I've talked about this feud in a couple of prior reviews, and I'll say it one more time: I'm glad they were able to become friends again before John's death.

The tracks and my take on each is as follows:

1. Too Many People--A acoustic guitar, accompanied by some "bathroom tile" vocals and some deep notes on the electric guitar open this one. It's an acoustic driven number with some interesting high harmonies by Linda, and a very pretty melody, especially in the refrains. Paul had retreated to his Scottish farm by this time, and perhaps he was commenting here on the merits of solitude. There's some cool raw electric guitar licks here that sound like McCartney.

2. 3 Legs--A blues-rockabilly tinged number. An acoustic guitar provides the hillbilly effect, and the melody is pure blues. The lyrics are mostly nonsense, but lyrics aren't what this song is about--it's about the music. Even though the song was created in the studio, it has a warm ensemble feel that is hard to replicate on tape. Some tempo changes keep the players on their toes.

3. Ram On--A snippet of concert piano opens this song, and a dry-sounding ukelele is the instrument of choice here. The song is rather brief but it has one of the most memorable melodies that Paul would ever write. The background vocals are lush, and provide a nice contrast to the stark musical arrangement.

4. Dear Boy--Paul's piano pushes this song, which is eerily reminiscent of some of the Beatles' work, particularly the background harmonies. It should be reminiscent, darn it, Paul was one of the moving forces behind the Beatles. This is really a pretty song, and most of its beauty comes from the vocal arrangement.

5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--I've never really known what to make of this song. It has two distinct parts; the first is the slow, laconic "We're so sorry, Uncle Albert" part; the second is the more uptempo, positive "Hands across the water" part. The megaphone effect adds a 1920's feel to the song. The song may contain some oblique reference to English history, because somewhere in my feeble brain I remember something about Admiral Halsey, but I can't quite place it. The tune works well as a sort of opus, I guess, and the vocals are different.

6. Smile Away--A rock n' roll song that literally smokes. Paul really performs some vocal gymnastics which sound like some of his early singing with the Beatles, when he was a rawer talent. The background vocals sort of "dress up" this pure rocker, and the guitar licks by Dave Spinoza add just the right touch of blues.

7. Heart Of The Country--I refer to this song as Mother Nature's Son Revisted, from Paul's White Album days. It's an upbeat, acoustic-driven pastoral tune about the merits of country living. Maybe Paul is telling us about how great life is on his Scottish farm. His voice is laid back and supple, and his delivery is perfect for this tune. The interplay between Paul's voice and the acoustic guitar is just perfect.

8. Monkberry Moon Delight--This song is a romp, a frolic, a type of tune that Paul was very fond of doing. His vocal delivery is gritty, and he's pushed along by a piano line in a minor key. If it wasn't for the way that Paul sings this song, it would be pretty dismissable, but he knows just how to do it.

9. Eat At Home--This is another song which refers to Paul's newly-found domestication, complete with wife, child and farm. It has a fine guitar hook, and Linda's harmonies compliment Paul's lead vocal perfectly. The song is pretty much driving, with a very pretty, melodic bridge with some unusual chord changes.

10. Long Haired Lady--This song begins rather oddly, with Paul and Linda doing a duet of sorts. The body of the song is sort of bouncy, before lapsing back into the dreamy "Long haired lady" refrain. The melody is what we have come to expect of this great songwriter, and his singing is exquisite. The song ends with the monotonous "Love is long" line, after repeating the brief opening interlude.

11. Ram On--Ram On Reprise, or Ram On II, pick your poison. This one sounds somewhat garbled, but essentially its a repeat of Track No. 3. A brief ukelele workout with a snippet of another melody end this briefest of songs.

12. The Back Seat Of My Car--Gorgeous, haunting, nostalgic--pick your perjorative. This song positively glitters, and the strings in the tune really add just the right adornment. The only thing that disappoints me is that Paul, one of the greatest bass players in the history of music, didn't play bass on this one. The ending of the song is a complete change in musical texture, defined from being piano-driven to organ-driven. Paul's vocals are simply superb, and the harmonies are elegant.

Ram is definitely an improvement on Paul's first solo release, because it has a clear structure that is different than the rushed, knock-off feel of McCartney. Paul is clearly the master of melody, and he demonstrates here why he's widely regarded as one of the greatest tunesmiths of all time.