Ram Reviews

• Critically underrated album deserves 2nd look

  
  By AQP1VPK16SVWM on 1998-11-21
  I've always liked this album. I bought it in 1971 when it came out and thought that it was a sophisticated well written album with a few clunkers. Time hasn't changed that assessment. Yes, there is whimsy and, yes, there is garbage but, all in all, it sounds terrific. The songs appear to be about nothing but....take a second look at some of the pointed lyrics written about his former band mates. McCartney also makes observations about politics, goes on a little road trip about sex and romance. He also examines the serenity of down home living. Is it a deep album? No, but that wasn't its intention. Here is a bit of trivia for those interested. "Ram on" appears to be a throwaway title when, in fact, it refers to the pseudonym Paul used during the Beatles' early days--Paul Ramon. So, the song is a very personal fragment written about his salvation--Linda. It is every bit as infectious as "Oh Yoko" and any of John's other love songs. My only complaint--"Back seat of my car" is a great song and the production is very good, but the orchestration is overkill. This is where the tasteful string arranging skills of George Martin would come in handy(I think Paul realized this himself when, in later years, he repeatedly returned to Sir George for arrangments). Macca has taken a lot of critical drubbing, but it's time for a critical reassessment of his work. Yes, he recorded a lot of crap(WILD LIFE, WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND), but at his best he is virtually unmatched as a tunesmith. Oh, one other thing--he's still a great rock'n' roll shouter.
  
  

• Excellent Cd

  
  By A3ADUOVTY3TIRU on 2007-01-23
  Paul McCartney produced an excellent cd here.Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey is a fantastic recording and at the time i believe he was still experimenting.Some of the songs have Linda in the background.
  This is quite a good album and i think is his best solo.He did produce alot of other good albums though.
  The lyrics are interesting, and the music is uniformly terrific. And though the production may not be up to George Martin standards, that being said, I think it's one of the album's charms that it sounds homemade at times.
  
  

• party with Paul

  
  By A30XZO9A3H5BYH on 2004-10-31
  Released in May of 1971, this is Paul McCartney's second 'solo' LP, preceding his formation of the band 'Wings' for the 'Wild Life' album. It's a one-hundred percent improvement on his mediocre self-titled 'debut' album. Although 'Ram' did yield a number one hit for McCartney, the lush 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey', that song is far from the best song in the 'Ram' collection. That simple fact is instructive about the high quality of the album, which is solid from start to finish. And while wife Linda receives co-billing with McCartney on the album cover and in the song credits, and despite some endearing background vocals from her, Linda's contributions are surely overstated here, most likely as another swipe at Paul's ex-collaborator John Lennon.
  
  'Ram' is, if nothing else, a fun collection of witty pop and rock songs. It most likely was intended as nothing more than that. While its style would certainly encourage John to continue ravaging Paul's productions for their pop sensibilities and 'meaninglessness' relative to his own crusades for peace and justice in the world, Paul's work probably produced a lot more peace and joy than John ever Imagined (pun intended). The songs on 'Ram' are not simply bouncy dance music, but bouyant numbers that bring pleasant and comforting images to heart and mind. Songs such as '3 Legs', 'Smile Away', 'Monkberry Moon Delight' and 'Eat At Home' are just a joy to experience, while the lighter fare, such as 'Heart of the Country', 'Long Haired Lady', and 'The Back Seat of My Car' are poignant and touching. There is an incredible mix of sounds, an aural cornucopia, on the production that keeps the listener attentive and interested. While 'Band On the Run' is often heralded as McCartney's best post-Beatles work, this album gives away little ground to that widely acclaimed classic. The only thing lifting 'Band On the Run' over the top of 'Ram' is its unifying theme. The individual songs run a dead heat between the two discs.
  
  Despite the quality of these performances, only 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' has received consistant exposure over the years, which actually contributes to the album aging well and remaining fresh and accessible. After taking hits for the quality of the musicianship on his debut LP, Paul pulled together a slick, professional collection of studio performers for this outing, the most notable of which are future Wing drummer Denny Seiwell, and guitarist Hugh McCracken, who has backed up everyone from Steely Dan to Paul Simon. Also featured is guitarist David Spinozza, who ironically would later contribute to John Lennon's 'Mind Games' LP.
  
  'Ram' rose to number two on the album charts in mid-1971, and remained in the Top 100 for 37 weeks, a testament to its quality despite the widespread panning it received in critical reviews. It's really a shame that McCartney has had to endure so much undeserved criticism over the years for what his music isn't, rather than having his work appreciated for what it is. Being a Beatle certainly had a down-side. But be advised that 'Ram' is as much an unheralded masterpiece as any production associated with a Beatle could be, a disc sure not to collect much dust on whatever shelf it may grace. Paul once remarked that he couldn't understand how anyone could listen to this disc and not enjoy it, and I wholeheartedly agree. It's a five star effort.
  
  

• Paul's most overlooked bit of genius

  
  By A1U48QKVYOQKWG on 1999-09-08
  I own every single album Paul ever recorded, and this one is certainly the most ignored. Considering this is only his 3rd solo effort, the progression of Paul here as a singer, songwriter and producer is astonishing. Most notable is the mixing of this album, with strange echo effects attached to the vocals as well as Paul's placing of microphones in weird places for other instruments. This album features a strange stew of music styles, but Paul carries it off and delivers his most "throat-y" vocal delivery EVER on "Monkberry Moon Delight." An experimental triumph for Paul (he recorded an instrumental, big-band version of this album in 1978, re-titled as "Thrillington".) A must have for die-hard Mecca fans.
  
  

• Ram On!

  
  By A1EX6A874EL885 on 2001-08-19
  To me, "Band on the Run" is Paul's technically best and most even album. But "Ram" is my favorite. Listen to it!

  "Ram" is listenable, catchy, and fun almost throughout -- with one glaring exception, which I will mention later. Nowhere else can you find Paul's underrated sense of humor so much in evidence. The end of the Beatles period found Paul's growing artistry and independence chafing at the restrictions of Beatlehood, and "Ram" (after the growing pains of his first solo work, "McCartney") displays his creativity at full throttle.

  There's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", a huge single in 1971. It's actually three songs woven together, a curious precursor to the song "Band on the Run" recorded two years later. The creativity, humor, and catchiness of "Uncle Albert" are characteristic of the atmosphere which pervades the rest of the album.

  Two tracks stand out as hysterically funny: the rocker "Smile Away" (always one of my favorites) and the pulsing barroom sound of "Monkberry Moon Delight". You can't help but grin when you give them a good listen. Paul's bass propels "Smile Away" as his piano propels "Monkberry Moon Delight", and you can almost hear his tongue planted firmly in his cheek with both distinctive vocal styles. It took me years to finally *get* "Monkberry Moon Delight" -- but once I did, I was hooked, and now I love listening to that song.

  Equally striking in "Ram" is the breadth of styles and, yes, production techniques you'll find. The sardonic anger of "Too Many People", with killer guitar solos. The light, bluesy simplicity of the acoustic "Heart of the Country". The dense, layered "Dear Boy" which contains more music in 2:14 than songs three times its length. These are three obscure and underrated classics which deserve your attention.

  You will hear all kinds of experimentation: with guitar, with early electronic sounds, with vocal arrangements, with percussive sounds, with keyboards. If you're looking for one place to hear them all: try the oddly inviting, six-minute "Long-Haired Lady" -- a pastiche of sounds whose creativity barely rescues it from being too soppy.

  To me, the sore thumb on this album is the closer, "The Back Seat of My Car" -- maudlin, overproduced, gooey, and yet adolescent, and never seeming to hit its mark. It seems Paul wanted a big, orchestral ending to the album ... but I think he chose the wrong tune for the task. These four-and-a-half minutes would have been better served by a different song.

  In the end, though, "Ram" is best defined by its musical hooks. And no one -- NO ONE -- wrote better hooks than Paul McCartney at his best. You will hum and you will whistle and you will wag your head and you will tap your feet. It's not "classic rock", thankfully. But it is very, very good. And lots of fun. Worth twice the price.
  
  

• Effortless genius from the true pop master
  By A1MT5ZJCBMA46O on 2005-06-30
  This is a real hard album for me to even write about. But I got my hands on a remastered copy this week... and... BAM. There it was again: those melodies... those creeping, effortlessly-written, sensual melodies, jamming every song until they are overflowing with sound... I mean, does it really get any better with Paul?
  
  A quick glance of the reviews here makes me sick. "Not as good as John's 'Imagine'.." "they spent too much time on the farm"... "too whimsical"... bah! What a legacy he had to uphold! And even from supposed Professional Beatleologists! But here he does it with grace and style and a fantastic sense of what needs to go on in a perfect pop song. Truly, there aren't any better pop songs on one single Beatle-related album than "Ram".
  
  The influence of this record is still being felt. You could uphold the entire post-90's indie-pop scene (from Elephant 6 and their cadre all the way up to the new crop of SubPop poppy singers a la Fruit Bats and Long Winters) and trace it to "Ram". That a whole new, younger generation of fans has discovered the fountain of melody within pleases the heck out of me.
  
  "Long Haired Lady", "Back Seat of My Car", and "Uncle Albert" are pure Paul pop masterpieces each. The hidden ditties, "Ram On", "Smile Away", "Eat At Home", are all essential in the context of the whole thing. "Dear Boy" and "Heart of the Country" are so fantastic in their simplicity and confidence you could almost see him writing them in literally minutes. The whole thing is just excellent... tasty pop good-naturedness that it's almost unbelievable that he would put that photo on the back cover. He didn't need to. This album alone would have provoked a good enough response from John so as to make any photo irrelevant. (And for the record, I find "Imagine" to be a pretty decent album, but not a melodic one at that, sort of disturbing and hard to follow, and highly impersonal at that.)
  
  This is definitely the best Sunday Morning album ever recorded and one of my top 5 Beatles-related records of all time. It never loses its sweetness. Highly recommended.
  
  
• 'Ram'-ming Speed!
  By A1A5V45PC8HDX7 on 2003-05-21
  After disappointment in some critical and public quarters over the sparseness of McCartney, Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, went into the studio with musicians David Spinoza (guitars), Hugh McCracken (guitars), and future Wings founding member Denny Seiwell (drums). Their aim was to mix the rawness of McCartney with the epic scale of Abbey Road. The resulting album, Ram, divided opinion; either it was a stunning amalgamation of both albums or `Macca' had lost his touch. I happen to think it's the former. Sure there are some thruways tracks present, but Ram is never boring and there are plenty of classics on offerer like Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Too Many People, Home In The Country, and The Back Seat Of My Car. Thankfully, Ram has gotten a reappraisal during the last decade or so and deserves a high spot in the McCartney/Wings catalogue. This remaster also includes as extra tracks, the first ever Paul McCartney solo single Another Day/ Oh Woman, Oh Why.

  Too Many People - One of the songs on this album that John Lennon thought were veiled attacks on him and Yoko Ono. Hearing lyrics like `too many people preaching practices" and "that was your first mistake;You took your lucky break and you broke it in two", it's easy to see Lennon's reasoning. Great guitar work and Linda's backup vocals fit the song snugly. B-Side of the chart topping Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey.

  3 Legs - Another supposed anti - Lennon Statement with lyrics like: "When I thought you was my friend . . .but you laid me down, put my heart around the bend". An easy rolling blues tune about `a house on the hill' and `a dog with 3 legs'.

  Ram On - A jaunty throwaway track with old time ukulele well present in the mix. McCartney loves to put a mix of past musical styles into his work. Just look at Beatle tracks like when I'm 64, Honey Pie or Your Mother Should Know.

  Dear Boy - Supposed third `message to Lennon' Song with a dig at Yoko: "And when you fall in love, dear boy, it won't be half as good as this". Bouncy tune, with sparkling piano high in the mix. Good harmony arrangement.

  Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey - Got the to top of the charts on September 4, 1971, and I for one am not surprised. This is a aural cornucopia of funny British military accents, tempo changes, Brian Wilson-like falsetto and that damn catchy "hands across the water" refrain. The horn arrangement blows me out of the water every time I listen to it!

  Smile Away - A Chunky rocker with some more Macca humour for everyone: " I can smell your feet a mile away ". B-side to the first single lifted off Ram, Eat At Home.

  Heart Of The Country - A bouncy, countrified number about (what else?) his property in the Scottish Wilds. B-side of the album's second single, Back Seat Of My Car. Cool acoustic guitar and bass work.

  Monkberry Moon Delight - McCartney in `vocal chord shredder' mode for this nonsensical romp .One of my favourite's tracks off Ram. At times during this track, it sounds like he's gargling acid!

  Eat At Home - Paul, you naughty boy, you! The McCartney's indulge in a little `down home cooking'. Notice the Buddy Holly touch in the backup vocals. First single lifted off Ram.

  Long Haired Lady - Lengthy, upbeat ballad dedicated to Linda. Hate her vocals on this track, though. Diverse guitar prevalent all through this song.

  Ram On (Reprise) - A short reprise of track 3, that collapses near the climax.

  The Backseat of My Car - Second single lifted from Ram (released 13 August, 1971). Great ballad about sex in the backseat of the car, and driving for the fun of it. Speeds up near the end and then returns to the original pace at the climax. Great song; it should have gotten higher on the charts than it did.

  Another Day - First Paul McCartney single ever released. Lennon derided it as `rehash', but I happen to think it's a unique and insightful portrait of humdrum suburbia. Great tempo change for the two codas.An extra track for this reissue. Got to the top ten of both the U.S.A. and the U.K.

  Oh Woman, Oh Why - Another voice shredder from Paul and B-side of Another Day. This slight track reminds me strongly of The White Album's Why Don't We Do It in The Road?
  
  

• A pop masterpiece
  By on 1999-02-23
  I bought this CD when I was 15 years old (I'm now 22) and it's one of my favourites, my love for it has grown along the years. Why ? Because Paul's singing is incredible, in nearly every song (Too many people, Heart of the country, Smile away, Monkberry Moon Delight, Eat at home, The back seat of my car...). All the songs have great melodies, the production is very fun : after years you can still discover little sounds or things you hadn't heard before. Whenever I feel down I just play "Eat at home" and I feel better. It 's so much fun, IT FEELS SO GOOD !!! (I love Linda's harmonies !) And what about " The back seat of my car"? Fantastic composition, very big production (but not over-produced), an incredible voice (I say it again), one of Paul's all-time best. Buy this album now !
  
  
• Not yet appalling Paul
  By on 1999-11-20
  Though "Ram" is fundamentally flawed and ultimately unsatisfying I suppose it to be Paul McCartney's best record. I'm sorry to report that this is saying very little. I can remember how appalled we were when we heard the record that immediately succeeded "Ram" (I can't think of its name just now--one's mind has a way of protecting itself). In any case, if you've got all the Beatles records in your collection, and you absolutely need more Paul McCartney, I recommend you buy this. Just don't set your hopes too high.
  
  
• His best solo album - easily
  By A1PDLTTU1C5QQN on 2001-10-03
  Superior to 'Band on the Run' and 'Flaming Pie'. Better than 'McCartney' and 'Tug of War'. It's only serious contender is 'Press to Play'...only joking! This is not only my favourite McCartney album, it is also one of my favourite albums of any artist, including The Beatles.
  As someone once said, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" (I think) so I won't spend too long describing the songs, but not one of them is an embarrassment to McCartney's musical reputation, which is something you can't say about every McCartney album, unfortunately. Dear Boy is sublime, Ram On is positively infectious, Uncle Albert will be in your head for about 2 weeks and The Back Seat of my Car is a fantastic grower.
  People criticise McCartney's post-Beatles work and often with good reason. But in my opinion, his post-Beatles, non-Wings work is highly underrated.
  If you think Lennon's post-Beatles work was superior to McCartney's, buy this album and have your opinions altered. Go on, don't be afraid!
  
  
• Think of something else.
  By A2IGRV1MPF86J4 on 1999-10-26
  Amid the obnoxious posturing and preening, the unadulterated stupidity ("Smile Away", "Monkberry Moon Delight"), and Linda McCartney's shrill, discordant, abrasive, and way, way out-of-tune "singing", there is much melodic fecundity here. That doesn't make it worth sifting through. There is no question that Paul McCartney has talent, but talent without taste and artistic vision is nothing.
  
  
• Perhaps Macca's finest.
  By A2IDTKWRQM3XZ4 on 2003-04-05
  Ram comes on the heels of "McCartney", Paul's first post-Beatles album (and therefore his most scrutinized one), and is the result of his teaming with his wife Linda. Despite that, it's still very much Macca's album and although the album is not heavy on singles, it is a throroughly strong album all the way through. Paul is obviously in fine form rocking through great tunes like "Too Many People" and "The Back Seat of My Car". Ram is also home to the two polar opposites of Paul: his soft side, displayed well on "Heart of the Country" and "Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey", and his raucous screaming rocker side, epitomized by the excellent "Monkberry Moon Delight". While it's hard to tell what influence Linda had on the album, she does provide some nice back-up vocals on tracks like "Long-Haired Lady". Ram is a very balanced album with almost every track a standout. My personal Favourite.
  
  
• The last Beatles album
  By A17HLF76N5UNYP on 2006-08-29
  I'm not going to write another long review about this great album because it has already 151 reviews and everybody almost says the same thing.
  I'll just say that it's one of my favourite albums, one of my top 3 album list if I had to live on a desert island.
  This album shows McCartney was truly the genius behind the Beatles, at least in the last years 1967-1970. It's like another Beatles album although they had been separated for a year already.
  The melodies, the arrangements, the great lyrics (yes Paul can write good lyrics), everything here is Beatle-like and more Beatle-like than any other album by the three other Beatles.
  RAM is as good as ABBEY ROAD and should be remembered as the last great Beatles album. Thank you Paul!
  
  
• Not very good
  By on 2000-01-07
  This is just not a very good album. Some of the songs have dumb lyrics, some have painfully awful musical moments, but it's all very slight and weak compared to the Beatles works from just a few years earlier. It's a dramatic dropoff in quality from Paul's songs on Abbey Road and Let It Be and the White Album, to this music. Compared to his songs on the Beatles albums, these songs sound like rejects. Some of the songs sound a lot like children's music. Paul is a likeable guy and you want to root for him, but honestly, when you listen to this music it just really isn't that good.
  
  
• "Hands across the water"
  By A2V5PFZFJ77BRA on 2000-12-08
  I'm just starting to write reviews on this page, but I'm going to focus in this particular album because I bought it only this year and it was the biggest surprise I've had since. I have all the Beatles' studio albums, and when I first heard "Ram", it just didn't sound quite like them... The first impression I had from "Ram" came when I heard "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" on the radio, and I didn't understand it as a complete unity. Then I thought the complete context of that infectious "hands across the water, heads across the sky" chorus must have been on the album, so when I first got the chance to buy it (at an extremely low price, I must say), I did. And what I found was even more different and complex than what I'd thought before... I think most of us have built the mental image of Paul McCartney being a brilliant melody/hits constructor, which he demonstrated perfectly during his Beatle period (think about "Michelle", "Yesterday", "Let It Be", "The Long And Winding Road", etc.) and, of course, during his posterior Wings period ("Silly Love Songs", "My Love", etc.). But when I first heard the complete "Ram" album, I was getting quite different stuff: strong and complex musical arrangements with lyrics that made me ask to myself "hands across the water... what is he SAYING?", and with melodies and tunes unusually dense and deep for the average pop record. (And that's true not only for 1971, but also for today's standards!) Because of all that, I can say this album helps to change that public image of Sir James Paul McCartney, and stands out (maybe along with "Band On The Run") as his most important solo effort. He has enough talent and taste to put out all those best-selling records (I mean he obviously knows what people like), like he would eventually do later with Wings, but he can also put together a good set of songs and make them sound well arranged and performed, with little help from Linda the wife and musician, like he did in "Ram". The strange lyrics that he presents to us here can only make you think. But if you want to figure out what's he singing about, you may get to strange conclussions (John Lennon understood the mesagges to him like "too many people preaching practices/don't let'em tell you what you wanna be") or just get a smile in your face and don't worry about them. You can simply enjoy the complexity of the chord variations, the orchestral production and the instrumental arrangements and find those little gems that can make you spend a good afternoon (or night, or morning, whatever) full of relaxation and great music. This album has production gems and excellent vocal performances by Paul and Linda, and a lot of weird sounds (the ukelele on "Ram On", the scat singing on "Heart Of The Country", etc.) that can make you go through this album over and over and always find something new to put attention to. Specially recommended are "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (a huge hit that, in my opinion, hides a deep meaning -the role that the relationship between Paul and Linda plays in front of the world-, behind somewhat silly lyrics like "we haven't done a bloody thing all day"...); "Monkberry Moon Delight" (a delicious throat symphony by Paul with shining harmony vocals by Linda); "Long Haired Lady"; "Heart Of The Country"; "Eat At Home"; "Too Many People" (with hidden messagges to John & Yoko and outstanding guitar solos, which I suppose to be from Paul) and the best of all: "Dear Boy", which is a hidden jewel in the McCartney discography: here you can find the richest vocal arrangements ever made by Paul and Linda, perfectly managed to fit into the pure and sincere lyrics and the piano, bass & guitar basis. Buy this album. Enjoy it without great hopes (because it's not as good as the Beatles albums or as deep and sincere as the John Lennon solo albums: I mean, if you want to see the bad side of it, you will probably find it), but with a good disposition to smile and find out what a great pop songwriter, singer and instrumentist Paul McCartney is. (P.S.:If you can, get the "imported" version of this, that also has "Another Day" and "Oh Woman Oh Why" as bonus tracks. It is the standard version sold out here in Chile, and I think it adds two great songs to the other twelve and the remastering helps the whole album too).
  
  
• Ram, from a Musicians point of view
  By AOG4CZNBHFDRF on 2003-09-16
  Ram... Wow...!

  This album has so much going for it, where do I start?? I'm going to steer clear from the usual review blabbing and give you a technical review of this album.

  First off, this album was rated 5 stars because everything is just plain great! The recording/mixing, instrumentation, vocals, melodies, and lyrics.

  Yes it's true that critics didn't like it at first listen when it was released, but they grew to love it and it has ended up it's own little piece of art. Songs like 'Monkberry Moon Delight' with it's playful, meaningless lyrics threw the critics off a bit at first (Although if the song would have been given co-writing credits to a Mr. Lennon, the world would have thought it was genious). It's an eclectic work that finds Mr. and Mrs. McCartney writing great melodies and hooks, but just having fun and trying not to try too hard! (Get that?? good!)

  What makes the album work as a whole comprises of two elements... The 'Recording/mixing' and the overall 'arrangements' of the songs. Each track has a totally different feel from the next, and it keeps you on the edge waiting for what is next. The arraingements are all excellent as well. McCartneys vocal stylings have a lot to do with the diversity of the album. His stylings ranged from singing folky, to hard rock, to classical, to comical.. He's all over the place.

  Buy it, you won't be dissapointed!

  All the best, The AndyMan!
  
  

• 29 years of age and going strong...
  By AG45QNJZLEV90 on 2004-12-23
  (the second post-Beatles Release, age 29)
  (originaly released May 1971)
  
  (43 minutes and 10 seconds of loving goodness)
  
  Now if you ask me, and plenty of folk interested in domesticated livestock and modern pop music do now and again, Ram could have easily been called "Ewe" and it would have been just as good. This one came out in 1971 and was just as much a Linda album as it was a Paul album.
  
  A lot of folks have been critical of the late Linda Eastman McCartney because of her obvious lack of musical skills. I believed for many years that the keys on here keyboard had been color coded so when she performed with Wings she could just use her index fingers to push the appropriate color-coded keys in time with the music. Red, blue, red, red, blue, yellow, green, red, etc.Turns out that might have been true at the start, but Paul got a considerable amount of inspiration from his musically challanged spouse and I reckon his overabundance of talent made up for any deficit she might have brought to the equation.
  I recall a bunch of the same folks who were all enthralled with the "Paul is Dead" urban legend during the Beatles era shifting their fascination to the open feud betwixt Paul and John in their solo work. The "Too Many People" was the first shot across the bow from HMS McCartney and prompted John to come out with his oh-so bitter anti-Paul rant "How Do You Sleep?" on the album Imagine.
  
  Unlike his first solo effort, this one had a bunch of singles taken from it. The first was "Too Many People", followed by "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". On the right shore of the Atlantic they had "Heart Of The Country" and "The Back Seat Of My Car" thrown at them as singles. I reckon all four tunes are pretty good and that accounts for part of the reason why this here album was on the charts for 37 weeks and managed to stay at the #2 spot for two weeks.
  
  This one is Mama's favorite vacuume up the den album. She puts it on full blast and commences to vaccume our orange and pink shag carpet while she wiggles and jiggles in time to the music. I reckon it's a pretty good album too.
  
  
• Fantastic
  By A20ZAC7UODEOGM on 2006-01-13
  Paul has had a spectacular solo career, with the occasional inevitable flops. But RAM is a fantastic album from start to finish. The album is just bursting with creativity, as each song is wildly different from the one before it. "Too Many People" is a rocking good song; "Dear Boy" is simply gorgeous, and "Backseat of my Car" is absolutely magnificent. I could go through every song, but instead I'll just say that this album is one of Paul's best albums, and I hope you give it a listen.
  
  
• McCartney's best solo work [5 STARS]
  By A38I00SO3D9ZSM on 2006-04-29
  Band on the Run is widely thought to be Paul McCartney's best solo work, but top to bottom, Ram's a better album. There's a nice mix of grungy rock (3 Legs, Monkberry Moon Delight, Smile Away), power pop (Eat at Home), country (Heart of the Country), Beatle-esque pop (Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey), and even a rock operetta (Back Seat of My Car). Too Many People is, allegedly, a "message" song from Paul to John and Yoko (to which John responded with How Do You Sleep? Ouch!)
  
  Like his first solo album, McCartney, Paul plays most of the instruments, though some session musicians did play on the album. Linda sings backing vocals on a few songs without managing to ruin them.
  
  Lyrically, this album's hardly mindblowing, at least not compared to his Beatles work. But its clever and irreverent enough to be interesting. The songs on Ram lack the syrupy sentimentality of many of his other solo songs (like My Love, Silly Love Songs, No More Lonely Nights.) At the risk of overstating the case, Ram is more Neil Young than Neil Diamond. It's really a rock album with a lot of emotion, sprinkled, of course, with a bit of Paul's cheekiness.
  
  For McCartney fans, or classic rock fans generally, Ram is an eseential album. I'm not kidding. It's that good.
  
  [NOTE: I have tried to edit my rating to give this 5 stars but the review was saved w/4 stars, and I cannot change it.]
  
  
• "GIVE YOUR HEART TO SOMEBODY SOON, RIGHT AWAY..." (Paul and Linda McCartney ram on)
  By A2UR38SZPVA07I on 2008-04-20
  RAM (1971) is a sort of postcard to the world from Paul and Linda McCartney. They're in love, married, and living on a secluded farm in Scotland. They refuse to take part in any fantasies that Beatles freaks or the media have about reunions, masterpieces, high profile appearances, prolific statements, or any other expectations that anybody may have of them.
  
  The album is mostly a statement of sentimental and carefree simplicity. Think kids, cats, farm animals, and a happy marriage. Paul also helps himself to a few vicious shots at Linda's ex-husband, and he doesn't spare the venom when he digs into his former songwriting partner John Lennon, either. But mostly, this is romantic and lighthearted fun.
  
  It all starts out with Too Many People, an acoustic/electric guitar rocker that takes a few jabs at John.
  
  You took your lucky break and broke it into
  Now what can be done for you
  You broke it into
  
  The same song takes a shot at Linda's ex-husband, too.
  
  I find my love awake and waiting to be
  Now what can be done for you
  She's waiting for me
  
  Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey was the hit single from the album, and it's a three-part suite of frivolity and unassuming psychedelia. The happy-go-lucky jauntiness sets the tone for the album, and the song is quite an exercise in imaginitive music theory. Monkberry Moon Delight is an abstract rock screamer that's strangely irresistible. The melodic Dear Boy and Ram On are both pleasant and relaxing, while Heart Of The Country is a bouncy acoustic guitar celebration of living on the McCartney farm.
  
  Want a horse, I got a sheep
  I'm gonna get me a good night's sleep
  Living in a home in the heart of the country
  
  Long Haired Lady is an extended love song that's sweet, melodious, and agreeable. The Back Seat Of My Car is a favorite of mine on the album. It's an anthem of young love that others don't approve of or understand. The lovers take off in his car and "may end up in Mexico City". The song reaches an enthusiastic crescendo as Paul and Linda sing in a harmonious chant.
  
  Oh, we believe that we can't be wrong!
  Oh, we believe that we can't be wrong!
  
  RAM is an essential part of the early post-Beatle McCartney years, and Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey brought Paul his first #1 single after The Beatles split. Taken on it's own terms, it's quite an enjoyable piece of work. It's relaxing, romantic, fun, and has some excellent examples of Paul McCartney's astute songwriting abilities. It's also kind of frivolous, carefree, and a little bit exclusive, so if you're looking to kneel in front of your speakers and worship a sweeping and all consuming work of art, this might not be what you're looking for. For those who just want to hear good music mixed with carefree simplicity, relaxation, and love & marriage, RAM will do just fine.
  
  
  
• I have bought this three times
  By on 1999-10-17
  What can I say? I bought this album on vinyl, cassette, and CD. I have listened to it over a thousand times: starting when I was 15 and now I am in my 40's. At least once a year I go on a Ram kick and play it again and again. It is as melodic as anything I know.
  
  
• Up there with the Beatles' best albums...
  By A1NCTWLB3RBX9V on 2001-04-03
  If you've listened to everything by the Beatles and can't get enough of them, pick up this album - it's like finding another great Beatles album. RAM is in no way inferior to something like Magical Mystery Tour or Sergeant Pepper. For me, the best thing about the Beatles is McCartney's tunes, especially in their later period, and on RAM he just shines. There are few albums that I love after the first listen, but this is one of them. A couple of weeks ago, I just popped it in for the first time and listened... Here's a song-by-song description:

  1) Too Many People - A very solid and pleasant rocker with a nice guitar solo.

  2) 3 Legs - Another solid rocker.

  3) Ram On - Here's where the incredible stuff kicks in. Only McCartney could make a 2+ minute song based on one simple hook and have it sound like a classic.

  4) Dear Boy - THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM AND ONE OF THE BEST POP SONGS EVER. This is one of those "ideal" songs that could not be made any better no matter what, and it is up there with the top 10 or 15 songs the Beatles ever wrote. Someone on this site mentioned that it's similar to Martha My Dear from the White Album, and it is, now that I think about it. However, it's even better than that gem.

  5) Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Actually, 2 songs in one. The first half sounds very lazy and funny, but the second half is absolutely brilliant, with yet another unbelievable melody and vocal harmonies.

  6) Smile Away - If anything on this album comes close to being labeled "filler," this would be the only song. And yet it's in no way bad, it's just not that great.

  7) Heart of the Country - Sort of a slightly inferior re-write of Rocky Raccoon, in terms of melody. However, it's not much inferior, and since Rocky Raccoon was one of the Beatles' best songs, this one is great too.

  8) Monkberry Moon Delight - If you liked Oh! Darling from Abbey Road, you'll love this song, too. McCartney absolutely lets rip with his vocals here, and the melody is great too.

  9) Eat at Home - The second-weakest track here, but even this one is not a throwaway.

  10) Long-Haired Lady - This one could've been another immaculately ideal song, but Paul screwed it up slightly by repeating the most enjoyable part of it only twice, and then repeating the same line over and over in the end too many times. The ending coda sounds a lot like Hey Jude, but slightly worse.

  11) Ram On - a 40-second refrain on the third track.

  12) The Back Seat of My Car - A great end to a great album. This track grows on me every time I listen to it, and it has this sort of anthemic feel to it, as well as being a ballad. This song would fit in very well in the Abbey Road medley, but it has an even better melody than most of those numbers.

  So, there it is. An album with 12 tracks, 6 of which are Beatles-quality gems, and the other 6 range from 'good' to 'excellent.'
  
  

• Ram On ...
  By A80KX5NR2EUPY on 2001-06-18
  Stung by criticism of his home-made debut album, McCartney put a lot of time and effort into making Ram a more ambitious, glossier effort, hiring some of New York's best sessionmen (including the New York Philharmonic -- they're uncredited, but that's them on Long-Haired Lady and others). In the end, though, Ram lacks the charm of its predecessor. Which doesn't mean it isn't a damn fine, listenable record. It'll particularly impress anyone who thinks Abbey Road is the best album ever, as it often recalls its more illustrious fellow. In fact, this is the most Beatlish album Paul would record for some time: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey is similar to the 'mini-symphonies' of Abbey Road, Long-Haired Lady recalls Hey Jude, Dear Boy wouldn't have been out of place on the white album, and there's odd bits of whimsey like the Ram On banjo-led singalong. (The title, of course, is a pun on Paul's old Hamburg alias of Paul Ramon.) Elsewhere, Eat At Home and Back Seat Of My Car are heartfelt tributes to Buddy Holly and Brian Wilson respectively. A very endearing record that still replays listening.
  
  
• ONE OF PAUL'S BEST ALBUMS
  By AEKVNXC6R8O9G on 2002-02-11
  Paul went all out on "Ram," showcasing his immense songwriting, vocal, and instrumentalist gifts. He exhibits his skill at singing raspy screamers in "Monkberry Moon Delight" but can turn on a dime and sing so sweetly in "Heart of the Country." He has so many colorations that his singing can bring a song to the next level. Think of the amazing fade-out in "Hey Jude," and you'll know what I mean. He truly was one of our greatest pop singers. (His voice seemed to show some of the ravages of time by the mid-'80s, but he still is a fantastic singer.) Paul also shows his mastery of harmony in many of the songs in "Ram," with the layered vocals of "Dear Boy" being just one example.

  Listen also to Paul's melodic and energetic bass-playing in "Too Many People," a reminder of the great bass lines he laid down in fast Beatle's songs such as "I Saw Her Standing There."

  One thing I like about "Ram" is that it has a warm, inviting sound. In that sense, it is like "McCartney." But "Ram" also has a rich, textured sound, that manages to avoid sounding too busy. In this sense, "Ram" is very much like some of the Beatles' recordings from "Sgt. Peppers" onward. What's more, Paul wrote very strong songs for "Ram," from quirky gems such as "Ram On" to great rockers such as "Too Many People" to the Beatle-esqu "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey." In song after song, Paul finds great grooves and hooks.

  "Ram" is not a flawless album. "3 Legs" is rather tepid, cliched blues until it hits its stride in a brief section where the tempo changes and it really grooves. Also, Paul drags the fade-outs too long in "Smile Away," "Monkberry Moon Delight" and "Long Haired Lady." And "The Back Seat of My Car" is a delightful song, but its lyrics sound as sentimental and contrived as a bad made-for-TV movie. Finally, there is something slightly claustrophobic about much of the album's lyrical content. So many songs are about how great Linda is and how great it is being at home with her in the countryside. Every relationship has its ups and downs, and Paul's one-sided presentation of their relationship almost seems calculating, like a politician trying to court favor by trotting out the wife for campaign stops. We expect honesty from an artist, and it would have been nice if at least one song had been about a fight between them or something of that sort. You can't help but to miss John's emotional honesty and biting humor. And one other thing: John was a better singer than Linda.

  Here are two interesting historical factoids. First, "Ramon" was Paul's pseudonym when he wanted to play uncredited on other people's albums, so he is addressing himself when he sings, "Ram on, give your heart to somebody...." Finally, Linda gets cowriting credit on several songs. John got angry and sued Paul, claiming that this was an attempt to slip around a contractual clause that required Paul to pay a portion of his songwriting proceeds to John. After all, if Paul was only the co-songwriter, then John's financial compensation was split in half. In fact, "Ram" got John angry in many ways. "Too Many People" was, in its own convoluted way, a dig against John, and John also thought that "Dear Boy" and maybe "3 Legs" were aimed against him too, but the lyrics of the last song are so strange it is hard to know. John got his revenge against Paul on the album "Imagine" with "How Do You Sleep at Night?", a direct verbal assault against Paul.
  
  

• Enjoyable album!
  By on 2004-05-28
  This album, like all Paul McCartney solo albums, is enjoyable. Also, like all Paul McCartney solo albums, you wish John was there to give him a "look" or help him with a word here and there or come up with a "middle eight."

  Tim Riley, in his book, "Tell Me Why," talks about the single, "Hello Goodbye," describing it as the kind of light-hearted, innocuous ditty that Paul could knock off in his sleep. I feel the same way about "Ram." It is a light-hearted, innocuous ditty that Paul could've knocked off in his sleep. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. Paul is a pro when it comes to writing commercial, catchy tunes. But, as with all the solo Beatle albums, after listening to 10-12 songs by the same Beatle, you REALLY miss the group dynamic which the Beatles had in spades.

  If you have never bought a solo McCartney album, this would be a good one to start with. It showcases Paul's talents well- catchy melodies, great vocals, and offbeat arrangements.
  
  

• RAM is an essential recording for all ages
  By A21Z70H87S8XJ1 on 2005-12-11
  What I have noticed as of late is the amount of young people rediscovering some of the work of The Beatles as well as the early solo work of the individual Beatles, McCartney's catalog especially. With John Lennon sadly gone for 25 years, the so-called 'hipsters' are finally rediscovering a lot of McCartney's solo music and are being blown away. (Bono himself recently said that the band of the year for him was Wings!) If you are tired of the junk that corporations are trying to pass off as music today, then you need to give this McCartney album, RAM, a chance. It's probably his finest work and one of the most eclectic albums in rock history.
  
  There's not a bad track on this album. Keep in mind that RAM was written at the height of the lawsuits that were breaking up The Beatles and some of the lyrics on the album focus on the bitterness at this time towards his old bandmates, of which Paul was not alone in doing in his solo work. Check out the picture of the two beetles copulating on the CD's back cover to prove that tensions were at an all-time high, with Paul and John both taking swings at each other on record and in the press.
  
  On this one album, you have music that's critical (Too Many People, featuring several swipes at John and Yoko), bluesy and gutsy (3 Legs, aimed at the other Beatles, perhaps especially George and Ringo, most likely over their decision to ally with John regarding disputes over their own Apple Records), mystical (Ram On), unbelievably harmonic (Dear Boy, the character in this song which Lennon believed was supposed to be him), avant-garde pop (Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey), rocking (Smile Away), rejuvenating (Heart of the Country), drug inspired (Monkberry Moon Delight), domestic, and probably a metaphor for sex (Eat at Home), silly-but-sweet (Long Haired Lady), and melodic (The Back Seat Of My Car, the final parts featuring Paul screaming "we believe that we can't be wrong," of which John and Yoko thought was aimed at them and thus took great offense). I can guarantee that you will not find an album of music out there today as diverse and artistic as RAM.
  
  On this album there are also many little things you pick up while listening, like the 'barking' noises Paul makes as "Too Many People" fades out, which was allegedly suppose to mimic the status of his relationship with the other Beatles at the time---'barking' and backbiting each other in private and in the press. A lot of people also take "Smile Away" as Paul commenting once again about Beatle politics at the time, saying to the others...go ahead smile and smirk while I sit here hurt, but I'll have the last laugh. This is perhaps the finest individual Beatle solo record in existence. Honorable mention to Linda McCartney, who does a fine job with her endearing backing vocals and harmonies.
  
  Originally released in 1971.
  
  Highly recommended.
  
  
  
• Best solo Beatle album bar none!
  By A1YUXSMZMV9705 on 2006-08-28
  Not only McCartney's best album but probably the best solo album by any ex-Beatle. To echo a previous poster's comment, this is a far superior piece of work to the 'Band On The Run'.
  
  This album has never been off my playlist since I bought it on the day of release in 1971. It has withstood the test of time and the vagaries of musical fashions and changing tastes.
  
  As much musical variety as any Beatles album with a breadth of melodic invention and more top class musical hooks than most artists manage in their entire career. Heck, the track 'Back seat of My Car' on its own contains more superb hooks than most performers manage in a career!
  
  Forty-odd minutes of musical genius that completely blows apart the myth that McCartney "lost it" after the break up of The Beatles.
  
  
• You could knock me down, with a feather, yes you could, but you know it's not allowed...
  By APPV1ZDETO7B on 2006-10-11
  Paul McCartney had a serious problem. Actually two problems. The vector for Paul's problem was The Critics. Some critics saw Paul as the reason for the demise of The Beatles. That was highly unfair since George, Ringo, and John had all had their bat at "leaving the group" at various points between 1968 and 1970. John's high-maintenance remarks in 1970, undeniably calling The Beatles defunct, prompted Paul to actually legally quite the group (which in England, required legal processes). Then Paul released McCartney before the release of Let It Be, after Ringo had been sent to dissuade him from doing so. In the mind of The Critics, it was all Paul's Fault. Regardless, McCartney debuted at #1 on the charts, much to the chagrin of the pointed noses at Rolling Stone magazine. So when Paul & Linda McCartney released Ram, the rabid and fuming critics, lead by the Valkyrie of Rolling Stone, snarled and hissed and nipped at the heels of this effort by Malicious Paul and That No-Talent B*^@&! Paul's "problem" is that the composer cannot write a song that the musician doesn't want to record. Evidence: the entire McCartney album. Although initially written and recorded with The Beatles, Junk is just what it portends. Paul keeps his closets clean by recording literally everything he writes! I for one, unlike many others, found this charming, fascinating, and a mark of a true artiste. I was endeared to Paul and George after The Breakup, found Ringo silly but fun, and quite vexed at John for being such a hateful son-of-a-b*^@& all the time. (In later years, around the time John and Harry Nilsson became buxom buddies, I would forgive John his eccentricities and love the Man as much as I loved his Music). So coupled with the ire of The Critics, it did Paul no good that his music was laden with little ditties he cleaned out of his writing closet that could be called "filler" by some, or "art" by others.
  If I were made to keep just one, and only one, Paul McCartney album, it would be this one. Why you ask? Ask away! Yes, Band On The Run received it's due critical acclaim, it is masterful, wonderful, perhaps the best Wings album out there. Flowers In The Dirt is hailed as the greatest Paul album, complete with artistic style and "deep, meaningful" songwriting. I second that emotion. So why Ram?
  Ram is Paul and Linda, naked and fun, full of love and full of life. It's a magical musical in-no-sense-nonsense experience. You can try all you want to glean jabs at John from Too Many People, Dear Boy, Back Seat Of My Car, etc. but the plain and simple truth is the album was a romper room fun play in the sandbox for Sir and Lady Macca. The run-together medley style of Abbey Road with no progression of thought but total randomness is artistic enough for me. The songs are gut-friendly giddiness that hadn't been seen since side one of Yellow Submarine. Paul can only be admired for including his wife, his partner in life, into his music and I call shame upon all the critics who reviled him for it. Sure she wasn't an impresario at music, but she sure had fun doing it, didn't she. Years later, critics would fall all over themselves for the punk rock movement hailed for it's virtue of minimalism and barely talented efforts at making music "a statement". The B-52's admitted they didn't even know how to play their instruments when they went into the studio to record their debut album, but dig that organ and rhythm intro to Planet Claire!
  Ram is just plain fun, a kind of fun we don't get in music rarely anymore. It rocks from the get-go with Too Many People. Three Legs has a hidden sexual agenda that is so simple it'll plum evade you. Ram On and Dear Boy provide a pretty and, some would say, insightful nature to Paul and Linda. Uncle Albert is well, it's just about Paul's best song ever recorded. It is so Beatles you can't help but believe it would have been on the next Beatle album as an opener or closer. Smile Away is just plain rock-on fun, silly lyrics and all, with one terrific blues riff. Heart Of The Country is so homey it's almost southern comfort. Monkberry Moon Delight was as shady as we got in high school and college in those days, yeah, we'd hide anywhere we could to suck on some Monkberry sticks. This song hearkens back even now to good old rollicking, carefree days of stash, trash, and pure hash. Eat At Home and Long Haired Lady were the songs that caused giggles and laughs, they were so humorously sexy it was pathetic, and we loved them all up. They were the musical equivalents of Mel Brooks movie lines ("What Knockers! Oh, Thank you Doctor!") You couldn't help but laugh at THIS kind of innuendo. Some might call this album "dated" because of this kind of stuff, but if you just abandon all pretenses, and aim at having a good time with your music, and want to not have to think too hard (see Dylan, Modern Times if you want to spend the next 5 years trying to figure out "what does it mean?") about your music, this is the album for you. Ram On reprises before the end song/suite, and as it fades out look for an impromptu early take on Big Barn Bed (which would show up on Red Rose Speedway) before Back Seat Of My Car gives us the usual McCartney Finale, strings horns and all. It's another heavily orchestrated but lyrically spot-on McCartney sub-classic, and a perfect ending to the album (unless you purchase the McCartney Collector Series version CD which bonuses the record with the hit single Another Day and it's B-side Oh Woman Oh Why, definitely worth having if you do not have one of the Wings "best" albums, even though they are not technically "Wings" since they were recorded during the Ram sessions and should be credited as Paul & Linda McCartney).
  Ram was and still is a wonderful album. Any McCartney fan will tell you that. Funny thing is, time has been good to Ram, now the critics all just love it and call it one of Paul's best. Personally, I don't buy what the critics like, and usually I don't even read reviews except for places like this where ordinary folks like you and me can extemporize on our opines, and I figure, you like what you like and I like what I like and all we can do is share and maybe you'll like what I like too, eh?
  If you are new to Paul (is there REALLY anybody out there who fits this description? What are you? Twelve? I mean even kids today know Paul McCartney though they have heard legendary tales of a round table and some men called "beetles"...yes boys and girls Paul was in a little band before Wings), I digress...if you are not "familiar" with Paul's music, buy Band On The Run. It's a classic. Then get this one and see what fun you were really missing! If you are looking for something serious, get Flowers In The Dirt. If you REALLY like "silly love songs", pay no mind to the grumpy critic behind the curtain, get Wings At The Speed Of Sound (now there is an album the critics were merciless with, they emptied their barrels into that horse, I think because the song Silly Love Songs was somehow an "attack" on their sensibilities), but hey, I like it. Sure I'll admit it! I LIKE WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND! There, did everyone hear that? I didn't whisper it while hiding in a barrel, sucking monkberry moon delight. I even liked Linda's Cook Of The House on that album! So what? Does that mean I have bad taste? You know what I think tastes bad? Okra! And I live in the South! I hate Okra!
  But I love Paul and Linda McCartney and Ram is worth a ton of smiles and laughs and good vibrations. What have you got to lose? It's an Amazon Music Blowout price, you can't beat the price tag for this little gem. I'll tell you what, if we have to go to a desert island together, you bring Bob Dylan Blood On The Tracks and I'll bring Paul & Linda McCartney Ram. We'll see who's music attracts more visitors......to be continued...
  
  p.s.
  if yer lukin'fer sheer profundity, tell me this ISN'T a wordsmith craft:
  
  So I sat in the attic,
  a piano at my nose,
  and the wind playing a dreadful cantata.
  (can-tata! can-tata!)
  
  Sore was I from the crack
  of an enemy's hose,
  and the horrible sound of tomato.
  (Tomato! Tomato!)
  
  Ketchup! Katsup! Soup and puree
  Don't get left behind.
  Ketchup! Catch up! Soup and puree
  Don't get left behind.
  (Get left behind, get left behind, get left behind...)
  
  When a rattle of rats had awoken
  the sinews, the nerves and the veins,
  My piano is boldly outspoken in attempts to repeat his refrain.
  
  So I stood with a knot in my stomach,
  and I gazed at the terrible sight
  of two youngsters concealed in a barrel,
  sucking Monkberry Moon Delight.
  
  Monkberry Moon Delight!
  Monkberry Moon Delight!
  
  Well I know my banana
  is older than the rest,
  and my hair is a tangled beretta.
  (Beretta! Beretta!)
  
  But I leave my pajamas
  to Billy Budapest,
  and I don't get the gist of your letter.
  (Your letter! your letter!)
  
  Catch up! Katsup!
  Catch a little nest of kittens
  Don't get left behind.
  
  Ketchup! Katsup! Soup and puree,
  Don't get left behind.
  (Get left behind, get left behind, get left behind...)
  
  Monkberry Moon Delight!
  Monkberry Moon Delight!
  
  
  
  
  
  
• RAM, by the Beatle
  By A1GGOC9PVDXW7Z on 2007-01-07
  RAM, Paul McCartney's second solo album (originally issued in 1971), comes closer to the Beatles "sound" than any other post-breakup work the four individual members produced. Many of the songs on RAM could easily have found a home on the White Album or ABBEY ROAD. For melodicism, inventiveness and style this one simply cannot be beat.
  
  What makes RAM superior to McCartney's first solo effort is the inclusion of other musicians (and not just novice Linda, who got equal billing here). Although decent on guitar and only fair on drums, the future Sir Paul's true instrumental talents lay in his bass-playing, which shines brightly on this record. "Monkberry Moon Delight" for example, is driven by the bass line.
  
  "Back Seat Of My Car" is an overlooked gem. The gorgeous multi-layered vocals on "Dear Boy," the playfulness of "3 Legs" and "Smile Away," the top-ten-hit sound of "Uncle Albert.." and the biographical nature of "Long Haired Lady" and "Too Many People" are just a few reasons why RAM remains McCartney's best-ever solo work. Five huge stars for this one!
  
  
• Paul's best solo album
  By AZWQEKLSBLZZ4 on 2007-02-15
  Without a doubt, this is the most comprehensive and enjoyable album that Paul McCartney ever made on his own. Linda adds some nice background vocals without being overbearing, and Paul is his usual witty self while also throwing in some slow and reflective tunes (Heart of the Country, one of my favorites). There are a lot of songs that remind me of the stuff he did on the White Album, so I think thats about all I need to say. Its great. If you like the Beatles (which of course you do), this album will not dissapoint.
  
  

• McCartney
• Band on the Run
• Venus and Mars
• Red Rose Speedway
• All Things Must Pass [BOXED EDITION]