Ram Archives - Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

Getting (a bit) better — and a Minus 5 cover

By Nancy Carr|2013-08-01T04:32:35-07:00March 31, 2013|John and Paul, Wings|

The past few weeks have found us spending time and (virtual) ink on some pretty dark themes -- the Lennon/McCartney musical feud of the early 70s and Albert Goldman's resolutely dirt-seeking biography of Lennon. But hey, it's spring! Here in Chicago it's finally stopped being 30 degrees, the sun is out, some (admittedly small) green shoots are emerging from the ground . . . . it's a time of at least some hopefulness.So, in that spirit, I invite you to listen to the Minus 5's cover of "Dear Friend," the song on Wings' debut album in which Paul responds to John's "How [...]

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Review: RAM (Paul McCartney Archive Collection)

By Devin McKinney|2016-12-04T18:27:45-08:00July 31, 2012|1970s, 1971, Paul McCartney, solo|

DEVIN McKINNEY • Can anyone think of another pop record whose qualities have been so vindicated, and whose reputation has been so rehabilitated, by time? Though I’ve fought bravely on this site against massed resistance (well, one or two people) to call it something just less than a masterpiece—can’t get past a certain emotional vacuity at the core of things—RAM is so bountifully queer and cleanly, gracefully executed, the beautiful song crowded by the gargoyle-ugly, that finally masterpiece doesn’t matter. I’ve loved RAM since I first heard it. It is Paul’s best solo record by a distance, and one of my favorites [...]

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David Cloyd, "Dear Boy"

By Ed Park|2015-09-19T00:05:12-07:00June 1, 2012|Uncategorized|

This cover is worth posting again!

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Re-slamming "Ram"

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-23T12:52:34-07:00May 7, 2012|Paul McCartney|

I thought critical opinion had largely come around to appreciating Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram, 41 years after its release, but apparently not. It’s true that allmusic.com gives it five stars, having inched its rating up over the years, but a couple of reviews of the remastered album, due out later this month, are déjà vu all over again. The latest issue of Qmagazine gives the remastered album 2 stars. For context, the previous issue included a rapturous 5-star review of the reissues of the Human League’s Dare and Fascination albums, and called Lana Del Ray’s Born to Die a “Must Buy” [...]

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Ram’s Resurgence

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-24T11:01:50-08:00June 21, 2011|Paul McCartney, Ram, solo|

[After the millionth insightful comment by our indefatigable Nancy, we asked her if there was anything Beatley burning a hole in her well-furnished brains. This is what she wrote; give her a warm Hey Dullblog welcome.--MG] NANCY CARR • When it was released in 1971, Ram was hated—really hated, to the point of practically being crushed and melted—by many rock critics. Rolling Stone’s Jon Landau inveighed against it as “the nadir in the decomposition of Sixties rock thus far,” calling it “incredibly inconsequential” and “monumentally irrelevant.” Robert Christgau was kinder, giving it a C+ and sniffing “If you’re going to be eccentric, [...]

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That was your first mistake

By Ed Park|2015-02-02T12:02:27-08:00July 23, 2010|Ram, RAM uber alles|

But on 45? ED PARK • Here's a simple/brilliant/catchy thing by Geoff Geis: FAST RAM. Which is exactly what it sounds like: Ram played at 45 rpm. Geis writes: I’ve listened to Ram on 45 a whole lot, but I’ve barely listened to it on 33. And while my initial love affair with it was a few years ago, I’ve gotten back into it pretty hard lately. Coincidentally, the other day it was the topic of conversation at a party; fortunately it was a party with a turntable and a copy of Ram. My friend Kyle S said that he [...]

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Ram On!

By Devin McKinney|2015-01-19T20:36:27-08:00August 28, 2009|1971, Beatles tributes, McCartney, Paul McCartney, RAM uber alles, solo|

Get a room DEVIN McKINNEY • Speaking of which, did anyone else listen to this? Here's the tracklist: Earlimart :: Too Many People Frankel :: 3 Legs The Parson Redheads :: Ram On Bodies of Water :: Dear Boy Radar Bros. :: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey Naptunes :: Smile Away Los Baby Fools :: Heart Of The Country Le Switch :: Monkberry Moon Delight The Broken West :: Eat At Home Amnion :: Long Haired Lady The Parson Redheads :: Ram On (reprise) Travel by Sea :: The Back Seat Of My Car It's the expected farrago of good, bad and [...]

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Boo, Jon Landau!

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-05T20:45:35-07:00August 27, 2009|1971, McCartney, RAM uber alles|

Sometimes I transport myself I've been listening to RAM, one of the handful of solo Beatles discs I can listen to (others: All Things Must Pass, POB when I want to reaffirm the value of therapy). For kicks I unearthed this Rolling Stone review from 1971. Justly infamous, Jon Landau's review of RAM starts off as a pure hatchet-job in the standard "how dare Paul McCartney not be John Lennon" RS style, then ascends to a discussion of how The Beatles were better as a group, an observation that had to be tired even in 1971. If you sense a [...]

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