Ram/Red Rose Speedway
It’s a Paul McCartney Weekend on 97.7 The Rewind! And, On The Turntable is celebrating 50 years since the release of Paul & Linda McCartney’s “Ram.” We will follow that iconic LP with “Red Rose Speedway” from Paul McCartney & Wings … both lps play in their entirety, each side uninterrupted.
Ram
Ram is a studio album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, which was a precursor to the formation of the band Wings, though many consider it his second solo effort. The LP was released in May1971. Though critics panned the LP for not living up to the standards of Lennon and Harrison’s solo efforts, Ram has lasted the test of time. It has sold over two million copies and delivered three singles, including McCartney’s first number one single following his split with the Beatles, ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ which is featured on side one.
Though mono records were being phased out in the late sixties; Ram was released in both mono and stereo versions, with the mono versions only available to radio stations and are now some of the most valuable records in the McCartney library. The album includes some of McCartney’s best rock sounding post Beatle tunes. ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ and ‘Smile Away’ are two of my favorite. Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Ram to be the 18th best album of 1971 and the 95th best of the decade. Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the lp 19th on its top 100 list of the year.
Notable Tracks – ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ ‘Too Many People’ ‘The Back Seat Of My Car’
Red Rose Speedway
Red Rose Speedway is the second album from Paul McCartney and Wings. The LP was a commercial success with mixed reviews from the critics. Though it was not a favorite of mine in 1973, over the years, I have come to enjoy this disc more and more. The songs are whimsical pop, the kind that only McCartney could deliver. The plan was for a double album; that idea was nixed by EMI therefore, delivering three off-album singles … ‘Hi Hi Hi’, ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ and ‘Live and Let Die’.
Red Rose Speedway has been described by critics as disjointed, entertaining fluff, aimless whimsy and light weight … and though it may be … It is still Sir Paul McCartney and there are gems inside this album. ‘Big Barn Bed’, which is a favorite of mine, and ‘My Love’ are great tunes. I believe that critics expected McCartney to deliver the deep, introspective records that Lennon and Harris delivered Post-Beatles … but, to me, that is not what McCartney was; not even when he was with the Fab Four. Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Red Rose Speedway to be the 80th best album of 1973 and the 697th of the decade. Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the lp 99th on its top 100 of the year … as a side note … it also ranked Mind Games from John Lennon 98th … we don’t always agree, do we?
Notable Tracks – ‘My Love’ ‘Big Barn Bed’ ‘Get On The Right Thing’
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