Paul and Linda McCartney - Ram (1971)

Paul McCartney's second post-Beatles album is a bridge between his homemade McCartney LP and Wings.  Note that Ram is credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, which indicates that his better half did more than just sing on it.  In fact, she co-wrote some of the songs.  Also, original Wings drummer Denny Seiwell plays on every song here.  But while Ram returned Paul to the late-Beatles-style professionalism that had been lacking with his debut solo album, the style couldn't overcome the lack of substance.

I'll come right out and say it: Despite some fine music and immaculate production values, most of the songs on Ram are somewhat slight, and many of them don't even pretend to make sense. This isn't Linda's fault, either, since a couple of the most nonsensical tunes on Ram are by Paul alone.  His singing is also erratic, with a good deal of yelping and shouting in between some tracks with fine vocal work.  So we get rather silly numbers like the raucous "Monkberry Moon Delight," presumably about an exotic dessert, the forced rocker "Smile Away," about being able to smell someone a mile away, and "3 Legs," which is about . . . uh, I don't know what that's supposed to be about, and I'm not sure Paul knows either.  And then there's the forgettable "Ram On," which Paul feels a need to reprise. 

And sometimes you wish Paul were singing nonsense when the words are intelligible - like the opening cut, "Too Many People," a nasty swipe at John Lennon that prompted - nay, demanded - Lennon's own swipe at Paul, "How Do You Sleep?"  But Paul is more charming and endearing elsewhere on Ram, as on the folk-tinged shuffle "Heart Of the Country," celebrating the joys of rural life.  He's also quite sly on "Dear Boy," a rather pointed critique of Linda's previous husband for letting her go.  This is one of the songs Linda co-wrote.  (Intrigue!)  And Ram does have two very good songs that show what Paul can do when he's firing on all cylinders, such as the perky rockabilly tune "Eat at Home," which makes good use of his influence from Buddy Holly, and the closing cut, "The Back Seat of My Car," a gorgeously orchestrated song with elements of straight rock that compliments (and complements) Brian Wilson's genius.   These two songs were released as singles in, respectively, continental Europe and Britain.

But what was the song released as a 45 in the U.S.?  The utterly preposterous and incomprehensible "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," which, as Ram's American single, is pure cheese. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is representative of Ram; it has carefully arranged music, it incoherently changes style and tempo, and the lyrics seem to be assembled more for how they sound together than for anything resembling meaning.  And when they do mean something, they don't mean much.

The late Beatles author Nicholas Schaffner summed up Ram better than I ever could by comparing it to a hollow chocolate Easter egg; he famously declared that it's tasty, if maybe a little too sickly sweet, but it crumbles when you try to sink your teeth into it.  If that's your taste, go ahead and indulge, but if you prefer the sonic equivalent of a Hershey's Special Dark bar, stick with Abbey Road.

(This is my last record review for 2019; I'll be back with more in the New Year.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I'm gonna rain. ;-) )