Originally released in May 1971, ‘RAM’ served as the follow-up to the Beatle‘s 1970 debut solo album ‘McCartney’. The record was also the only McCartney album to be credited to both Paul and his late wife Linda.
‘RAM”s 50th anniversary was celebrated in May last year, with a special reissue of the album, which will be released on May 14 as a limited edition, half-speed mastered vinyl pressing.
While McCartney had featured Paul on every instrument, for Ram Paul decided to hold auditions for musicians, bringing some in under the guise of a session to record a commercial jingle.
Auditions were held in an attic on 45th Street for three days, where David Spinozza was tapped for guitar duties, after being asked by Linda, before The auditions moved to a basement, where Denny Seiwell was recruited on drums. McCartney later claimed to have found Seiwell “lying on a mattress one day in The Bronx”.
Happy RAM-iversary! To celebrate 50 years since the release of Paul and Linda McCartney’s 1971 fan-favourite album, 'RAM' will be reissued on 14th May 2021 as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl pressing 💛
Pre-order: https://t.co/Cnzo42zVSW
Photo by Linda McCartney pic.twitter.com/9sXM7oeyzR
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) March 31, 2021
The album was recorded amid McCartney’s legal action in the United Kingdom’s High Court to dissolve the Beatles’ partnership, following the band’s break-up the year before. It is the only album credited to the couple.
This would be the first time Paul worked closely with female harmonies. Linda would serve as his backing vocalist for many years to come.
I was in the middle of this horrendous Beatles break-up. It was like being in quicksand.
He added: “The lightbulb went off one day and we realised that we could run off and go to Scotland where we loved. Just to keep myself amused, I’d just make up stuff on the guitar. Instead of thinking “After The Beatles this has got to be important”, I thought ‘Maybe this is the way to go, just have fun with it’.”
” At the beginning of the album, when I was writing it, I spent a lot of time in Scotland, and the average day there would be: get up, have breakfast with the family, then maybe go into my little studio. I always had a little four track studio, which is what The Beatles always used to record on. That’s a real discipline recording on a four track, you’ve either gotta know exactly what you’re doing or you have got to start bouncing tracks. You can imagine, when you get into that, it’s addictive.
On a average day, I could have done that. I could have gone for a horse ride, as Linda was a big horse rider. At some point in the day we would have gone for a horse ride. I might have played with the kids, and they liked to go on horse rides too. Then in the evening, I’d drink whisky, of which there was a large supply in Scotland.”
“I did feel he [John] was preaching a little bit about what everyone should do, how they should live their lives,” Paul explains on the ‘Ramming’ video segment. “I felt some of it was a bit hypocritical.”
Midway through the sessions, Spinozza was replaced by Hugh McCracken when Spinozza became unavailable. The basic tracks for the album were taped at Columbia’s Studio B from 12 October to 20 November 1970 before the McCartneys returned to their Scottish farm for the Christmas holidays.
Work continued at Studio B and A&R Recording Studios, New York, from the second week of January 1971 through to February. The album was mixed at Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.By early 1971, the project was completed, along with “Another Day” and its B-side, “Oh Woman, Oh Why”
” At the beginning of the album, when I was writing it, I spent a lot of time in Scotland, and the average day there would be: get up, have breakfast with the family, then maybe go into my little studio. I always had a little four track studio, which is what The Beatles always used to record on. That’s a real discipline recording on a four track, you’ve either gotta know exactly what you’re doing or you have got to start bouncing tracks. You can imagine, when you get into that, it’s addictive.
Not many know that Macca had made a secret version of all-instrumental RAM: The Story of Percy Thrills Thrillington and his album.
Thrillington was recorded that same year but was released under the pseudonym Percy ‘Thrills’ Thrillington in 1977. Sources – Turkey Daily News – Amazon _ PaulMcCartney.com – YouTube -Dangerousminds.net
The songs were re-recorded over three days at EMI Studios in Abbey Road, London, from 15-17 June 1971, and was mixed on the 18th. Paul McCartney was the producer.
It is one of most notable works of Paul McCartney’s solo career, finally reprinted on viny