Nice review. Ram is my very favorite of McCartney's post Beatles. I've often wondered if he had not been panned so much for it back then, maybe we would have seen a lot more like it. I think he kind of turned directions after feeling people didn't like it. But in reality, it was very creative, and to me, was the most Beatles like of any of his post Beatles stuff.
Too many people is his rebuke of Lennon. "You took your lucky break and broke it in two." And yet, in that rebuke he made a very intriguing and enjoyable song.
I once read an article where this guy took the best of post Beatles recordings from Paul, John, George, and Ringo and listed them as if they had been Beatles albums going forward. He mentioned that all these songs were great in their own right, but mentioned, what if they had been worked on together in the studio, with George Martin, and they would have had that Beatles magic and been even better. He said they would have had many albums worth of great stuff for years going forward. That is something very interesting to think about.
I've read that Lennon needed McCartney to keep him from being too serious/melancholy, and that McCartney needed Lennon to keep him from being too silly/happy. I think it took both time after the Beatles to find their individual voices. All four members were unfathomably talented, but I suspect it was Paul who was first among equals and the real driving force within the band - frequently to the annoyance of the others.
These are some excellent insights. These guys needed each other.
And I think George Martin, too, was a big factor in how those guys were able to create the magic they did as the Beatles. He worked with McCartney on Live and Let Die, for example, where something akin to that old Beatles magic was on full display.
Nice review. Ram is my very favorite of McCartney's post Beatles. I've often wondered if he had not been panned so much for it back then, maybe we would have seen a lot more like it. I think he kind of turned directions after feeling people didn't like it. But in reality, it was very creative, and to me, was the most Beatles like of any of his post Beatles stuff.
Too many people is his rebuke of Lennon. "You took your lucky break and broke it in two." And yet, in that rebuke he made a very intriguing and enjoyable song.
I once read an article where this guy took the best of post Beatles recordings from Paul, John, George, and Ringo and listed them as if they had been Beatles albums going forward. He mentioned that all these songs were great in their own right, but mentioned, what if they had been worked on together in the studio, with George Martin, and they would have had that Beatles magic and been even better. He said they would have had many albums worth of great stuff for years going forward. That is something very interesting to think about.
Thanks for your comment, Ross. I agree completely about Ram. I've always thought it was an excellent album.
I've read that Lennon needed McCartney to keep him from being too serious/melancholy, and that McCartney needed Lennon to keep him from being too silly/happy. I think it took both time after the Beatles to find their individual voices. All four members were unfathomably talented, but I suspect it was Paul who was first among equals and the real driving force within the band - frequently to the annoyance of the others.
These are some excellent insights. These guys needed each other.
And I think George Martin, too, was a big factor in how those guys were able to create the magic they did as the Beatles. He worked with McCartney on Live and Let Die, for example, where something akin to that old Beatles magic was on full display.