Paul McCartney – The Light Appears

Like his first post Beatles album, Ram credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, was not well received upon release. Retrospective reviews have been far kinder and in some quarters its considered something of a classic. John Lennon heard it differently, with a few of the songs credited as being digs at McCartney’s former bandmate including first track “Too Many People” and it’s line, “too many people preaching practices”. With an echoey beginning and strong melody line, it’s a great opener.

“Ram On” is the same verse over and over again sung over a ukelele, it later appears as a reprise. “Dear Boy” sees McCartney appreciating his love for Linda with sly digs at her ex on how he did not appreciate what he had, it’s also one of the most Beatles sounding tracks. Both “Heart Of The Country” and closer “The Back Seat Of My Car” are terrific, breezy bits of music with no shortage of melodies.

At nearly six minutes, “Long Haired Lady” sees Linda take co-lead on a track that gets better as it goes on, the line “love is long” is repeated many times over. The highlight of the album is McCartney’s first solo #1 single in the US, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”. Separate songs stitched together by engineer Eirik Wangberg, the clever technique recalls past Beatles glories like the second half song suite of Abbey Road. It starts off as a dreamy track before getting more jaunty in the second half, it’s a remarkable slice of 70s pop rock. The entire album has a loose feel to it that really works, one where everything feels just fine.

The Archive Collection reissue from 2012 adds a further 8 songs to the original album including excellent first single post Beatles, “Another Day”. Describing an ordinary day for the rest of us, it’s similar in style to some of his past songs and British singles from The Kinks and blur. Bluesy B-side “Oh Woman, Oh Why” has a terrific guitar riff before giving way to a few more tuneful shorter tracks and the harder rocking 8-minute “Rode All Night”.

Ram – 9/10

Extras Disc – 7.5/10

After the break-up of The Beatles in the spring of 1970, John Lennon decamped to America to work on primal therapy before working on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album. Several months before, Paul McCartney went to his home in St John’s Wood in London and started working on his solo debut album. McCartney appeared one month before The Beatles’ final release; Let It Be. Mostly recorded on his own on a four track, McCartney has a more ragged and less polished effort than the meticulous work The Beatles typically released.

“The Lovely Linda” opens the album and washes over the listener like the breeze from an open window. It disappears as quickly as it came, replaced with a blues riff of “That Would Be Something” that sounds off the cuff and rides a cool groove. “Every Night” speaks to McCartney’s depression of the Beatles’ falling apart where he sings about staying in bed all day and blocking out the outside world.

“Hot As Sun/Glasses” is the first of four instrumentals on the album, a happy tune that changes into the playing of wine rims. “Junk” is a leftover from The Beatles sessions where Macca sings of items found in a junkyard, the track also later appears as an instrumental. “Teddy Boy” is decent leftover from The Beatles trip to India in 1968 that was originally worked on during the Let It Be sessions. “Man We Was Lonely” is a catchy yet throwaway track.

The most popular song here, “Maybe I’m Amazed” was never actually released as a single until several years later as a live version from Wings Over America. The song shows McCartney’s vulnerability in his love for the lovely Linda. “I’m a man, maybe I’m a lonely man/Who’s in the middle of something/that he doesn’t really understand”. The album shows it’s spirit when it follows up one of his most beloved tracks with an inconsequential instrumental. The album has a feel of a really trendy 90s indie rock album, veering from one style to another. While some of it is throwaway, it is always charming as Macca works out the start of his post Beatles life.

The 2011 special version of the album adds seven bonus tracks including outtakes and live versions of “Every Night” and “Hot As Sun”. Two live versions of “Maybe I’m Amazed” appear of which the echoey version from One Hand Clapping gets the nod over a more vocally raw 1979 performance.

McCartney – 8.5/10

Extra Disc – 6/10

Tag: Paul McCartney

Paul and Linda McCartney – Ram (Archive Collection – 2CD Edition) (2012)

Paul McCartney – McCartney (2011 Special Edition)