Friday, January 15, 2010

Ram On (Part II)

I am a huge fan of The Beatles and when I say huge, I mean astronomically HUGE! In High School I went through a John Lennon phase (as we all do), especially being from the Upper West Side near The Dakota. Then in College, I became enamored with the incredible George Harrison in all his spiritual glory. My Ringo phase, as expected, was anti-climatic, being shorter and less exciting than even my Billy Preston phase. Finally that leaves Paul... The one who died, the Walrus, Michael Jackson's former friend, The Simpsons character (Actually everyone but John was on it).


The McCartney's with my favorite philosopher Lisa Simpson

For most of my life, Paul and I had a love/hate relationship. I feel that he represented the early Beatles very well, but as the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles emerged, with their more abstract, psychedelic sounds and themes, Paul, and his fiction novel-esque storytelling style was sort of left behind (see Strawberry Fields Vs. Penny Lane). It was not until earlier this year when somebody turned me on to McCartney's first Post-Fab Four album, Ram, that my rocky opinion turned into sheer admiration.

It is interesting to see how the seperate parts of the biggest band ever chose to cope with the break-up. The parting of the talents produced some of the biggest solo albums of the time, John Lennon's Imagine and (the watershed first ever triple album by a solo artist) George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, but amongst all the praise, Macca's Ram is often forgotten. It is an incredibly solid record top to bottom and features Paul and his amazing late-wife Linda's take on the world front and center, without compromise. The final product is a view into the strength of Paul's songwriting and musical prowess, combined with the fact that although he may not be the martyr of the Beatles, but he is still cooler than any of us will ever be. His lyrics might not be as rebellious, or metaphysical, but Paul McCartney is a world treasure, and any time he says anything... everybody should shut up and listen.

Song #43: Paul & Linda McCartney - Monkberry Moon Delight

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