Ram [Deluxe Edition] - Paul & Linda McCartney
Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. All Music Guide
    May 25, 2012
    100
    These songs may not be self-styled major statements, but they are endearing and enduring, as is Ram itself, which seems like a more unique, exquisite pleasure with each passing year. Hardcore fans will definitely find the big set to be a worthwhile investment.
  2. The A.V. Club
    May 25, 2012
    100
    It's more of a "real" record than McCartney, but it just as firmly rejects rock-star self-importance.
  3. Pitchfork
    May 25, 2012
    92
    Ram is a domestic-bliss album, one of the weirdest, earthiest, and most honest ever made.
  4. Beats Per Minute (formerly One Thirty BPM)
    Aug 20, 2012
    90
    Ram's 2012 reincarnation sounds impeccable. Though the bonus tracks don't pack much punch, the LP's dozen original cuts, crowned by the breakthrough sensation "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey," arguably make this LP McCartney's seminal solo effort.
  5. Rolling Stone
    May 25, 2012
    90
    Ram sounds ahead of its time.
  6. Mojo
    Jul 18, 2012
    80
    Today it sounds quintessentially McCartney. [Jun 2012, p.100]
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  7. BBC Music
    May 25, 2012
    80
    There's little coherence... but the best moments are breathtaking.
  8. The Quietus
    May 25, 2012
    80
    The sheer ebullience, the devil-may-care attitude taken in the construction of these songs, makes it an album to treasure.
  9. Uncut
    May 25, 2012
    80
    Separated from its era and the defensiveness which spawned it, Ram sounds great. [Jun 2012, p.96]
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  10. Drowned In Sound
    May 25, 2012
    70
    This album has five more absolutely brilliant tracks.
  11. American Songwriter
    May 25, 2012
    60
    While the set of songs on this album may not count among the best of McCartney's career, they definitely provide a pleasurable listen for both casual fans and ardent supporters alike.
  12. Q Magazine
    Jun 22, 2012
    40
    Frustratingly uneven. [Jun 2012, p.118]
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. nintendoid13
    9
    I thought this album had a few good songs on it but for the most part, this was one of McCartney's weirdest albums. I like it because it's Paul, but it's not my favorite.… Full Review »
  2. jyo_tirmaya
    10
    I wasn't a big fan of any of the Beatles when they broke up. Later, especially after John died, I started going into their solo works, and after listening to John's work after the Beatles, I started getting into George's work, and now Paul's. The first two re-issues "Band on the Run," and now "Ram" have left me so amazed that Paul released such good music right after the Beatles. This album "Ram" is way up there in the Metacritic charts and deservedly so. It's a classic. I enjoy listening to the newly re-mastered album alone. John said in an interview once that throughout his musical career, he picked Paul and Yoko to work with on his music (at any given time), and that those were very good people to work with. I agree!… Full Review »
  3. pablopicasso
    10
    This is the sound of a man rediscovering his love for life. The joy and exuberance of it all is astounding -- it's music as pure play, the studio as McCartney's sand-box. At every moment he's experimenting with sounds, textures, song structures, words (check out the latter-day nonsense poetry of "Monkberry Moon Delight") and quite literally rediscovering his voice (the great rock vocal of "Monkberry," the scat singing on "Heart of the Country," the whoops and yelps that one has to go far back in the Beatles catalogue to find the likes of). The weight that had fallen on McCartney's shoulders over the previous few years is well-documented, visible in the Let it Be movie for all to see, written between the lines of Side Two of Abbey Road. Boy, you're going to carry that weight a long time, he'd said. But Ram is the sound of the weight dropping, of McCartney recapturing a spirit he'd last shown on Sgt. Pepper and has been trying recapture again ever since, most recently as The Fireman. We have Linda and the kids to thank for all this, as McCartney clearly knew: witness the four great love songs to Linda, the album art, and the homespun harmony of their voices. Ram is a great document of life, love, and the joys of music, all the better for its timing and for the contrast it makes with the work (just as excellent in its way of course) of Lennon and Harrison at this time.… Full Review »
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