Ram [Deluxe Edition]
by Paul & Linda McCartney
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critic Reviews

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. Beats Per Minute
    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.
  2. Mojo
    Jul 18, 2012
    80
    Today it sounds quintessentially McCartney. [Jun 2012, p.100]
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  3. BBC Music
    May 25, 2012
    80
    There's little coherence... but the best moments are breathtaking.
  5. Pitchfork
    May 25, 2012
    92
    Ram is a domestic-bliss album, one of the weirdest, earthiest, and most honest ever made.
  6. 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.
  7. 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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  8. AllMusic
    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.
  9. Drowned In Sound
    May 25, 2012
    70
    This album has five more absolutely brilliant tracks.
  10. Rolling Stone
    May 25, 2012
    90
    Ram sounds ahead of its time.
  11. 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.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 2 out of 46
  1. BladeLover2049
    Dec 9, 2020
    10
    His solo masterpiece. Hate, love, insecurity, trust, everything comes in this album that unfolds to show itself as one of the best albums in history.
  2. pablopicasso
    Jun 6, 2012
    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, theThis 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 »
  3. Ricko
    Jun 20, 2021
    8
    "Ram" is my favourite post Beatles McCartney release. If it was released today it would essentially be classed as an indie pop album but such"Ram" is my favourite post Beatles McCartney release. If it was released today it would essentially be classed as an indie pop album but such a tag would do it a disservice. This record may have the sound of a pop record and it certainly has the lyrical depth of one but behind this initial impression is some serious musical complexity. McCartney experiments and pushes himself in a way that just wasn't appreciated at all at the time. I guess at the time of release it was being compared to Harrisons' masterpiece "All Things Must Pass" and Lennon's primal and soul baring "Plastic Ono Band". Very little can compare to those two records and to be fair, "Ram" also struggles next to them. That said, McCartney made a completely different record to either of those and one could argue that with the passing of time, his work here on "Ram" was every bit as influential on shaping the pop music that followed. Universally savaged by the critics at the time (which in itself tells you all you need to know about music critics), the passing of time has allowed people to focus on the record rather than which Beatle you were siding with after the break up. A gem.… Full Review »
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