Ram (album) - Recording and Structure

Recording and Structure

After the release of the commercially successful (though, critically, poorly received) debut McCartney, Paul and Linda went on a lengthy holiday and spent much time on their farm on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. It was during this period that Paul, often with his wife's input − her self-confessed lack of musical ability notwithstanding − composed the songs that would feature on Ram. The couple flew to New York City in the fall of 1970 to record the new material.

Lacking a working band, they held auditions for musicians, bringing some in under the guise of a session to record a commercial jingle. Denny Seiwell was recruited on drums, David Spinozza was tapped for guitar duties (later replaced by Hugh McCracken when Spinozza became unavailable), and Marvin Stamm was featured on flugelhorn on "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". Although it was a collaborative project, Linda's vocal duties were mostly limited to backing Paul, who sang almost all of the lead parts. Linda sang co-lead vocals upon "Long Haired Lady", however. The sessions also birthed future songs such as "Dear Friend", released on the debut Wings album Wild Life later in 1971, "Little Woman Love" (B-side to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"), as well as future tracks featured on Wings' 1973 album, Red Rose Speedway; "Get on the Right Thing", "Big Barn Bed" (opening lines of which can be heard on "Ram On (Reprise)"), and "Little Lamb Dragonfly".

By early 1971, the project was completed along with the non-album "Another Day" / "Oh Woman, Oh Why" single − McCartney's first after The Beatles − which was released that February and became a worldwide Top 5 hit. In May, Ram was unveiled.

Despite the phasing-out of monaural albums by the late 1960s, Ram was pressed in mono (MAS 3375) with unique mixes that differ from the common stereo version (SMAS 3375). These were only made available to radio stations and are among the most valuable and sought-after of Paul McCartney's solo records. The mono album was commercially released in 2012.

Apart from the songs released on Ram and the first two Wings albums, McCartney also recorded the following tracks during these sessions:

• "A Love for You"
• "Rode All Night"
• "When the Wind Is Blowing"
• "Sunshine Sometime"
• "Hey Diddle"
• "Great Cock and Seagull Race"