March 22, 2012

The 1971 Paul and Linda McCartney album, Ram, will be reissued on May 22 in various formats as the fourth installment Paul McCartney Archive Collection series. The 12-song release included the #1 hit "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," as well as such memorable tunes as "Too Many People" and "Monkberry Moon Delight."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is an album from a long, long time ago, when the world was different," McCartney says in a statement. "It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created. I hope you're going to like it, because I do!"

Ram will be available across a variety of different formats:

Standard Edition: 1 CD digipak Single disc, digitally remastered 12- track standard edition

Special Edition: 2 CD digipak Remastered album and 8-track bonus audio CD including rarities, b-sides and the hit single, 'Another Day'.

Deluxe Edition Box Set: 4 CD/1 DVD box set & download Remastered album, bonus audio CD, remastered Mono album, Thrillington CD, bonus film DVD, 112 page book, 5 prints in vintage style photographic wallet, 8 full size facsimiles of Paul's original handwritten lyric sheets and mini photographic book of outtakes from the original album cover photo shoot.

Hi-Res: 24bit 96kHz files of the remastered and bonus audio CD, accessed via a download code inserted on a card within the deluxe edition package

Vinyl: 2LP 180gm, gatefold vinyl with download Remastered album, bonus audio disc plus digital download of all 20 tracks

Limited Edition Mono Vinyl: 1LP, Remastered mono album

Digital : RAM will be available for download across a variation of digital configurations

Link

Every time I see one of these releases, it is bittersweet to me.

This album wasn't nearly as important or popular as Purple Rain yet it gets a full-on awesome set of reissues.

Good for McCartney fans, though. I'm jealous again.

Ever since Paul ended his business relationship with EMI, he has been overly enthusiastic about giving his back catalogue the remastering treatment. He knows exactly how to please his fan base (unlike someone else we know).

Yes!! Been waiting for this one. Will pre-order the vinyl

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[Edited 3/20/13 23:23pm]

RAM isn't just IMO my favorite of Paul's records....it might actually be my favorite of any of the solo Beatle albums.

Personally I'm most looking forward to the THRILLINGTON inclusion. That's one wacky random as hell record.

http://www.youtube.com/wa..._Qwzcq7Gjo

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[Edited 3/20/13 23:23pm]

After years of derision, RAM is viewed unequivocally as one of the greatest post-Beatles solo albums. "Back Seat of My Car", "Dear Boy" and "Too Many People" are only a few of the outstanding cuts Paul wrote for this once unappreciated album.

Preview of the Ramming Documentary taken from the deluxe reissue.

The standard release tracklisting is today confirmed as:

Standard Edition
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away
7. Heart Of The Country
8. Monkberry Moon Delight
9. Eat At Home
10. Long Haired Lady
11. Ram On
12. The Back Seat Of My Car


In keeping with the reissue campaign to date, the Deluxe Edition Box Set is the ultimate collectable for any fan of this album. Its stunningly presented 112-page book, photo prints, handwritten lyrics and notes, four CDs and a bonus film DVD, tells the full story of a classic album that has gone down in music history as one of the most revered in McCartney's catalogue.

The Deluxe Edition tracklisting is revealed as follows:

CD 1 - Remastered Album (as listed above)

CD 2 - Bonus Audio
1. Another Day
2. Oh Woman, Oh Why
3. Little Woman Love
4. A Love For You (Jon Kelly Mix)
5. Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)
6. Great Cock And Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)
7. Rode All Night
8. Sunshine Sometime (Earliest Mix)

CD 3 - Remastered Mono Album
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away
7. Heart Of The Country
8. Monkberry Moon Delight
9. Eat At Home
10. Long Haired Lady
11. Ram On
12. The Back Seat Of My Car

CD 4 - Thrillington - Remastered Album
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away
7. Heart Of The Country
8. Monkberry Moon Delight
9. Eat At Home
10. Long Haired Lady
11. The Back Seat Of My Car

DVD - Bonus Film
1. Ramming
2. Heart Of The Country
3. 3 Legs
4. Hey Diddle
5. Eat At Home On Tour
- Menu music features a selection of jingles from the promo disc Brung To Ewe By

Other content:
112-page book with 32 page scrapboook, 5 photo prints, wallet including facsimiles of Paul's handwritten lyrics and notes, mini-photographic book of outtakes from the album cover photo shoot, plus digital-only premium membership to paulmccartney.com.
(Digital Membership will only include access to a premium account, the members pack and digital downloads are not included)

RAM, originally released in May of 1971, is the only album to be credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney and was Paul's second post-Beatles LP. It was overshadowed at the time by the drama of the dissolution of The Beatles, as played out in the world's media. The album topped the charts hitting #1 in the UK and #2 in the US. While RAM polarized critics upon its release, music fans and critics alike since have overwhelmingly embraced it, with Rolling Stone, for example, revising their original review up to 4 stars. Recently RAM has enjoyed even further re-appraisal and acknowledgement including a number of tribute albums.

RAM was written by Paul and Linda, mostly at their Scottish farm on the Mull of Kintyre. In the autumn of 1970 they flew to New York to start the recording process. Without a band in place they auditioned and drafted musicians, who included future Wings drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarists David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken.

The band completed the album in early 1971 along with non-album tracks 'Another Day' and 'Oh Woman, Oh Why' which were released together as Paul's first post-Beatles single ahead of the release of RAM and became a Top 5 global hit. The multi-disc editions of the RAM reissue include both songs as bonus tracks. The album also gave Paul his first post-Beatles US number 1 single with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' and a Grammy win for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

RAM was also issued in mono with alternate mixes, which were only made available to radio stations at the time. This version has gone on to become one of the most sought after McCartney collectables. It will now be commercially available for the first time ever on CD as part of the Deluxe Edition as well as a limited run on vinyl.

1977 saw the release of Thrillington, an instrumental interpretation of RAM, which was originally recorded in 1971 at London's Abbey Road Studios and was arranged by Richard Hewson. It was released under the pseudonym Percy 'Thrills' Thrillington, an unknown eccentric socialite who often cropped up in mysterious newspaper classifieds. In reality Percy was a character devised by Paul and Linda. The idea behind it was simply to have some fun and the concept of doing a full orchestral album was an ambition long held by Paul.

The additional film content features previously unreleased and exclusive content including the brand-new documentary, "Ramming" narrated by Paul, as well as the original music videos for "Heart Of The Country" and "3 Legs".

The remastering work was done at Abbey Road using the same team who recently remastered the complete Beatles' catalogue.

Available across a variety of different formats, the additional format tracklistings are as follows:

Special Edition:
CD 1 - Remastered Album
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away
7. Heart Of The Country
8. Monkberry Moon Delight
9. Eat At Home
10. Long Haired Lady
11. Ram On
12. The Back Seat Of My Car

CD 2 - Bonus Audio
1. Another Day
2. Oh Woman, Oh Why
3. Little Woman Love
4. A Love For You (Jon Kelly Mix)
5. Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)
6. Great Cock And Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)
7. Rode All Night
8. Sunshine Sometime (Earliest Mix)


Vinyl:
Disc 1 - Side A
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away

Disc 1 - Side B
1. Heart Of The Country
2. Monkberry Moon Delight
3. Eat At Home
4. Long Haired Lady
5. Ram On
6. The Back Seat Of My Car

Disc 1 - Side C
1. Another Day
2. Oh Woman, Oh Why
3. Little Woman Love
4. A Love For You (Jon Kelly Mix)
5. Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)

Disc 1 - Side D
1. Great Cock And Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)
2. Rode All Night
3. Sunshine Sometime (Earliest Mix)

Download
Remastered album & bonus audio disc as high quality MP3s via a download code inserted on a card within the vinyl package


Limited Edition Mono Vinyl:
Side A
1. Too Many People
2. 3 Legs
3. Ram On
4. Dear Boy
5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
6. Smile Away

Side B
1. Heart Of The Country
2. Monkberry Moon Delight
3. Eat At Home
4. Long Haired Lady
5. Ram On
6. The Back Seat Of My Car

Digital:
RAM will be available for download across a variation of digital configurations
including Mastered for iTunes and High Resolution. Two digital-only bonus
tracks will be available via paulmccartney.com and iTunes:
1. Eat At Home/Smile Away (Live in Groningen, 1972)
2. Uncle Albert Jam


Single:
Limited edition 7" vinyl single as a special release for 'Record Store Day' on 21st April 2012, for independent record stores only

Side A
Another Day

Side B
Oh Woman, Oh Why

Already pre-ordered the vinyl. Looking forward to hearing it!