Lennon and McCartney go head-to-head yet again.
Ram was McCartney’s second solo album, released in 1971, and is a prime example of how popular music, on its release, is adjudged by so many factors other than music. Macca was in disfavour in 1971, regarded, wrongly, as the man who broke up The Beatles and also as the politico-spiritual lightweight of the quartet (Ringo has always been given a pass on these matters!). 50 years later, disconnected from all such blather,
Ram is a jolly thing, scrappy but fun, with an unpretentious thrown-together quality, songs such as lo-fi Beach Boys pastiche “Dear Boy” rubbing up against the entertainingly silly, music hall rockin’ ode to marjuana “Monkberry Moon Delight”. It does, indeed, sound like a man decompressing after the monumental, generational expectations placed on his previous band. In gatefold, it also comes half-speed mastered so sounds great. Lennon’s first solo effort, the
‘The Who Sell Out’ and ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band boxed sets top this week’s new releases
Updated 9:40 AM;
Today 9:40 AM
“The Who Sell Out” boxed set, left, and the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (The Ultimate Collection) top this week’s new music releases. (Photos courtesy of Geffen/UMe and Capitol UMe respectively)
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CLEVELAND, Ohio Big box sets from John Lennon and the Who set the pace for this week’s batch of new music releases, while Dirty Honey, Peter Frampton, Eric Church and Twiztid offer up fresh recordings.
Album of the Week: Some blasts from the past are louder than others, at the cash register and otherwise, and two packages in particular are worth making some noise about. The Who, “The Who Sell Out” (Geffen/UMe) bolsters the group’s ambitious 1967 concept album with 112 tracks, 46 previously unreleased, and other memorabilia for an immersive deep dive. An even more intensive rendering is given to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Ban