NewsPaul and Linda McCartney’s ‘Ram’ reissued on half-speed mastered vinyl
50th anniversary limited edition
Paul and Linda McCartney‘s 1971 album Ram is to be reissued in May for its 50th anniversary as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl edition.
Recorded pre-Wings, with drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarists David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken, the album exudes a homespun, lo-fi vibe and, it has to be said, wasn’t particularly well received at the time, but is now widely considered to be one of Paul’s most accomplished post-Beatles works
There are no big UK hits on the record. The best known track on Ram is probably ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ which remarkably, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (although wasn’t a single in Britain). The non-album track ‘Another Day’ preceded the release of the album.
The 50th anniversary half-speed mastered vinyl edition follows the same treatment given to the McCartney album, which was issued last year for record store Day. The new Ram vinyl will be very limited (2000 only for the UK) and will only be available via indie stores and McCartney/Universal channels.
It’s released on 14 May 2021. The SDE shop has now sold out. There is some availability at Rough Trade in the UK or Rough Trade in America.
Tracklisting
RAM Paul and Linda McCartney / 50th anniversary edition
-
-
Side 1
- Too Many People
- 3 Legs
- Ram On
- Dear Boy
- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
- Smile Away
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Side 2
- Heart of the Country
- Monkberry Moon Delight
- Eat at Home
- Long Haired Lady
- Ram On (Reprise)
- The Back Seat of My Car
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Side 1
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Still available to order at The Sound Of Vinyl! (11.30, 2nd April)
Of course this LP is still readily available in all its various vinyl guises as issued/reissued down the years and across the planet, especially if you fancy a gatefold version.
RAM (50th Anniversary Half-Speed Master Edition) Still available at Banquet Records for £26.99 + £2 P+P if anyone still wants to get one! Cheers.
Thanks, just ordered through Banquet Records!
Ordered from Rough Trade USA. I have several copies of this and echo the sentiment about wanting a half speed of the 2012 Mono. I was lucky enough to buy a copy of the mono when it was released in 2012.
Well, one of my two favorites macca (with Chaos & Creation), I don’t have it on vinyl and I won”t have this one either ; already sold out here, at McCartney’s store and uDiscover. And no, I don’t have local record shop.
What pisses me off is that in a couple of months we’ll find mint copies three times the price on eBay…
You can buy it from Abbey Road Studios Online Shop as well as Udiscover Germany:
https://shop.abbeyroad.com/*/*/RAM-50th-Anniversary-Half-Speed-Master-Edition-LP/6XIF0000000
https://store.udiscover-music.de/p51-i0602435577234?utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=60789_March%20Edition%20of%20Whats%20That%20Youre%20Doing%3F_231828_US&dm_i=4YVO%2C1AWL%2CCOM7J%2C5U4U%2C1
Still available here as well
https://store.udiscovermusic.com/*/*/RAM-50th-Anniversary-Half-Speed-Master-Edition-LP/6XIF0000000
It’s still available online through numerous independent record stores (Rough trade , Norman etc) – doesn’t take too much effort to find a copy if you want to.
You do t say where you are, but It’s still for sale on McCartneys UK store & uDiscover – unless you’re outside the UK & being geo-blocked
Thank you so much Benedikt, KevinS and KevinS !
I ordered it at Abbey Road, only 7£ for P&P to France ! I’m so happy !
I’m getting this but what I’d REALLY love is a half speed remaster of the mono, released to radio only RAM, that was issued in 2012!
The SDE stock didn’t last long lol
SDE sold out already, will now have to wait for the gold vinyl copy which no doubt will be announced next week
Ordered from you. Lots troublesome than trying to order the Bowie albums!! Cheers Paul
Many thanks!
Great April Fools Day Joke. Half Speed Mastering! Strictly Limited. LOL
:D Possibly …
Much as I love this album, I have more than enough copies of it. My ears probably won’t hear any difference anyway …
I find the appeal of these sort of releases eludes me; for all the undoubted and manifold charms of ‘Ram’ I can live without purchasing another version of it – which truth be told adds nothing to the original album. And eventually the continual mining of the same album through numerous reissues can detract and diminish the appeal of the album in question. ‘Pet Sounds’ numerous anniversary reissues being an example.
Why can’t MPL concentrate on the McCartney Archive reissues first before any fripperies like this? Where are ‘London Town’ and ‘Back to the Egg’? And in an ideal world wouldn’t it be great to know that the Archive series is committed to joining the dots up to ‘Flowers in the Dirt’ 0r even more up to ‘Flaming Pie’? Instead they are happy to drag things out leaving punters in the dark.
I don’t think it’s one or the other. Paul and MPL are constantly working on multiple projects… III Imagined, Lyric Book, Anniversary half-speed vinyl, Archive Collection reissues, another ‘Grandudes’ book, Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen book… and probably other things we don’t know about!!
That’s fine but they still aren’t listening to the fans. The clamour for London Town and Back to the egg is now deafening but Paul still is of the opinion these are lesser albums, but watching through fan videos on YouTube and reading various forums there is a lot of love for these albums from a generation of fans like me who discovered McCartney through these albums. It’s funny hearing the same story told that because a few years had passed, we were first generation that then realised that Paul Mccartney was the same chap in The Beatles! I’m panicking because as soon as these are announced they will be sold out.
What do you mean ‘not listening to fans’? The archive campaign isn’t some fan-driven initiative, it’s Paul reissuing the albums he loves in the order he wants. It’s only ever been that. I have every confidence that London Town and Back to the Egg will happen, and probably next. We know the archive releases happen once a year (sometimes longer) so we just have to wait.
I read something recently, which may explain the delay in Back to the Egg. The Rockestra requires multiple permissions being granted from artists and their estates, in some cases.
Would permissions from all the artists and estates have been required each of the prior (two?) times Back To The Egg was released on CD?
Save your money for the quater-speed remaster due in 2026.
I would be interested in the sound. Can anyone try to explain what were the sonic differences between the 2017 and 2020 version of his debut album? Thanks!
This explains the half-speed mastering process > https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/feature/abbey-road-engineer-explains-why-half-speed-mastering-produces-great-vinyl/
Thanks Paul.
Are there any SDE readers here that have compared the 2017 to the 2020 version of the debut album soundwise?
Terrific! (Meant both positively and sarcastically) …a chance to purchase probably my 11th copy of “Ram”! It is a brilliant album – the logical stylistic next step from side two of “Abbey Road” in its harmonic complexity, instrumental inventiveness and musical gear changes. My only reservation is that I do find Linda’s “drawling” BVs rather grating but the arrangements are perfect so I’ve got used to it. I’ve just ordered it through SDE.
Cheers David!
And thanks to you Paul! Especially for the unsolicited SDE T-shirt you included in my Neil Young Shakespeare box set that arrived the other day. Most appreciated – will be worn with pride! :-)
You’re welcome… but keep it quiet, everyone will want one! ;)