I plan to review one golden oldie from my collection and one relatively new release that I really enjoyed each month. I welcome any ideas, comments or ideas for future reviews.
"Ram" by Paul McCartney (released 1971 - remastered 2012)
McCartney coped with the Beatles split by doing what he does best, writing and recording amazing pop/rock tunes. This is my favorite of McCartney's solo albums and followed his sometimes brilliant but uneven debut, "McCartney". "Ram" showcases a musical genius at a creative peak and the music pours out at a dizzying pace. Moving effortlessly from the rock infused opener "Too Many People" (dig the awesome guitar flourishes - all by McCartney) to the bluesy goofiness of "3 Legs" to the ukelele/keyboard bounce of "Ram On" followed by the darkly beautiful piano driven "Dear Boy" into the centerpiece of the record "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (a stunning five minute musical suite that leaps from one ear-hugging hook to another matching anything the Beatles produced). The rollicking "Smile Away" leads to the unhinged wildness that is "Monkberry Moon Delight" (any song that begins with the line "I sat in the attic with a piano up my nose" guarantees a good time ahead). "Eat at Home" and "Long Haired Lady" highlight McCartney's voice at it's most melodic. The album ends with the penultimate paean to teenage love "The Back Seat of my Car". It is mind-boggling that McCartney plays every instrument and yet elicits the groove and passion of a live band. His vocals as always are jaw-droppingly ridiculous. Sliding flawlessly from crystalline perfection to throat shredding abandon and everyplace in between. Simply the greatest rock writer/musician/singer of all time. The 2012 remaster includes a bonus disc of 8 tracks highlighted by the gem "Another Day" and the boogie woogie of "Little Woman Love". Ram On!
"Ghosts" by Marked Men (released 2009)
Hailing from Denton, Texas and fronted by the frantic duel guitar attack/vocals of Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan, Marked Men may be the greatest band you've never heard of. "Ghosts" is a flawlessly executed thirty minute attack on the nervous system! Hurtling through fifteen amazingly addictive songs in a half hour setting a standard rarely achieved by anyone. Led by a sharp jittery guitar snap and buzz (think Ramones + Buzzcocks) every tune is a 2 minute rush of adrenaline. More hook-filled riffs and rhythms than you can shake a 6-string at all accompanied by sweet post-punk whining harmony-laden vocal melodies. Not a second is wasted as each cut explodes to life like a coiled spring, roars into the catchy chorus and charges into the next tune almost before you know what hit you. "Stay Away" could play on an eternal loop in my head and I'd die a happy man. The closer "Blew My Head" at a relatively marathon-like length of three minutes begs you to repeat the whole experience (gladly and often). This is the fourth and final album by Marked Men although the members continue to perform together and in other projects such as The Mind Spiders. They must have been a killer live band because this album is an unrelenting rip-roaring Punk/Pop delight!
