"Ram" sessions (A&R Studios, New York City)

January-February, 1971 • For Paul & Linda McCartney

Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the Ram LP.
Studio:
A&R Studios, New York City

Songs recorded


1.

Too Many People

Written by Paul McCartney

Recording • Overdubs


2.









10.


11.

'Ram On' And Sheep Noises

Feb 22, 1971Recording "Ram On"






16.

Please Don't Bring My Banjo Back

Feb 22, 1971Recording "Ram On"


17.

Ram On

Feb 22, 1971Recording "Ram On"


18.


19.

Ram Ram

Feb 22, 1971Recording "Ram On"


20.


21.








About

I was a setup man in those days. Phil Ramone was the king of large orchestral recordings in New York at the time. He didn’t have that many guys around who had gone to music school and could read scores, which I was able to do. So I had some value to Phil, who asked me to work with him on the Ram sessions. […]

Paul came over to A&R to track the orchestra, vocals and some other overdubs with Phil. But Phil had a scheduling conflict one day and Paul asked me to take over. Things went well, and then Paul asked me if I’d finish the record with him.

Security was tight, and each day Paul and Linda would come up the back elevator with their kids and a playpen, which we set up in the front of the control room. I was a part-time nanny since Mary would often be crawling around the console and sitting on my lap! The interplay between Paul and Linda was sweet, especially when they were on-mic. Linda actually came up with some parts on her own — the entire backing vocals on ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ consists of the two of them — but when she needed a hand, Paul was great with her. […]

Dixon Van Winkle, from MixOnline, August 1, 2004

What a ball I had! Paul felt comfortable with me. Each day he and Linda, along with their baby, Mary, would be led up to Studio A in a back elevator. We’d set up a playpen for Mary and go to work. I also worked on Red Rose Speedway. Paul is such a pro! And he’s a one-taker. Paul liked to develop ideas in the studio, and he encouraged me to throw different sounds at him to inspire him. For example, he’d play his guitar, and I’d put different loop and echo effects on it and feed the processed sound out through his cans. He liked that spontaneity. One day he was standing around strumming on a ukulele, rocking from side to side, singing `Ram On.’ I ran out and put a mic on the ukulele, one on his face and a pair of mics down by his feet. The tapping you hear comes from the mics on his feet. We were recording to an Ampex MM1000 16-track machine that looked like something you should be making ice cream with. Once word got out that I’d done a lot of work on Ram, the dates flew at me,” he continues. “People started to realize that I could handle most any kind of session, since I could read charts and had played lots of different styles of music and many instruments.” […]

Dixon Van Winkle, from MixOnline, October 1, 2000
From tracks.co.uk – A 1970 photograph of Paul McCartney taken by his wife Linda McCartney. The black & white image has been developed from the original negative and shows Paul during the recording sessions for his RAM album which took place at Columbia’s CBS Building, New York during October & November 1970. It measures 35.5cm x 28cm (14 inches x 11 inches). There is some creasing to the corners. The condition is very good.The print comes from the collection of the McCartney family’s former housekeeper, Rose Martin.
From tracks.co.uk A vintage 1970 photograph of Paul McCartney taken by his wife Linda McCartney. The black & white image shows Paul during the recording sessions for his RAM album which took place at A&R Studios Room A1, New York in January 1971. It measures 28cm x 35.5cm (11 inches x 14 inches). There is some creasing to the corners and across the top edge. The condition is very good minus.

Last updated on June 7, 2020

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