An Exercise In Nonsense

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Even for someone as successful as Paul McCartney, there are a few albums that border on obscurity and 1971's Ram would be one of them. It's got a homey, sticky-taped together feel that goes with his early-Seventies low-key aesthetic. Almost devoid of hits, Ram is by turns minimal, lush, acerbic, sentimental, absurd and just plain funny. Even McCartney himself doesn't seem to know what to make of it, only performing a handful of tracks live. Tim Christensen, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham and the Damn Crystals set out to proselytise the album's cause in the best way possible. The band's incredible attention to even the smallest details is both heart- warming and breathtaking, matched only by their unbridled joy in bringing the jewels of this album out into the light for all to see. The production itself is stellar, with every note and nuance exactly where it should be in the mix.Music is about the creation of a magical state, and this is exactly what happens on each and every song. My only criticism is that I wish it were longer.Buy it and revel in it.