This Day in Music
Michael Fitzgibbon
A legendary Beatle, a legendary drummer, the rainbows are rising, and Elvis is in Asheville, on this day in music.
Ram
1971: Legendary songwriter and musician Paul McCartney releases his second post-Beatles studio album, “Ram,” credited to Paul and Linda McCartney. Recorded in New York and released by Apple Records, it was also produced by Paul and Linda McCartney. Let’s be real though: This is a Paul McCartney solo album.
“Ram” was released shortly after Paul’s petition in the High Court to dissolve the Beatles partnership, and during a time of tension between the ex-bandmates.
For example, John Lennon took offence to some of the lyrics on the album, including “…too many people preaching practices” from the song “Too Many People.” McCartney did later admit that the line was a small dig at John and Yoko for their sermonizing, so it was not unreasonable for John to feel insult. McCartney also admitted the song’s lyric “…you took your lucky break and broke it in two” was a shot at Yoko, and was originally going to be “…Yoko took your lucky break and broke it in two.”
Upon its release, the album was pilloried by music reviewers. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone described the record as “incredibly inconsequential” and “monumentally irrelevant,” and claimed that it exposed McCartney as having “benefited immensely from collaboration.” This is a preposterous description of both the album and Paul, seemingly driven by a dislike of the musician rather than honest criticism of the music. Not to mention, of course Paul benefitted from collaboration with John, and John did with Paul, and all The Beatles with each other. To make that a knock against Paul is nonsense.
Though Landau was the harshest, other critics were near-equally unimpressed by “Ram,” with Playboy publishing that Paul was “substituting facility for any real substance,” and Robert Christgau of the Village Voice wrote, “…a bad record, a classic form/content mismatch.” Defending the LP, Paul Levinson, also writing in the Village Voice, said the mismatch was “…in the wires and components of Christgau's stereo.” Ouch.
I suppose it’s only befitting that an album which set two musicians from the same band at odds with each other would also set two writers from the same newspaper at odds with each other. As for me, I like “Ram,” and think the critics got it wrong.
Some of the standout tracks include “Too Many People,” “Dear Boy,” “Heart of the Country,” and the delightful “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.” The record is definitely worth the time, and I encourage everyone to do what I will today: Listen to it!
Rising
1976: “Rising,” the second studio album by British-American heavy rock band Rainbow, is released. Receiving universal critical acclaim, it ranks as one of the best heavy rock albums of the Seventies and is my favourite from Rainbow, a band formed by ex-Deep Purple guitarist, Richie Blackmore.
With Ronnie Jame Dio on vocals, and the great Cozy Powell on drums, this was a powerhouse band. All the tracks on the LP are stunners, but the highlight is “Stargazer,” an 8-minute near-epic that includes the string and horn sections from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and begins with a mind-boggling drum intro by Powell. Rounding out the lineup was Tony Carey on keyboards and Jimmy Bain on bass.
Willam Scott Bruford
1949: In Seven Oaks (Kent), England, Dr. William Scott Bruford, PhD, or Bill Bruford for short, is born. Dr. Bruford earned his PhD in music from the University of Surrey in 2016, subsequent to his retirement from performance in 2009.
Bruford has played with the three most-legendary progressive rock outfits in history. First he was with Yes, then he joined King Crimson, and he toured with Genesis in 1976. He was also a founding member of the legendary prog band U.K. with King Crimson alumnus John Wetton, and co-founders Alan Holdsworth and Eddie Jobson.
With a distinctive thumbs-up and relaxed playing style, Bruford is known for his mastery of polyrhythmic patterns and odd time signatures, his distinctive snare drum sound and playing, his adoption and long-term playing of Simmons electronic drums, and his unique drumset configurations combining acoustic and electronic percussion.
In addition to five solo albums, he also founded the jazz-fusion band Earthworks in 1987, and released ten albums with the group, gradually becoming a more classic-to-modern sounding jazz band, abandoning electronics altogether. All told, Bruford has appeared on 91 albums as a member of a band, bandleader, solo artist, duo, or in collaboration with other artists.
One of my favourite Bruford records is a duet with ex-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz titled “Flags.” It is all drums and keyboards, both acoustic and electronic, and it’s awesome. I highly recommend it.
Bill has recently returned to performing and is currently on tour with The Pete Roth Trio, an improvisational jazz fusion combo. Their next stop is May 27th in Toronto at The Garrison.
Happy 77th Birthday, Dr. Bill!
The Daily Elvis
1955: In Asheville, North Carolina, Elvis performs for the Hank Snow All-Star Jamboree tour stop at the City Auditorium. He was billed as an additional special attraction, and was not part of every date on the tour. Elvis’s star was rising fast and Col. Tom Parker, who also co-owned the Jamboree, was carefully managing his career.
