News The classic album Linda McCartney struggled to record
As musicians ascend to legendary status, their stature often eclipses their humanity, with their catalogue of classic tracks casting an almost divine glow that obscures any imperfections. Paul McCartney, whose repertoire boasts numerous classics, found himself grappling with the challenge of enlisting his wife, Linda, to contribute to the magic of RAM.
Throughout the end of The Beatles’ career, McCartney wasn’t really looking to make the kind of pristine records that he was used to with his old mates. Compared to all of the long hours sitting in the studio making sure ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ came out just right, Macca was known to spend a lot of time in his house once the band ended, only picking himself up after Linda convinced him to start making music again.
Although his debut, McCartney, practically plays like a demo recording compared to his Beatles days, RAM was the first time that McCartney sounded like himself again. While far from the institution that he forged with John Lennon, McCartney’s solo work alongside his wife led to an album that felt more homespun, embracing the sounds that he heard when working on his Scottish farm.
As opposed to his solo debut, RAM would be credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, featuring his wife duetting with him on a number of songs like ‘Long Haired Lady’ and ‘3 Legs’. There was just one problem that went on before the project got started… Linda hadn’t really learned to play any instruments beforehand.
Thinking that he could teach her how to play, many of the songs feature Linda’s brilliant voice, adding different textures to the music rather than being front and centre. Even though ‘Dear Boy’ benefits from having a bunch of different voices, even Paul admitted that the track was far from the most technically proficient piece he ever created.
When discussing the material later in the book Still the Greatest, McCartney recalled just how hard it was getting the right takes for the songs, saying, “I worked her on the album because she hadn’t done an awful lot, so it was a little out of tune… She understood that it had to be good, and you couldn’t let any shit through. I gave her a hard time, I must say.”
Despite the painful development of the album, McCartney had created one of the most daring projects of his career… and critics hated it. Outside of a few compliments, most of the press lambasted McCartney for making something subpar, with even his former bandmates like Ringo Starr saying that he wasn’t at all pleased while listening to it.
If anything, hearing Linda’s voice on songs like ‘Dear Boy’ gives the record a lot of charm, as if the listening is in the couple’s home studio, hearing them declare their love for one another. And since Lennon was already making avant-garde music with Yoko Ono for years, then why not have Macca create some zany rock and roll with the love of his life?
