Of all The Beatles, Paul McCartney probably had the most pressure on him after the breakup of the band. John Lennon had the status of peace icon to fall back on, and no one expected much of George and Ringo (which probably explains why their early solo careers were both quite successful). His first album predictably sold well, but consisted of songs that sounded more like demos — not surprising given that he recorded it at home.

On its initial release, McCartney’s second album, a full-fledged studio affair entitled Ram, met a wall of generally unfair criticism: Jon Landau in Rolling Stone called it “monumentally irrelevant.” With time, the criticism has slowly faded, such that critics now regard it as one of his best works. Now Portland musician Dave Depper, member of numerous Portland-area bands (including Loch Lomond) and veteran of tours with bands such as The Decemberists, has recorded a cover of that entire album. Continue reading »