Dave Depper's latest production, The Ram Project, is the kind of concept many musicians would love to get their heads around. In fact, it's likely that quite a few have done so already, but their efforts never saw the light of day.
The album is Depper's own re-record of Paul McCartney's 1971 album Ram, credited to the ex-Beatle and his partner Linda McCartney. It marked part of the bridging period between McCartney's time in The Beatles and the formation of Wings.
Ram was originally released in both stereo and, unusually for a 1970s album, in a mono version as well. Depper's version pays its own homage to that school of thinking, as The Ram Project - while not lacking in production quality - has decidedly lo-fi elements and is likely to please fans of treble more than lovers of bass.
It's hard to choose one track from The Ram Project that really stands out over the others, such is the consistent quality of the recording. Instead, I'll simply provide you with the chance to gain an insight into what you can expect from the album, with a preview of Monkberry Moon Delight, an esoteric and fairly frivolous lyrics-heavy piece stretched over five and a half minutes of play time.
Granted, the album is 'proper' recordings, not a bootleg of a live show, but the spirit of the piece is the same - and the video above gives an ideal insight into the sense of inclusion that Dave Depper tries to create between himself and his listener.
The Verdict
As mentioned above, this is an album that really comes into its own when you crank up the treble. Blasting out of poor-quality laptop speakers, its lo-fidelity shines through just as well as it does in Altec Lansing surround sound - trust me, I've tried it both ways.
The tracks may not technically be Beatles songs, but they have all the hallmarks of McCartney's unique songwriting techniques, wonderful layering of different sounds, and Depper makes a grand effort of delivering the vocals in a way not dissimilar from Sir Paul's original performance.
It all adds up to a modern-day album which makes no pretences about its classic influence, and which combines the best of both worlds into a single production Depper can be proud of. McCartney fans, try not to be too precious about it - give The Ram Project a fair chance and you're likely to be impressed.
Final Score: 68%
No comments:
Post a Comment