I know everybody who pledged to the marathon has not yet received their premiums, but based on the other thread, it seems like a good number of people have. Although the Ram tribute CD is certainly not the only part of the premium, it seems to be garnering the most attention and certainly seems to have been the most labor-intensive part of the package, so I figured this would be a good place for people to leave reviews and opinions.
First of all, I have to congratulate Tom and everyone involved. There's no good reason for this to be as successful as it is. All-covers albums are generally a dicey proposition, and in my experience, the more beloved the source material, the smaller the chances of success. Whether the material is beloved by the listener or the material, there are plenty of potential pitfalls. The devoted listener is going to expect a version as good as the song they love, and covers as good as the original are rare. For the devoted performer, the temptation to try and copy the original is great and, again, usually results in a watered-down copy. My least favorite moments here are the ones that simply try to copy the original (I will not be naming these tracks, since this thread is about celebrating success).
Personally, my favorite covers (both in general and specifically on this disc) are the ones that do something new with the song, whether it's injecting a new element or two (examples here includes The Black Hollies dropping a fuzztone onto Heart of the Country or the Spider Bags putting a country spin on Long Haired Lady) or completely changing the song into something new.
With that in mind, here are some of my favorite moments:
Portastatic - Ram On - See my final comments above. This might as well be a different song than McCartney's original. The jaunty, banjo-led (Edit: or is it a mandolin? I do not know my old-timey stringed instruments as well as I should) original is transformed into a somber, psychedelic funeral dirge that makes a pretty clear sonic reference to Sun King by the Beatles. A brilliant interpretation.
Dump - Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - The guest vocalist puts it over the top. I knew it was coming but his entrance still made me burst out laughing.
Hank IV - Smile Away - This version has the most legitimate claim at "better than McCartney's original." Smile Away is the most rocking track on Ram, so the Hank IV make it louder, dumber, and altogether filthier.
Ted Leo - The Back Seat of My Car - As I said in the other thread, I think this is the best track on Tom/Dog. Ted Leo has the most daunting task of anyone participating since the original is Ram's most complete presentation of McCartney's many talents. Teddy Rockstar KILLS it. The fact that he was able to pull this off completely by himself makes me sick with jealousy.
What are your favorites?
