712 - Ram Jam - Portrait of the Artist As a Young Ram (1978)
TRACKS
1 Gone Wild (Love, Strange) 3:26
2 Pretty Poison (Love, Strange) 4:33
3 The Kid Next Door (Love, Strange) 3:26
4 Turnpike (Goldman, Santoro) 5:44
5 Wanna Find Love (Goldman, Santoro) 3:45
6 Just Like Me (Goldman, Santoro) 4:15
7 Hurricane Ride (Goldman, Santoro) 4:05
8 Saturday Night (Goldman, Santoro) 3:33
9 Runway Runaway (Goldman, Love, Santoro, Strange) 4:50
10 Please, Please, Please (Please Me) (Goldman) 2:59
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CREDITS
Bill Bartlett - Guitar, Vocals
Howard Arthur Blauvelt - Bass, Vocals
Peter Charles - Drums
Myke Scavone - Percussion, Vocals
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REVIEW
by Donald A. Guarisco
After scoring a major hit with "Black Betty" in 1977, Ram Jam returned in 1978 with another punchy set of hard rock tunes. Though Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram failed to produce any hit singles like "Black Betty," it actually improves on their previous album by managing to broaden the group's sound without cutting back on the hard rock firepower that got them noticed. For instance, songs like "The Kid Next Door" and "Please Please (Please Me)" add keyboard textures that flesh out the group's sound without distracting from their guitar-driven attack. Ram Jam also makes an interesting departure from their trademark twin-guitar rock sound on the dramatic power ballad "Turnpike": this lost-love lament alternates a hard-rocking chorus with moody piano-driven verses to create an surprisingly ornate blend of AOR melodicism and hard rock bombast. However, the majority of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram is devoted to straightforward guitar rock; "Wanna Find Love" and "Saturday Night" blend pop hooks and metal riffs as effectively as anything on Ram Jam. Other tunes up the ante by presenting a frenetic level of energy that borders on punk rock: "Just Like Me" and "Hurricane Ride" both toss out slashing guitar riffs over double-time rhythms to create songs that sound like the Ramones gone metal crazy. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram further benefits from short, tight song structures that keep things from getting too excessive (the ambitious "Turnpike" is the only song that runs over 4 and a half minutes). All in all, this is a fine hard rock outing that is worthy of its cult reputation and a treat for anyone who likes hard-driving 1970s rock music.
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BIOGRAPHY
by Andrew Hamilton
The members of Ram Jam were Bill Barlett (former lead guitarist of the Lemon Pipers), Pete Charles (drummer), Myke Scavone (lead singer), and Howie Arthur Blauvett, who sang with Billy Joel in two earlier groups (the Hassles and El Primo). Ram Jam's only hit, "Black Betty," created quite a stir when Epic Records released it. The recording session was the brainstorm of Barlett and bubblegum producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. Two civil rights groups, the N.A.A.C.P. and C.O.R.E., called for a boycott of the song, claiming it insulted black women. Despite the controversy, it still reached the number 18 spot on Billboard's pop chart in September 1977. The Cincinnati band Starstruck had released a more driving, riveting version of "Black Betty" on the Truckstar label before Ram Jam's version. Starstruck's version received little airplay or recognition; ironically, future Ram Jam member Barlett had been a member of Starstruck when they recorded "Black Betty."In the early '90s the producers remixed "Black Betty" and got an international hit for their efforts. The band released two LPs: Ram Jam (1977) and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram (1978). Epic issued only three singles by the rockers. Blauvelt joined Spitball, a funky blues-type band, in the '90s, and performed with them until he died of a heart attack. Billy Joel often dedicates "We Didn't Start the Fire" to Blauvelt when he performs live. Barlett continued to play in the southwestern Ohio/eastern Indiana area.
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RAPIDSHARE
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TRACKS1 Gone Wild (Love, Strange) 3:26
2 Pretty Poison (Love, Strange) 4:33
3 The Kid Next Door (Love, Strange) 3:26
4 Turnpike (Goldman, Santoro) 5:44
5 Wanna Find Love (Goldman, Santoro) 3:45
6 Just Like Me (Goldman, Santoro) 4:15
7 Hurricane Ride (Goldman, Santoro) 4:05
8 Saturday Night (Goldman, Santoro) 3:33
9 Runway Runaway (Goldman, Love, Santoro, Strange) 4:50
10 Please, Please, Please (Please Me) (Goldman) 2:59
------------------------------
CREDITS
Bill Bartlett - Guitar, Vocals
Howard Arthur Blauvelt - Bass, Vocals
Peter Charles - Drums
Myke Scavone - Percussion, Vocals
------------------------------
REVIEW
by Donald A. Guarisco
After scoring a major hit with "Black Betty" in 1977, Ram Jam returned in 1978 with another punchy set of hard rock tunes. Though Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram failed to produce any hit singles like "Black Betty," it actually improves on their previous album by managing to broaden the group's sound without cutting back on the hard rock firepower that got them noticed. For instance, songs like "The Kid Next Door" and "Please Please (Please Me)" add keyboard textures that flesh out the group's sound without distracting from their guitar-driven attack. Ram Jam also makes an interesting departure from their trademark twin-guitar rock sound on the dramatic power ballad "Turnpike": this lost-love lament alternates a hard-rocking chorus with moody piano-driven verses to create an surprisingly ornate blend of AOR melodicism and hard rock bombast. However, the majority of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram is devoted to straightforward guitar rock; "Wanna Find Love" and "Saturday Night" blend pop hooks and metal riffs as effectively as anything on Ram Jam. Other tunes up the ante by presenting a frenetic level of energy that borders on punk rock: "Just Like Me" and "Hurricane Ride" both toss out slashing guitar riffs over double-time rhythms to create songs that sound like the Ramones gone metal crazy. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram further benefits from short, tight song structures that keep things from getting too excessive (the ambitious "Turnpike" is the only song that runs over 4 and a half minutes). All in all, this is a fine hard rock outing that is worthy of its cult reputation and a treat for anyone who likes hard-driving 1970s rock music.
------------------------------
BIOGRAPHY
by Andrew Hamilton
The members of Ram Jam were Bill Barlett (former lead guitarist of the Lemon Pipers), Pete Charles (drummer), Myke Scavone (lead singer), and Howie Arthur Blauvett, who sang with Billy Joel in two earlier groups (the Hassles and El Primo). Ram Jam's only hit, "Black Betty," created quite a stir when Epic Records released it. The recording session was the brainstorm of Barlett and bubblegum producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. Two civil rights groups, the N.A.A.C.P. and C.O.R.E., called for a boycott of the song, claiming it insulted black women. Despite the controversy, it still reached the number 18 spot on Billboard's pop chart in September 1977. The Cincinnati band Starstruck had released a more driving, riveting version of "Black Betty" on the Truckstar label before Ram Jam's version. Starstruck's version received little airplay or recognition; ironically, future Ram Jam member Barlett had been a member of Starstruck when they recorded "Black Betty."In the early '90s the producers remixed "Black Betty" and got an international hit for their efforts. The band released two LPs: Ram Jam (1977) and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram (1978). Epic issued only three singles by the rockers. Blauvelt joined Spitball, a funky blues-type band, in the '90s, and performed with them until he died of a heart attack. Billy Joel often dedicates "We Didn't Start the Fire" to Blauvelt when he performs live. Barlett continued to play in the southwestern Ohio/eastern Indiana area.
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RAPIDSHARE
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