Re-recording classic rock albums has been an indie staple stretching back to the ‘80s, when
Pussy Galore did their own cassette-only spin on
Exile on Main St. and
Sonic Youth were long rumored to cover
the White Album in its entirety, but Portland indie musician
Dave Depper’s 2011
The Ram Project has more in common with
Karl Wallinger’s alleged practice of re-recording the
Beatles catalog: it’s a re-creation, not an interpretation. To jolt himself out of a creative malaise, he set out to replicate
Paul McCartney’s legendary shaggy homemade record
Ram on his own, enlisting Joan Hiller for
Linda McCartney harmonies.
McCartney may have done
Ram largely on his own in 1971 and
Depper certainly has access to more at-home studio trickery in 2011 but what’s remarkable is that
The Ram Project often feels as warm and ramshackle itself,
Depper showing considerable skill at aural painting, using precisely the right amount of reverb, adeptly overdubbing to provide space and color. As a sheer sonic achievement, it’s quite impressive and even if it doesn’t replace
Ram -- something it was never intended to do -- it does function as a fascinating footnote to the proper album, illustrating the invention that lies behind its recording, while also operating as an impressive document of what
Depper can do in the studio. Plus, it’s just a hell of a lot of fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine