MACCAalbums

Ram

	Artist: Paul & Linda McCartney Title: Ram Orignal Release: May 1971 Reissue: 1993 Label: Parlophone / EMI Catalog #: CDP 7 89139 2 Producer: Paul and Linda McCartney Engineer: Eirick the Norwegian	Physical: (CD/LP) Paul McCartney Music John Lennon Music George Harrison Music Ringo Starr Music Beatles Music	Download: (Digital) Re-Mastered McCartney Downloads soon to be released Paul McCartney Downloads John Lennon Downloads George Harrison Downloads Ringo Starr Downloads The Beatles [USB]
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Too Many People Paul McCartney

4:06

Producers: Paul & Linda McCartney
Engineers: Tim, Ted, Phil, Dixson, Armin and Jim

Musicians:
Paul McCartney: Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Linda McCartney: Vocals
Dave Spinoza: Guitars
Hugh McCracken: Guitars
Denny Seiwell: Drums

"Too Many People" is a song by Paul McCartney from his 1971 album Ram as well as the B-side of the "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" single.

Like most of Ram, �Too Many People� was recorded in New York�s CBS studios with then-session guitarist Hugh McCracken. Not much has been said about its recording, other than the fact that Paul recorded his vocals in one take.

Several indie rock bands have covered �Too Many People�, including Earlimart, the Finn Brothers, and the Arcangels, but it remains a hidden treasure in the McCartney catalog. However, Paul has shown some love to the song, most notably combining it with �She Came in Through the Bathroom Window� on his 2005 U.S. tour, and subsequently the Space Within Us DVD.

Unfortunately, with �Too Many People� comes some controversy, as Paul himself admitted that some of the song�s lyrics were about former bandmate John Lennon. The line �Too many people preaching practices� referred to Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono�s orchestrated anti-war publicity stunts, whereas �You took your lucky break and broke it in two� calls him out as the member of the group who broke up the Beatles. Still, others allege that much more of the song, as well as the Ram album itself, was a calculated slam at Lennon. Lennon himself certainly seemed to think so, mocking McCartney on his track, �How Do You Sleep?� Despite all of this resentment, they remained friends, with the two frequently making plans to record together again.

The song is one of several instances of "musical sniping" among the four Beatles after the band broke up, the target in this case presumed to be McCartney's former bandmate and songwriting partner John Lennon. "[John had] been doing a lot of preaching, and it got up my nose a little bit," said McCartney in a 1984 interview with Playboy. "I wrote, 'Too many people preaching practices,' I think is the line. I mean, that was a little dig at John and Yoko...there was 'You took your lucky break and broke it in two.'"[1] Other songs in this mold include McCartney's "3 Legs", Ringo Starr's "Early 1970", George Harrison's "Wah-Wah", and Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?", the latter being an explicit response to "Too Many People."

This song alludes to John Lennon's "lucky break" - meaning The Beatles, and how he subsequently "broke it in two." It also takes barbs at John and Yoko's self-images as important political figures. Lennon retorted with a fiery condemnation of Paul on the album Imagine in a track called "How Do You Sleep?" in which Lennon says, "The only thing you've done was yesterday, and since you've gone you're just another day." This references the song "Yesterday," and a post-Beatles McCartney piece titled "Another Day."

McCartney sings falsetto during part of the bridges. Hugh McCracken's guitar solo between the second bridge and third chorus is played in one piece. The second solo after the final bridge is accompanied by a drum stick on the side of a floor tom.

3 Legs Paul McCartney

2:45

Ram On Paul McCartney

2:27

Dear Boy Paul McCartney

2:12

Uncle Albert - Admiral Halsey Paul McCartney

4:52

"I did have an Uncle Albert that used to quote the Bible to everyone when he got drunk.It was the only time he ever read the Bible, but it was when he was drunk, He died a few years ago and he was a good man. He's someone I recalled fondly and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgic thing, 'I think I'm ganna rain' was the wistful line, really, and I thought of him. As for Admiral Halsey, he's one of your, and American adminral. I use these things like a painter uses colors.

Producers: Paul & Linda McCartney
Engineers: Tim, Ted, Phil, Dixson, Armin and Jim

Musicians:
Paul McCartney: Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Linda McCartney: Vocals
Dave Spinoza: Guitars
Hugh McCracken: Guitars
Denny Seiwell: Drums

After the success of the �Another Day� single and the Ram album, it was time for Paul and Linda McCartney to release another single. This time, Paul accepted the American method of releasing album tracks, so �Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey� was issued with fellow album track, �Too Many People�.

Some people are of the opinion that �Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey� is about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, because of the line �Hands across the water / Heads across the sky� and because of World War II Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr. While McCartney has stated that the song�s Halsey was inspired by the real-life Admiral Halsey, the chorus� lyrics were actually inspired by WW2�s American aid programs. The �Uncle Albert� parts were actually based on Paul�s own Uncle Albert, a man who had the strange habit of only quoting Bible verses when he was drunk. Instead of trying to make a cohesive meaning of the track, it is better to think of it as a combination of several songs. All of the background vocals were improvised during the recording by Linda, thus giving her both a songwriting and a producing credit.

Recorded at CBS Studios after several other Ram tracks were completed, �Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey� was slightly more complicated than the other tracks. For example, the innovative sound effect of the rain and thunder in the background was not some synthesized studio trick. Recording assistant Armin Steiner was said to have stood on the edge of a cliff, recording a thunderstorm as it raged on in order to get the sound. In order to achieve the telephone effect, Paul gurgled (in order to imitate an old-fashioned telephone ringing) and spoke through a �highpass filter�. This song wasn�t just a collaboration amongst the future members of Wings (guitarists Hugh McCracken and David Spinozza, as well as drummer Denny Seiwell worked on it)�bebop trumpeter Marvin Stamm also played a major part by performing the flugelhorn solo, albeit in a separate studio at another time. Former Beatles producer George Martin was also involved, arranging the four French horns heard slightly afterward, but the actual recording varies from his specifications. In fact, the recording was treated like that of a classical music piece, with assistant engineer Dixon Van Winkle later stating that the twelve different sections of the song gave it �the feel of an overture� and that he was �surprised when the record went so big�.

�Big� is almost an understatement. The only single from Ram released in America became Paul�s first solo Billboard number one single, and the second number one from a former Beatle. Though it was only at the top of the charts for one week, it also garnered critical praise, receiving the 1971 Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists Grammy Award. It was later covered by Buddy Rich, Freddie Hubbard, the Radar Bros., and by German artist Gaby B under the title of �Von Calais Nach Dover� (�From the Straits of Dover to Dover�). Appearing on the Thrillington, Wings Greatest, and All The Best albums, it is the only track credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney on the �Hits� portion of the Wingspan: Hits & History compilation.

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is a song by Paul and Linda McCartney from the album Ram. Released in the United States as a single on 2 August 1971, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1971. Paul McCartney won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists in 1971 for the song.

The song is noted for its sound effects, including the sounds of thunder, lightning, and rain, heard between the first and second verse, the sound of a telephone dialing, and a message machine, heard after the second verse, and a sound of chirping sea birds and wind by the seashore. Linda's voice is heard in the harmonies as well as the bridge section of the "Admiral Halsey" portion of the song.

McCartney said "Uncle Albert" was based on his uncle. "He's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing."McCartney also said, "As for Admiral Halsey, he's one of yours, an American admiral", referring to Admiral William "Bull" Halsey.

* The song was used in the episode "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle" of the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, where the character of Uncle Albert leaves home.
* Harry Shearer uses a looped sample of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" for the "Apologies of the Week" segment of Le Show, with emphasis on McCartney saying "sorry".
* The film Greenberg includes a scene where the character Florence sings along to the song while drunk on champagne.

Smile Away Paul McCartney