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The Ram – The Ram’s Dead, Vol. 1

The Ram - The Ram’s Dead, Vol. 1

The great rock heroes were a lot like the American cowboys of the 19th Century. They were never in for their health, and the most that they got in exchange for their daring adventuring were a few legends told through song. 

There’s every reason to feel a sense of melancholy about those times, whether or not you were there to witness them firsthand. The Ram’s EP of covers aims not just to honour a golden period for country-rock troubadours but to relive it. After all, any truly great story will eventually be told again. 

It’s Grateful Dead that receives the limelight here, a group known as much for their love of traditional American country and blues music as for the long, collective trip that has never really ended either for the band or its fans. 

The Ram’s greatest skill is the ability to recreate not only the retro sound of classic rock, but its exciting nature as well. Real excitement, after all, cannot be falsified, and the singer’s love for the source material is evident throughout. 

“Me and My Uncle” is a song written by a hippie, John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas, for hippies, The Grateful Dead. The refined lyrics, however, read like pages of “Blood Meridian,” as the kid defends his uncle, shoots down the trash-talking cowboy, and hightails it down to Mexico with the gold. 

It’s the perfect song for The Ram to cover. The groove sways back and forth like the wind over the desert. The guitar lines suggest trouble on the horizon, and the gruff vocals act as the undeniable confession. 

Wisely, the rest of the EP rides this mood throughout. “Scarlet Begonias” rings out smoothly, acting almost as a follow-up to the kid’s escape. It’s the reward of the one who manages to take the gold and do it without getting blown to pieces. 

Then, the EP flows naturally into “Fire on the Mountain,” the twin brother of the previous track. The recording captured on tape feels like that of a live performance, albeit one in which every mic is set up correctly and every instrument is in tune. It’s here that the record slips further into a trance-like groove that it carries on toward the final note. 

It works so well that you might not even notice how “Scarlet Fire,” as The Dead did, combines the two songs once again. The great jam bands knew how special a great groove was and how their audiences expected it to be bled dry before it could be let go again. 

“The Ram’s Dead” is not just a tribute to the most famous jam band of them all. It’s a tale of heroes who risked much for the life they wanted and who never truly accepted a truce. Their ghosts are still out there and they’re whispering to whoever will listen. 

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About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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