GLORYDAZE Music - Articles: Ramjam - 1978 Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Ram

ARTIST: Ram Jam
ALBUM: Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Ram
LABEL: Epic
SERIAL: EPC 463299
YEAR: 1978
CD REISSUE: 2006, Rock Candy Records (UK), CANDY012

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

LINEUP: Mike Scavone - vocals, percussion * Bill Bartlett - guitars, vocals * Jimmy Santoro - guitars * Howie Blauvelt - bass, vocals * Peter Charles - drums

TRACK LISTING: 01 Gone Wild * 02 Pretty Poison * 03 The Kid Next Door * 04 Turnpike * 05 Wanna Find Love * 06 Just Like Me * 07 Hurricane Ride * 08 Saturday Night * 09 Runaway Runaway * 10 Please Please (Please Me)

Background
The debut Ram Jam album was released the previous year, and anyone with doubts over the band's initial longevity considering their formation - would've been surprised by this second LP. Based on the power single 'Black Betty', the debut Ram Jam album was full of fuzz box rockers, and this continues over into 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Ram'. The play on words, and album cover may have suggested a thoughtful approach from these New York rockers, but not to be, as the band blitz it up, soaking up fuzz laden riffs with a near punk (think The Dictators) attitude along with the street cred.

The Songs
'Gone Wild' is pretty much as the title suggests.. 70's hard rock with a dose of The Godz tailored with a sideswipe of Shakin' Street (minus the female vocals), and a hint of The Boyzz. Good start, even if it is slightly gonzo. This track was featured on the MFN compilation 'Striktly For Konnoisseurs'. 'Pretty Poison' is a tortured rocker, with slow passages before setting off on a fuzzbox journey. 'The Kid Next Door' takes its cue from The Rolling Stones, but it's the ballad 'Turnpike' that tells me this band can move beyond the tried and true rockers to present us something different. A good song. 'Wanna Find Love' has a bluesy/riffy sound that reeks of the Deep South, while 'Just Like Me' steals hard edged riffs like razor blades off the shop shelf. 'Hurricane Ride' is a relentless rocker typical of the era. Ram Jam go commercial for 'Saturday Night', with some southern hints not unlike Freddie Salem & The Wildcats, but the band go all out on the metallic 'Runaway Runaway', some meaty balls to the walls guitarwork here. Ram Jam finish with up with the smokin' rocker 'Please Please (Please Me)', factor in some piano stabs on the chorus, and the freeform guitar solos and this could be Skynyrd and Allmans revisited.

In Summary
Though the public still had 'Black Betty' roaring through their headspace well into 1978, this album did not set their imagination on fire - unfortunately. A great hard rockin' set, here's another two-fer-one band that should be out in the reissue market doubled up with their debut, though Rock Candy Records did reissue this separately back in 2006. 70's hard rock should have Ram Jam well covered when the history books are rewritten.

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