[1] Black Betty (H.Ledbetter) - 3:58
[2] Let It All Out (B.Bartlett) - 4:00
[3] Keep Your Hands on the Wheel (T.Graves/M.Milius) - 3:35
[4] Right on the Money (B.Bartlett) - 3:11
[5] All for the Love of Rock 'N' Roll (R.Butani/T.Dadrts/J.Salen) - 3:01
[6] 404 (G.W.Kenny) - 3:44
[7] High Steppin' (B.Bartlett) - 3:41
[8] Overloaded (B.Haberman/J.LaPallo) - 2:55
[9] Hey Boogie Woman (B.Bartlett) - 3:09
[10] Too Bad on Your Birthday (C.Karp/A.Resnick) - 3:11
[11] The Kid Next Door (T.Love/J.Strange) - 3:23
[12] Turnpike (S.Goldman/J.Santoro) - 5:42
[13] Wanna Find Love (S.Goldman/J.Santoro) - 3:44
[14] Just Like Me (S.Goldman/J.Santoro) - 4:14
[15] Hurricane Ride (S.Goldman/J.Santoro) - 4:04
[16] Saturday Night (S.Goldman/J.Santoro) - 3:33
[17] Runway Runaway (S.Goldman/T.Love/J.Santoro/J.Strange) - 4:47
[18] Please/Please/Please [Please Me] (S.Goldman) - 2:55
[19] Gone Wild (T.Love/J.Strange) - 3:17
[20] Pretty Poison (T.Love/J.Strange) - 4:27
1990 CD CBS Schallplatten 67506
1995 CD Sony 467506
2005 CD Sony International 467506
1990 compilation for the U.S. blues rock act. 20 tracks.
Although it was confusingly packaged in nearly identical artwork as Ram
Jam's 1977 debut, this career-spanning release is otherwise hard to
fault, since it crams all 20 songs from these oft-forgotten late-'70s
hard rockers' two LPs onto one compact disc. True, some may accurately
argue that Ram Jam's oeuvre was neither consistent, original, nor
essential enough to warrant full preservation (no thanks to the
studio-manufactured group's tainted reputation as career opportunists),
but a shiny plastic disc's a shiny plastic disc -- you may as well get
the maximum number of tracks for your buck. Well, careful what you wish
for, because after absorbing the band's Top 20 hit with a reconstructed
version of Leadbelly's folk-blues, "Black Betty" (still darn near
irresistible, despite the racial controversy it stirred up and the
rumored poaching of its rambunctious arrangement from underground band
Starstruck), die-hard classic rock anthropologists will find slim
pickings among Ram Jam's first album fare. For the most part, these
reveal a semi-engaged blues-rock "band" pretty much going through the
motions while taking odd bits of inspiration from the likes of
Bachman-Turner Overdrive ("Keep Your Hands on the Wheel,"
"Overloaded"), the James Gang ("For the Love of Rock'n'Roll") and, more
surprisingly, T. Rex ("Too Bad on Your Birthday"). Much better are the
subsequent songs culled from album number two, 1978's Portrait of the
Artist as a Young Ram, which show far greater variety and conviction,
even while still desperately searching for a clear identity. To wit:
the spirit of Aerosmith's driving "Toys in the Attic" reverberates all
over hard charging rockers like "Gone Wild," "Pretty Poison" and "Just
Like Me"; the gonzo energy of labelmate Ted Nugent fuels the template
for "Hurricane Ride"; Thin Lizzy's twin guitar harmonies combine with
AOR sheen for the anthemic "Saturday Night"; and the stark piano,
somber chords and atypical arranging grandeur displayed by "Turnpike"
clearly emulates UFO's "Love to Love," released just one year earlier.
So yes, even though it should have been called "Everything You Ever
Wanted to Hear from Ram Jam (and Lots More)" there's no denying that
The Very Best of Ram Jam provides an honest showcase of the group's
highs and lows.
