Alas, I now refer to this masterpiece as a CD or MP3, but in its heyday, this was THE 'album' to be reckoned with! It was all the rage...I mean, c'mon - Paul McCartney?!!! Forget about it. Everyone on my block, in town and on planet earth owned it and knew it was great. If you didn't value this album then you didn't understand the Beatles catalog or anything they influenced, which was EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. It's shameful how time erodes that fact. Yeah, it may not have been a 'Beatles' album, per se, but it sure was a nice extension for all of us who admired and welcomed what they had given us in previous years. This album still holds up today. What's really cool for me is that decades after the album's release, our small little 30th Street apartment in New York City was merely foot steps across the street where Macca had earlier recorded endless vocal tracks to Monkberry Moon Delight. Columbia Studio C, The Church, has sadly been replaced by a high rise apartment building. Like this beautiful studio that has now long been demolished, why don't we just leave things alone and enjoy them for what they epitomize? This album is a cornerstone in pop history in its own right and should be treasured as such. From the incredible process it took to complete such excellent songwriting craftsmanship and Paul's acquiring some of NYC's best session players of the day, straight through to the metaphor in the album's concept artwork, this should be in everyone's library. As a former Beatle, Paul was reinventing himself by taking the bull, or should I say, "Ram" by the horns. It was Paul who recorded in NYC long before John ever did, God rest his soul. Paul never gets credit for this...hmm?!