Ringo (album)
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated) [2] |
Ringo is the third album by Ringo Starr, released in 1973 on Apple Records. It peaked at #7 on the UK Albums Chart and #2 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, it reached #1 on the RPM national albums chart. The album is noted for the appearance of all four Beatles, and for its numerous guest stars, something which would become a signature for Starr on many of his future albums and tours.
History
After releasing the standards tribute Sentimental Journey and the country and western Beaucoups of Blues, both in 1970, Starr would only record and release a couple of singles in the interim, namely "It Don't Come Easy" in 1971 and "Back Off Boogaloo" in 1972. While both were big successes and would have ordinarily inspired albums to support them, Starr declined to follow through, preferring to concentrate on acting during this period.
In early 1973, Starr decided the time was right to begin—in his mind—his first proper solo album, despite its two predecessors. Having already used Richard Perry to arrange one of the tracks on Sentimental Journey, Starr asked Perry to produce the sessions, which began that March.
As soon as Starr sent word to all his musician friends to help him in his new venture, they all responded positively. Taking part in the sessions were Marc Bolan, members of The Band, Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Harry Nilsson and Jim Keltner. Additionally, all three of his former bandmates appeared on and composed material for Ringo, and Starr, Lennon and Harrison appear together on the Lennon-penned song "I'm The Greatest". Not surprisingly, when word of the session hit the media, furious Beatles reunion rumours (the first of several) began spreading. It would be the closest to a Beatles reunion until Eric Clapton's wedding party on 19 May 1979,[3] followed by the recording of Harrison's All Those Years Ago in 1981 and the The Beatles Anthology project in 1995.
The experience of making Ringo was an enjoyable one for Starr and all involved, with its wide acceptance only furthering his personal feeling of success. Upon its November release, the critics were very warm in their appraisal, with Ringo hitting #1 for three weeks in Canada, reaching #7 in the United Kingdom, and denied the top spot in the United States by Elton John's blockbuster Goodbye Yellow Brick Road[4] (it still managed to peak at #1 in Cashbox and Record World [5]). In the US, the singles from Ringo "Photograph" and Starr's cover of "You're Sixteen" both went to #1, while becoming Top 10 UK hits.
In an interesting note, the original cassette tape and 8-track versions of the album, as well as a small number of early promotional copies of the vinyl album, contained a longer version of "Six O'Clock". All of the stock copies of vinyl version of the LP, including both the original pressing and the 1981 LP re-release of the album, as well as the CD (and the album's 1981 re-release on cassette tape), contained a shorter version of the song.[6] The record label on the original stock pressing of the vinyl album incorrectly lists the running time of "Six O'Clock" as 5:26, which may have led some to mistakenly assume that the original pressing contained the long version of the song. The label on the reissued vinyl album correctly lists the running time as 4:06.[7] At the time of release, various reviews and press articles of the day stated that the longer version was "snuck" onto the tape duplicating masters at the last moment. The longer version of "Six O'Clock" was oddly not added as a bonus track to the re-issue of the CD, but rather to the re-issue of the "Goodnight Vienna" CD.
Artwork for a quadrophonic version was produced, but was never released.[8]
When the Ringo album was remastered and reissued on CD in 1991, the three bonus tracks included on it were all from singles: Starr's 1971 hit single "It Don't Come Easy" and its b-side "Early 1970", as well as "Photograph"'s flip side "Down And Out".
On the CD, "You And Me (Babe)" begins crossfaded over the end of "Devil Woman," even though the original album had these songs separated by silence.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm the Greatest" | John Lennon | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Have You Seen My Baby" | Randy Newman | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Photograph" | Richard Starkey, George Harrison | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" | Harrison | 2:45 |
| 5. | "You're Sixteen" | Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman | 2:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Oh My My" | Starkey, Vini Poncia | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Step Lightly" | Starkey | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Six O'Clock" | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney[9] | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Devil Woman" | Starkey, Poncia | 3:50 |
| 10. | "You and Me (Babe)" | Harrison, Mal Evans | 4:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "It Don't Come Easy" | Starkey | 3:02 |
| 12. | "Early 1970" | Starkey | 2:20 |
| 13. | "Down and Out" | Starkey | 3:04 |
Personnel
- Ringo Starr - lead vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, piano
- George Harrison - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, harmony vocal
- Vini Poncia - acoustic guitar, percussion, harmony vocal
- Marc Bolan - electric guitar
- Robbie Robertson - guitar
- Steve Cropper - electric guitar
- Jimmy Calvert - acoustic guitar
- Klaus Voormann - bass
- Levon Helm - mandolin
- Rick Danko - fiddle
- David Bromberg - banjo, fiddle
- Paul McCartney - kazoo, piano, synthesizer, string and flute arrangements, backing vocal
- John Lennon - piano, harmony vocal
- Billy Preston - piano, organ
- Nicky Hopkins - piano, electric piano
- James Booker - piano
- Tom Hensley - piano
- Stephen Stills - piano
- Gary Wright - piano
- Garth Hudson - accordion
- Jim Keltner - drums
- Milt Holland - percussion, marimba
- Lon Van Eaton- percussion
- Derrek Van Eaton - percussion
- Bobby Keys - tenor sax
- Tom Scott - horns, sax, horn and clarinet arrangements
- Chuck Finley - horns
- Ron Cattermole - horns
- Jim Horn - horn arrangements
- Jack Nitzsche - orchestral and choral arrangements
- Richard Perry - backing vocals
- Harry Nilsson - backing vocals
- Linda McCartney - backing vocals
- Martha Reeves - backing vocals
- Merry Clayton - backing vocals
- Pete Ham - backing vocals
- Tom Evans - backing vocals
Charts
Chart positions
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Notes
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r18900
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Wonderful Tonight, by Patty Boyd
- ^ Sharon Mawer. "US number two albums". Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
- ^ [http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1240005049023979 "Billboard, CASHBOX & Record World ��1 ALBUMS(1973年)"]. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
{{cite web}}: replacement character in|title=at position 35 (help) - ^ Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961-1975 (New York: Ballantine Books, 1975), 268; and Perry Cox & Joe Lindsay, The Official Price Guide to The Beatles Records and Memorabilia (New York: House of Collectibles, 1995), 235.
- ^ Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961-1975 (New York: Ballantine Books, 1975), 268; and the labels on Apple Records SWAL 3413 & Capitol Records SN-16114.
- ^ "QuadraphonicQuad Beatles Surround Music Releases". Quadraphonicquad.com. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Search and license music now "MPL Music Publishing Inc". mplsommunications.com. MPL Communications. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-12
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl Ringo Starr - Ringo" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1974" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ a-ビートルズ "- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Albums Chart Daijiten - The Beatles" (in Japanese). 30 December 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "norwegiancharts.com Ringo Starr - Ringo" (ASP). VG-lista. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Billboard - 9 March - 1974. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ Billboard - 9 February - 1974. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "Chart Stats Ringo Starr - Ringo" (PHP). The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Ringo > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "Album Search: Ringo Starr: Ringo" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Billboard - Year-end Albums - 1974. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "British album certifications – Ringo Starr – Ringo". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 February 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Ringo in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American album certifications – Ringo Starr – Ringo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
