Ringo the 4th

Ringo the 4th
Studio album by Ringo Starr
Released	20 September 1977 (UK) 30 September 1977 (US)
Recorded	June 1977
Genre	Disco, rock and roll/pop
Length	38:05
Label	Polydor (UK) Atlantic (US)
Producer	Arif Mardin
Ringo Starr chronology
Ringo's Rotogravure (1976) Ringo the 4th (1977) Bad Boy (1978)

Ringo the 4th is the sixth album by Ringo Starr, released in 1977.

After the commercial disappointment of Ringo's Rotogravure (1976), Starr decided to shift his formula of using his well-known musician friends (notably his fellow ex-Beatles) to write songs and appear on his albums. Instead, he intensified his partnership with Vini Poncia, with whom he wrote several of the songs featured here, while using the input of different musicians. David Foster played keyboards on a couple of songs, while Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler occasionally appeared on backing vocals.

Producer Arif Mardin placed Starr in a slick, dance-oriented context. Journalist Peter Palmiere states in his front cover story on Starr for DISCoveries magazine in January 2003 that "The music critics and the record buying public took the album as a joke for Ringo's voice was not suitable for the disco flavored music on Ringo the 4th". Palmiere went on to claim that Ringo the 4th destroyed Starr's career and that he never commercially recovered from it.

Ringo the 4th – in fact, his sixth studio album, but his fourth rock album – was a dismal failure upon its release, both commercially and critically. Never touching the UK charts, the album limped to a paltry #162 in the US, before expiring. Shortly thereafter, Atlantic Records promptly dropped Starr from their roster. In the UK, Polydor fulfilled its three-album contractual requirement by following up with a children's album, Scouse the Mouse which featured Starr, in the lead role, performing the lion's share of the material.

Of the 45s pulled from Ringo the 4th, "Wings" and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love", neither charted (in the US). However, both featured what is now probably one of Starr's most sought after rarities on the flip side: "Just a Dream". The US stock copy of "Drowning in the Sea of Love" is ultra rare and copies in any condition tend to fetch a hefty sum amongst collectors. In foreign countries, other songs were released as singles: "Sneaking Sally through the Alley/Tango All Night" (Australia) and "Tango All Night/It's No Secret" (Argentina).

Ringo the 4th was reissued on CD in the US by Atlantic Records on 18 August 1992, its only current source of availability.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Rolling Stone	(not rated) link

Track listing

All tracks composed by Richard Starkey and Vini Poncia, except where indicated.

1. "Drowning in the Sea of Love" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 5:09
2. "Tango All Night" (Steve Hague, Tom Seufert) – 2:58
3. "Wings" – 3:26
4. "Gave It All Up" – 4:41
5. "Out on the Streets" – 4:29
6. "Can She Do It Like She Dances" (Steve Duboff, Gerry Robinson) – 3:12
7. "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley" (Allen Toussaint) – 4:17
8. "It's No Secret" – 3:42
9. "Gypsies in Flight" – 3:02
10. "Simple Love Song" – 2:57

Personnel

• Ringo Starr - drums, vocals
• David Spinozza, John Tropea, Jeff Mironov, Cornell Dupree, Lon Van Eaton, Dick Fegy, Danny Kortchmar, David Bromberg - guitar
• Tony Levin, Chuck Rainey, Hugh McDonald - bass
• Don Grolnick, David Foster, Richard Tee, Jeff Gutcheon - keyboards
• Ken Bichel - synthesizer
• Steve Gadd - drums
• Michael Brecker - saxophone
• Randy Brecker - trumpet
• Don Brooks - harmonica
• Arnold McCuller, Brie Howard, David Lasley, Debra Gray, Duitch Helmer, Jimmy Gilstrap, Joe Bean, Luther Vandross, Lynn Pitney, Marietta Waters, Maxine Anderson, Melissa Manchester, Rebecca Louis, Robin Clark, Vini Poncia, Bette Midler - backing vocals

External links

• JPGR's Ringo the 4th site