Blast From Your Past
Starrstruck
Vertical Man
As a musician, well... All he knew was the drums, and even on his solo albums it wasn’t a given that he would be drumming on every track. He wasn’t a very accomplished writer, even though he could come up with a gem like “It Don’t Come Easy.” And his nasal voice takes getting used to. Lucky that many of his friends are musicians, or else a solo career would be out of the question. His high point was the s with albums like Ringo and Goodnight Vienna, where John, Paul and George pop up with songs. From then on it was failed albums, alcoholism, and eventually he got back in the biz and swore off drinking.
Don’t expect a big page of his material. I might get Ringo and Goodnight Vienna if I can find them cheap, but for now I’m just going to stick to his best-of’s and Vertical Man. After all, one can only take so much Ringo Starr. That voice, and those pure pop songs. But don’t hate the guy. He’s way too nice. He wants to be your friend.
1975
Ringo Starr’s heyday was definitely in the early 1970’s, and it’s convenient his first greatest hits album came out right before his career hit the skids. His first two albums, 1970’s Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues, didn’t do much commercially, and were probably just experiments. The first was chock full of pre-rock standards and the second was mainly country. Nothing from Sentimental Journey here, and the lone track representing Beaucoups of Blues is the gentle title track, which isn’t anything special.
A year later, Ringo’s first big single “It Don’t Come Easy” set the tone for the rest of his career. Produced by George Harrison and backed by Badfinger, it’s an awesome, breezy tune that’s probably the best Ringo tune ever. Even if the melody is taken from Eric Clapton’s “Let it Rain.” The B-side “Early 1970” is a little account of his fellow ex-Beatles, and which one of them would play with him (Paul wouldn’t, John would, and George already had). I have to smile whenever I hear it, even if it’s kind of sad at the same time. He followed that up with the allegorical “Back Off Boogaloo,” which could be about the ex-Beatles or the hit TV show All in the Family (‘wake up Meathead’). Just a thought.
1973 saw Ringo release his popular self-titled album, on which all of his friends lent a hand and everyone has a jolly good time. From Ringo we have the sad Harrison ballad “Photograph” that has a slight touch of Spector, the self-parodic Lennon-penned “I’m the Greatest,” a whimsical cover of “You’re Sixteen,” and the corny but irresistible “Oh My My.” They’re all great!
1974’s Goodnight Vienna had more or less the same layout, but wasn’t quite a smash. The anti-drugs “No No Song” is slightly stupid, but in Ringo’s hands, it works like a charm. Not the Platters cover “Only You,” however, it’s way too dull and Ringo’s not one for speaking in the middle of a track. But really, besides “Beaucoups of Blues,” it’s the only weak point I can think of on this whole compilation. Get it, even if you don’t think you like Ringo from his Beatles days.
1989
Is this album even in print right now? Wouldn’t be too surprised if it wasn’t. Basically, Ringo’s second best-of album covers his dry years, from 1976 to 1983, when the hits were few and far between. That means (mostly failed) singles and selected album tracks. This album probably came out when Ringo was starting to tour with the All Starr Band after laying low most of the s. Not that it rekindled any commercial interest.
1976’s Ringo’s Rotogravure had the same idea as his previous two albums, but supposedly less organized and less successful. It’s represented by the good-time cover(?) of “A Dose of Rock’n’Roll” and weaker cover of Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby.” The sloppy vocals on “Hey Baby” sound more like my university marching band, but at least that band accounted for the harmonica part, which is shockingly absent on Ringo's version.
But the best selection of all (and my favorite on this compilation) is the maddeningly catchy ‘Cookin’ (In the Kitchen of Love).” John Lennon wrote the tune, and the piano part sure sounds like him, but the lyrics sure don’t (‘I’m truckin’/Just truckin’/Truckin’ in the highway of love’). If John released that on any of his albums, critcs would fall all over themselves condemning it. But when Ringo is involved, it’s a damn fine track that’s a party all the way across the board. And wasn’t this right before John settled down to become a househusband?
Ringo the 4th followed a year later, and only the inebriated disco “Can She Do it Like She Dances” made it on this album. It’s actually pretty good if you don’t take it too seriously. The Bad Boy tracks show a more MOR approach, as “Who Needs a Heart,” the ballad “Heart on My Sleeve,” and “Hard Times” (best track of the three) don’t have much personality.
By the time Stop and Smell the Roses came out in 1981, Ringo was having trouble finding a label to release the darn thing. But on all accounts it’s actually pretty good. “Wrack my Brain” is enjoyable pop-rock written by Harrison and “Sure to Fall” and “You Belong to Me” are faithful covers. Paul McCartney pens “Attention” and “Private Property,” both a bit too gimmicky and cutesy to handle.
1983’s Old Wave wasn’t even released in America, which shows the interest in Ringo at the time. From that we have the rollicking “In My Car,” the silly novelty of “Hopeless,” a retro cover of “I Keep Forgettin’” that luckily doesn’t have much to do with Michael McDonald’s crappy tune of the same name, and an unsuccessful cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet classic “She’s About a Mover.” I don’t know, it’s too overproduced and Joe Walsh’s vocals aren’t great. But if you can track Starrstruck down, go ahead and buy it. Just don’t expect to hear anything you already know.
1998
All right, you want a review of a real Ringo album? Fine, I’ll do his 1998 effort Vertical Man. By this point in his career, Ringo still utilizes his many friends in the music world, but the sessions must be worlds apart from back in the s. Maybe his guest buddies drunk, but certainly not Ringo, who swore off alcohol some years back. The resulting album is certainly slick, professional, and it screams s VH-1. Back when it was adult contemporary purgatory. Because nowadays that network only shows stuff like 100 Greatest Music Moments in Movie that Were Sexy and I Love the (fill in decade) which I have been addicted to for about 6 months now. Help me, please.
Oh, the album? All right, back on track. I guess my favorite track is the cover of Dobie Gray’s soulful “Drift Away.” When I heard that Tom Petty (cool), Steven Tyler (uh oh), and Alanis Morissette (gag!) were also singing on here, I expected one big train wreck culminating in each of them fighting for the spotlight. Not so. Petty handles his verse well, Morissette doesn’t overdo her part, and Tyler’s big lips only come in towards the end where he does his shtick. It won’t challenge the original, but it’s a good team effort that could have been worse.
Other than that, no song stands out in this sterile proceedings. The openers “One” and “What...in The World” are pretty good pop-rock tunes, but they wouldn’t be high points on other albums. “King of Broken Hearts” sounds too much like the earlier “Photograph” for me to enjoy too much. The rockabilly “I’d Be Fine Anywhere” is a hoot when you hear it, but nothing for the long run. And “Puppet” is filler through and through, think the openers without any hooks.
What are songs that I actively don’t like? The cover of “Love Me Do” is absolutely gratuitous, taking the Beatles classic and turning it into a pub-rock crap-a-thon. I don’t really like the icky “I’m Yours,” even if it’s dedicated to wife Barbara Bach. And could someone tell me what’s so special about “La De Da,” which many crown as their favorite? Really, it’s just a sprawling 6-minute long ode to...whatever. Way too pretentious for me. I prefer the sprightly “I Was Walking,” which at least has some energy and is short.
When Ringo adds some edge, the results are obviously mixed. I approve of the neo-psychedelic “Without Understanding” even though no one else does. Maybe I like that Brian Wilson’s getting out of his hiding place and singing. “Minefield” unsuccessfully updates “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with Scott Weiland(!) on backing vocals. And I just hear a bizarre mess in the title track, featuring Prince of (bleeping) Darkness Ozzy Osbourne somewhere in the chaos. I’m not wowed by Vertical Man. Only a few bad tracks, only a few good tracks, and the rest isn’t worth your time. Mostly.