Definitely better than expected. Particularly enjoyed It's no secret and Gypsies in flight among the slow tracks, Sneaking Sally and Out on the streets among the fast ones
Vinnie Poncia was one of the Tradewinds group in the middle 60’s. They recorded New York’s A Lonely Town, as far as I know one of only two surfin’ songs which could have been regarded as successful done by east coast groups. The other? No Surfin’ Today by the 4 Seasons. And yes, he is an excellent vocalist.
Reckon it's called Ringo the 4th to mark it was his fourth album of mostly original material starting from 1973 Ringo. His first two albums contained only covers
This has always been my guilty pleasure solo Beatles album…. It’s nowhere near as bad as people make out, and Wings is one of the best hidden gem Beatles solo songs
Thank you for the review. I also really like the little song that has been hidden in the locked groove. Memories of Sgt. Pepper, nice that someone has made such an effort.
Thank you, John. You’ve inspired me to go back and listen to those 1970s Ringo albums. Good point that the most interested listeners of The Beatles solo albums could well have been the other Beatles. Also interesting that many of the side musicians played on the albums by several Beatles. First-time commenter on your posts but have enjoyed your videos for several months now. (The video of how you met Yoko in Hungary was fascinating)!
I was 14 when Ringo The 4th was released in 1977 and it was the year that I discovered The Beatles. I've always enjoyed the album. Out On The Streets is one of my favorite Ringo solo songs. I think it should have been a single. It would've fit right in with the "disco" music on Top 40 radio at the time. I also love Drowning In The Sea of Love (Great video too BTW) ,Wings, It's No Secret, and Can She Do It Like She Dances.
The cover art preceded or predicted the fight between Pris (Daryl Hannah) and Deckard (Harrison Ford) in "Blade Runner" (1982). The model was Rita Wolf.
I listened to this album for the first time recently. Its nowhere as awful as people make it but still not my favorite. That said, the last 3 tracks were the most enjoyable tracks for me. I think Ringo's performance of Wings on Conan is the best version I've heard of the song. Great as always to watch these Ringo videos. Would be nice if Ringo saw this and changed his perspective about his catalog
Couldn't agree more with you, John... Found a used copy at the local free market some years ago and totally enjoyed this album!! The ballads ("Gave It All Up", "It's No Secret", "Gypsies In Flight") are 'killer' material and there's many great upbeat songs on here as well!! The bad reviews of this still puzzle me. Now, I have U.S., Dutch (gatefold) and Greek editions of this record. I also agree with you that Ringo's recent (20+ years) releases are pretty indifferent. Never revisit them, just buy them and put them on the shelf. Don't know why I even buy them to be honest, haha... The next album ("Bad Boy") also has a couple of "killer" ballads, i.e. "Tonight" and "A Man Like Me".... Keep up the great reviews John...
@@karstenpost1477 of course you have a point... For example, "Free Drinks" from "Choose Love" and many tracks on "Liverpool 8" are quite memorable!!! My objection is that Ringo has (more or less) repeated the same formula for too long...
@@thanosb.5403 Yes, you‘re right, the formula seems to be wrung out. Maybe he should go in a more topic orientated direction: The Songs Of Harry Nilsson, Beaucoups Of Blues, Vol. 2 or something this way may be joyful expeditions 🎼🥁👍🏻
I've always enjoyed Ringo the 4th. Don't mind the disco flavor of the songs, because that was the style many artists were imitating (to possibly stay relevant). Another thing which I admire about the album (unlike so many of Ringo's other solo albums over the years) is that for this album, he didn't reach out to his three "brothers" or any of his famous musical friends, to prop up the album ( although the producer and back-up musicians on the 4th had their own strong enough credentials). "Sneaking Sally (Through The Alley)" is my favorite song on the album. Think the album's title is a not so subtle acknowledgement of the public's perception of Ringo being the 4th Beatle. Also think it's interesting that he would have a song on it called "Wings", knowing that was the name of his former bandmate's new band.
Reckon it's called Ringo the 4th to mark it was his fourth album of mostly original material starting from 1973 Ringo. His first two albums contained only covers
I totally agree with you. Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy are essential to Ringo‘s catalogue. I miss both classic albums on CD and I find it very disappointing to see them out of print! What we need is a Deluxe Reissue of Ringo The 4th and Bad Boy as well.- I‘m not completely satisfied with Ringo’s most recent albums, too. My last fully appreciated productions were Ringorama and Liverpool 8! So maybe it‘s time for a decent Ringo Starr Archive Collection with outtakes, demos and insightful liner notes for us long time fans.🍀👍🏻🥁
I had forgotten about this album. probably haven't listened to it since the 1970's. But your review has me interested, and I found I can stream it on Apple Music. Thanks John.
First Ringo album I bought. Special place in my heart. I always laugh when it’s called a disco album. How many songs have that sound? Uh a couple. Tango Gave Do it Secret Gypsies Are all terrific tunes. Only Drowning and Streets fail to impress I wanna a deluxe box set!!
In the star studded rhinestone 70s, almost any artist who was anybody had to have a cocaine and/or alcohol addiction. Rod Stewart, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, all 3 of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Billy Joel, David Cassidy, Lou Reed, etc... the list goes on.... but surprisingly,, they were also surrounded by some of the best studio musicians and producers in the world, so their works were at their peak. Most of that music is still played today. So, for Ringo to avoid releasing this material in favor of the lame stuff from the past 20 years, is just short sighted and stupid.
Wow.. I don’t know anyone who liked that album. I always felt that after good night Vienna any Ringo album I purchased was a donation to the Ringo Starr fund. I do remember. The stop and smell the roses album was so bad I gave it to my ex-girlfriend three days later she gave it back. she told me You can keep your own garbage. that’s when she became my ex-girlfriend. .
Excellent analysis of the album. I agree with most of what you're saying but can't with "Gave It All Up" and "Gypsies In Flight". He sounds ridiculously drunk on those two. You forgot to mention the non-LP flip side of both "Wings" and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love" titled "Just A Dream". I think that's a very good track. It took me many years to finally locate a copy of it on 45 (German pressing). Now, it's the one song in my Ringo singles collection which appears the most (15 times and all different pressings from around the globe). Fun song to play on guitar too. If you haven't heard it yet, I think you can find a home made video of it here on You Tube.
I think "Wings", "Gave it all up" and "Simple love song" are three of the best tracks Ringo has ever done. It's no secret and Gypsies in flight are pretty good too. All the other songs I don't like too much. "Out on the streets" sounds like rap sometimes. The disco songs I can't take it. What I like in this album is Ringo's songwriting. Ringo does sounds a little bit drunk. But it doesn't bother me too much. I think this is a better album for my taste than "Sentimental Journey", "Old Wave", "Ringo 2012", and "Postcards from paradise".
There are some good tracks on this album. Its too bad they didn't include "Just A Dream" the B side to "Wings" on the album. "Ringo the 4th" will be released on black Friday RSD this year along with "Old Wave".
i have no problem with ringo doing disco, country, reggae or anything else then or now. i have no problem with him being one of the two surviving beatles who's sober, remembers everything, uses autotune and is prolific. i don't think you're negative pointing out what you don't like about his current stuff. i just don't think he owes anybody anything. nice video.
Ringo the 4th is pretty dire. These positive comments sound like nostalgia to me. It seems a lot of people only like the music they listened to between the ages of 16 and 30.
Love Rotogravure, side 1 especially, Ringo the 4th is fine but a bit patchy but a good album overall.......Ringo lacked and has always lacked a bit of artistic integrity.....thats all. Ive enjoyed most of his stuff.
To be fair, it was Atlantic Records that insisted on Arif Mardin producing his two follow up albums to Goodnight Vienna, and in 1976 he was just coming off the back of totally reinvigorating the BeeGee's career with "Mr Natural", and more so "Main Course" albums... Ringo has always had a nack of picking good songs that are just right for him, and this especially shown through under Perry... Rotogravure IMHO is Ringo's second best solo album... but Ringo the 4th is where he starts to sing songs that are just not right for him... he probably should have stayed with Perry after doing Rotogravure... but I think by this stage Ringo wanted to try prove himself that he did not need his friends giving him songs (this seems to start the period where Ringo tries to write more of his own stuff to make up a album).
@@clark82 I think Ringo like Nilsson left Perry as both have said on record that he was too dictatorial. Nevertheless he got the job done. Both careers went south without him. And if Ringo thought he could do without others supplying songs given he had written only two during his Beatle life and few since the break up without the help of George Harrison he was being delusional
@@edwardrussell5989 I think by 77, Ringo felt the "little help from my freinds" method had started to fade with the poor reviews of Rotogravure, and why he pretty much worked exclusively with Vini Poncia for next couple of years (probably a result of 'Oh My My' being a hit in the United States).... Ringo kind of returned to this method from Vertical Man onwards when he wrote almost all his own songs with the help of Mark Hudson before their fall out... Perry has a habit of only having a prolongued working relationship with very few people (Art Garfunkel, like Ringo and Harry, also had some of his strongest work while working with him) and could be a factor.
Ringo’s solo albums after the mid 70’s are decidedly mediocre and never would have seen the light of day had he not been a former Beatle. George Harrison actually had an album rejected by his label. McCartney has put out his share of garbage as well.
This is very true, and the fact that Ringo never bothered to write much in his life, barely 2 songs in his entire tenure with The Beatles, simply shows that his ambitions were elsewhere, most notably in acting. However, although his period 1973-1974 was commendable, his reliance on other people's songs, mostly throwaways, is no way to run a music career. The fact that he was a Beatle gave him certain second chances and opportunities not afforded to anyone else, but after 3 albums of relatively weak material, Ringo found himself without a label after Polydor gave him the boot. Since then, he's been on a different label on every album he's released. George was a bitter man and couldn't write a happy song if his life depended on it. And so he "retired" for a number of years after "Gone Troppo" deservedly flopped. McCartney has been putting out shit since "Broadstreet" in 1986. Why? Because there are no band members or producers to tell Sir Paul that some of his compositions are crap. Since no one wants to get fired and wreck their careers in the business, they all go along with he train wreck of the albums he's put out. The film "Give My Regards To Broadstreet" is a textbook example of what happens when an artist's ego goes unchecked. John Lennon would have certainly nipped it in the bud had he been alive.
For me every subsequent album after RINGO just got weaker & weaker. The Arif Mardin production didn't suit Ringo at all. This was the last Ringo album I bought, having given up by this point.
Definitely better than expected. Particularly enjoyed It's no secret and Gypsies in flight among the slow tracks, Sneaking Sally and Out on the streets among the fast ones
Just a dream should have been included in the album . Probably would have been a hit .
Vinnie Poncia was one of the Tradewinds group in the middle 60’s. They recorded New York’s A Lonely Town, as far as I know one of only two surfin’ songs which could have been regarded as successful done by east coast groups. The other? No Surfin’ Today by the 4 Seasons. And yes, he is an excellent vocalist.
Reckon it's called Ringo the 4th to mark it was his fourth album of mostly original material starting from 1973 Ringo. His first two albums contained only covers
This has always been my guilty pleasure solo Beatles album…. It’s nowhere near as bad as people make out, and Wings is one of the best hidden gem Beatles solo songs
I thought time takes time is another great one
Yes, I'm amazed how neglected/ overlooked that gem is. A brilliant album. Weight of the World was a brilliant single.
I love Ringo’s three late 70’s albums Rotogravure, The 4th and, yes, Bad Boy.
I remember as a kid buying Rotogravure my first Ringo album. I loved that one.
Thank you for the review. I also really like the little song that has been hidden in the locked groove. Memories of Sgt. Pepper, nice that someone has made such an effort.
Great video,John!
I love the album as well.
Ringo doesn’t get enough credit as a solo artist.
Thank you, John. You’ve inspired me to go back and listen to those 1970s Ringo albums. Good point that the most interested listeners of The Beatles solo albums could well have been the other Beatles. Also interesting that many of the side musicians played on the albums by several Beatles. First-time commenter on your posts but have enjoyed your videos for several months now. (The video of how you met Yoko in Hungary was fascinating)!
I was 14 when Ringo The 4th was released in 1977 and it was the year that I discovered The Beatles. I've always enjoyed the album. Out On The Streets is one of my favorite Ringo solo songs. I think it should have been a single. It would've fit right in with the "disco" music on Top 40 radio at the time. I also love Drowning In The Sea of Love (Great video too BTW) ,Wings, It's No Secret, and Can She Do It Like She Dances.
Great video, tx. I love Rotogravure, did not know the songs of this album, and it was and nice surprise to listen, especially Drowning...
I love the setup John has for his videos. No messing about. Just well thought out and presented points.
The cover art preceded or predicted the fight between Pris (Daryl Hannah) and Deckard (Harrison Ford) in "Blade Runner" (1982). The model was Rita Wolf.
Hi John. I know you're not a Kiss fan, but the big album he did with them, 'Dynasty' (1978!) has some fine pop moments.
My favourite album is the Ringo album, nice video as always
Absolutely couldn't agree more with all the points you made. 100%.
You are right, a powerful album.
Wings reminds me of John Lennon
I listened to this album for the first time recently. Its nowhere as awful as people make it but still not my favorite. That said, the last 3 tracks were the most enjoyable tracks for me. I think Ringo's performance of Wings on Conan is the best version I've heard of the song. Great as always to watch these Ringo videos. Would be nice if Ringo saw this and changed his perspective about his catalog
Couldn't agree more with you, John... Found a used copy at the local free market some years ago and totally enjoyed this album!! The ballads ("Gave It All Up", "It's No Secret", "Gypsies In Flight") are 'killer' material and there's many great upbeat songs on here as well!! The bad reviews of this still puzzle me. Now, I have U.S., Dutch (gatefold) and Greek editions of this record. I also agree with you that Ringo's recent (20+ years) releases are pretty indifferent. Never revisit them, just buy them and put them on the shelf. Don't know why I even buy them to be honest, haha... The next album ("Bad Boy") also has a couple of "killer" ballads, i.e. "Tonight" and "A Man Like Me".... Keep up the great reviews John...
Ringorama and Liverpool 8 are worth to try again. Both are colourful and full of earcandy👍🏻
@@karstenpost1477 of course you have a point... For example, "Free Drinks" from "Choose Love" and many tracks on "Liverpool 8" are quite memorable!!! My objection is that Ringo has (more or less) repeated the same formula for too long...
@@thanosb.5403 Yes, you‘re right, the formula seems to be wrung out. Maybe he should go in a more topic orientated direction: The Songs Of Harry Nilsson, Beaucoups Of Blues, Vol. 2 or something this way may be joyful expeditions 🎼🥁👍🏻
I've always enjoyed Ringo the 4th. Don't mind the disco flavor of the songs, because that was the style many artists were imitating (to possibly stay relevant). Another thing which I admire about the album (unlike so many of Ringo's other solo albums over the years) is that for this album, he didn't reach out to his three "brothers" or any of his famous musical friends, to prop up the album ( although the producer and back-up musicians on the 4th had their own strong enough credentials). "Sneaking Sally (Through The Alley)" is my favorite song on the album. Think the album's title is a not so subtle acknowledgement of the public's perception of Ringo being the 4th Beatle. Also think it's interesting that he would have a song on it called "Wings", knowing that was the name of his former bandmate's new band.
Reckon it's called Ringo the 4th to mark it was his fourth album of mostly original material starting from 1973 Ringo. His first two albums contained only covers
I totally agree with you. Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy are essential to Ringo‘s catalogue. I miss both classic albums on CD and I find it very disappointing to see them out of print! What we need is a Deluxe Reissue of Ringo The 4th and Bad Boy as well.- I‘m not completely satisfied with Ringo’s most recent albums, too. My last fully appreciated productions were Ringorama and Liverpool 8! So maybe it‘s time for a decent Ringo Starr Archive Collection with outtakes, demos and insightful liner notes for us long time fans.🍀👍🏻🥁
yes we need a ringo archive issues like the same as pauls
I had forgotten about this album. probably haven't listened to it since the 1970's. But your review has me interested, and I found I can stream it on Apple Music. Thanks John.
Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy are both available on Qobuz...
First Ringo album I bought.
Special place in my heart.
I always laugh when it’s called a disco album. How many songs have that sound?
Uh a couple.
Tango
Gave
Do it
Secret
Gypsies
Are all terrific tunes.
Only Drowning and Streets fail to impress
I wanna a deluxe box set!!
In the star studded rhinestone 70s, almost any artist who was anybody had to have a cocaine and/or alcohol addiction. Rod Stewart, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, all 3 of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Billy Joel, David Cassidy, Lou Reed, etc... the list goes on.... but surprisingly,, they were also surrounded by some of the best studio musicians and producers in the world, so their works were at their peak. Most of that music is still played today. So, for Ringo to avoid releasing this material in favor of the lame stuff from the past 20 years, is just short sighted and stupid.
Wow.. I don’t know anyone who liked that album. I always felt that after good night Vienna any Ringo album I purchased was a donation to the Ringo Starr fund. I do remember. The stop and smell the roses album was so bad I gave it to my ex-girlfriend three days later she gave it back. she told me You can keep your own garbage. that’s when she became my ex-girlfriend. .
All albums are contributions to musicians' retirement funds technically.
Your ex was definitely right tho
Next should be a defense of Wings “Wild Life” and J&Y’s “Sometime in NYC”.
I haven't listened to this album for years. Sadly it is among a handful of Ringo albums that are not available on Spotify.
Bad boy, 4th, and Rotogravure are on Spotify for me. Might just be a regional thing since I'm in the US.
Excellent analysis of the album. I agree with most of what you're saying but can't with "Gave It All Up" and "Gypsies In Flight". He sounds ridiculously drunk on those two.
You forgot to mention the non-LP flip side of both "Wings" and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love" titled "Just A Dream". I think that's a very good track. It took me many years to finally locate a copy of it on 45 (German pressing). Now, it's the one song in my Ringo singles collection which appears the most (15 times and all different pressings from around the globe). Fun song to play on guitar too. If you haven't heard it yet, I think you can find a home made video of it here on You Tube.
I think "Wings", "Gave it all up" and "Simple love song" are three of the best tracks Ringo has ever done. It's no secret and Gypsies in flight are pretty good too. All the other songs I don't like too much. "Out on the streets" sounds like rap sometimes. The disco songs I can't take it. What I like in this album is Ringo's songwriting. Ringo does sounds a little bit drunk. But it doesn't bother me too much. I think this is a better album for my taste than "Sentimental Journey", "Old Wave", "Ringo 2012", and "Postcards from paradise".
There are some good tracks on this album. Its too bad they didn't include "Just A Dream" the B side to "Wings" on the album. "Ringo the 4th" will be released on black Friday RSD this year along with "Old Wave".
I just heard a few tracks for the first time in my life. Meh :) but thanks for talking about it.
Every Ringo album after the mid 70s is indefensible
No way.
“Roses”, “Old Wave” and especially “Time Takes Time” are all great albums.
@@gretschviking in what world?
i have no problem with ringo doing disco, country, reggae or anything else then or now. i have no problem with him being one of the two surviving beatles who's sober, remembers everything, uses autotune and is prolific. i don't think you're negative pointing out what you don't like about his current stuff. i just don't think he owes anybody anything. nice video.
Let’s be honest. If he hadn’t been an ex Beatle he would not been making albums.
Ringo the 4th is pretty dire. These positive comments sound like nostalgia to me. It seems a lot of people only like the music they listened to between the ages of 16 and 30.
Bullshit, I'm from 1989 and I like it
@@mariuspoppFM Some people (like yourself) just have lousy taste.
Love Rotogravure, side 1 especially, Ringo the 4th is fine but a bit patchy but a good album overall.......Ringo lacked and has always lacked a bit of artistic integrity.....thats all. Ive enjoyed most of his stuff.
Ringo should have stuck with Richard Perry as a producer. After Goodnight Vienna it was all downhill.
To be fair, it was Atlantic Records that insisted on Arif Mardin producing his two follow up albums to Goodnight Vienna, and in 1976 he was just coming off the back of totally reinvigorating the BeeGee's career with "Mr Natural", and more so "Main Course" albums... Ringo has always had a nack of picking good songs that are just right for him, and this especially shown through under Perry... Rotogravure IMHO is Ringo's second best solo album... but Ringo the 4th is where he starts to sing songs that are just not right for him... he probably should have stayed with Perry after doing Rotogravure... but I think by this stage Ringo wanted to try prove himself that he did not need his friends giving him songs (this seems to start the period where Ringo tries to write more of his own stuff to make up a album).
@@clark82 I think Ringo like Nilsson left Perry as both have said on record that he was too dictatorial. Nevertheless he got the job done. Both careers went south without him. And if Ringo thought he could do without others supplying songs given he had written only two during his Beatle life and few since the break up without the help of George Harrison he was being delusional
@@edwardrussell5989 I think by 77, Ringo felt the "little help from my freinds" method had started to fade with the poor reviews of Rotogravure, and why he pretty much worked exclusively with Vini Poncia for next couple of years (probably a result of 'Oh My My' being a hit in the United States).... Ringo kind of returned to this method from Vertical Man onwards when he wrote almost all his own songs with the help of Mark Hudson before their fall out... Perry has a habit of only having a prolongued working relationship with very few people (Art Garfunkel, like Ringo and Harry, also had some of his strongest work while working with him) and could be a factor.
people like ringo's music or they don't.
Gypsies in Flight was nowhere near as good as Pigeons in Flight, by John Shuttleworth.
Ringo’s solo albums after the mid 70’s are decidedly mediocre and never would have seen the light of day had he not been a former Beatle. George Harrison actually had an album rejected by his label. McCartney has put out his share of garbage as well.
This is very true, and the fact that Ringo never bothered to write much in his life, barely 2 songs in his entire tenure with The Beatles, simply shows that his ambitions were elsewhere, most notably in acting. However, although his period 1973-1974 was commendable, his reliance on other people's songs, mostly throwaways, is no way to run a music career. The fact that he was a Beatle gave him certain second chances and opportunities not afforded to anyone else, but after 3 albums of relatively weak material, Ringo found himself without a label after Polydor gave him the boot. Since then, he's been on a different label on every album he's released. George was a bitter man and couldn't write a happy song if his life depended on it. And so he "retired" for a number of years after "Gone Troppo" deservedly flopped. McCartney has been putting out shit since "Broadstreet" in 1986. Why? Because there are no band members or producers to tell Sir Paul that some of his compositions are crap. Since no one wants to get fired and wreck their careers in the business, they all go along with he train wreck of the albums he's put out. The film "Give My Regards To Broadstreet" is a textbook example of what happens when an artist's ego goes unchecked. John Lennon would have certainly nipped it in the bud had he been alive.
For me every subsequent album after RINGO just got weaker & weaker. The Arif Mardin production didn't suit Ringo at all. This was the last Ringo album I bought, having given up by this point.