John, just wanted to express my appreciation for your channel. Love your insightful reviews and commentary. You and Matt from "Pop Go the 60's" are my favorite UA-cam music historians and critics. Bravo!!❤
Great video John. I remember in the late 70s I got Rotogravure and GH 33-1/3- and it was like a secret love…. My friends were either into disco or punk. It was embarrassing to have an ex - Beatles album, but I persevered.
Great video. Ringo’s music “gets no respect” I sometimes think, even though everyone loves good old goofy Ringo. The fact is, he’s done some fantastic music and has put together some really awesome bands. Love the vinyl you’re showing off.
As a first-generation fan (from 1964, when most Americans could not tell one Beatles voice from another), the decade after the breakup was their most interesting part of the solo years. We got glimpses of what could possibly be again, especially with 1973’s Ringo album. In my collection I have all the Ringo albums you showed and discussed. Your video gives me the encouragement to break them out, put them on the turntable and give them another listen. Thanks for keeping it interesting, John.
Interesting to see the sheer volume of music Ringo Starr produced during this time period that is often overlooked (even by Ringo himself). Perhaps the absence of touring or any live performances also contributed to the hazy recollection of these years.
76-80 he lost a lot of good friends.... 76 Mal Evans was shot by the police in LA, Marc Bolan died in a car crash in 77, Keith Moon in 78, then John Bonham in 1980, before the murder of John tipped him over the edge. I always suspected that is what contributed to his mental state when he was probably at his worse in 81-82. Its not like he was not active, as there is lots of interviews for him promoting Rotagavoure (the Monaco and LA interviews are really good to listen too)..... and with Bad Boy he had a big tv special to go along with it (there is a 78 interview where he is out to promote it, and all the audience want to talk about is John and Paul, and you can tell it is really bothering him that his own work is not even a topic of discussion, and he tries a number of times to bring the interview back on track)
This period of Ringo’s career is much overlooked, and there is some good to enjoy from it. And some of it is actually available for streaming on Apple Music. Great video John, thanks for sharing.
I got an import from Canada of OLD WAVE a year after it came out. I remember Ringo mentioning the album on a talk show in the US and saying “You can’t get it here. I lost my contract.” So I went to my local record store and ordered it. I think OLD WAVE is his best album next to RINGO. It has a live-in-the-studio feel. I don’t sense a lot of overdubbing. Ringo’s drums are clear and assertive. He’s in good voice. The album should be considered a Ringo Starr/Joe Walsh album. Walsh’s guitar work is all over it.
1978 was the same year I got into the Beatles. I was about 12 years old at the time. At that point I thought they were a made for TV band like the Monkees because I got into them through the cartoons. lol. Its a shame Rotogravure isn't on Spotify because to me this is one of Ringo's best albums. Also Wrack My Brain from Stop and Smell the Roses is own of my favourite Ringo songs.
The loss of John is still painful for me. I can’t imagine the impact on Ringo. I suspect that contributed to his drinking. Alcoholics don’t remember much from the period in which they were active so that’s most likely why he’d rather not discuss that part of his career. Good video. The loss of Jo
I had a friend who met Ringo in 1981 at his house in Tittenhurst park . My mate was in a band with Zak at the time and he invited the group to record at the studio there over the course of a few weeks. Ringo was quite on edge about his own security, drunk a lot of the time and often saying or doing "inappropriate things". But my mate also said Ringo could be really nice and charming too, he invited them all to listen to a Beatles album on CD with him. This must have been a very early test pressing because if I recall correctly the Beatles albums were not released until later in the 1980s. Ringo was really pleased because he was down to his last million at that point and the new format CD meant he was going to make a fortune all over again. Apparently the white room that was used to film the Imagine video was being used as a storage room at the time and was full of boxes full of junk and Ringo allowed my mate to do a set up on Marc Bolan's old guitar which wasn't in the best of shape after many years of neglect.
i guess john, getting into the beatles and their solo work you would always have space and time for this period in Ringos back catalogue and fair play to your good self i went back to sentimental journey and Beaucoups of blues and had a different take on them, however i have to admit after goodnight Vienna , that was it for me with Ringo, have checked out his later albums thanks to youtube and various other music paths and not for me, Ill state the obvious The self tiled Ringo album was the cream of the crop and Ringo did have a good run chart wise both singles albums in the early 70,s dont get me wrong still like Ringo, but couldnt get the his later work always go back the self titled and goodnight Vienna albums...great video and update john by the way.
Hi John. Really surprised you got into the Beatles to 1978. Thought it would have been many years earlier. Makes me wonder who did you sit down and listen to then. I got into them in 1964 after seeing them play live in London Kilburn State London NW6
hello, john. my comment too. were you being held hostage from 71-78? john heaton's wilderness years? "with a little luck" had personal meaning for me in the summer of 78 but if i who've never been anywhere near england could have walked to "penny lane" in 1973, i would have. this is not a criticism. it's just fascinating. i knew little about these records at the time but did go to see "caveman" in the spring of 81!
Thanks for this video John , ringo tends to get overlooked I am interested in his music and projects and have seen the Allstarrs. On tour a few times .
Great stuff John. I think Nancy told us that after Ringo visited the barbers, he went back to hide in their apartment and she had to force the door open to look at him.
Good video, and agree, Rotagavoue, Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy stand up very well against his peak stuff just before it. Shame he will probably never re-release any of it in his life time (though Stop and Old Wave was very surprising to see up on ITunes)…. There is apparently a load of stuff he never used on the first two albums that never got released (I think the B-side to Wings dates from Rotagavoure)…. I suspect the re-recording of Wings he did a few years ago is as close as we will get :-(
@@ronfowlermusic I know there was a reissue of Ringo the 4th on vinyl a couple of years ago, but I think that was unofficial and limited to a very small amount of pressings
Fine video. Interesting topic. Ringo's style and music was much better handled by Richard Perry. In my opinion it went the wrong way from Rotogravure with Arif Marvin.
The only Ringo albums I have are Ringo and Rotogravure. I gave up after that. I bought them when they came out but because there was no website it was an effort to go into a record shop and sit in a booth to listen to a new album and because I was disappointed in Rotogravue I stopped buying. -Harsh times!
I'd guess that the poor sales of the 'Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2' album is responsible for most of this period not being available on Spotify. That 1989 Rhino collection didn't chart anywhere in the world, which had to be tough for Ringo. He probably thinks no one wants to hear his music from this period
"Wrack My Brain" cracked the US Top40 and "Roses" the Top 100, his best chart showings since '76! The front cover was awful though! I also quite like several tracks off of "Ringo The 4th" and definitely "Tonight" from "Bad Boy"! The '89 compilation is a hit and miss in my opinion but great-sounding nevertheless (the vinyl that is!). Kudos to Rhino!! Overall, an era with some surprises to those who dare to listen!!
Side one of "Roses" is really strong, problem is the whole album is let down by how poor side two is.... especially the God awful rework of Boogaloo, and I really like "Wrack", "Private Property" and "Drumming is my madness".... I think had he recorded "Life begins at 40" and "Nobody told me", the album would have been much better (I think Ringo's version of "Nobody told me" would have been much different, as I suspect he would have struggled with the chorus.... but it would have had a "I'm the greatest" charm about it that made it work)
Fair question. I would tend to doubt it at this point, though in the 70s he probably had some younger fans that knew and liked his solo music before they knew much of the Beatles' work.
Ringos biggest achievement is getting sober..great vid John.
Ringo is the most sympathic of the fab four! The tragic loss of his friend Marc Bolan in '77 must have hit him hard!
John, just wanted to express my appreciation for your channel. Love your insightful reviews and commentary. You and Matt from "Pop Go the 60's" are my favorite UA-cam music historians and critics. Bravo!!❤
Rotogravure was the first Ringo album I owned. I bought it when it came out I was in 8th grade. I loved that album
Great video John. I remember in the late 70s I got Rotogravure and GH 33-1/3- and it was like a secret love…. My friends were either into disco or punk. It was embarrassing to have an ex - Beatles album, but I persevered.
Great video. Ringo’s music “gets no respect” I sometimes think, even though everyone loves good old goofy Ringo. The fact is, he’s done some fantastic music and has put together some really awesome bands. Love the vinyl you’re showing off.
As a first-generation fan (from 1964, when most Americans could not tell one Beatles voice from another), the decade after the breakup was their most interesting part of the solo years. We got glimpses of what could possibly be again, especially with 1973’s Ringo album. In my collection I have all the Ringo albums you showed and discussed. Your video gives me the encouragement to break them out, put them on the turntable and give them another listen. Thanks for keeping it interesting, John.
Scouse the mouse.....Bruce mcmouse 😮🐭 she's my baby like graaavyyy
Interesting to see the sheer volume of music Ringo Starr produced during this time period that is often overlooked (even by Ringo himself). Perhaps the absence of touring or any live performances also contributed to the hazy recollection of these years.
76-80 he lost a lot of good friends.... 76 Mal Evans was shot by the police in LA, Marc Bolan died in a car crash in 77, Keith Moon in 78, then John Bonham in 1980, before the murder of John tipped him over the edge. I always suspected that is what contributed to his mental state when he was probably at his worse in 81-82. Its not like he was not active, as there is lots of interviews for him promoting Rotagavoure (the Monaco and LA interviews are really good to listen too)..... and with Bad Boy he had a big tv special to go along with it (there is a 78 interview where he is out to promote it, and all the audience want to talk about is John and Paul, and you can tell it is really bothering him that his own work is not even a topic of discussion, and he tries a number of times to bring the interview back on track)
This period of Ringo’s career is much overlooked, and there is some good to enjoy from it. And some of it is actually available for streaming on Apple Music. Great video John, thanks for sharing.
I got an import from Canada of OLD WAVE a year after it came out. I remember Ringo mentioning the album on a talk show in the US and saying “You can’t get it here. I lost my contract.” So I went to my local record store and ordered it. I think OLD WAVE is his best album next to RINGO. It has a live-in-the-studio feel. I don’t sense a lot of overdubbing. Ringo’s drums are clear and assertive. He’s in good voice. The album should be considered a Ringo Starr/Joe Walsh album. Walsh’s guitar work is all over it.
1978 was the same year I got into the Beatles. I was about 12 years old at the time. At that point I thought they were a made for TV band like the Monkees because I got into them through the cartoons. lol. Its a shame Rotogravure isn't on Spotify because to me this is one of Ringo's best albums. Also Wrack My Brain from Stop and Smell the Roses is own of my favourite Ringo songs.
The loss of John is still painful for me. I can’t imagine the impact on Ringo. I suspect that contributed to his drinking. Alcoholics don’t remember much from the period in which they were active so that’s most likely why he’d rather not discuss that part of his career. Good video. The loss of Jo
I had a friend who met Ringo in 1981 at his house in Tittenhurst park . My mate was in a band with Zak at the time and he invited the group to record at the studio there over the course of a few weeks. Ringo was quite on edge about his own security, drunk a lot of the time and often saying or doing "inappropriate things".
But my mate also said Ringo could be really nice and charming too, he invited them all to listen to a Beatles album on CD with him. This must have been a very early test pressing because if I recall correctly the Beatles albums were not released until later in the 1980s. Ringo was really pleased because he was down to his last million at that point and the new format CD meant he was going to make a fortune all over again.
Apparently the white room that was used to film the Imagine video was being used as a storage room at the time and was full of boxes full of junk and Ringo allowed my mate to do a set up on Marc Bolan's old guitar which wasn't in the best of shape after many years of neglect.
I always liked that Ringo compilation. I wish they would put it out on vinyl again..
i guess john, getting into the beatles and their solo work you would always have space and time for this period in Ringos back catalogue and fair play to your good self i went back to sentimental journey and Beaucoups of blues and had a different take on them, however i have to admit after goodnight Vienna , that was it for me with Ringo, have checked out his later albums thanks to youtube and various other music paths and not for me, Ill state the obvious The self tiled Ringo album was the cream of the crop and Ringo did have a good run chart wise both singles albums in the early 70,s dont get me wrong still like Ringo, but couldnt get the his later work always go back the self titled and goodnight Vienna albums...great video and update john by the way.
if you like Ringo and Goodnight Vienna, you would probably enjoy Ringo's Rotogravure and Time Takes Time.
Hi John. Really surprised you got into the Beatles to 1978. Thought it would have been many years earlier.
Makes me wonder who did you sit down and listen to then.
I got into them in 1964 after seeing them play live in London
Kilburn State London NW6
hello, john. my comment too. were you being held hostage from 71-78? john heaton's wilderness years? "with a little luck" had personal meaning for me in the summer of 78 but if i who've never been anywhere near england could have walked to "penny lane" in 1973, i would have. this is not a criticism. it's just fascinating. i knew little about these records at the time but did go to see "caveman" in the spring of 81!
Really interesting and great to see the records.
Thanks for this video John , ringo tends to get overlooked I am interested in his music and projects and have seen the Allstarrs. On tour a few times .
Great stuff John. I think Nancy told us that after Ringo visited the barbers, he went back to hide in their apartment and she had to force the door open to look at him.
Good video, and agree, Rotagavoue, Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy stand up very well against his peak stuff just before it.
Shame he will probably never re-release any of it in his life time (though Stop and Old Wave was very surprising to see up on ITunes)…. There is apparently a load of stuff he never used on the first two albums that never got released (I think the B-side to Wings dates from Rotagavoure)….
I suspect the re-recording of Wings he did a few years ago is as close as we will get :-(
actually, I see reissues of these albums all the time now.
@@ronfowlermusic I know there was a reissue of Ringo the 4th on vinyl a couple of years ago, but I think that was unofficial and limited to a very small amount of pressings
Great video,John!
I bought all the albums upto Stop and Smell The Roses (except Bad Boy).... including 2 copies of Scouse The Mouse.
Fine video. Interesting topic. Ringo's style and music was much better handled by Richard Perry. In my opinion it went the wrong way from Rotogravure with Arif Marvin.
The only Ringo albums I have are Ringo and Rotogravure. I gave up after that. I bought them when they came out but because there was no website it was an effort to go into a record shop and sit in a booth to listen to a new album and because I was disappointed in Rotogravue I stopped buying. -Harsh times!
I'd guess that the poor sales of the 'Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2' album is responsible for most of this period not being available on Spotify. That 1989 Rhino collection didn't chart anywhere in the world, which had to be tough for Ringo. He probably thinks no one wants to hear his music from this period
Apple Music seem to have a good amount of Ringo albums.
Extremely interesting.
"Wrack My Brain" cracked the US Top40 and "Roses" the Top 100, his best chart showings since '76! The front cover was awful though! I also quite like several tracks off of "Ringo The 4th" and definitely "Tonight" from "Bad Boy"! The '89 compilation is a hit and miss in my opinion but great-sounding nevertheless (the vinyl that is!). Kudos to Rhino!! Overall, an era with some surprises to those who dare to listen!!
Side one of "Roses" is really strong, problem is the whole album is let down by how poor side two is.... especially the God awful rework of Boogaloo, and I really like "Wrack", "Private Property" and "Drumming is my madness".... I think had he recorded "Life begins at 40" and "Nobody told me", the album would have been much better (I think Ringo's version of "Nobody told me" would have been much different, as I suspect he would have struggled with the chorus.... but it would have had a "I'm the greatest" charm about it that made it work)
What's happened to the pictures!?
Old Wave is pretty dismal but all the others have their share of good songs especially Rotogravure and ‘Roses.’
Cassettes also went out of fashion because the quality of the tapes used for pre- recorded items are very bad quality.
Does anyone who isn’t a Beatles fan like Ringo’s music?
Fair question. I would tend to doubt it at this point, though in the 70s he probably had some younger fans that knew and liked his solo music before they knew much of the Beatles' work.
Is there someone not a Beatles fan? I haven't met that person yet.