Ringo
	Produced by Richard Perry
	Released on November 2, 1973
	UK CHART POSITION #7 . . . US CHART POSITION #2 . . . GOLD RECORD (11/8/73), PLATINUM (11/26/91)
	Find it at GEMM
CDP 7 95637 2 cover [high resolution scan]

W ith a little help from his friends, Ringo delivered a pop album that put to rest questions of whether he would succeed as a solo artist. The self-titled Ringo spawned three Top 20 singles: “Photograph” (cowritten by George Harrison), “You’re Sixteen” (which included vocal backing from Harry Nilsson and Paul McCartney) and “Oh My My” (cowritten by Vini Poncia). Ringo doesn’t have a great voice, but his everyman charm is winning, deferential where John Lennon was egotistical, grounded where Harrison could seem celestial. Ringo’s records (like Lennon’s) always seemed to be loosely aggregated parties, with guests coming and going, some staying only briefly (Marc Bolan, John Lennon, Billy Preston, The Band) while others hang around long enough to help clean up afterwards (Klaus Voormann, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, Tom Scott). These are the same circle of friends who formed the extended Beatles family, supporting Lennon and Harrison throughout their solo careers as well, so it’s no surprise that Ringo feels like the work of John and George from this period (e.g., Walls & Bridges, Dark Horse), which is referred to as “boogaloo” (whatever that means). But where fans had set expectations for the other Beatles, it’s fair to say that anything Ringo added was pure gravy; after all, Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues hardly boded well for the future, though the singles “It Don’t Come Easy” (which was added to this disc for the 1991 reissue) and “Back Off Boogaloo” did show promise. Starting with the Lennon-penned “I’m The Greatest,” Ringo gets out of the gate quickly, reprising his role as Billy Shears in order to remind folks of whence he came (Lennon obviously perceived the importance of Ringo’s first serious commercial album). Material from George [“Sunshine Life For Me,” “You And Me (Babe)”] and the McCartneys (“Six O’Clock”) added to the album’s cachet, with Starr (a.k.a. Richard Starkey) ably filling in the holes on “Devil Woman,” “Step Lightly” and “Oh My My.” Although his next albums would follow the same formula, it was on Ringo that listeners became starr-struck all over again, and for most fans this remains his best solo album.

SWAL-3413 front cover	SWAL-3413 gatefold w. booklet

TRACK LISTING

1. I'M THE GREATEST    (John Lennon)    3:23
2. HAVE YOU SEEN MY BABY (a.k.a. HOLD ON)    (Randy Newman)    3:43
3. PHOTOGRAPH    (Richard Starkey/George Harrison)    3:58
4. SUNSHINE LIFE FOR ME (SAIL AWAY RAYMOND)    (George Harrison)    2:44
5. YOU'RE SIXTEEN    (R. Sherman/R. Sherman)    2:50
6. OH MY MY    (Vini Poncia/Richard Starkey)    4:17
7. STEP LIGHTLY    (Richard Starkey)    3:15
8. SIX O'CLOCK    (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney)    5:26
9. DEVIL WOMAN    (Richard Starkey/Vini Poncia)    4:01
10. YOU AND ME (BABE)    (George Harrison/Mal Evans)    4:58
    
    CD reissue bonus tracks
    
11. IT DON'T COME EASY    (Richard Starkey)
12. EARLY 1970    (Richard Starkey)
13. DOWN AND OUT    (Richard Starkey)

CREDITS

RINGO STARR -- vocals, drums, percussion, dancing feet
JIMMY CALVERT -- acoustic guitar, guitar
GEORGE HARRISON -- guitars, 12-string acoustic guitar, harmony vocal, backing vocals, electric guitar
NICKY HOPKINS -- piano, electric piano
JIM KELTNER -- drums
VINI PONCIA -- acoustic guitar, backing vocals, guitar, harmony vocal, percussion
TOM SCOTT -- horns, horn arrangements, sax solo, clarinet arrangement
KLAUS VOORMANN -- bass, upright bass, backing vocals, lithographs
Marc Bolan -- guitar (2)
James Booker -- piano (2)
David Bromberg -- fiddle and banjo (4)
Merry Clayton -- backing vocals (6)
Steve Cropper -- electric guitar (7)
Rick Danko -- fiddle (4)
Chuck Finley -- horns (9)
Levon Helm -- mandolin (4)
Tom Hensley -- piano (9)
Milt Holland -- percussion, marimba
Jim Horn -- horn arrangement (6)
Garth Hudson -- accordion (4)
Bobby Keyes -- tenor sax solo
John Lennon -- piano and harmony vocal (1)
Linda McCartney -- backing vocals (8)
Paul McCartney -- mouth sax solo, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals, string and flute arrangement
Harry Nilsson -- backing voices (5)
Jack Nitzche -- orchestral and choral arrangement, string arrangement
Richard Perry -- backing vocals (9)
Billy Preston -- organ, piano
Martha Reeves -- backing vocals (6)
Robbie Robertson -- guitar (4)
Derrek Van Eaton -- percussion
Lon Van Eaton -- percussion
Bill Schnee -- engineer
Tim Bruckner -- front and back cover paintings

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