Ringo Starr: Album By Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by omikron, Jun 25, 2019.

  1. rswitzer

    rswitzer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Golden, CO USA
    I just received a sealed copy of this lp from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000091OXV/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It does NOT include the bonus tracks. In fact, I can't distinguish the new copy from my original copy in any way. If I didn't know better, I'd say this is leftover stock from nearly 40 years ago. The inner sleeve even has a cut-out notch. The cover did not have the notch. Weird.

    If someone knows a way to tell the new version from the old, please let me know.
     
  2. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Did all the originals have a hype sticker?

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Ringo Hendrix

    Ringo Hendrix Resident Pest

    What’s this?
     
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  4. lennonology

    lennonology Formerly pas10003

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    The old editions will be on Boardwalk Records, which no longer exists. I would guess that a new copy would be on Friday Music. Was there a hype sticker on it?

    I bought my copy from Merchbar and based on their description, it has to be a new pressing (vellum sleeve, shrink wrapped), but the price would suggest a repackaging of old stock:

    Ringo Starr STOP & SMELL THE ROSES Vinyl Record

    Chip Madinger
     
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  5. rswitzer

    rswitzer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Golden, CO USA
    The copy I received did not have a hype sticker and it was definitely on Boardwalk.

    I'll return the Amazon lp and try Merchbar. I'd feel better if Merchbar showed the record label or the back cover of the lp with the bonus tracks added. Until I receive it, I'm skeptical. I'd sure love to be wrong!
     
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  6. lennonology

    lennonology Formerly pas10003

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    My Merchbar copy is due this weekend. Hang tight before you order a copy just in case Merchbar is a glossy cover for Amazon.

    Chip Madinger
    www.lennonology.com
     
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  7. Bruce M.

    Bruce M. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hilo, HI, USA
    Mine did.
     
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  8. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    This is a rewrapped cutout.

    Return it and never look back.

    On the same topic: do not buy anything listed as on JDC records. They are old stock cutouts--often rewrapped--sold as new.
     
  9. theMess

    theMess Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
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  10. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Old Wave

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

    Old Wave is the ninth studio album by the Beatles' former drummer, Ringo Starr. It was originally released in June 1983, on the label Bellaphon, and is the two-year follow-up to his 1981 album Stop and Smell the Roses.

    The title is a play on new wave music.

    After John Lennon's murder in late 1980, Starr returned home to England to live at Tittenhurst Park, which Starr had purchased from Lennon in 1973.[6] In early 1982, Starr was eager to move on to his next solo project. Deciding that he needed more consistency this time around, he would work with only one producer, Joe Walsh,[1] a former member of the recently disbanded Eagles.[7] Walsh and Starr had known each other since the mid-1970s, having met and befriended each other in Los Angeles. Walsh immediately agreed to work with Starr and they met at Tittenhurst in February to begin writing material.[8] Recording shortly afterwards begun and instrumental backing tracks for seven songs were recorded at Startling Studios,[9] after Starr had previously converted Lennon's recording studio.[7] Engineering duties were handled by Jim Nipor.[8] These sessions were mainly done with a team consisting of Starr on drums and percussion, Walsh on guitar and backing vocals, Mo Foster on bass and keyboardists Gary Brooker and Chris Stainton.[9]

    Sessions came to a halt when Walsh and Nipor went to California on 19 March.[9] Sessions recommenced on 6 April[7] for a few days until 16 April.[6] On 15 April, Rolling Stone broke the news that Starr was "in London working on a new album with Joe Walsh acting as the producer."[6] Lead vocals were laid down from 19 to 23 April.[9] Sometime in May, Starr requested permission to build a new building on his Tittenhurst Park land, which he would use for video and recording purposes, from Windsor and Maidenhead District Council.[6] Sessions resumed from 31 May until 10 June; the next day, taking the masters recorded up to that point with him, Starr and his wife Barbara Bach fly from London to Los Angeles, and return on 14 June.[6] The album was finished with a third batch of sessions from 24 June into early July.[6]

    "Everybody's in a Hurry But Me" came about from a jam session between the Who's former bassist, John Entwistle, drummer and percussionist Ray Cooper and also Cream's former guitarist, Eric Clapton.[10] "As Far as We Can Go", was originally recorded at Sweet Silence Studios, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 23 July 1978. From that original rendition, only the vocal was used. Walsh re-recorded an entirely new track utilizing one of the latest technology synthesizers.[11]

    The album was originally titled It Beats Sleep.[6][12] The portrait on the album cover was shot in a booth in northern England.[8] As Starr's RCA contract had been cancelled, he needed to find a new label for Old Wave. Though it was just over a decade after The Beatles' dissolution, no major UK or US record company was interested in signing him. Starr would not accept that and was determined to have Old Wave released any way he could. The album was due to be released on the Boardwalk label, but never appeared due to the death of the label's head, Neil Bogart.[1][13] RCA Canada ended up distributing the album in June 1983 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Brazil;[1] while in Germany, the album and lone single pulled from it, both released on 16 June,[14] appeared on the Bellaphon label.[nb 1][15] The Canadian release of the album occurred on 24 June.[nb 2][14] However, Old Wave failed to achieve success in any of these territories, and would be Starr's last studio album until 1992's Time Takes Time. The two singles pulled from the album: one in Germany, "In My Car", backed with "As Far as We Can Go",[nb 3][16] and the other in Mexico ("I Keep Forgettin'" b/w "She's About a Mover").

    Walsh's 1987 album Got Any Gum? included a cover of "In My Car", which was released as a single and became a moderate hit. Four tracks from the album appear on Starr's US compilation Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2 in 1989.[6] The album was reissued on CD, on the same day as Stop and Smell the Roses (1981), in the US by The Right Stuff on 22 August 1994.[nb 4][18] A further release, on 6 September, as both CD and cassette deluxe editions, included a bonus track,[18] the original 1978 version of "As Far as We Can Go".[12] "In My Car" was re-released, this time on yellow vinyl, with "She's About a Mover" as the B-side, on The Right Stuff on 1 November 1994. A promotional CD was released in 1994 by Capitol, featuring three songs from both Old Wave and Stop and Smell the Roses.[nb 5][9]

    Track listing:
    Side one
    1. "In My Car"
    2. "Hopeless"
    3. "Alibi"
    4. "Be My Baby"
    5. "
    She's About a Mover"

    Side two

    1. "
    I Keep Forgettin'"
    2. "Picture Show Life"
    3. "As Far as We Can Go"
    4. "Everybody's in a Hurry But Me"
    5. "Going Down"


    Bonus track on the 1994 re-issue:
    11. "As Far as We Can Go" (original version)




    My thoughts:

    On paper this should be an amazing album. It’s quite good and definitely keeps Ringo moving in the right direction. But it has always to me felt like it just lacked a little zip in the production-end of things. Kudos does need to go to Walsh for not falling into the trappings of the 80s with the abundant synths and banal sound. We get lots of real guitar and real drums and real piano and rich (non-cheesy) backing vocals. Something to be said for that.

    The Joe Walsh/Ringo Starr collaboration though does produce several fine songs. None of the songs on this album though really reach out and grab me. Everything is done well and fine but the album just seems to lack something. Much like Rotogravure. You run a real danger of this just becoming pleasant background noise when it’s on.

    I hate to make this sound negative and I’m not trying to. I do like the album and find it an enjoyable listen. Old Wave is just going to get lost in the middle forever. I do have a Canadian copy of the vinyl I found in a shop about 15 years ago and will periodically put it on but rarely does it call to me to play. My song by song is going to be pretty thin because, well, there isn’t too terribly much to say. I don’t get much emotional response from these songs.

    Still . . . Definitely not as exciting and energized as SASTR but Ringo is still heading in a positive direction. He's about halfway up that long, slow climb.

    I will say this in defense of Old Wave. This is his first album that doesn't have something hokey, self-deflating, crass, pastiche, comical or novelty. It's just two guys writing songs and making an album with friends. Bad Boy came very close to doing this too but had some stupid stuff on it. This album is just down to the point. Bravo, Joe. Bravo. Thank you for treating Ringo like a grown up.



    In My Car: A good, upbeat opening for the album.

    Hopeless: Fantastic guitar work by Joe and a very prominent bass line. The melody is almost No-no Song in its approach. Possibly my second favorite on the album.

    Alibi: This one always reminded me a bit of Jimmy Buffet.

    Be My Baby: Not sure why Ringo’s vocals are mixed so far back on this one. Maybe why this album seems to fall a bit flat for me. This song sounds like something off of Walsh’s But Seriously, Folks…

    She’s About A Mover: A bit of old school American 50s/60s pseudo-blues that sounds like 10 different famous songs at once.

    I Keep Forgettin’: A fine enough version of this song. Kunkel’s drumming and Joe’s solo are by far the best part of it. How odd Ringo didn’t drum on this one!?

    Picture Show Life: Possibly my favorite song on the album and certainly indicative of Ringo’s future sound.

    As Far As We Can Go: Somewhat on the cheesy 80s ballad side of things but certainly not the bottom of any Ringo barrel.

    Everybody’s In A Hurry But Me: A chug-a-lug of a jam with the merest hint of “You Can’t Fight Lightning”-style lyrics from Ringo. I find it odd that all those people in the room (Clapton, Entwistle, etc) and only this jam came out on the record. Is this all they were invited in to do?

    Going Down: Essentially another jam but the power of it launches this one to a probably tie with my second favorite song on the album. It’s this kind of energy and oompf that the rest of the album needed.

    Bonus: As Far As We Can Go (original version): Slightly simpler and more endearing than the album version. I wonder why they didn’t like this one. Would have been a good album closer.



    Here are my rankings of proper studio albums listed from favorite to least favorite:

    Ringo
    Goodnight Vienna
    Stop And Smell The Roses
    Ringo’s Rotogravure
    Bad Boy
    Old Wave
    Sentimental Journey
    Beaucoup of Blues
    Ringo The 4th



    Oh and if you have never heard this album because you either haven't tracked down an import LP or paid 8 million dollars for the CD, here you go . . .

     
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  11. pokemaniacjunk

    pokemaniacjunk Forum Resident

    Location:
    south paris maine
    In My Car: Its a nice song and catchy

    Hopeless: its alright

    Alibi: I think its a pretty good song

    Be My Baby: Its a fun little song

    She's About A Mover: its ok

    I Keep Forgettin': its a great cover

    Picture Show Life: Its imo one of the best songs on the album

    As Far As We Can Go: It's the best song on the album

    Everybody's In A Hurry But Me: its ok but I usually skip it

    I'm Going Down: like the song before I usually skip it

    overall this album has a couple of great song, mostly average songs and the last two which are usually skippable, I would've replace the last two songs with covers and rerecordings
     
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  12. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    I picked up a copy of ‘Old Wave’ at a Beatles convention shortly after it was originally released. I enjoy this album, it’s another step in the right direction for Ringo. Joe Walsh’s production is very good.

    I really like the first song ‘In My Car’, one of my favorite Ringo tracks. And I like the covers of ‘She’s About A Mover’ and ‘I Keep Forgettin’. ‘Everybody’s Is In Hurry But Me’ is fun. ‘As Far As We Can Go’ is a nice ballad that suits Ringo.

    ‘Old Wave’ continues the upward swing in quality of Ringo’s albums started with ‘Stop And Smell The Roses’. The climb is evident and there’s a promise of better things to come.
     
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  13. MPLRecords

    MPLRecords Owner of eleven copies of Tug of War

    Location:
    Lake Ontario
    I was a young man of no more than seventeen, looking out for albums by the solo Beatles. My McCartney collection was complete (except for Thrillington) and I had some albums by John and George, whereas I only had one Ringo album - Stop and Smell The Roses. I was curious to complete my collections of the other three when an old man somewhat resembling Alec Guinness in Star Wars told me to go by the old crossroad near Dockery Plantation at midnight.
    Naturally, being young, I followed this guy's advice rather than alerting the local authorities that an old man was walking around telling teenagers to go out to railroad tracks at midnight. As I approached the crossroad, another old man popped out, this one resembling Alec Guinness in The Ladykillers. He held out his hand for me to shake it, and I soon as I moved mine towards his he slammed a cassette copy of Old Wave into my hand and ran away, cackling. Just a few hundred feet away from me I saw Robert Johnson and I'm still sure I got a worse deal than he did.

    Highlights: :biglaugh:

    I. Ringo > Stop and Smell The Roses > Goodnight Vienna > Ringo's Rotogravure > Bad Boy > Beaucoups of Blues > Sentimental Journey > Old Wave > Ringo The 4th
     
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  14. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Old Wave LP
    Last LP I ever got by Ringo - German version when it was a new release. After this we were on to CDs. Nice that we get a pretty consistent band again this one, and it cooks nicely with Ringo, Walsh and Brooker clearly enjoying playing together.

    In My Car
    Catchy slice of power pop with Walsh stretching out nicely at the end - I love it. Great opener and lead off single. Perfect opener. Always reminds me of the NRBQ song Ridin In My Car, which is also a gem.

    Hopeless
    Ringo's delivery works great on this sort of humorous self deprecating song. Son of No No Song. Nice piano from Gary Brooker. Walsh's slide work on this one is very tasteful and reminiscent of Harrison in places.

    Alibi
    This track swings so hard this is a blast. Nice melody and lyric from the get go, then loosens up real nicely in an Alley Oop vein

    Be Me Baby
    Even though this is my least fav track so far, it still cooks. Clearly more of a talk box driven Walsh sound than a Ringo sound even before I looked at the credits (first track Ringo did not co-write). Lacks Ringo's personality but it still has a great driving beat and turns into a fun jam, though it runs a little long.

    She's About A Mover
    Perfect cover for Ringo. Reminds me of his early Beatles tunes like Honey Don't and I Wanna Be Your Man. Love the Dixieland band that enters at the end. Great end to Side 1 - which tops Rose's side 1 as his best since GV, largely due to being more unified and Ringocentric.

    I Keep Forgettin
    Nice idea for a cover and Walsh's guitar playing is hot (as is Kunkel's drumming) but Ringo doesnt sell the vocal and it is a bummer he doesnt get to drum. Best track on Side 2 but not as great as Side 1.

    Picture Show Life
    Pretty good song but the track runs longer than the material deserves. A change of pace as it is a lot more smooth than anything else on what had been a rocking album to this point. So so.

    As Far As We Can Go
    Nadir of the album and one of my least favorite tracks of his solo career. A poorly sung rendition of a turgid depressing song over a synthetic background. Make it stop.

    Everybody's In a Hurry But Me
    Not a song at all but a hot jam with Walsh, Entwhistle, Clapton. Good fun - reminiscent a bit of Nashville Jam - but not essential.

    Going Down
    Not really a song again, but great spotlight for Ringo drumming & Walsh lead on a blues bar band track.

    Side 2 starts slow and clearly Ringo was low on new material and needed to stretch it with covers and jams. But it is a cohesive album with the exception of my least fav track . Shame it got no US release and really no attention at all- which likely contributed to making this Ringo's parting shot in the studio for a decade or so.
     
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  15. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Overall the weakness of Side 2 makes this one not quite as great as Roses.

    I rank Ringo's 70s-80s LPs as follows. Not a bad run of 11 albums in 13 years before taking some time off.

    1. Blast From Your Past
    2. Goodnight Vienna
    3. Ringo
    4. Stop & Smell The Roses
    5. Old Wave
    6. Bad Boy
    7. Ringo the IVth
    8. Beaucoups of Blues
    9-10. tie. Sentimental Journey & Rotogravure
    11. Scouse the Mouse
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2019
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  16. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    So . . . what happened to the tape? Do you still have it !?
     
  17. MPLRecords

    MPLRecords Owner of eleven copies of Tug of War

    Location:
    Lake Ontario
    :laugh:
    I actually did have this one on cassette - a German one! - and I think it's still in my tape racks upstairs.
     
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  18. rswitzer

    rswitzer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Golden, CO USA
    I was in college when this came out. I think I had to send away for it. I have mixed feelings about it. It's not a bad Ringo album, but it isn't really a good one either. At the time I was listening to Talking Heads, The Police, The Clash, etc. so this Ringo album just lacked the energy and freshness of those others. Nowadays, taken as part of Ringo's oeuvre, it's still not my least favorite and isn't very close to the top either.

    The best thing about it from my perspective is that I bought copies of the vinyl & CD right when they were released. It's amazing how these have appreciated.
     
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  19. lennonology

    lennonology Formerly pas10003

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    My Merchbar copy of SASTR arrived today and it is a re-wrapped 1981 pressing with no hype sticker. I haven't opened it to see what the inner sleeve or the disc looks like. What is very strange is that there is not a cut-out mark anywhere on the outer sleeve, which is a rarity unto itself. Not sure if I'm going to bother returning it, just a warning that the Merchbar description doesn't match the merchandise.

    Chip Madinger
    www.lennonology.com
     
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  20. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Listening to "Old Wave" for the first time in many years. I never noticed it before, but "In My Car" has parts that remind me vividly of "Tango All Night". I remember the hunt for this album when it came out - the disappointment of there being nothing new in the "Ringo" bin at Disc-o-Mat, and the helpful employee telling me it was only coming out in Canada. I found it a "rare" record store later that day.
     
  21. beatlesfan9091

    beatlesfan9091 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Went to a local record store near my house today and they had Sentimental Journey, Ringo Rama, and VH1 Storytellers, so I got those along with Murder Ballads by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and a Fats Domino compilation.

    Still need to listen to Ringo the 4th, Bad Boy, Stop and Smell the Roses, and Old Wave. Think I'll just try to knock them all out at once.
     
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  22. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading.

    Location:
    Los Angeles
  23. beatlesfan9091

    beatlesfan9091 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Pleasantly surprised by Ringo the 4th. No, it's not a masterpiece, but it's a fun background listen. I especially like "Gave It All Up," "Out On The Streets" and "Can She Do It Like She Dances," and "Gypsies in Flight." Although I will say I find the vocals on "Out On The Streets" to be a bit rough, like Ringo needed a drink of water before recording.

    I've heard some people say that Ringo references Wings on this album, is that just from the title of the song "Wings" or does he actually make a reference within the lyrics of this album? I know he references John and Yoko in "Out On The Streets" but I didn't hear anything that could be a reference to Paul/Wings.
     
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  24. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Listened to the orchestral version of ‘As Far As We Can Go’ again and I have to agree with others that I prefer this version if the song over the one that was originally released on the ‘Old Wave’ album. It has a ‘Goodnight’ quality to it and adds to the pathos and melancholy of the song. Ringo does a good job singing it and it’s definitely suited for his persona.

     
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  25. lennonology

    lennonology Formerly pas10003

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    I've compared my Merchbar cover to an original and I think these may be freshly-printed covers. They are very well done, but if you look at the back cover, a moire pattern appears on Ringo's chest, which does not appear on the original.

    Chip Madinger
    www.lennonology.com
     
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