Ringo Starr defined his solo career through his collaborations, scoring his first big hit with the assistance of his fellow Fabs and later sustaining himself through his All-Starr Band, so his decision to produce 2010’s Y Not on his own appears to be a big deal. Of course, those collaborators sharpened Ringo’s focus but never altered his amiable pop -- that friendly, shambling sound is Ringo, something Y Not
proves without a shadow of a doubt by sounding virtually
interchangeable with its immediate predecessors despite a production
that inexplicably feels like a response to George Harrison’s 1987 comeback, Cloud Nine.
Since Ringo bathes himself in unrepentant nostalgia, this 20-year flashback is odd but appropriate because Starr is all about cheerful reminders of happy times filled with Peace Dreams and memories of “The Other Side of Liverpool.” Starr does have some famous friends to bolster his journey through the past -- Van Dyke Parks co-wrote “Walk with You” but his presence is obscured by a Paul McCartney harmony, Joe Walsh is partially responsible for the stiffly thumping “Fill in the Blanks,” Richard Marx keeps the '80s nostalgia flowing on “Mystery of the Night,” while Joss Stone valiantly tries to pull the proceedings into the present on the album-closing “Who’s Your Daddy,” a song where Ringo
comfortably plays second banana -- but he has no overall collaborator;
he’s steering this ship himself and has no desire to depart from his
familiar course home.
Again, like there was on Liverpool 8, there is charm to Starr’s
tried and true: exciting it is not but it’s as comforting as an old
friend who doesn’t change, he just stays the same.(allmusic.com)
A record by Ringo Starr i don't know what i think about. Some songs have a real good songwriting and sounds good as well... but that's just a few. The most songs here to me sounds like a trip back in the eighties cause of the production. Why that? A song like Who's Your Daddy?, hell Ringo i have no words. To me after some good works in the 000 years this is a tired album. With good will a mediocre work. I go to sleep...
Different opinions? Please comment.
I have to say I'm enjoying revisiting these Ringo albums, which I bought at the time as I did all Beatle solo works.
ReplyDeleteThe lazy approach is to to disregard Ringo. He was only the drummer, after all. But there's some utterly fantastic Ringo solo works, 'Back off Boogaloo' and the entire 'Ringo' and 'Goodnight Vienna' albums to begin with. Even now, he's doing great work that is generally dismissed because he's (a) almost 80 and (b) only Ringo. It's tragic that there's so many critics out there with cloth ears.
Just suspend belief for an instant, critics. It's Ringo. The drumming will be superb. The musicianship top notch. The songs interesting, at a minimum.
Thanks, too, Frank, for recent imaginative uploads like the New Seekers. i've not thought about them for decades but their album was a delight, a folk-rock classic in a way...but again the critics will have their prejudices. It sounds great.
Once again, you're on a roll of exceptionally imaginative, interesting posts and I thank you for having the breadth of imagination missing in so many critics/writers of pop music. 'Listen without prejudice', pleaded George Michael. And yes, if we did, it was a great record too. I hope all viewers of the blog have the vision to match yours! Thanks so much, for Ringo, for the New Seekers and for many other 'minor' (because the critics said so) gems.
James.
Not one of Ringo's strongest albums but it does have a couple of nice tunes. The whole CD is a bit short at only 36 minutes....I'm sure Ringo could have included some other bonus tracks. It does have Paul McCartney on 2 songs:
ReplyDeletePaul McCartney plays bass on “Peace Dream”
Paul McCartney sings on “Walk With You”.
I must admit I bought it when it was first released but have only played it a few times!
Thanks again for sharing.....
All the best from Australia.
Chris