Ringo Starr: Ringo The 4th CD Track Listing

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Ringo Starr Ringo The 4th (1977)
Originally Released September 26, 1977\nCD Edition Released August 18, 1992\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: On his previous three albums, Ringo Starr had depended on superstar friends, a few oldies, and a lighthearted attitude to get him through. The commercial disappointment of Rotogravure seemed to dictate a change of approach, and Ringo the 4th attempted to be a slick '70s soul-pop effort with hints of disco. Ringo was accompanied by New York studio pros, and he wrote most of the songs with Vini Poncia. The result marked the difference between disappointment and disaster, as the record flopped commercially and Atlantic bounced him. -- William Ruhlmann \n \nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nIn 1977, at the height of the British punk movement, the former drummer of England's greatest band released Ringo the 4th, a dinosaur-rock artifact if there ever was one. "Drowning in the Sea of Love" was the album's lead-off single, but drowning in a sea of L.A. session cats is more like it. Severely overproduced by Arif Mardin, the album pits Ringo's old brown shoe of a voice against a phalanx of backing singers (including Bette Midler, Luther Vandross, and Melissa Manchester) and a hyperactive horn section. Without any Beatle mates to bail him out, the songs are almost uniformly dire, though the cover of "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley" almost works. The album (which failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic) produced no hits whatsoever; at this point, Ringo's career and personal life were rapidly spiraling out of control, and the glory days of the Fab Four seemed very far away, indeed. --Dan Epstein \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBetter than it ought to be..., October 6, 2000 \nReviewer: "johnny_bacardi" (Horse Cave, KY United States) \nIt's true...there's a lot to dislike about Ringo the 4th. It has another slick, antiseptic production job by Arif Mardin, it features workmanlike playing by a brace of anonymous studio musicians, and once again finds Ringo, during one of the most diffuse periods of his life, apparently being propped up at the mike while amassed strings and disco dolly BV's swirl relentlessly around him. It would be yet another depressing affair like Ringo's Rotogravure, BUT...\n\nThere are some good songs here. And that is the reason why 4th slides by in my book, because the fun, for a change, does not come across as forced. "Drowning in the Sea of Love", for example, builds momentum with its disco beat and prominent backing vocals, and probably should have done better on the charts than it did. Also, "Can She Do It Like She Dances" is a hoot, very catchy, very danceable, and the inebriated-sounding Ringo works up a lascivious froth as he tells his mates about the titular lust object. "Gave It All Up" succeeds as a charming reminisce, sounding warm and winning; "Sneaking Sally Through The Alley", although done a bit better by Robert Palmer, still is done as a fun singalong and works well.\n\nRingo the 4th is an effort I would recommend, but cautiously...if you don't expect much and keep an open mind, you'll find it at least entertaining. It's no classic, but for fans of the Ringed one, it'll suffice. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nI like this album, rounded up from 3.5 stars, September 24, 2004 \nReviewer: Tnahpellee "Brendan" (Australia) \nThis album is slick soul-pop and it's also very sophisticated. RIngo's marriage was falling apart, and it was the source of some inspirational lyrics. With this album Ringo kind of turned the corner from making fun pop relying heavily on his superstar friends to help him to trying be more of an innovator. Of-course, the major fault of this album is the fact that Ringo's vocals are in the background. They should be louder and more prominent. The material he wrote with Vini Poncia, however, is brilliant. I do honestly think 'It's no secret' is one of the best songs he ever did. It's a gentle acoustic ballad that has a disco touch and a sprinkling of psychedelia. Plus, it has a wonderful melody and some nice chord changes. Plus, I love the backing vocals. I love that song. Most of the songs are divided between entertaining, slightly amusing covers, like 'Sneaking Sally through the Alley' and 'Can she do it like she dances' that have a strogn R&B leaning. However, my favourite sogns are the originals which are serious, plaintive and sophisticated fusions of disco, pop, rock, soul and country. Wings is another brilliant song. Gypsies in flight is a gorgeous little C&W ballad. However, the other masterpiece was a dramatic disco number with a ghostly melody callad 'Drowning in the sea of love'. I think the world of that song adn Ringo's vocal performance is as good as John's take of 'Twist and shout'. \n\nThis album and it's follow up, Bad Boy, were both commercial failures. What I don't understand with both this album and Bad Boy is when the first single flopped why they didn't release a second one? They released two singles from Ringo's Rotogravure and the second one charted, or at least according to 'allmusic.com'. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nNot a masterpiece, but sure better than most of the '77 LPs, July 11, 2003 \nReviewer: Leonardo (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) \nIs "Ringo The Fouth" one of Ringo's best albums? Not at all,I agree. But if you compare it with all the albums released at its time you'll certainly be sure that this album IS really good. When Ringo recorded it, he certainly was not wanting to make a masterpiece, a new "Sgt Pepper" or "Rubber Soul". He was just having fun. This album was produced by Arif Mardin, one of the "kings" of disco music. Arif convinced Ringo to try new sounds. I think that Ringo (with his then partner Vinnie Poncia, later producer for Kiss) bothered so much with the instrumentation (excellent) and forgot the melodies. Some of the songs are "not whistful" and forgettable, although perfectly performed, but there are good moments. But the most interesting thing about "Ringo The Fourth" is that the best song Ringo recorded for the album was not included in it!...The song was called "Just a Dream" and appeared only as the b-side of "Wings" (and later as the b-side of "Drowning in the sea of love"). If you listened to this song you'd love it and I'm sure that if "Just a Dream" was released on the album and as the A-side of the single, the history of this album would be different. It has a great melody and the taste of the disco era. It could be a serious hit, but how could we understand the artists' mind??? Atlantic, please re-release "Ringo the Fourth" with "Just a Dream" as a bonus track! \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRingo the Songwriter, December 16, 2002 \nReviewer: A music fan (Salt Lake City, Utah) \nWhat makes this album sort of special is that Ringo wrote six of these songs. I don't care much for "Out on the Streets", but the others are charming and very enjoyable. I really wish that Ringo would have insisted on writing the whole album. Of the four songs that Ringo didn't write, "Tango All Night" is the only one I like a lot. Like the song "Monkey See Monkey Do" on Ringo's BAD BOY album, these cover versions are kind of an embarrasment to Ringo. The best song here is the melodic and sweetly nostalgic "Gave It All Up." "It's No Secret", "Gypsies In Flight", and "Simple Love Song" are nearly as good. This is not one of Ringo's best albums, but it is still a must-have if you like Ringo. Note to Paul McCartney: In return for Ringo's "Wings", how about recording a song called "Ringo Starr." \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRingo, the 1st Big Mistake, July 24, 2002 \nReviewer: J. A Lizon "James Lizon" (Bristol, CT United States) \nAbandoning his "cast of thousands" approach and embracing the disco fad(two huge mistakes), our man Ringo(never known as a writer)further causes trouble for himself by co-authoring 6 of the albums 10 tracks. Add this to over-slick production by Arif Mardin and you have what amounts to a recipe for disaster. The LP opens with "Drowning in the Sea of Love," and this song basically sets the tone for the rest of this album. The song's disco beat does Ringo no favors. His strong singing aside, the song has little to commend it. "Tango all Night," the next track is a step up--but not much. Its different beat allows the song to breathe a bit more. "Wings" is just as indistinguished as "Drowing in the Sea of Love." The next track "Gave It All Up," is probably the best cut on the album. The lyrics give the song a wistful feeling and along with the uncluttered(rare of this album)arrangement provide the only glimmer of the Ringo Starr we've grown to love on this set. "Out on the Street" is a full-blown piece of garbage. The Brecker Bothers who supply horns on this record do their danmdest to raise the level of quality to these proceedings but the overblown production of the song buries what exceptional talents these hornmen have. Also, at the end of this song, Ringo lyrically tries improvise some nonsense to go along with the song and it is truly embarrassing.\n"Sneakiing Sally Through the Alley," is the one song that allows Ringo and super session drummer Steve Gadd to flex their muscles. When Ringo and Jim Keltner worked together in the past, one could hear them trading off each other. Here, with Gadd, producer Mardin didn't seize the opportunity to get something interesting from Starr and Gadd. That's almost as sad as the good money i shelled out for this record. However, with the Brecker Brothers stepping it up on horns yet again, Ringo and Gadd pounding away, the song turns into a winner. "Can She Do It Like She Dances," is a bit of comedown after "Sally" but being that quality is in short supply on this record, why quibble? Again, the overblown production takes away any charm this song could have. "Gypsies In Flight," is nice song. With some nice guitar picking and clear production, plus Ringo's homey voice--it gets a thumbs up. "Its No Secret" follows and to its detriment. Not that its a bad song, indeed, there are good points to say about it, nice melody, good singing but again the song is injected with a little disco beat making it too slick to be takien seriously. We wind up with "Simple Love Song," Actually a nice melody buried by orchestration and chorus. This is same tactic that Mardin used to destroy "You Don't Know Me" on Ringo's previous record. After the smoke clears, there's maybe 2 or 3 songs to hang your hat on. Not good odds. Along with interesting horn playing, bits of insipired drumming, snatches of melody it adds up to 2 stars. The thick sameness of the production just doesn't make for too many repeated listenings. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRingo Meets "Saturday Night Live", July 11, 2000\nReviewer: Dr. John C. Di Genio (Earth) \nIt is hard to believe that this recoding came from the same guy who gave us such memorable classics as "It Don't Come Easy," "Photograph," and his Beatles classics "Octopuses Garden" and "With a Little Help From My Friends." \nRingo does his "Disco Thing" on these tracks. Being the drummer of the best band in history carries with it certain responsibilities. One of which is to set trends, not copy them. On this CD, Ringo trades in his solid Beatle roots for a pair of platform shoes. The result is an absolute embarrasment. \n\nRingo was born to rock, not follow the glitzy dance-trends of the 70's to Disco Inferno and obscurity. FZ's song, on his Shiek Yerbouti LP, "Dancing fool," pretty much sums up what Ringo became when he released this rubbish. \n\nThose that claim that this is Ringo's best obviously do not know about Ringo's more robust musical offerings, like his Album, "Ringo" for instance. \n\nNo, this is not Ringo's best. Instead, this is Ringo at his worst. At this point in his career, Ringo had become a disco clone (or, is that clown?), just like three brothers from "Down Under." \n\nI was disappointed when I purshased this album. You will too if you purchase this CD. If you want to enjoy Ringo, then spend your money on either "Ringo" or "Blast From Your Past."\n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nBette Midler, Contributing Artist\nDavid Bromberg, Contributing Artist\nDavid Foster, Contributing Artist\nLuther Vandross, Contributing Artist\nMelissa Manchester, Contributing Artist\nLew Hahn, Engineer\nArif Mardin, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Ringo Starr (vocals, drums); Dick Fegy (acoustic guitar); Cornell Dupree, Lon Van Eaton, Danny Kortchmar, David Bromberg, David Spinozza, Jeff Mironov, John Tropea (guitar); Don Brooks (harmonica); Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet); Richard Tee (electric piano, clavinet); Jeff Gutcheon (electric piano); Don Grolnick (keyboards); Ken Bischel (synthesizer); Chuck Rainey, Hugh McDonald, Tony Levin (bass); Steve Gadd (drums); Nick Marrero (percussion); Vini Poncia, Jimmy Gilstrap, Debra Gray, Robin Clark, David Lasley, Maxine Anderson, Marietta Waters, Brie Howard, Joe Bean, Duitch Helmer, Lynn Pitney, Arnold McCuller, Rebecca Louis (background vocals).\n\nOn RINGO THE FOURTH, the drummer of the most important rock band of the '60s made a brave attempt to create a sophisticated fusion of soul, R&B and rock. The fact that he failed does not mean that RINGO THE FOURTH will not be of interest to Beatles fans. Starr wrote most of the songs with his producer, Vini Poncia. While the majority of the Starr/Poncia compositions are decent pop-rock, they generally do not measure up to previous Starr/Poncia compositions like Starr's 1974 hit "Oh My My." Ringo's versions of Gamble & Huff's Philly-soul classic "Drowning In The Sea Of Love" and Allen Toussaint's "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley" are clearly the best songs on this album and suggest that Ringo may have been better off letting other people write songs for him to sing. Backed by slick LA Session players like drummer Steve Gadd and keyboardist David Foster, Ringo gives respectable vocal performances that stay within his limited range and make the most of his loveable ole Ringo persona.
This rock cd contains 10 tracks and runs 38min 7sec.
Freedb: 7c08ed0a
Buy: from Amazon.com

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