Ringo the 4th

by

Ringo Starr

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Is "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!

What 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."