Ringo Starr Time Takes Time (CD, RCA Records, 1992) ****
Ringo Starr Vertical Man (CD, Mercury Records, 1998) ****
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They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6
Active compensatory factors: Ringo's early eighties period was a traumatic time because of the declining sales of his late seventies' albums, followed by the shock of John's murder, late in 1980. Ultimately, there were only two albums that came in that decade, and two albums from the nineties.
This return to the Ringo formula was musically a return to form, but apart from the success of George Harrison's Wrack My Brain as a single, the album continued the downward trend sales wise.
Although Ringo remained active on projects by others, the rest of the eighties passed by without any further albums (a country album was abandoned).
Where do they all belong? *If I want to be a Ringo completist when I grow up, I'll need to get I Wanna Be Santa Claus from 1999.
Genre: Pop
Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Real Groovy Records, JB Hi-Fi
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go (Time Takes Time)
Gear costume: Picture Show Life (Old Wave)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go (Time Takes Time)
Gear costume: Picture Show Life (Old Wave)
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Active compensatory factors: Ringo's early eighties period was a traumatic time because of the declining sales of his late seventies' albums, followed by the shock of John's murder, late in 1980. Ultimately, there were only two albums that came in that decade, and two albums from the nineties.
John had planned to help out on Ringo's next album after Bad Boy but sadly that didn't happen. Paul and George though were still able to contribute songs and production so most of Stop and Smell the Roses is Ringo in a better light. Stephen Stills, Ronnie Wood and Nilsson also appear. Overall, it sounds like he's having fun making music again.
Old Wave sounds better to me - Ringo comfortable with the old wave label and even using an old photo on the cover. Joe Walsh is the sole producer and that helps create a more cohesive album. Criticism of Ringo's lack of singing ability is redundant it seems to me. Ringo does Ringo. I think he does a good job on Old Wave. It's an under-appreciated album.
In 1988 he and Barbara Bach (who he'd met in 1980) underwent treatment for alcoholism. That addiction meant a lot of lost years. As he said, "Years I've lost, absolute years ... I've no idea what happened. I lived in a blackout".
Productivity returned pretty quickly with sobriety. He started his live All Starr Band albums in 1989 and a new studio album arrived in 1992. Time Takes Time is terrific. Easily his best album since Goodnight Vienna.
The guests included Brian Wilson (backing vocals on one song), Andrew Gold, Jeff Lynne, even two guys from Jellyfish, and dear old Harry also appeared on a track. It ends up being an excellent collection of Beatle-pop. I Don't Believe You with those Jellyfish guys is a terrific Beatle clone - think The Rutles fronted by Ringo. Actually, criticising Ringo for sounding Beatley is also patently ridiculous!
Vertical Man, only his second studio album of the nineties so far*, came after The Beatles Anthology reignited interest in the Fabs. Plenty of guests contributed again, including Brian Wilson, Alanis Morissette, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Steven Tyler, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick mixed the tracks. So, of course it's very Beatley - he even redoes Love Me Do and good luck to him!
Where do they all belong? *If I want to be a Ringo completist when I grow up, I'll need to get I Wanna Be Santa Claus from 1999.
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