| Ringo the 4th | ||||
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| Studio album by Ringo Starr | ||||
| Released | 20 September 1977 (UK) 30 September 1977 (US) |
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| Recorded | June 1977 | |||
| Genre | Disco, rock and roll/pop | |||
| Length | 38:05 | |||
| Label | Polydor (UK) Atlantic (US) |
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| Producer | Arif Mardin | |||
| Ringo Starr chronology | ||||
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Ringo the 4th is the sixth album by Ringo Starr, released in 1977.
After the commercial disappointment of Ringo's Rotogravure (1976), Starr decided to shift his formula of using his well-known musician friends (notably his fellow ex-Beatles) to write songs and appear on his albums. Instead, he intensified his partnership with Vini Poncia, with whom he wrote several of the songs featured here, while using the input of different musicians. David Foster played keyboards on a couple of songs, while Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler occasionally appeared on backing vocals.
Producer Arif Mardin placed Starr in a slick, dance-oriented context. Journalist Peter Palmiere states in his front cover story on Starr for DISCoveries magazine in January 2003 that "The music critics and the record buying public took the album as a joke for Ringo's voice was not suitable for the disco flavored music on Ringo the 4th". Palmiere went on to claim that Ringo the 4th destroyed Starr's career and that he never commercially recovered from it.
Ringo the 4th – in fact, his sixth studio album, but his fourth rock album – was a dismal failure upon its release, both commercially and critically. Never touching the UK charts, the album limped to a paltry #162 in the US, before expiring. Shortly thereafter, Atlantic Records promptly dropped Starr from their roster. In the UK, Polydor fulfilled its three-album contractual requirement by following up with a children's album, Scouse the Mouse which featured Starr, in the lead role, performing the lion's share of the material.
Of the 45s pulled from Ringo the 4th, "Wings" and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love", neither charted (in the US). However, both featured what is now probably one of Starr's most sought after rarities on the flip side: "Just a Dream". The US stock copy of "Drowning in the Sea of Love" is ultra rare and copies in any condition tend to fetch a hefty sum amongst collectors. In foreign countries, other songs were released as singles: "Sneaking Sally through the Alley/Tango All Night" (Australia) and "Tango All Night/It's No Secret" (Argentina).
Ringo the 4th was reissued on CD in the US by Atlantic Records on 18 August 1992,[1] its only current source of availability.
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated) link |
Contents |
All tracks composed by Richard Starkey and Vini Poncia, except where indicated.
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