As hostilities increased between Lennon and McCartney in the wake of the Beatles’ split, Ringo Starr sensibly took on the role of a musical Switzerland. Benefitting from a neutrality which allowed him to write with Harrison (“Photograph”) flirt with Bolan (“Back Off Boogaloo”) and receive...
As hostilities increased between Lennon and McCartney in the wake of the Beatles’ split, Ringo Starr sensibly took on the role of a musical Switzerland. Benefitting from a neutrality which allowed him to write with Harrison (“Photograph”) flirt with Bolan (“Back Off Boogaloo”) and receive gilt-edged musical hand-outs from Lennon (“I’m The Greatest”) he became, for a while, at least the most successful solo Beatle. It couldn’t last.
By 1974 single “(It’s All Down To) Goodnight Vienna” his Monte Carlo-via-Colombia lifestyle had brought him to a point where even zero star reviews were an act of kindness. Boasting a mere five tracks from the last thirty years, this cuts to the chase, recalling Ringo’s own salty assessement of his talents in “Early 1970” : “I can play guitar A-D-E/ I don’t play bass ‘cos it’s too hard for me.”
PAUL MOODY
Pic credit: PA Photos