Ringo The 4th

Recorded: February, June 1977
Producer: Arif Mardin
Engineer: Lew Hahn

Released: 20 September 1977 (UK), 30 September 1977 (US)

Personnel

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
David Spinozza, John Tropea, Jeff Mironov, Cornell Dupree, Lon Van Eaton, Dick Fegy, Danny Kortchmar, David Bromberg: guitar
Tony Levin, Chuck Rainey, Hugh McDonald: bass guitar
Don Grolnick: keyboards, piano, electric piano
David Foster: guitar, clavinet, piano, keyboards
Jeff Gutcheon: electric piano
Ken Bichel: synthesizer
Richard Tee: electric piano, clavinet
Steve Gadd: drums
Nick Marrero: percussion
Michael Brecker: saxophone
Randy Brecker: trumpet
Don Brooks: harmonica
Arnold McCuller, Brie Howard, David Lasley, Debra Gray, Duitch Helmer, Jimmy Gilstrap, Joe Bean, Luther Vandross, Lynn Pitney, Marietta Waters, Maxine Anderson, Melissa Manchester, Rebecca Louis, Robin Clark, Vini Poncia, Bette Midler: vocals

Tracklisting

‘Drowning In The Sea Of Love’
‘Tango All Night’
‘Wings’
‘Gave It All Up’
‘Out On The Streets’
‘Can She Do It Like She Dances’
‘Sneaking Sally Through The Alley’
‘It’s No Secret’
‘Gypsies In Flight’
‘Simple Love Song’

Ringo Starr’s sixth solo album, Ringo The 4th, was recorded and released in 1977.

The title may have referred to Starr’s role in the Beatles, and the fact that it was his fourth mainstream album release. His first two, Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups Of Blues, had contained pre-war and country songs respectively.

Starr once again teamed up with producer Arif Mardin, with whom he had worked on the album’s predecessor, Ringo’s Rotogravure.

Unlike his earlier albums, Starr opted not to enlist an array of famous musician friends to guest on Ringo The 4th. Instead his collaborators included Vini Poncia, with whom Starr wrote the majority of the album’s songs.

I’ve made some really limp records. That was ’cause I wasn’t there for it. I was there physically, but not mentally or spiritually. I was doing something to get it over with. I haven’t played Ringo The 4th for I don’t know how long…

Ringo The 4th saw Starr adopting R&B and disco styles, although his attempts to move with the times did not translate into record sales.

The recording sessions began on 5 February 1977 at Los Angeles’ Cherokee Studios, where parts of Ringo’s Rotogravure had been recorded. They later moved to Atlantic Studios in New York, where the bulk of the album was completed.

Unreleased songs from the sessions included ‘Love Please’, ‘Wild Shining Stars’, ‘By Your Side’, ‘Birmingham’, and ‘This Party’, as well as private recordings with the working titles ‘Nancy, Ringo, Vini and Friends’ and ‘Duet – Nancy and Ringo’.

Cover artwork

The Ringo The 4th album cover was designed by John Kosh, with cover photography by Starr’s then-girlfriend Nancy Lee Andrews and Lew Hahn.

The front and back covers were taken by Andrews, and featured model Rita Wolf sitting on Starr’s shoulders.

The camera was a huge part of our lives. We were both posers and loved to give it up for the camera. He loved the way I saw things and encouraged me to shoot. One day he said he needed a new head shot for the new album and said, ‘You shoot it.’ We went out by the side of our house where the light reflected beautifully and we did our little session. After that we did his next two album covers – Ringo The 4th and Bad Boy, the Ringo TV special and various other publicity images. He is a natural in front of the camera.

[The Ringo The 4th shoot was inspired by] fantasy, fairy tales, sword and sorcery, not sure but evolved from a nice bottle of champagne and maybe a book we had been reading. I think I put that sword in his hands to represent him slaying his demons. There was this big empty closet in our suite at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. I mean, it would have been a bedroom in some apartments. Any way it was the perfect light box when the flash went off. We had the best time shooting in that closet with my girlfriend, Rita, on his shoulders.

The release

The lead single from Ringo The 4th in the USA was ‘Wings’, with the non-album track ‘Just A Dream’ on the b-side. It was released on 25 August 1977 and failed to chart.

In the UK the initial single was ‘Drowning In The Sea Of Love’, again coupled with ‘Just A Dream’. The single was released on 16 September but again did not chart.

Ringo The 4th followed on 20 September 1977, and ten days later in the US.

The album was a critical and commercial failure. It did not chart in the UK, and peaked at number 162 in the US. Its lack of success led to Starr being dropped by Atlantic.

Ringo The 4th and Ringo’s Rotogravure were first released on compact disc in the US on 16 August 1992.

On 14 February 2020 the album was reissued on gold and red vinyl by Friday Music.