scapp70's Full Review: Blast From Your Past by Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr released a greatest hits album, before any other Beatle had, at the end of 1975. Well, George Harrison had done so as well at the end of 1976, but George needed to include his Beatles non-hit singles as well to compensate for over half the album's content. Ringo had a well-merited release with his Greatest Hits, since he had more #1 hits than any other Beatle up to a point in the mid 70s somewhere. So, Blast From Your Past was released and also sold rather well. What a great success story, where the Beatle voted most likely to sell shoes had sold millions of records instead.
You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful And Your Mine) is a remake of Johnny Burnette's hit from 1960. Ringo's rendition is a much better version than the orginal. Here is the proof, this was a #1 single off his classic Ringo album. Paul McCartney is credited here for just supplying a kazoo sax solo, but it really sounds like he is singing background vocals as well.
From sort of a mediocre album, Goodnight Vienna comes a great song, No No Song. It was written by Hoyt Axton and David P Jackson. Hoyt Axton had written other great songs like Three Dog Night’s Joy To The World and David P Jackson was his songwriting partner I suppose. The lyrics are funny and clever, and the music has a Caribbean ear-friendly ambiance. The song is simple and classic, and the song was specifically written for Ringo, which is something very nice to have.
A huge success for Ringo is It Don't Come Easy. This was a #1 single for Ringo. I think at this point he may have had more #1s than the other three Beatles. I don't know if that's true. This song is credited to just Ringo. If that's true, that must be a huge boost to the ego to write a #1 by yourself after the Beatles. But since George is present on this track, I'm a little suspicious of Ringo's writing credit. This song can probably be heard on the oldies radio station every day still. It's a great song, one of the better Beatles solo songs ever.
One of Ringo's best comes from his best release, Ringo from 1973. Photograph is such a beautiful number, due in part to the perfect harmony vocal and guitars by George. There is a rare version of George Harrison's demo of this song, and it's just as good. You have to search the file sharing community for this. This song served as a fitting and touching tribute sung by Ringo at George's Memorial Concert. This was Ringo's first #1 single and it was written by George Harrison and himself.
From a single that was released in 1972, Back Off Boogaloo is next. The song was surprisingly very successful in England where it rose to number 2 in the pop charts and remained in the charts for 10 weeks, (it didn’t do too badly this side of the Atlantic either), I say that this is surprising, because the song is sort of mediocre. The song was written around the time when Ringo was very good friends with Marc Bolan, and the song is sort of reminiscent of T. Rex, with the heavy reverb and poppy attempt. George Harrison has production credit and also for playing the guitar. My guess is that George had a lot to do with this single’s writing, although it is just credited to Ringo, since it talks about the bad blood between the three Beatles and Paul McCartney.
From his Goodnight Vienna album is the remake of the 50s classic Only You (and You Alone) written by Buck Ram and Andre Rand. Ringo recorded this song at the insistence of John Lennon. It’s not awful, but I’m sort of surprised it charted in the top 10. What was happening in 1974, where there any other good songs released? The vocals hardly sound like Ringo as he whisper sings the lyrics to the band removed the soul found on the original recording and made it more laid back.
Beaucoups Of Blues is from Ringo's second solo album after The Beatles breakup, Beacoups Of Blues. This album was a collection of Country and Western songs that were written for Ringo. This single did not fare too well, it only reached a high of 69 on the charts.
Ringo had another top twenty single with Oh My My. This is not one of the better songs on his album, penned by himself and Vini Poncia. This song is somewhat catchy, and I suppose it merits its chart success. The song has that Ringo charm never the less, and although the song is not his best, it is far from the worst.
Early 1970 is an OK song. It could have been a lot worse, but luckily Ringo had the good sense to leave it at a running time of only 2:24. It does have a certain charm, because it tells a story of The Beatles and the relationship between Ringo and the other three after the breakup. Ringo knows he could hang out with John or George, but as the song says he has his doubts with Paul. Well, since Paul showed up for more than one song here, I guess Ringo's mind is put at rest. Also credited to Ringo alone.
I'm The Greatest, contributed by John Lennon, is a song where the Beatles fantasy reunion comes the closest it ever had. On drums and lead vocal we have Ringo. On guitars, we have George Harrison; on piano and background vocals is John Lennon. On organ is Billy Preston, who supplied the organ on The Beatles Let It Be. This music sounds like the usual Lennon honky tonk that was very present on his own recordings in 1973. George's guitar work gives it a bit of the Beatle flair that was missed on Lennon's solo recordings. Ringo delivers a nice vocal, which rivals Lennon's, when we hear the Lennon version on his Anthology boxset.
Ringo, the luckiest man in rock and roll? I don't think luck has everything to do with it. I mean anyone who makes it big in the music business is lucky. But his amazing drumming merits the staying power of Ringo and his career, and he's also a good singer, and his music is pleasing as well. Ringo may have only written four songs out of the ten that are featured on this greatest hits compilation, but there are a bunch of other songs that are just as good as these gems too, but aren't featured on this compilation.
1. You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful, And You're Mine)
2. No No Song / Skokiaan
3. It Don't Come Easy
4. Photograph
5. Back Off Boogaloo
6. Only You (And You Alone)
7. Beaucoups Of Blues
8. Oh My My
9. Early 1970
10. I'm The Greatest
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦More Beatles-related Epinions from Scapp70♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
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