Morning Spin: Ringo's Rotogravure by Ringo Starr
Ringo's fourth solo album fails to live up to previous successes
Ringo’s Rotogravure
Ringo Starr
Atlantic Records
Released 1976
Ringo Starr enjoyed a successful solo career after the break up of the Beatles. He racked up eight top ten hit singles, including two that reached number one on the US chart, and two top ten albums. Ringo’s Rotogravure broke that streak. The album is the last project to feature involvement from all four former Beatles prior to John Lennon’s murder in 1980. In addition to former bandmates, guest musicians include Harry Nilsson, Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, Melissa Manchester, Dr. John, Yoko Ono, and Jesse Ed Davis.
McCartney wrote “Pure Gold” and recorded the backing track to which Starr added his vocals separately. Unfortunately, the song is a simple love ballad and Starr’s double-tracked vocals are buried in the mix.
Lennon was the only Beatle to join Starr in the studio. He wrote “Cookin’ (In the Kitchen of Love) and played acoustic piano on the track. The song is pleasant mid-tempo pop but again, Starr’s vocals are treated with echo and buried in the mix.
Harrison wrote “I’ll Still Love You” but didn’t participate in the recording. The love ballad features Eric Clapton on lead guitar. Harrison was so appalled at the result and took legal action against Starr. The matter was settled out of court.
The highlight of the album is “Las Brisas” cowritten by Starr and his girlfriend Nancy Andrews. Starr is backed by a mariachi band that he discovered in a Mexican restaurant. Thankfully, Starr’s vocals are allowed to be heard.
Arif Mardin’s production is dismal. The music and Starr’s vocals struggle to be heard through the sludge. Starr isn’t a great vocalist, but he’s a competent pop vocalist well-known to his audience. There is no reason why his vocals are so heavily distorted and covered up.
Ringo’s Rotogravure sold poorly and received mediocre reviews. Four singles were released; only two charted and only one slipped into the Top 40. The album marks the beginning of a downturn in Starr’s career. Starr attributes this to his increasing drug and alcohol intake as a member of the notorious Hollywood Vampires drinking club that included many famous rock musicians. His subsequent career has never come close to reaching its early 1970s peak.