Ringo Rama

{{quote box|quote= They actually gave the Christmas album no support. We have now parted company due to their incompetence, they let me go. I'm hoping to record another studio album ... and I'm hoping it will be on any label other than Mercury.|source= – Ringo Starr, discussing his choice of leaving Mercury, 2000|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

As the follow-up to I Wanna Be Santa Claus (1999), it continues Starr's alliance with Mark Hudson as well as most of his collaborators from that last project. Annoyed that Mercury had not put enough promotion towards I Wanna Be Santa Claus,{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=232}} Starr left the label in 2000. Contributors this time around include Willie Nelson, Charlie Haden, Van Dyke Parks, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Shawn Colvin, Timothy B. Schmit, and Eric Clapton. Starr said "People would ask, "So who's on the record?" and we'd say, "Just a couple of local guys. You know, like Eric Clapton and Dave Gilmour." Because they do both live just around the corner."{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=287}} Recording had taken place at Starr's recording studio in London, Rocca Bella, and Hudson's Whatinthewhatthe? Studios in Los Angeles, with the sessions being produced by Starr, Hudson and Gary Nicholson.

Starr commented that the opening track, "Eye to Eye", sounded "like there's a war going on and we're trying to make it a war of love."{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=286}} "Missouri Loves Company", a play on words of misery loves company, was written quickly after Dean Grakal thought of the title phrase.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=247}} The song features Gilmour on guitar. "Instant Amnesia" features, as Starr mentions, "some of the best drumming I've ever played in the last ten, fifteen years."{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=223}} "Memphis in Your Mind" references several Sun Studio artists, such as Elvis Presley and Orbison.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=246}} With George Harrison's late 2001 passing before Ringorama was started, Starr composed "Never Without You" in tribute to his friend,{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=253}} having Clapton perform the guitar solo duties.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=174}} The song originally started out as a tribute to John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, but Starr thought the song was getting "too messy". After choosing to focus solely on Harrison, lines from Harrison's songs—"Within You Without You", "Here Comes the Sun" and "All Things Must Pass"—were included. Starr asked Clapton based on his stature as a friend to both Starr and Harrison: "We're all good friends. So I asked Eric to play and he said 'yeah'."

Starr wanted to include a Roy Orbison "growl" on the song "Memphis in Your Mind", and proceeded to call Orbison's widow, Barbara Orbison; she sent him a "growl" on a CD, with a message "I'm sending over a growl".{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=220}} The song also features Gilmour on guitar. The title for "Trippin' on My Own Tears" came about during a night out between Starr and Hudson when Hudson said "I was trippin' on my own tears, I was so down" and Starr replied "That's just a great line". The country-influenced "Write One for Me" was a duet with Willie Nelson, who sang on it at Starr's suggestion.{{#tag:ref|Starr had previously dabbled in the country genre with the Beatles' cover of "Act Naturally" on Help! (1965), a song originally recorded by Buck Owens, and the Beaucoups of Blues album (1970).|group="nb"}}{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=370}} Starr had a phone call with his lawyer, who was also Hudson's lawyer, to "tell them to write one for me, so they did—but they wrote a song with that as the title!" At that point the song was unfinished, but was later finished when they got together. Asked if "Love First, Ask Questions Later" was like another part of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love", Starr responded that the song is how he feels "the world should be and my hope that we all might stay in love."

{{quote box|quote= It was a lot of fun. You put four guys in the room, and the main battle was trying not to write about the woman who left us! Anybody says a line [and] we can write a song about it.{{cite magazine |last=Bessman |first=Jim |title=Words & Music |magazine=Billboard |date=12 April 2003 |volume=115 |issue=15 |page=30}} |source= – Ringo Starr, on songwriting for the album, 2003 |width=25% |align=left |style=padding:8px;}}

"Elizabeth Reigns" came about while Starr and Dean Grakal were recording at Rocca Bella Studio, some time before Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=195}} Asking Starr what ER stood for, Grakal proceeded to start on a song, with Starr exclaiming "I'm not going to sing about the Queen." "English Garden", which mentions Starr's wife Barbara Bach and their dog Buster, includes in the final part some verses taken from Paul McCartney's "Let 'Em In". Starr explained: "That always happens when you're sittin' in the garden, doesn't it? So I just put [the lines] in and called Paul for permission. He said, 'Sure.' He knew about it ahead of time."{{cite news |first=Len |last=Righi |url=https://www.mcall.com/2003/07/29/ringo-starr-rises-to-his-own-defense/ |title=Ringo Starr rises to his own defense |work=The Morning Call |location=Allentown, PA |access-date=21 July 2013 | date=29 July 2003}} After looking at several albums where one artist would record all the instruments for a particular song, Starr wanted to do one such track, and the result was "I Really Love Her".{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=219}}

On 20 May 2002, Starr signed a recording contract with Koch.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=169}} Released by Koch on 25 March 2003,{{#tag:ref|US Koch 038,411-0{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=283}}|group="nb"}}{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=186}} Ringorama managed a number 113 peak in the US on the Billboard 200, his first album in the 21st century to do so.{{cite magazine|last=Bronson|first=Fred|title=Chart Beat|magazine=Billboard|date=12 April 2003|volume=115|issue=15|page=72}} The album also charted at number 1 on the Top Independent Albums chart in the US.{{cite magazine |title=Top Independent Albums|magazine=Billboard|date=12 April 2003|volume=115|issue=15|page=61}} The first 100,000 copies included a DVD of the recording sessions.{{#tag:ref|US Koch KOC CD 8429|group="nb"}} To help promote the album and the "Never Without You" single, Starr appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the US on 13 March.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=170}} During a show arranged for the press on 22 March, Starr and The Roundheads performed "Memphis in Your Mind" and "Never Without You", at the Bottom Line Club in New York City. Starr again performed "Never Without You" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on 25 March; later that day for MTV's Total Request Live; and for Good Morning America on 9 April. On 21 October it was announced that a 3-disc version of the album would be released on 11 November, and included three bonus tracks, an interview disc and a DVD containing a "Making Of" documentary and the music video for "Never Without You".{{#tag:ref|US Koch KOC-CD-9533|group="nb"}}{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/koch-entertainment-to-re-release-ringo-starrs-critically-acclaimed-ringo-rama-album-as-a-deluxe-3-disc-set-72627552.html |title=KOCH Entertainment to Re-release Ringo Starr's Critically Acclaimed 'Ringorama' Album as a Deluxe 3-Disc Set |agency=PR Newswire|date=21 October 2003 |access-date=3 September 2013}} The bonus tracks were "OK Ray", "I'm Home" and "Blink", all of which were recorded for a movie.{{cite book|last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Virgin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0843-5 |page=284}}

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r629542|title=Ringorama Review| first = Stephen Thomas | last = Erlewine}}

| rev2 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|first=Colin|last=Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn)|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|page=1984}}

| rev3 = The Essential Rock Discography

| rev3Score = 6/10{{cite book|author=Strong, Martin C. |year=2006|title=The Essential Rock Discography|publisher=Canongate|location=Edinburgh, UK|page=1028|isbn=978-1-84195-827-9}}

|rev4 = PopMatters

|rev4score = (favourable){{cite web|last=Williams |first=Adam |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/starrringo-ringorama |title=Ringo Starr: Ringo Rama |publisher=PopMatters |date=15 July 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729144806/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/starrringo-ringorama |archive-date=29 July 2011 |access-date=3 September 2013}}

|rev5 = Rolling Stone

|rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Puterbaugh |first=Parke |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ringostarr/albums/album/270219/review/5942346/ringo_rama |title=Ringo Starr: Ringo Rama : Music Reviews |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=8 April 2003 |access-date=28 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923015322/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ringostarr/albums/album/270219/review/5942346/ringo_rama |archive-date=23 September 2008}}

| rev6 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev6Score = {{Rating|3|5}}Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 777. {{ISBN|0-7432-0169-8}}.

}}

AOL Radio rated "Never Without You" at number 5 on their top 10 Starr songs list.{{cite web|last=Wilkening |first=Matthew |url=http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/04/01/best-ringo-starr-songs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404142520/http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/04/01/best-ringo-starr-songs |url-status=usurped |archive-date=4 April 2010 |title=10 Best Ringo Starr Songs |publisher=AOL Radio Blog |date=1 April 2010 |access-date=3 September 2013}}

The 16 tracks of Ringorama Deluxe Edition are as follows:{{cite web |title= Ringo Starr - Ringo Rama Deluxe Edition |website= Discogs.com |url= https://www.discogs.com/Ringo-Starr-Ringo-Rama-Deluxe-Edition/release/2936679 |access-date= 2017-07-07 }}

{{Track listing

| title1 = Eye to Eye

| length1 = 3:19

| writer1 = {{flatlist|

• Richard Starkey
• Mark Hudson
• Steve Dudas
• Dean Grakal}}

| title2 = Missouri Loves Company

| length2 = 3:33

| writer2 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas
• Grakal}}

| title3 = Instant Amnesia

| length3 = 5:12

| writer3 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas
• Grakal}}

| title4 = Memphis in Your Mind

| length4 = 3:13

| writer4 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas
• Grakal
• Gary Burr}}

| title5 = Never Without You

| length5 = 5:24

| writer5 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Gary Nicholson}}

| title6 = Imagine Me There

| length6 = 3:55

| writer6 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr

}}

| title7 = I Think Therefore I Rock and Roll

| length7 = 3:25

| writer7 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Grakal
• Paul Santo}}

| title8 = Trippin' on My Own Tears

| length8 = 3:31

| writer8 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr
• Grakal}}

| title9 = Write One for Me

| note9 = featuring Willie Nelson

| length9 = 3:14

| writer9 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr}}

| title10 = What Love Wants to Be

| length10 = 3:03

| writer10 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr}}

| title11 = Love First, Ask Questions Later

| length11 = 4:45

| writer11 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr
• Grakal}}

| title12 = Elizabeth Reigns

| length12 = 3:57

| writer12 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr
• Dudas
• Grakal

}}

| title13 = English Garden

| note13 = features a verse from the Wings song "Let 'Em In"; includes a short hidden track entitled 'I Really Love Her'.

| length13 = 3:17

| writer13 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Burr
• Dudas
• Grakal
• Paul McCartney
• Linda McCartney

}}

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus tracks

| title14 = Blink

| length14 = 2:52

| writer14 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas
• Grakal}}

| title15 = OK Ray

| length15 = 3:02

| writer15 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas}}

| title16 = I'm Home

| length16 = 3:23

| writer16 = {{flatlist|

• Starkey
• Hudson
• Dudas

}}

}}

Personnel per booklet.{{cite AV media notes |title= Ringo Rama |others=Ringo Starr |year=2003 |type=Booklet |publisher=Koch, Koch Entertainment LP |id=038 411-0, 038 412-2, 038 413-9}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Musicians

• Ringo Starr – drums, percussion, lead vocal, keyboards, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bass, background vocal, megamouth
• Steve Dudas – electric guitar, guitar solos on "Eye to Eye", "Instant Amnesia"
• Mark Hudson – electric and acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, mellotron, Wurlitzer organ, backing vocals,
• Eric Clapton – guitar solos on "Never Without You" and "Imagine Me There"
• David Gilmour – guitar solos on "Missouri Loves Company" and "I Think Therefore I Rock and Roll"
• Cliff Downs – acoustic guitar
• Gary Nicholson – twelve string acoustic guitar
• Dean Grakal – acoustic guitar
• Grant Geissman – dobro
• Herb Pederson – banjo
• Jay Dee Maness – pedal steel
• Gary Burr – bass, acoustic and electric guitar, guitar solo on "What Love Wants to Be", backing vocals,
• Charlie Haden – upright bass
• Paul Santo– bass on "Elizabeth Reigns", electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
• Jim Cox – Wurlitzer organ, B3 organ, piano
• Van Dyke Parks – accordion on "What Love Wants to Be", "Elizabeth Reigns" and "English Garden"
• Dan Higgins – Saxophone, flute, clarinet
• Gary S. Grant – trumpet, piccolo trumpet
• Mickey Raphael – harmonica, bass harmonica

{{col-2}}

• Roy Orbison – archived "mercy" growl on "Memphis in Your Mind"
• Barbara Starkey, Buster, Monly, Mr. B, sleeping birdies – background vocals on "English Garden"
• Sarah Hudson, Nicole Renee Harris, Christina Rumbley, Jack Blades, Sophia Sunseri – backing vocals on "Eye to Eye"
• Sarah Hudson, Christina Rumbley, Nicole Renee Harris, Victoria Shaw, Adam Ray, Mark O'Shea, John O'Shea, Jack Blades – backing vocals on "I Think Therefore I Rock and Roll"
• Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals on "Missouri Loves Company", "Instant Amnesia", "Memphis in Your Mind", and "Write One for Me"
• Shawn Colvin – guest vocal on "Trippin' on My Own Tears"
• Willie Nelson – guest vocal on "Write One for Me"

Technical personnel

• Mark Hudson – producer, artwork
• Ringo Starr – producer
• Paul Santo, Bruce Sugar – recording
• Tim LeBlanc, Steve Dudas – additional recording
• Dave Way – mixing
• Tim LeBlanc, Damon Iddins, Matt Marrin – assistant engineers
• Josh Rosenberg, Amy Galland – production coordinators
• George Marino – mastering
• Jim Cox – string and horn arrangements
• Tyrone Drake – art direction and design
• Ringo Starr, Barbara Starkey, Mark Hudson, Dean Grakal – photos
• Mark Hudson – cover illustration
• Brent Carpenter, John Franck – DVD editing and design

{{col-end}}

Footnotes

{{reflist|group="nb"}}

Citations

{{reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|247740|name=Ringo Rama}}

{{Ringo Starr}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2003 albums

Category:Ringo Starr albums

Category:Albums produced by Mark Hudson (musician)

Category:Albums produced by Ringo Starr

Category:MNRK Music Group albums