I figured for today's edition of the Top 5, I'd pick one of The Beatles, namely Ringo Starr.
Yep, good ol' Ringo gets the spotlight today, as I pick my top 5 favorite songs from his solo career. And yes he actually had a solo career you smart-asses;)
What really surprised me is, that Ringo is the one Beatle to have the most #1 hits. Yeah I know. I didn't believe it either, until I checked it out. My money was on Paul, but nope, ol' Richard Starkey(Ringo's real name) has that claim nailed down.
Now of course he didn't write all of his hit songs; that honor usually went to other writers, like his fellow ex-band-mates George and John just to name a few.
But that still shouldn't take away from the solo success he's enjoyed, and good on him for it.
So let's get to it shall we?
And trust me, for me, it's not as easy as you'd think when you really go through his back catalogue of songs.
5). No No Song/ Early 1970
Yes I picked a tie already, but I can because it's my blog;)
In all seriousness, it was hard to keep Early 1970 out of this list. Why you may ask? Simple really; I really dig the song because it was a fun bit of insight into the state of the former band-mates at the time. Remember that The Beatles had officially broken up by April of that year, and Paul wasn't really talking to Ringo, John, or George at the time. So that's why when Ringo mentions Paul 1st, he says "And when I get to town, I wonder if he'll play with me."
He was still talking to the other guys at the time, thus why he goes in more detail about being able to play with them(not like that you perverts;)
The No No Song is just a purely funny song about Ringo's newly won sobriety and and a quick list of all the drugs he either used to do, or had done at one time. The gimmick here is that he's being offered all those drugs again, and comes up with a bunch of funny excuses to get out of it.
Here's the lyrics to give you a better clue as to the hilarity of it all:
A lady that i know just came from Columbia, She smiled because i did not understand. Then she held out some marijuana, ha ha! She said it was the best in all the land.
And i said, "no, no, no, no, i don't smoke it no more, I'm tired of waking up on the floor. No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze, And then it makes it hard to find the door."
(ah-ah-aye-aye)
A woman that i know just came from Majorca, Spain, She smiled because i did not understand. (parazzi! Parazzi!) (ole!) Then she held out a ten pound bag of cocaine, She said it was the finest in the land.
And i said, "no, no, no, no, i don't sniff it no more, I'm tired of waking up on the floor. No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze, And then it makes it hard to find the door."
A man that i know just came from Nashville, Tennessee, oh, (oh no!) He smiled because i did not understand. Then he held out some moonshine whiskey, oh ho, He said it was the best in all the land. (and he wasn't joking!!!)
And i said, "no, no, no, no, i don't drink it no more, I'm tired of waking up on the floor. No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze, And then it makes it hard to find the door."
Well, i said, "no, no, no, no, i can't take it no more, I'm tired of waking up on the floor. No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze, And then it makes it hard to find the door."
Hey yeh!
"i'll just have another drink, barman, have you got a large brandy?"
4). Back off Boogaloo
Had to include this classic hit single on the list.
Just listen to how hard Ringo's hitting the fucking drums man! Love the military-style beat too.
It just goes to show you how damn good a drummer he is, and helps illustrate why Ringo was chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 5th greatest rock drummer of all time.
3). Beaucoups of Blues
I really like this one, even though some of you, or most of you, may wonder what a song like this is doing in the Top 5 list. Simple really. I love it!
I don't like a lot of Country music, but there are a few I do like, and I think for a purposes this is Ringo's version of a country song.
It's slow tempo-ed, but easy on the ears. Not to mention pretty decent to listen to if you're feeling kinda' down.
Love it.
2). It Don't Come Easy
And it didn't come easy to put this song in the #2 spot either.
This is a damn good, classic hit from Ringo, and really, if you listen to it or really familiar with it, how could not love this one?
It's got such a great message about paying your dues in life to get where you want to go, and how the road/journey to get there isn't easy at all. But it's all presented in an uplifting, up-beat way.
God love Ringo for this one.
1). Photograph
The video I was finally able to use, doesn't really do this song justice. This one is tops because of how well it was written and crafted, and ultimately performed. Co-written by George Harrison, this one just has so many meanings attached to it.
It can be about missing an old flame, a family member, beloved pet, anything. And to me, that's what makes this song such a classic, and keeps it enduring after all these years.
Of course when George passed away in 2001, the song had a different meaning for Ringo whenever he performed it, like he did in the memorial concert for George in '02.
But damn what a sweet, if somewhat sad song. Really, who can't relate to this one?
Well that's my Top 5 Ringo Starr songs. There's more of his hits I like to listen to, and if you're interested, his latest(well not super-latest) greatest hits album, Ringo Starr: Photograph, the very best of, has all of these songs and more. So give it a try, or do what I do, and download these fuckers in mp3 form for free;)
I forgot to mention it here yesterday, but I did on FaceBook, along with all of the other various tributes to him on that site.
You know for me personally, it's hard to pick out a favorite album of Lennon's, if only because to be honest, I'm not that big a fan of his solo albums. Yes I know, blasphemy for sure, but it's true. There'll be some songs I like here and there, but as for liking his entire albums as a whole, yeah, not so much.
But that doesn't there mean there isn't one major solo album of his that I don't enjoy all the way through. I do, and that's the subject for this week's edition of My favorite albums.
Plastic Ono Band came out in 1970, but was brewing in John Lennon's mind since 1968. He had really gotten involved with his future wife Yoko Ono, both physically/romantically and professionally, and started pumping out little solo works while still officially with the Beatles.
By the time the Beatles split up for good in april of 1970, Lennon threw himself completely into making his first real solo album. Regarded as one of the best, if not best solo album Lennon ever made until his last one, Double Fantasy, Plastic Ono Band is the total summation of all the therapy, all the stress both Beatles-related and personal, all thrown in there for the world to see.
The original album has 11 tracks on it, while the 2000 reissue has two more added on it. These added tracks are "Power to the people", and "Do the Oz." Out of the two, I love "Power to the people" more. It's just a great protest anthem, that you might find yourself wanting to shout "down with the man" and joining those 99% er's real quick!
Just looking at the sheer amount of hits this album produced, should leave no doubt in anybody's mind just how highly regarded this album is.
The first track is the classic "Mother."
This song was written just right after Lennon immersed himself in a type of therapy called Primal Therapy.
This type of therapy causes the subject to undergo regressive states going back to their childhood to deal with traumas that person went through during that period. Screaming is a big part of it, and it's the sort of primal screaming that John does on this track as a way of reliving the pain of when his mother was killed. Deep, deep stuff, but still a beautiful song. I especially love the beginning part, where you hear the chimes of Big Ben, the famous English clock.
"Hold On" is next, and I really love this song as well!
It's basically John talking to himself, his wife Yoko, and the the world, to just calm down and try not to get too stressed about things, especially things we can't control. It's a nice little short ditty, but so, so honest, and so John Lennon.
"I found out" is supposed to be a song written during his days with the Beatles, since it really has that type of sound to it. Listening to it and the lyrics, John talks about his disillusionment with religion, false gods and teachers, and just basically the entire institution of it. Typical Lennon talking shit about religion, but it sounds good, and has a very raw, gritty sound to it as well.
From the bitter to the sweet, "Love" is just what it says it is; a song about love. It's amazing to see the different myriads of emotions and thoughts that flow throughout this entire album, as they all run in stark contrast to one another.
"Love" is simply John Lennon at his most loving and introspective. To me it's one of the most beautiful songs he's ever written, and considering he also wrote "Imagine", that's saying something. Love the piano parts he plays throughout the song, as it seems to just help hammer down his message.
"Working Class Hero" is another classic, vintage Lennon song. Hell the title was so popular, it was later used as the title to a tribute album. Basically the song's about Lennon's thoughts on the different social classes that exist, and just how much shit on he feels is done to the working class. These reflections as come from his own personal experiences of course, as he witnessed first hand the division between the different social classes, the rich and the poor.
Hey, personally, I think this song's just as relevant if not more so than it was back then since not much has changed since then.
Then there's a song called "Isolation". Yeah it shouldn't take too many guesses to figure out what Mr.Lennon was feeling on that particular day:)
Actually it's a sweet song about all of the stress and bullshit John and Yoko had to deal with during that particular period. Between Protest marches and concerts, Yoko being blamed for the Beatles breaking up, and numerous other sources of aggravation, John simply had to let it out, and so he does in this song. Really, really well done here.
Up next is a track called "Remember." It's alright, but it does tend to sound like Isolation and I found out. It's John talking about his disillusionment with how things were at the time, especially cultural and societal cliches. I hear that, as that definitely seems to be a problem in today's "all about me" technological-oriented era.
I like the track "Well, well, well" also. It's a nice little track that rocks.
While it may sound like typical Lennon complaining about stuff, I prefer to look at it as a sort of "Day in the life" in the life of John and Yoko during the post-Beatles, Vietnam period.
I like the lyrics "I took my loved one out to dinner So we could get a bite to eat And though we both had been much thinner She looked so beautiful I could eat her Well, well, well, oh well Well, well, well, oh well
[Repeats] I took my loved one to a big field So we could watch the English sky We both were nervous feeling guilty And neither one of us knew just why Well, well, well, oh well Well, well, well, oh well
We sat and talked of revolution Just like two liberals in the sun We talked of women's liberation And how the hell we could get things done Well, well, well, oh well Well, well, well, oh well
[Repeats] I took my loved one to a big field So we could catch the English sky We both were nervous feeling guilty And neither one of us knew just why Well, well, well, oh well Well, well, well, oh well"
Nice huh?
If the other tracks were introspective, then you really have to include "Look at me" in there as well. It's Introspective as fuck, with John pleading to someone, maybe Yoko, maybe the audience, "Here I am, look at me. Who am I? Who am I supposed to be?"
And really, who hasn't asked or thought that themselves at one time or another?
The infamous/famous song "God" is next.
If Lennon didn't manage piss off enough people when he compared the popularity of the Beatles at the time with Jesus Christ, then I'm sure he was swinging for the fences on this one! Especially when he says "God is a concept with which we measure our pain." While I don't agree with that opinion, I do kind of see the point he's getting at.
Also in the song, Lennon famously proclaims he doesn't believe in Buddha, Kennedy, Hitler, or even the Beatles....He just believes in Himself and Yoko. Sure some might listen to it and think Lennon's being childish; it kind of does sound like something a kid would say, "Nothing else exists but my reality" sort of thing. But in another light, it's Lennon saying "all the ideological trappings, political and societal/cultural trappings don't mean shit to me, because I have Yoko and my music, and that's enough for me." And you know what? He's probably right.
Right after that is a little snippet of a song called "My mummy's dead" Yeah, and I'm supposed to be Mr.Morbid and all, but I don't think I'd ever write a song with that particular title, true or not.
But it's in this song that John seems to continue the message from "Mother" about his Mom being dead, of course. It doesn't last too long, 49 seconds and all, but yeah that's pretty much what it's all about.
And that's that.
I wonder what Ringo thought about "God" since that line about not believing in the Beatles had to be kind of awkward. You know, since Ringo played drums on the whole album and all.
Hmm. I guess he took it well enough:)
Not to mention Billy Preston, at one time considered the unofficial 5th Beatles back in 1969, played piano on God. I wonder, since Preston comes from a gospel music background, what he himself thought about the song. I guess it didn't bother him too much since he still played on the track.
Maybe there was Hell up in Harlem that night after all........;)
Seriously though folks, ignoring all the accolades and praise this album gets, I highly suggest giving this album a try. After all, this just leads into Lennon's next album, the famous "Imagine."
