“I didn’t feel as embarrassed”: The Ringo Starr album John Lennon would never buy
No member of The Beatles was required to have warm feelings about their bandmates once they broke up. For a group that defined rock and roll for many people, seeing them go out with a whimper after growing apart and business deals going sour was heartbreaking for everyone who grew up listening to ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ or even ‘I Am the Walrus’. Although John Lennon usually said his piece on nearly every project that the group worked on, he didn’t mince words when talking about one of Ringo Starr’s best records.
Then again, Starr was never meant to be the kind of frontman in the same way that his bandmates were. He had his time in the spotlight when it was called for, but he was content to hang in the background and play the drums for anyone who would be willing to hear him. While that self-deprecating humour did give him a bit more charm than his bandmates, he was lost in the woods the first time he made a record.
Because, really, what the hell was Starr supposed to do as a rock and roll star on his own? There had been amateur ways to get him a hit like ‘Octopus’s Garden’, but when left to his own devices, he was more inclined to lean on all of his famous friends than attempt to compete with Lennon or Paul McCartney. So, when you think about it, easy listening was a decent idea when working on Sentimental Journey.
Though the idea of seeing Starr become the next Frank Sinatra was never going to work, Beaucoups of Blues was a step in a better direction. After all, Starr had always been well-versed in country music since he joined the group, and hearing him get together with Nashville musicians felt like an album chock full of tunes with the same charm as ‘Act Naturally’ from Help!
At the same time, it wasn’t necessarily going to be breaking any new ground, either. It was certainly entertaining for what it was, but compared to what Lennon was doing on Plastic Ono Band and George Harrison putting on a musical fireworks show on All Things Must Pass, Lennon had to admit that Starr’s album was bound to get lost in the shuffle.
Despite being friendly with all of his old bandmates, Lennon thought that he would never be seen owning a copy of Starr’s album, saying, “I think it’s a good record [but] I wouldn’t buy any of it. I think it’s a good record, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that song [‘Beaucoup of Blues’]. I was glad, and I didn’t feel as embarrassed.”
Then again, the beauty of Starr’s album is that it honestly feels like a country record rather than a simple vanity project. Seeing him try to show off his Sinatra chops would have been considered a joke to anyone who knew The Beatles, but while working with the best in the country scene, this felt like the best way for him to get in touch with his roots while also trying on something that most Fab fans had either forgotten about or never heard at all.
And it also became something of a precursor of things to come, given that Paul McCartney would make his own foray into country music when working on singles like ‘Sally G’ during the Venus and Mars era of Wings. It would be a stretch to call Starr a game-changer in that regard, but it’s nice to see him pick up on some pieces of musical culture before the rest of his old mates could.
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