Saturday, April 15, 2017

A Look Back at Ring O'Records

Get ready for a bunch of posts about the Beatles' Apple Records!  But first, we look at Ringo Starr's vanity label, Ring O'Records.  Unlike Dark Horse (George) or MPL (Paul), Ringo never released anything of his own on the label.
There's an excellent history and discography available here.
The most notable releases were...
-Several disks by composer David Hentschel, including a instrumental version of 1973's classic "Ringo" LP, in the same vein as Paul's 1977 "Thrillington," which was an instrumental take on 1971's "Ram."  However, whereas "Thrillington" was done with a full orchestra, Hentschel's "Startling Music" is Moog-driven.  It also features some percussion by Ringo and by human-Cabbage-Patch-doll Phil Collins.
-A reissue of John Tavener's "The Whale," which originally came out on Apple Records in 1969 (sporting a different cover).
-Some releases by Bobby Keys (well-known for his sax work with The Rolling Stones) and Dirk and Stig (aka one-half of The Rutles).
-The biggest hit on the label was probably "Warm Ride," released as a single by Rainbow's Graham Bonnet in 1978.  His version hit #1 in Australia.  The song was written and recorded by the Bee Gees for "Saturday Night Fever," but shelved and not released until the 2007 edition of "Bee Gees Greatest."  They did record a more dramatic version with younger brother Andy Gibb, who released it in 1980.

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