John Lennon Completely Missed the Point of Ringo Starr’s 1st Solo Album
The Beatles’ breakup was just the end of one story for the four band members. Fab Four solo albums soon followed, and John Lennon said some were much better than the final Beatles albums. Ringo Starr’s solo debut, Sentimental Journey, wasn’t one of them. John totally missed the point when he said the record embarrassed him.
John Lennon said Ringo Starr’s first solo album embarrassed him
Ringo’s first solo album was like the early Beatles records in one way — it was heavy on covers. In fact, covers comprised Sentimental Journey’s entire track listing. But they weren’t early rock ‘n’ roll covers or country songs Ringo loved. They were jazz and big band standards from the eras before the Fab Four dominated pop music.
Ringo beat his bandmates to the solo game in 1970. Sentimental Journey hit shelves several weeks before Paul McCartney’s self-titled McCartney. Both came out before the last Beatles release, Let It Be.
The drummer had a limited vocal range, but he capably croons his way through syrupy pre-World War II standards. Still, John felt embarrassed by Ringo’s first solo album. The guitarist liked the follow-up (and likely the songs he contributed to the drummer’s third and fourth solo records) much better than Sentimental Journey. The bespectacled Beatle must have had his glasses off because John completely misunderstood Ringo’s debut album.
John missed the point of Ringo’s 1st solo album — it was all about making music of any kind
The Beatles’ breakup came as a relief to John. He could move past the expectations of writing pop music hits and focus on his artistic passions. The Fab Four’s fracture was different for their drummer. That’s the point John completely missed regarding Ringo’s first solo album.
Given the animosity swirling around the band at the time, it was almost impossible not to see the end looming. Ringo saw he was about to lose his second family. He often referred to his John, Paul, and George Harrison as brothers, which indicates how much the only child thought of his bandmates. The drummer understandably felt lost and adrift. He needed a goal to shoot for, a reason to get back to work, and singing big band songs on Sentimental Journey was it.
Ringo also understood that, unlike his fellow Beatles, he couldn’t pull songs from the ether to make a proper solo album. His songwriting process was comically laborious. It was almost a miracle he wrote any Beatles songs at all, considering he needed years to finish his first Fab Four composition. Ringo was an exceptional drummer, but he was also brutally honest about his place in The Beatles in terms of songwriting talent — dead last. Assembling a playlist of standards he loved was the easiest way to get back in action.
Plus, many of Sentimental Journey’s songs were Ringo’s parents’ favorites. His mother sacrificed plenty to ensure he grew up comfortably in their working-class Liverpool neighborhood. Performing some of her favorite tunes was a way to honor her in a way playing Beatles songs couldn’t.
The Beatles drummer found solo success with a little help from his former bandmate
John misinterpreted things when he said Ringo’s first solo record embarrassed him. The drummer didn’t hold a grudge. He picked up the sticks to play on John’s first post-Beatles album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, dealing with John’s freaky singing during the recording process. Ringo welcomed his friend and former bandmate to the studio while making later solo efforts.
Ringo scored several big hits after The Beatles, including a pair of No. 1 songs. One of his Billboard charting singles was “(It’s All Da-Da Down to) Goodnight Vienna,” the John-penned lead track from 1974’s Goodnight Vienna. Lennon also reworked his unused song “I’m the Greatest” and gave it to Ringo for his 1973 self-titled solo record.
John’s murder scuttled plans the duo had to work together in 1981, too. As a sign of respect, Ringo refused to record a John song that became a posthumous top-10 hit for Lennon.
John Lennon completely missed the point when he said he was embarrassed by Ringo Starr’s first solo record. The drummer just wanted to get back to work when The Beatles broke up, and crooning big-band standards was the easiest way for him to do it. Thankfully, Ringo didn’t take John’s criticism personally, and the pair worked together several times in the 1970s.
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