Ringo's Rotogravure *** 1976

Ringo Starr - "Ringo's Rotogravure" [Full Album]

01. 00:00 "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll"
02. 03:23 "Hey! Baby"
03. 06:34 "Pure Gold"
04. 09:49 "Cryin'"
05. 13:07 "You Don't Know Me At All"
06. 16:24 "Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)"
07. 20:06 "I'll Still Love You"
08. 23:05 "This Be Called a Song"
09. 26:20 "Las Brisas"
10. 29:55 "Lady Gaye"
11. 32:55 "Spooky Weirdness"

Ringo's Rotogravure is the fifth album by Ringo Starr, released in 1976. Following the end of his contract with EMI, Starr signed on with Polydor Records (which once signed a pre-Ringo Beatles as the backing band of Tony Sheridan) worldwide (Atlantic Records handling US distribution) and was eager to see his solo success continue on in a new era.

Two years on from 1974's Goodnight Vienna, Starr − armed with new producer Arif Mardin − again stuck to his tried-and-true formula of having friends write songs and play on the recordings. This time, Eric Clapton took part, in addition to his old friend Harry Nilsson, and Peter Frampton, Melissa Manchester, Dr. John, Paul McCartney and John Lennon (his last studio session for four years until Double Fantasy). George Harrison donated a song too, but because of his commitments to get his album Thirty Three & 1/3 done on schedule, he couldn't take part in any recording for Ringo's Rotogravure. Harrison's contribution was a song previously known as "When Every Song Is Sung", which he had attempted to record first with Ronnie Spector in 1971, then with Cilla Black (on which Starr also played), and later still with Leon Russell's wife Mary.

Preceded by "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll", which reached number 26, Ringo's Rotogravure was released in September to a lukewarm response. Starr's winning formula was no longer a fresh one, and despite some fine music, the album performed poorly, only reaching number 28 in America and quickly falling off the charts, while it never even appeared in the UK listings. The follow-up single, his cover of Bruce Channel's Hey Baby, stalled at number 74 in the US. A single comprising "Las Brisas" and "Cryin'" was appropriately released in Mexico.

Ringo's Rotogravure has been issued only once on CD, in the US by Atlantic Records in 1992.