Scouse the Mouse

Last updated

Scouse the Mouse
Ringo Starr Scouse The Mouse.jpg
Studio album by
Various artists
Released9 December 1977
RecordedJuly 1977
Genre Children's music
Length50:51
Label Polydor
Producer Hugh Murphy

Scouse the Mouse is a children's album released in the UK in 1977. It featured the vocals of Ringo Starr and others.

Contents

Story and recording

Starr appears as the album's main character, Scouse the Mouse, who emigrates from Liverpool to the United States. Scouse is a word for things from Liverpool. Other characters are played by Adam Faith (“Bonce the Mouse”) and Barbara Dickson (“Molly Jolly”). The album was written, directed and narrated by Donald Pleasence. Most of the songs performed on the album were composed by Roger Brown.

Starr's tracks ("I Know a Place", "S.O.S.", "A Mouse Like Me", "Living in a Pet Shop", "Scouse's Dream", "Running Free", "Boat Ride" and "Scouse the Mouse") were recorded in July 1977, produced by Hugh Murphy, at Berwick Street Studios. [1]

Release

An animated television version of the story was planned for airing on ITV, but it was delayed due to a strike and ultimately shelved. [2]

Scouse the Mouse was released on 9 December 1977 in the UK by Polydor. [nb 1] [3] The album, which was the third and final release in Starr's three-album deal with Polydor Records, was not issued in the United States.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Roger Brown, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Living in a Pet Shop"  Ringo Starr 4:03
2."Sing a Song for the Tragopan"Brown, D. Pleasence Barbara Dickson 3:16
3."Scouse's Dream" Ringo Starr3:38
4."Snow Up Your Nose for Christmas"M. Pleasence, D. PleasenceBen Chatterly3:47
5."Running Free" Ringo Starr3:21
6."America (A Mouse's Dream)"  Adam Faith 3:40
7."Scousey" Lucy Pleasence3:25
8."Boat Ride" Ringo Starr3:56
9."Scouse the Mouse" Ringo Starr2:50
10."Passenger Pigeon"Brown, D. PleasenceBarbara Dickson1:25
11."I Know a Place"Brown, O'Lachlainn, D. PleasencePolly Pleasence, Ringo Starr4:25
12."Caterwaul" Jim Parker  2:04
13."S.O.S." Ringo Starr2:42
14."Ask Louey"Brown, D. Pleasence Rick Jones 3:57
15."A Mouse Like Me"O'LachlainnRingo Starr4:22

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Best</span> British musician, former member of the Beatles

Randolph Peter Best is an English musician known as the drummer of the English rock band the Beatles who was dismissed immediately prior to the band achieving worldwide fame. Fired from the group in 1962 after playing drums as a Beatle for the previous two years in Germany and England, he started his own band, the Pete Best Four. He later joined and started many bands over the years. He is one of several people who have been referred to as a fifth Beatle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringo Starr</span> English musician, drummer for the Beatles

Sir Richard Starkey, known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of four others.

Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. In practice, the roster had become dominated by the mid-1970s with releases of the former Beatles as solo artists. Allen Klein managed the label from 1969 to 1973, then it was managed by Neil Aspinall on behalf of the Beatles and their heirs. Aspinall retired in 2007 and was replaced by Jeff Jones.

<i>Ringo</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Ringo Starr

Ringo is the third studio album by English musician Ringo Starr, released in 1973 on Apple Records. It peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national albums chart.

<i>Sentimental Journey</i> (Ringo Starr album) 1970 studio album by Ringo Starr

Sentimental Journey is the debut solo album by English rock musician Ringo Starr. It was released by Apple Records in March 1970 as the Beatles were breaking up. The album is a collection of pre-rock 'n' roll standards that Starr recalled from his childhood in Liverpool. As a departure from the experimental quality that had characterised solo LPs by George Harrison and John Lennon since 1968, it was the first studio album by an individual Beatle to embrace a popular music form.

<i>Beaucoups of Blues</i> 1970 studio album by Ringo Starr

Beaucoups of Blues is the second studio album by the English rock musician and former Beatle Ringo Starr. It was released in September 1970, five months after his debut solo album, Sentimental Journey. Beaucoups of Blues is very far removed in style from its pop-based predecessor, relying on country and western influences. A longtime fan of the genre, Starr recorded the album over three days in Nashville with producer Pete Drake and an ensemble of local session players. Beaucoups of Blues failed to chart in Britain but achieved moderate commercial success in the United States, where it reached number 35 on Billboard's Country Albums list and number 65 on the Billboard Top LPs chart.

<i>Goodnight Vienna</i> 1974 studio album by Ringo Starr

Goodnight Vienna is the fourth studio album by Ringo Starr. It was recorded in the summer of 1974 in Los Angeles, and released later that year. Goodnight Vienna followed the commercially successful predecessor Ringo, and Starr used many of the same players, including Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Robbie Robertson, Harry Nilsson, and producer Richard Perry. The title is a Liverpool slang phrase meaning "it's all over".

<i>Blast from Your Past</i> 1975 compilation album by Ringo Starr

Blast from Your Past is a compilation album by English rock musician Ringo Starr, released on Apple Records in 1975. It is both Starr's first compilation LP and his final release under his contract with EMI. It was also the last album to be released on the Beatles' Apple label until it was revived in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ask Me Why</span> 1963 single by the Beatles

"Ask Me Why" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles originally released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of their single "Please Please Me". It was also included on their 1963 debut album Please Please Me. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Get You</span> 1963 single by the Beatles

"I'll Get You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney, and released by the Beatles as the B-side of their 1963 single "She Loves You". The song was initially titled "Get You in the End".

<i>Ringos Rotogravure</i> 1976 studio album by Ringo Starr

Ringo's Rotogravure is the fifth studio album by Ringo Starr, released in 1976. It was the last project to feature active involvement from all four former Beatles before John Lennon's murder in 1980, and the second of two projects following the band's 1970 breakup to hold the distinction. Following the end of his contract with EMI, Starr signed on with Polydor Records worldwide.

<i>Ringo the 4th</i> 1977 studio album by Ringo Starr

Ringo the 4th is the sixth studio album by English musician Ringo Starr, released on 20 September 1977. Its title is sometimes ascribed to him being the fourth member of the Beatles. Others have suggested that it is his fourth mainstream album, taking exception to his Great American Songbook homage, Sentimental Journey, and his country-western foray, Beaucoups of Blues. However, Ringo the 4th is a dance-oriented record, crafted for him by his Atlantic Records producer, Arif Mardin.

<i>Bad Boy</i> (Ringo Starr album) 1978 studio album by Ringo Starr

Bad Boy is the seventh studio album by Ringo Starr, released in 1978 during a period where his musical career was sliding into freefall after several years of solo success. Although Bad Boy was meant to reverse this trend, Starr's success dwindled further.

<i>Stop and Smell the Roses</i> (Ringo Starr album) 1981 studio album by Ringo Starr

Stop and Smell the Roses is the eighth studio album by English rock musician Ringo Starr. Released in October 1981, it followed the twin commercial failures of Ringo the 4th (1977) and Bad Boy (1978). The album includes the hit single "Wrack My Brain", written and produced by George Harrison, but otherwise failed to find commercial success. It also includes contributions from Paul McCartney, Harry Nilsson, Ronnie Wood and Stephen Stills.

"I'm the Greatest" is a song written by English musician John Lennon that was released as the opening track of the 1973 album Ringo by Ringo Starr. With Starr, Lennon and George Harrison appearing on the track, it marks the only time that three former Beatles recorded together between the band's break-up in 1970 and Lennon's death in 1980. Lennon wrote the song in December 1970 as a wry comment on his rise to fame, and later tailored the lyrics for Starr to sing. Named after one of Muhammad Ali's catchphrases, the song partly evokes the stage-show concept of the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

<i>Aint She Sweet</i> (album) 1964 compilation album by The Beatles featuring Tony Sheridan and The Swallows

Ain't She Sweet is an American compilation album featuring four tracks recorded in Hamburg by The Beatles in 1961 and 1962. Cover versions of Beatles and British Invasion-era songs recorded by the Swallows complete the tracklist.

<i>Liverpool 8</i> 2008 studio album by Ringo Starr

Liverpool 8 is the 15th studio album by Ringo Starr, released worldwide on 14 January 2008. Received with mixed reviews, it marked Starr's return to EMI for the first time since leaving the label in 1975, following the end of the Beatles' recording contract with the company.

"I'll Still Love You" is a song written by English rock musician George Harrison and first released in 1976 by his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. Produced by Arif Mardin, the track appeared on Starr's debut album for Atlantic Records and Polydor, Ringo's Rotogravure. The composition had a long recording history before then, having been written in 1970 as "Whenever", after which it was copyrighted with the title "When Every Song Is Sung".

Ring O' Records was a record label founded by former Beatle Ringo Starr in 1975. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Starr to continue supporting other artists' projects while maintaining his solo career. The label was shut down in 1978, having failed to achieve commercial success with a roster of artists that included David Hentschel, Bobby Keys, Graham Bonnet and Rab Noakes. Starr himself never recorded for Ring O' Records, although, following the expiration of his contract with Apple in January 1976, he signed with Polydor, which distributed his label throughout Europe. From 1977, Ring O' was distributed in some territories by Mercury Records.

References

Footnotes
  1. UK Polydor Super 2480 429 [3]
Citations
  1. Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, eds. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970-2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN   9780711983076.
  2. Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium (Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions, 2000), 514.
  3. 1 2 Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 184. ISBN   9780753508435.