Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)

Last updated

"Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)"
Song by Ringo Starr
from the album Ringo
Released2 November 1973
Genre Folk rock, country
Length2:45
Label Apple
Songwriter(s) George Harrison
Producer(s) Richard Perry

"Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" is a song by the English musician Ringo Starr from his 1973 album Ringo . It was written by George Harrison, Starr's former bandmate in the Beatles, and was one of several contributions Harrison made to Ringo. Recording for the song took place in Los Angeles in March 1973, with Richard Perry as producer. In addition to Starr and Harrison, the musicians on the track include Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson of the Band, and multi-instrumentalist David Bromberg.

Contents

Harrison wrote "Sunshine Life for Me" in Ireland while staying with Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. In a contrast with the reconciliatory mood among the four ex-Beatles when the song was recorded, the visit occurred shortly after the London High Court's ruling on the dissolution of the band in March 1971. The composition reflects the influence of Irish folk music, as well as aspects of country, hootenanny and the sea shanty tradition. In his lyrics, Harrison espouses an escape from modern life for the tranquility of nature. The "Raymond" named in the song title was a lawyer hired by Allen Klein, the manager of Harrison, Starr and John Lennon, to represent the three former Beatles and Apple Corps in the High Court action initiated by Paul McCartney.

On release, "Sunshine Life for Me" received a varied response from music critics, some of whom dismissed it as an inauspicious track. Among retrospective reviewers, several commentators have admired its lightheartedness and consider the song to be a worthy example of Starr's work in the country genre. Harrison biographer Simon Leng describes it as "musically an homage to the spirit of the Band's 'Rag Mama Rag'". [1]

Background and inspiration

The main house at Castle Martin, in County Kildare, where Harrison stayed with Donovan in 1971 Castlemartin.jpg
The main house at Castle Martin, in County Kildare, where Harrison stayed with Donovan in 1971

George Harrison wrote "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" while on holiday in Ireland with his wife, Pattie Boyd. [2] The couple stayed with Scottish singer Donovan, [2] a friend of the Beatles since the mid-1960s and a fellow student on the band's 1968 Transcendental Meditation course in India. [3] The visit took place over the Easter holiday weekend in April 1971, when Donovan, a tax exile in Ireland, [4] [5] hosted a party for his musician friends at the Castle Martin estate in Kilcullen, County Kildare. [6] While discussing the song in his autobiography, I, Me, Mine , Harrison recalls composing the melody on an open-tuned guitar; he says he wrote it "like an old Irish folk song, a bit like country music". [7] [nb 1]

The holiday provided a respite for Harrison in the aftermath of the Beatles' break-up. [6] According to Boyd, despite the freedom he now enjoyed as a solo artist, and the acclaim afforded his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass , [9] Harrison was distressed at the hostility that prevailed among the four former bandmates. [10] On 12 March 1971, the High Court in London had ruled in Paul McCartney's favour against the other three Beatles and their manager, Allen Klein, [11] resulting in the group's company, Apple Corps, being placed into receivership. [12] [13] During this time, press reports from the court case had conveyed the full extent of the acrimony that existed between Klein's clients – Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr  – and McCartney. [14] [15]

Having expressed his frustration with the legal proceedings in another recent composition, "Sue Me, Sue You Blues", [16] [17] Harrison addressed one of the Klein-appointed lawyers, named Raymond, in the parenthetical subtitle of "Sunshine Life for Me". [2] [nb 2] In I, Me, Mine, Harrison says that Raymond was "in my mind at the time", hence the instruction for him to "sail away". [7]

Composition

"Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" is in 4/4 time and in the musical key of E. Rather than using formal chord changes, the melody is established through a modal riff over a constant E major chord. [21] Harrison biographer Simon Leng considers the song to be "musically an homage to the spirit" of "Rag Mama Rag" by the Band, [1] who epitomised the counterculture's embracing of pastoral values in the late 1960s. [22] [23] Having spent time with the group in Woodstock in late 1968, [24] following the completion of the Beatles' White Album, [25] Harrison had drawn inspiration from the Band's focus on traditional song forms during the final year of the Beatles' career. [26] Among other authors commenting on the song's musical style, Starr biographer Alan Clayson deems it "a hootenanny hoe-down", [2] while Beatles scholar Michael Frontani writes of its "authentic country-bluegrass" mood. [27]

In Leng's description, notwithstanding the song's lighthearted qualities, the lyrical theme of "Sunshine Life for Me" is "escape from people, pressure, and society". [1] During the choruses, Harrison states that a "sunshine life" awaits him [28] if he were only able to escape from "this cloud over me". [29] In keeping with the rustic theme, [30] Harrison says that he would prefer to associate with trees than with humans, [31] since "most folks just bore me / Always imposing ..." [28] In the second verse, he dismisses Raymond, [29] telling him:

There's a good life had at sea ...
That's the life for you
Sail away Raymond, sail away. [32]

While recognising "cheerfulness" as the song's prevailing emotion, author Ian Inglis writes that Harrison's instruction to Raymond is "perfectly apt, given the song's likeness to a traditional sea shanty". [29] The composition ends with multiple vocal parts, staggering the chorus lines. [21]

Leng compares "Sunshine Life for Me" with "The Pirate Song", a sea shanty written by Harrison and comedian Eric Idle in 1975, in which Harrison sings of wanting to be a pirate rather than a celebrity. [33] Theologian Dale Allison views the track as an example of how its composer's work "often revels in the natural world". [31] According to Allison, the same "easy romanticism about nature" returns in "Blow Away" and songs from Harrison's 1982 album Gone Troppo , while also contrasting with the "ecological anxiety" he expresses in tracks such as "Tears of the World", "Cockamamie Business" and the Monty Python-influenced "Save the World". [34]

Recording

In March 1973, following the completion of his album Living in the Material World , [35] Harrison offered "Sunshine Life for Me" to Starr for inclusion on the latter's first rock solo album, Ringo . [36] [nb 3] The main sessions for Ringo took place in Los Angeles that same month [39] and coincided with a spirit of reconciliation among all the former Beatles, [40] after Harrison, Starr and Lennon had grown disaffected with Klein as a manager. [41] [42] In addition to "Sunshine Life for Me" and individual contributions from Lennon and McCartney, [43] [44] Starr received co-writing assistance from Harrison on "Photograph", [45] which became Starr's first number 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart when released as the album's advance single. [46] [nb 4]

Garth Hudson of the Band played accordion on the song. The Band -2005710053-.jpg
Garth Hudson of the Band played accordion on the song.

With Richard Perry as his producer, [36] Starr recorded the basic track for "Sunshine Life for Me" at Sunset Sound Recorders in early March. [54] [55] He later referred to Ringo as his "accidental album", [54] since the project was planned at the last minute, and many of his collaborators were in Los Angeles for other reasons. [56] In the case of the musicians on "Sunshine Life for Me", Harrison was there primarily to join Starr and Lennon for business meetings at Capitol Records [57] [58] before producing Ravi Shankar's Shankar Family & Friends album, [59] while the Band were in Los Angeles to record Moondog Matinee . [60] The line-up on the track included four members of the Band – Levon Helm (on mandolin), Robbie Robertson (guitar), Rick Danko (fiddle) and Garth Hudson (accordion) [30]  – and multi-instrumentalist David Bromberg (on banjo and fiddle). [61] [62] [nb 5] A friend of the Beatles since their years in Hamburg, [66] Klaus Voormann played upright bass. [62]

The Band's Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Richard Manuel performing in 1971 The Band in Hamburg, 1971.jpg
The Band's Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Richard Manuel performing in 1971

Pop culture author Robert Rodriguez describes "Sunshine Life for Me" as a song "custom-crafted" for Starr, [67] who had previously demonstrated an affiliation for country music in his White Album composition "Don't Pass Me By" [68] and in his 1970 country album Beaucoups of Blues , [69] which he recorded in Nashville with producer Pete Drake. [70] [71] [nb 6] Harrison recalls in I, Me, Mine that it was "a fun session and a good track". [7] Robertson also expressed his enjoyment, saying that after Harrison showed them the song, he and his bandmates "went into our mountain-music mode". [73] Both avowed fans of the group since the late 1960s, [74] Starr and Harrison recorded with the Band for the first time on "Sunshine Life for Me". [30] In Starr's case, the association continued with his appearance at the Last Waltz in November 1976 and subsequent live performances with Helm and Danko in 1989. [75] [76] [nb 7]

Overdubbing on the songs recorded for Ringo, including Starr's lead vocals, took place at Sunset Sound and other studios in Los Angeles [79] from late March to July 1973. [80] The other vocal parts on "Sunshine Life for Me" were sung by Harrison and Vini Poncia, [62] Starr's regular songwriting partner during much of the 1970s. [81] [82] Leng highlights these multiple harmonies as both a "shared inheritance" of the Beatles and the Band, and a precursor to Harrison's later work with the Traveling Wilburys. [1]

Release

Apple Records issued Ringo on 2 November 1973. [83] [84] The release coincided with Lennon, Harrison and Starr suing Klein in the High Court [85] for payment of funds owed to the Beatles and for misrepresenting their interests. [86] [87] "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" was sequenced as the fourth track on the album, [88] between "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen". [89] In his book The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, Bruce Spizer describes the first five tracks on Ringo as "one of the strongest album sides produced by any ex-Beatle". [61] The album cover consisted of a painting by Tim Bruckner in which Harrison, the four members of the Band and all the other musicians on the recording appear, alongside Starr. [90]

"Sunshine Life for Me" was published by the Material World Charitable Foundation, which Harrison had set up in April 1973, [80] and administered through his company Harrisongs. [91] Don McLean covered the song on his 1974 album Homeless Brother . In what musicologist Thomas MacFarlane views as a possible "gesture of respect" towards Harrison and his love of Indian music, McLean's arrangement includes tabla backing. [73] London-based recording engineer David Hentschel covered "Sunshine Life for Me", along with all the other tracks from Ringo, [92] on his 1975 album Sta*rtling Music. [93] An experimental work featuring Hentschel on ARP synthesizer, [94] the album was one of the first releases on Starr's short-lived record label, Ring O' Records. [95]

Harrison's version of the song, with Starr and members of the Band, was released on the 50th anniversary edition of his 1973 album Living in the Material World in November 2024. [96]

Critical reception

In his album review for Disc magazine, Michael Benton said that "Sunshine Life for Me" represented "a somewhat subdued patch" between the obvious hit singles, "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen". [97] [98] While the critical reception to Ringo was generally highly favourable, [99] [100] the NME 's Charles Shaar Murray derided the album for its "dearth of good material", saying that the record's appeal was confined to the most committed Beatles nostalgics. He described "Sunshine Life for Me" as the best of the three Harrison contributions, but only due to the presence of the Band and Bromberg. [101] [nb 8] Writing in Rolling Stone , Ben Gerson called "Sunshine Life for Me" a "modal banjo tune" that "never manages to transcend its idiom, much less to fulfil it", [102] while Alan Betrock of Phonograph Record dismissed the song as "muzak without definition". [103] By contrast, Loraine Alterman of The New York Times deemed it "a dynamite bluegrassy number with a really sharp lyric about a guy who wants to get away from it all but just can't see that the problem is inside him". [104]

Comparing "Sunshine Life for Me" with the devout lyrical content of Living in the Material World, Beatles biographer Nicholas Schaffner opined that with this song Harrison had "managed to be amusing for the first time in years". [105] Writing in 1981, NME critic Bob Woffinden admired the track as "a sort of update of 'Mother Nature's Son'" on an album that contained "excellent compositions" from Starr's former bandmates and conveyed "a zestfulness, an unashamed joie de vivre ". [106] [nb 9]

Among other retrospective assessments, Chip Madinger and Mark Easter, writing in their book on the former Beatles' solo careers, admire the song as "a hoedown stomper which was as country as any of the tracks on Beaucoups of Blues". [108] Ian Inglis writes of "Sunshine Life for Me": "The result is a convincing piece of good-time folk-rock that would have been at home on Fairport Convention's groundbreaking album Liege & Lief , which was itself hugely influenced by the spirit of the Band's Music from Big Pink  ... [T]he impression lingers that the track was as much fun to make as it is to hear." [109]

In the 2005 publication NME Originals: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980, Paul Moody included "Sunshine Life for Me" among Starr's "ten solo gems", describing it as a "joyful hillbilly romp". [110] Former Mojo editor Mat Snow cites it as an example of how Harrison and Lennon served their former bandmate well with their respective contributions to Ringo – in the case of "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)", by "amusingly hark[ing] back to Ringo's songs of life beneath the waves while extolling his yachting lifestyle on the surface". [111] In The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles, Michael Frontani describes it as "perhaps the most lively track" on a "remarkable" album. [27]

Personnel

According to Bruce Spizer: [61]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Donovan's autobiography, he includes a picture of Harrison "play[ing] me his new song on my twelve-string" at Castle Martin in 1971. [8]
  2. ↑ Aside from ABKCO lawyer Peter Howard, the legal team assembled by Klein included Raymond Skilling, [18] a partner with the London law firm Clifford Turner. [19] [20]
  3. ↑ Starr's only previous forays into rock or pop as a solo artist had been two Harrison-produced singles over 1971–72, "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo". [37] [38]
  4. ↑ As had been the case since the group's break-up, [47] Harrison was the most active of Starr's former bandmates in supporting him on Ringo. [48] [49] He also contributed the album's closing song, "You and Me (Babe)", a collaboration with Mal Evans, and played on Lennon's composition "I'm the Greatest". [50] This last session, featuring Starr, Lennon and Harrison, [51] instantly led to speculation in the press that the Beatles were about to re-form. [52] [53]
  5. ↑ The fifth member of the Band, singer and pianist Richard Manuel, was incapacitated for much of this period due to his problems with alcoholism and drug addiction. [63] [64] In the group's usual set-up when Levon Helm switched from drums to mandolin or guitar, as on "Rag Mama Rag", Manuel played drums. [65]
  6. ↑ According to Harrison's report to Starr and McCartney after his return from Woodstock in December 1968, "Don't Pass Me By" was the Band's favourite track on the White Album. [22] [72]
  7. ↑ In addition, Robertson contributed the lead guitar part to "Snookeroo", [62] a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin that appears on Starr's 1974 album Goodnight Vienna . [77] [78]
  8. ↑ In addition to wondering why Richard Manuel had "stayed home sulking", Shaar Murray commented: "Harrison is credited with 'Backing Vocals' on that track, which is odd since he's been singing like that for years." [101]
  9. ↑ In his review of Don McLean's version, Woffinden said it was "a good song well sung, with lovely banjo" and one of the most effective tracks on Homeless Brother. [107]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dark Horse</i> (George Harrison album) 1974 studio album by George Harrison

Dark Horse is the fifth studio album by the English rock musician George Harrison. It was released on Apple Records in December 1974 as the follow-up to Living in the Material World. Although keenly anticipated on release, Dark Horse is associated with the controversial North American tour that Harrison staged with Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar in November and December that year. This was the first US tour by a member of the Beatles since 1966, and the public's nostalgia for the band, together with Harrison contracting laryngitis during rehearsals and choosing to feature Shankar so heavily in the programme, resulted in scathing concert reviews from some influential music critics.

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

Sentimental Journey is the debut solo album by the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Things Must Pass (song)</span> 1970 song by George Harrison

"All Things Must Pass" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, issued in November 1970 as the title track to his triple album of the same name. Billy Preston released the song originally – as "All Things (Must) Pass" – on his Apple Records album Encouraging Words (1970) after the Beatles had rehearsed the song in January 1969 but did not include it on their Let It Be album. The composition reflects the influence of the Band's sound and communal music-making on Harrison, after he had spent time with the group in Woodstock, New York, in late 1968. In his lyrics, Harrison drew inspiration from Timothy Leary's poem "All Things Pass", a psychedelic adaptation of the Tao Te Ching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Don't Come Easy</span> 1971 single by Ringo Starr

"It Don't Come Easy" is a song by the English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as a non-album single in April 1971. It was produced by Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who also helped write the song, although only Starr is credited. Recording for the track took place in March 1970 at Trident Studios in London, with overdubs added in October. Starr and Harrison performed the song together in August 1971 at Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh shows in New York City, a recording from which was released on the live album of the same name. Starr has continued to perform it in subsequent decades with his All-Starr Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photograph (Ringo Starr song)</span> 1973 single by Ringo Starr

"Photograph" is a song by English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as the lead single from his 1973 album Ringo. Starr co-wrote it with George Harrison, his former bandmate from the Beatles. Although they collaborated on other songs, it is the only one officially credited to the pair. A signature tune for Starr as a solo artist, "Photograph" was an international hit, topping singles charts in the United States, Canada and Australia, and receiving gold disc certification for US sales of 1 million. Music critics have similarly received the song favourably; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic considers it to be "among the very best post-Beatles songs by any of the Fab Four".

<i>The Best of George Harrison</i> 1976 compilation album by George Harrison

The Best of George Harrison is a 1976 compilation album by the English musician George Harrison, released following the expiration of his EMI-affiliated Apple Records contract. Uniquely among all of the four Beatles' solo releases, apart from posthumous compilations, it mixes a selection of the artist's songs recorded with the Beatles on one side, and later hits recorded under his own name on the other.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back Off Boogaloo</span> 1972 song by Ringo Starr

"Back Off Boogaloo" is a song by the English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as a non-album single in March 1972. Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison produced the recording and helped Starr write the song, although he remained uncredited as a co-writer until 2017. Recording took place in London shortly after the pair had appeared together at Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh shows in August 1971. The single was a follow-up to Starr's 1971 hit song "It Don't Come Easy" and continued his successful run as a solo artist. "Back Off Boogaloo" peaked at number 2 in Britain and Canada, and number 9 on America's Billboard Hot 100. It remains Starr's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ding Dong, Ding Dong</span> 1974 single by George Harrison

"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, written as a New Year's Eve singalong and released in December 1974 on his album Dark Horse. It was the album's lead single in Britain and some other European countries, and the second single, after "Dark Horse", in North America. A large-scale production, the song incorporates aspects of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound technique, particularly his Christmas recordings from 1963. In addition, some Harrison biographers view "Ding Dong" as an attempt to emulate the success of two glam rock anthems from the 1973–74 holiday season: "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade, and Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". The song became only a minor hit in Britain and the United States, although it was a top-twenty hit elsewhere in the world.

"Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. It was scheduled to be issued as a single in September that year, as the follow-up to "Give Me Love ", but the release was cancelled. Music critics have traditionally viewed "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" as a highlight of the Material World album, praising its pop qualities and production, with some considering the song worthy of hit status.

"Sue Me, Sue You Blues" is a song written by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. Harrison initially let American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis record it for the latter's Ululu album (1972), in gratitude to Davis for his participation in the Concert for Bangladesh. When writing the song, Harrison drew inspiration from the legal issues surrounding the Beatles during the early months of 1971, particularly the lawsuit that Paul McCartney initiated in an effort to dissolve the band's business partnership, Apple Corps.

"The Day the World Gets 'Round" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. Harrison was inspired to write the song following the successful Concert for Bangladesh shows, which were held in New York on 1 August 1971 as a benefit for refugees from the country formerly known as East Pakistan. The lyrics reflect his disappointment that such a humanitarian aid project was necessary, given the abundance of resources available across the planet, and his belief that if all individuals were more spiritually aware, there would be no suffering in the world. Adding to Harrison's frustration while writing the song, the aid project became embroiled in financial problems, as commercial concerns delayed the release of the Concert for Bangladesh album, and government tax departments failed to embrace the goodwill inherent in the venture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World of Stone</span> 1975 song by George Harrison

"World of Stone" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released in 1975 on Extra Texture , his final album for Apple Records. It was also issued as the B-side of the album's lead single, "You". Harrison wrote the song in 1973 but recorded it two years later, following the unfavourable critical reception afforded his 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar and the Dark Horse album. Due to its context on release, commentators view "World of Stone" as a plea from Harrison for tolerance from these detractors. According to some of his biographers, the lyrics reflect Harrison's doubts regarding his devotion to a spiritual path – an apparent crisis of faith that followed his often-unwelcome spiritual pronouncements during the tour, and which permeated his work throughout 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early 1970</span> 1971 single by Ringo Starr

"Early 1970" is a song by the English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as the B-side of his April 1971 single "It Don't Come Easy". A rare example of Starr's songwriting at the time, it was inspired by the break-up of the Beatles and documents his relationship with his three former bandmates. The lyrics to the verses comment in turn on Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison as individuals, and the likelihood of each of them making music with Starr again. In the final verse, Starr offers a self-deprecating picture of his musical abilities and expresses the hope that all four will play together in the future. Commentators have variously described "Early 1970" as "a rough draft of a peace treaty" and "a disarming open letter" from Starr to Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari's on Tour (Express)</span> 1974 instrumental by George Harrison

"Hari's on Tour (Express)" is an instrumental by English musician George Harrison, released as the opening track of his 1974 album Dark Horse. It was also the B-side of the album's second single – which was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" in North America and most other territories, and "Dark Horse" in Britain and some European countries. Among Harrison's post-Beatles solo releases, the track is the first of only two genuine instrumentals he released from 1970 onwards – the other being the Grammy Award-winning "Marwa Blues", from his 2002 album Brainwashed.

"Six O'Clock" is a song by the English rock musician Ringo Starr from his 1973 album Ringo. It was written by Starr's former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney and the latter's wife, Linda, who also participated in the recording of the song. It was the first time McCartney and Starr had worked together since the Beatles' break-up in 1970. Their collaboration reflected an easing of the tensions that had existed between the two musicians for much of that period.

"You and Me (Babe)" is a song by the English musician Ringo Starr, released as the final track on his 1973 album Ringo. Starr's fellow ex-Beatle George Harrison wrote the song along with Mal Evans, the Beatles' longtime aide and a personal assistant to Starr during the making of Ringo. The track serves as a farewell from Starr to his audience in the manner of a show-closing finale, by lyrically referring to the completion of the album. During the extended fadeout, Starr delivers a spoken message in which he thanks the musicians and studio personnel who helped with the recording of Ringo – among them, Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and his producer, Richard Perry.

"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".

"So Sad" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison that was released on his 1974 album Dark Horse. Harrison originally recorded the song for his previous album, Living in the Material World, before giving it to Alvin Lee, the guitarist and singer with Ten Years After. Lee recorded it – as "So Sad " – with gospel singer Mylon LeFevre for their 1973 album On the Road to Freedom. The latter recording includes contributions from Harrison and marked the first of several collaborations between him and Lee.

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

  1. 1 2 3 4 Leng, p. 139.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Clayson, p. 242.
  3. ↑ Mark Paytress, "A Passage to India", Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years – 1 January 1968 to 27 September 1970), Emap (London, 2003), p. 12.
  4. ↑ Jason Ankeny, "Donovan", AllMusic (retrieved 1 September 2016).
  5. ↑ Romanowski & George-Warren, p. 280.
  6. 1 2 Damian Smyth, "George Harrison's Irish Easter Egg Hunt!" Archived 21 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine , i96 Radio, 19 March 2016 (retrieved 2 September 2016).
  7. 1 2 3 Harrison, p. 232.
  8. ↑ Leitch, p. 144 (picture insert).
  9. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 43.
  10. ↑ David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", Uncut , August 2008, p. 41.
  11. ↑ Soocher, p. 66.
  12. ↑ Doggett, pp. 162–63.
  13. ↑ Badman, p. 32.
  14. ↑ Doggett, pp. 158–60.
  15. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 6, 41–42.
  16. ↑ Leng, pp. 126–27.
  17. ↑ Inglis, p. 39.
  18. ↑ Doggett, p. 162.
  19. ↑ Slinn, p. 184.
  20. ↑ "Deaths" > "1960s", The University of Chicago Magazine, January–February 2013, p. 94.
  21. 1 2 "'Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)' (by George Harrison)", in Ringo Starr Ringo: Sheet Music for Piano, Vocal & Guitar, Charles Hansen (New York, NY, 1973).
  22. 1 2 John Harris, "Into the Woods", Mojo , December 2003, p. 92.
  23. ↑ Romanowski & George-Warren, p. 50.
  24. ↑ Helm, p. 178.
  25. ↑ Doggett, pp. 56–57.
  26. ↑ Leng, pp. 51–53, 318.
  27. 1 2 Frontani, p. 156.
  28. 1 2 Harrison, p. 231.
  29. 1 2 3 Inglis, p. 55.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Rodriguez, p. 35.
  31. 1 2 Allison, p. 71.
  32. ↑ Harrison, pp. 231, 232.
  33. ↑ Leng, p. 189.
  34. ↑ Allison, pp. 70–71, 153–54.
  35. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 440.
  36. 1 2 Spizer, p. 306.
  37. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 42, 93.
  38. ↑ Madinger & Easter, pp. 498, 500.
  39. ↑ Badman, pp. 91–92.
  40. ↑ Schaffner, p. 160.
  41. ↑ Woffinden, p. 75.
  42. ↑ Doggett, pp. 192–93.
  43. ↑ Snow, p. 44.
  44. ↑ Soocher, p. 72.
  45. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 157–58.
  46. ↑ Spizer, p. 303.
  47. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 28, 260–61.
  48. ↑ Woffinden, pp. 45, 77.
  49. ↑ MacFarlane, p. 88.
  50. ↑ Clayson, pp. 242–43.
  51. ↑ Nick DeRiso, "40 Years Ago: Ringo Starr's 'Ringo' Features (Sort-Of) Beatles Reunion", Ultimate Classic Rock , 23 November 2013 (retrieved 8 September 2016).
  52. ↑ Badman, pp. 92, 94.
  53. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 140, 438.
  54. 1 2 Madinger & Easter, p. 501.
  55. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 437.
  56. ↑ Du Noyer, p. 50.
  57. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 139–40.
  58. ↑ Badman, pp. 90–91.
  59. ↑ Leng, p. 138.
  60. ↑ Rob Bowman, liner-note essay, Moondog Matinee CD booklet (Capitol Records, 2001; produced by Cheryl Pawelski & Andrew Sandoval), p. 3.
  61. 1 2 3 Spizer, p. 307.
  62. 1 2 3 4 Castleman & Podrazik, p. 212.
  63. ↑ Helm, pp. 232–33.
  64. ↑ Nick Hasted, "To Kingdom Come", Uncut , April 2005, pp. 50, 66.
  65. ↑ Helm, pp. 155, 188.
  66. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 83.
  67. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 34, 158.
  68. ↑ Schaffner, p. 115.
  69. ↑ Du Noyer, pp. 50–51.
  70. ↑ Woffinden, pp. 36–37.
  71. ↑ Doggett, p. 140.
  72. ↑ Sulpy & Schweighardt, p. 29.
  73. 1 2 MacFarlane, p. 89.
  74. ↑ Leng, pp. 52, 69.
  75. ↑ Clayson, pp. 345, 349.
  76. ↑ Badman, pp. 198, 426.
  77. ↑ Harry, p. 182.
  78. ↑ Clayson, p. 252.
  79. ↑ Madinger & Easter, pp. 500, 501.
  80. 1 2 Badman, p. 98.
  81. ↑ Harry, p. 269.
  82. ↑ Clayson, pp. 244–45.
  83. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 645.
  84. ↑ Harry, pp. 184–85.
  85. ↑ Soocher, p. 74.
  86. ↑ Badman, p. 111.
  87. ↑ Doggett, p. 212.
  88. ↑ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 128.
  89. ↑ Spizer, pp. 307, 313.
  90. ↑ Spizer, p. 308.
  91. ↑ Harrison, p. 386.
  92. ↑ Clayson, p. 271.
  93. ↑ Castleman & Podrazik, p. 313.
  94. ↑ Clayson, pp. 271–72.
  95. ↑ Woffinden, p. 78.
  96. ↑ Gary Graff, What to Listen for on George Harrison's 'Living in the Material World' Anniversary Edition, Billboard , 15 November 2024 (retrieved 16 November 2024)
  97. ↑ Michael Benton, "Ringo's Album Unites the Beatles", Disc , 24 November 1973, p. 25.
  98. ↑ Hunt, p. 75.
  99. ↑ Schaffner, pp. 160–61.
  100. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 143.
  101. 1 2 Charles Shaar Murray, "Paul McCartney: Band on the Run/Ringo Starr: Ringo", NME , 19 January 1974; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
  102. ↑ Ben Gerson, "Ringo Starr Ringo", Rolling Stone , 20 December 1973, p. 73.
  103. ↑ Alan Betrock, "Ringo Starr: Ringo", Phonograph Record , December 1973; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
  104. ↑ Loraine Alterman, "Ringo Dishes Up a 'Hot Fudge Sundae'", The New York Times , 25 November 1973, p. 32 (retrieved 24 February 2021).
  105. ↑ Schaffner, p. 161.
  106. ↑ Woffinden, pp. 75, 77.
  107. ↑ Bob Woffinden, "Don McLean: Homeless Brother", NME , 14 December 1974; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
  108. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 503.
  109. ↑ Inglis, pp. 55–56.
  110. ↑ Hunt, p. 25.
  111. ↑ Snow, pp. 44, 47.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.