Goodnight Vienna

Goodnight Vienna was Ringo Starr's follow-up to the sensationally successful 1973 Ringo album, which tried to replicate the buzz but came out sounding a little flat. There are several reasons for that:

1   The Beatles re-union rumor had borne no fruit

2   With 3 hit singles off Ringo, the market for non-singers of melodic pop was a little oversaturated &

3   The no-show by George Harrison, who had added so much to the previous album. George was licking his wounds in London after his ill-fated 1974 U.S. tour and the final break-up of his long-floundering marriage, eventually losing his wife to best friend Eric Clapton. 

Goodnight Vienna TV commercial

With Harrison absent, Goodnight Vienna sounds like a bunch of friends having a rollicking good time...and that's about it.

John Lennon's title track sounds great...but it's lyrically lame (you can also hear Lennon's original demo on the Lennon Anthology...see posthumous releases). Incidentally, "...then it's all down to Goodnight Vienna..." is an English expression meaning "...and then I'm outta here".  

However, more importantly, Lennon also donated his version of The Platters' Only You and it was so good that Ringo just virtually sang over the top. In fact, if you listen closely, you can hear Lennon distinctly on the fade-out. 

Only You, featuring some delightful backing vocals from Ringo's drinking buddy, Harry Nilsson, provided the album with it's first hit single going Top 10 around the world and #6 in the USA.

Ringo Starr: Only You

Hoyt Axton's humorous, reggae-like No, No, Song, which may still be on Youtube, with Ringo performing on The Smothers Brothers Show...became an even bigger single, going Top 3 in early 1975.

No, No, Song

Somehow I don't think a song with such an ambivalent approach to addiction would get past the censors for mainstream TV these days!

Of the other tracks, it's only Elton John's Snookeroo that stands out, more because it's melody is so damn hummable...in contrast to the other tracks! They're just OK, pleasant...but something of a let-down after the previous year's album.

The cover, which, in these Photoshop days may not seem much now, was actually pretty clever back then, with Ringo's head placed onto that of the spaceman, Michael Rennie, from the movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still.

As publicity for the album, Capitol built a:

• 23 feet high (7 meters) 650 lb (300 kilos) replica of the robot &
• a 10 foot high (3 meters), 800 lb (360 kilos) space-craft 

...and helicoptored them onto the top of the Capitol Tower in L.A. ah...them were the days!

Ringo Starr: Goodnight Vienna

"...I haven't heard this whole album in a long time, but I sure rememer how much I loved it when I was a kid..." Amazon reviewer Susan

"...We all sort of thought when the Fab Four quit that Ringo would end up in one of those "Where are they now?" columns in Rolling Stone. No such deal. He proved to be a hell of a musician, a top rate drummer and knows how to always surround himself with the best in the biz. Paul should take some notes.

Such was the case with Goodnight Vienna. I love this album! A first class turn-it-up-loud and blow the f**kin speaker cones out on the floor recording.  Goodnight Vienna is a hot 70's post Beatle rocker that plays well in the 21st century...You'll never hear a rock vocalist with no vibrato, projection and range (who) crank it out like Ringo did on this album..." Amazon reviewer RJ"ledog3"

For more info, see:

• wikipedia Goodnight Vienna