Sentimental Journey

Ringo's walk down memory lane of old standards, released at the time of The Beatles' split, produced by George Martin with arrangements by:

• George Martin
• Paul McCartney
• Quincy Jones
• Maurice Gibb (of the Bee Gees)
• Klaus Voorman (old Beatle Hamburg friend + preferred bass player for John, George & Ringo for much of the early 70s)
• Richard Perry (later to become a very hot producer in the early 70s)

No singer, Sentimental Journey is still charming...and in many ways a radical release, considering Ringo was a member of The Beatles, at the time, the biggest band in the known universe. 

Further, because these arrangements weren't reinterpretations, as such, I don't believe that Sentimental Journey is as interesting as e.g.

• These Foolish Things   Bryan Ferry 1973
• Pin Ups   David Bowie  1973 or
• Rock'n'Roll   John Lennon   1975

...in terms of Rock'n'roll history...but if you can deal with the idea of Ringo's  Yellow Submarine voice doing standards, lend an ear to:

• Sentimental Journey
• Bye, Bye Blackbird &
• Whispering Grass

...they actually sound pretty good.

Sentimental Journey was a Top 30 album in the USA & Top 10 in the UK and while hardly a mandatory purchase for Beatles fans it's actually, quite pleasant in its own way...and it should be noted that it was many years in advance of the Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt & Carly Simon similar releases.

Produced for his mum with songs chosen by his family, Sentimental Journey...is truly that, doubly. It's a return to the music of a bygone era and it's also a return to 1970, when this was the first album of songs by an ex-Beatle and seemed important.

Ringo Starr: Sentimental Journey

"...This is definitely not a Beatles record, but Ringo deserves credit for a job well done in performance and song selection. I just purchased this CD recently and my 70 year old mother loved it as well - even singing along with Ritchie! Now she wants a copy..." Amazon reviewer Robert E VandenHeuvel

"...What a surprisethis was when I first bought in over 25 years ago! Still in high school in the mid-70's, Ringo's Sentimental Journey served as a wonderful and quirky introduction to what until then had been my dad's kind of music..." Amazon reviewer Henry R. Kujawa

"...it truly is an underrated and overlooked gem. The way Ringo's voice works with the wonderful arrangements and production (George Martin) is perfect, just perfect. This is a great way to expose yourself to some really great pop standards of the first half of the 20 century. Ringo does not disappoint..." Amazon reviewer gordon

For more info, see:

• wikipedia Sentimental Journey