Ringo's top albums

[Harrythebannister]

1/ Ringo
2/ Time Takes Time
3/ Goodnight Vienna
4/ Verticle Man
5/ Ringorama.

[linclink]

I just saw Ringo & The All-Starr Band last night in Canandaigua, NY- Great show!!
So in honor of my wave of Ringo love...

My fave remains the impeccable "Ringo" album, but not far behind it at all would be "Time Takes Time".
Then there is a log jam of albums not far behind those two at all, I think they are all terrific and they'd be, in no particular order either... "Vertical Man", "Choose Love", "Ringo Rama", & "Liverpool 8". The last two that I really like would be next & they'd be "Goodnight Vienna" & "Beaucoups Of Blues".
After that are the so-so albums..."Rotogravure", "Y Not", "Old Wave" & "Stop & Smell The Roses".
Then we hit the skids with "Ringo The IV" & "Bad Boy", and the worst of all "Sentimental Journey".
As far as the crazy amount of live albums go..."VH-1 Storytellers" is my favorite, and the only one I own, but "Anthology-So Far" is a fine compilation of the All-Starr Band years from the years when it was at peak. "Live At Soundstage" is another fine live album with The Roundheads, but I prefer "Storytellers" though if you that big a fan I'm sure they are both worth it, despite the inevitable repeat performances.
All in all a pretty fine solo career I'd say. Early on he released a great roots-country album of covers, and then a stone cold classic, followed up by a very good echo of that formula. After that he was more or less lost in the woods for about a decade and a half. Then the renaissance started with the live All-Starr Band revues, a brilliant "With A Little Help From Friends" type concept, and it continued with an album to rival "Ringo", the comeback and then some that was "time Takes Time" in 92. From "Vertical Man" up until "Liverpool 8" we had the Mark Hudson-Roundheads era that produced another 4 great albums (adding "Choose Love" & "Ringo Rama" to the aforementioned bookends). The All-Starr Band formula has begun to fade a bit as far as the quality of performers, but that's due in part to the high level of dream band that used to show up. Just incredible. Today hey vary from good to very good (though none up to the past levels of greatness), with a few glaring embarrassing exceptions (last night it was Richard Page of Mr. MIster), and sadly the first post-Hudson/Roundheads album was a so-so dud of sorts. But from '89 (live) or '92 (studio) for about a decade and a half or more this guy was one of the great surprise resurrections in Rock history. A terrific story with a great soundtrack.

[ProgRocker]

My top five favorite Ringo albums:

1. Vertical Man: the album that got me into Ringo's music.
2. Ringo: This album goes without question. Singlehandedly one of the greatest albums ever released.
3. Goodnight Vienna: Another really great one. Very similar to Ringo in style.
4. Bad Boy: I have a soft spot for this album. I've always loved it.
5. Y Not: Rounding out my top 5, this was one of the best releases of last year. Love it!

[Lazarus_2]

1. Vertical Man; prob in my top 5 solo beatle list.
2. Ringo Rama; a continuation almost of Vertical Man, with epic sounding ringo drumming on certain tracks.
3. Choose Love; feels like it was kinda downhill from here on starting with this record, still good, but no RR or VM, with Liverpool 8/Y Not/Ringo 2012 getting progressively worse.
4. Ringo; not as great as from 1997-2005, but still an enjoyable listen that surpasses easily McCartney/Harrison/Lennon worst records.
5. either goodnight vienna, time takes time, y-not, liverpool 8 or ringo 2012, very hard to decide the 5th spot.

If Ringo could've kept releasing quality albums like Vertical Man/Ringo Rama, he could've easily competed with McCartney and surpassed him in some cases.
My opinion of course(who's else would it be?) but some feel that you HAVE to put expressly that it is your opinion otherwise they think you're trying to express as fact
beyond question(silly buggers)...

[efghijiloveyou]

Interesting list, Laz. You kind of go against the grain in placing the self-titled 'Ringo' so far down. I'm curious about #1 however. Do you really think it's a top five among all of the Beatles' solo albums? You must really like Ringo. I do too, of course, but not as much as you! I've got almost all of Ringo's solo output, but I wouldn't say any of his albums belong in my top five solo, not even my favorite ('Ringo').

[Harrythebannister]

1/ Ringo
2/ Time Takes Time
3/ Goodnight Vienna
4/ Verticle Man
5/ Ringorama.

Looking at my list from a couple of years ago looks like I got the right albums but not necessarily in the right order.
Here's my revised list...

1/ Verticle Man
2/ Ringorama
3/Time Takes Time
4/ Ringo
5/ Goodnight Vienna

If Ringo could've kept releasing quality albums like Vertical Man/Ringo Rama, he could've easily competed with McCartney and surpassed him in some cases.

Well put Laz...both better than anything Macca released between 1993 - 2001. Only my opinion of course.

[Lazarus_2]

1. Vertical Man; prob in my top 5 solo beatle list.
2. Ringo Rama; a continuation almost of Vertical Man, with epic sounding ringo drumming on certain tracks.
3: Liverpool 8
4. Choose Love
5. Ringo the 4th

semi-new list.
Liverpool 8 gets more love. Choose Love gets less.
Fifth will probably be ever-changing.

[jgkojak]

OK, here goes.

1. Ringo
2. Goodnight Vienna
3. Time Takes Time
4. Vertical Man
5. Rotogravure
6. Beaucoups of Blues
7. Ringo Rama
8. Ringo the IV
9. Choose Love
10. Bad Boy
11. Old Wave
12. Sentimental Journey
13. Y Not
14. Stop and Smell the Roses
15. Liverpool 8
16. Ringo 2012

[L Dozier]

Nobody has mentioned Ringo's Christmas album, I Wanna be Santa Claus. I put it on once a year and enjoy it every time. Doesn't anyone else like it? Or maybe so few have even heard it...

...Ringo is much more "Happy-go-lucky" than Paul...

Really? I've always seen Ringo as consistently grouchy. Paul is normally quite cheerful.

[Harrythebannister]

Nobody has mentioned Ringo's Christmas album, I Wanna be Santa Claus. I put it on once a year and enjoy it every time. Doesn't anyone else like it? Or maybe so few have even heard it...

It's a great album to listen to at christmas but it just happens he has many better albums. Would still rate it above "Sentimental Journey" and "Bad Boy" though.