Bad Boy (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Bad Boy
Type = Album
Artist = Ringo Starr


Released =21 April 1978 (UK)
16 June 1978
Recorded = December 1977
Genre = Rock
Length = 34:27
Label = Polydor (UK)
Portrait/Sony Music (US)
Producer = Vini Poncia
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|2|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:j9fpxqu5ldte link]
*"Rolling Stone" (not rated) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ringostarr/albums/album/215441/review/5944007/bad_boy link]
Last album = "Scouse the Mouse"
(1977)
This album = "Bad Boy"
(1978)
Next album = "Stop and Smell the Roses"
(1981) |

"Bad Boy" is an album by Ringo Starr, based on Billy Flanagan, and was 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 fortunes dwindled further.

After the critical and commercial disaster of "Ringo the 4th" (1977), Starr and his musical partner, Vini Poncia, decided to create a less campy album and streamline the sound to lose the disco qualities and excesses that marred the previous release. With Poncia taking the production reins, Starr mostly relies on other people's songs, with no celebrity guests to be found.

The results, while comparatively an improvement, were still below par for Starr, resulting in another flop album, with "Bad Boy" only reaching #129 in the US, despite the airing of a prime time TV special entitled "Ognir Rrats" ('Ringo Starr' backwards). Polydor Records, after three consecutive non-charters in the UK, promptly dropped Starr, while his new US label, Portrait Records (who picked him up after Atlantic Records had dropped him) would eventually cancel his contract in 1981 during the making of his next album.

Of the 45's pulled from "Bad Boy", neither "Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)" nor "Heart On My Sleeve" charted. In the UK, the lone single was "Tonight / Heart On My Sleeve" and did not chart. It is now a sought after collector's item.

Rather cheekily, "A Man Like Me" is simply Scouse the Mouse's "A Mouse Like Me" with all the words "Mouse" substitued by "Man".

"Bad Boy" was reissued on CD in the US by Epic Records in 1991 (after Portrait Records' shelving), now its only source of availability.

Track listing

Side 1
#"Who Needs a Heart" (Richard Starkey/Vini Poncia) – 3:48
#"Bad Boy" (Lil Armstrong/Avon Long) – 3:14
#"Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)" (Naomi Neville) – 3:01
#"Heart On My Sleeve" (Benny Gallagher/Graham Lyle) – 3:20
#"Where Did Our Love Go" (Eddie Holland/Lamont Dozier/Brian Holland) – 3:15Side 2
#"Hard Times" (Peter Skellern) – 3:31
#"Tonight" (Ian McLagan/John Pidgeon) – 2:56
#"Monkey See - Monkey Do" (Michael Franks) – 3:36
#"Old Time Relovin'" (Vini Poncia/Richard Starkey) – 4:16
#"A Man Like Me" (Ruan O'Lochlainn) – 3:08

External links

* [http://www.jpgr.co.uk/p2310599.html JPGR's "Bad Boy" site]