Ringo Starr – Goodnight Vienna Review

Though not as acclaimed as the band which made him a star, the solo works of Ringo Starr are moderately enjoyable. There is a fun sense to them, a flavourful element of whimsy which brought out some of the better tracks of The Beatles’ crawl to breaking up. Goodnight Vienna is likely the best of the bunch because it has the post-fame flame dying out and, in the wake of The Beatles’ demise a half-decade before it. Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison hit their stride and released masterful works from then. Goodnight Vienna is as close as Starr got, but it was not like he was trying for an artistic groove or some higher feeling. These are the fun bits and pieces which made Starr an essential component of The Beatles, and what kept him away from writing more than a few songs. 

A title track with gruff edges and Occapella with hearty brass backing its aimlessness, it is smooth enough sailing for this Starr album. The big draw is No No Song, a seemingly novel piece of work with a massive heart and earnestness, particularly with the benefit of hindsight. It is a broader piece, a chance to hear Starr offer genuine lyrical courage where he often lacked it. Perhaps lacked is the wrong word. Goodnight Vienna is the noise Starr would try and make for the rest of his career. Upbeat positivity prevailed even in the face of possible, artistically challenging notions. Oo-Wee has some jazz and groove-like movements in it which, with the right lyrical elements, could be more than this light yet sincere piece. Case in point, Husbands and Wives.  

Starr could maintain a lyrical tenderness when given the right tools. It was tougher to hear from him through the desire to make twee pop songs, Christmas albums to cosplay as The Grinch and whatever you wish to call the modern dreck of his career, but here is a tender selection. It is as good as a wandering, open McCartney track. A tearjerker and a hidden gem of the Starr discography. Goodnight Vienna has it all. The only great Ringo Starr album. Snookeroo has the backing vocalists and popular style of pop rock of the time but features such an earnestness to it, even if the gibberish titles are repeated with the force of a blunt force instrument to the head. It works. Starr has caved his way into the minds of a new generation. Call Me has the same simplicity as Husbands and Wives, a neat rhyming structure and a warm feel to the instrumental sections.  

Spoken word sincerity on Only You (And You Alone) calls for action of the individual, no matter what it is. The peace and love machine was once sincere himself, before throwing up fingers and rattling the peace sign. Those caricature-like structures do nothing for Starr and the talent which can be found and heard on this album, a rare cut of his best works. There is something faintly outstanding about Goodnight Vienna. Shock, perhaps, in hearing Starr perform with a grand consistency he would ditch for the remainder of his career. Even soppier efforts like the maudlin and theatrical Easy For Me have a nice place in this collection of songs. There is a connection between all these – and within are talented bits of Starr at his best. It may even convince of his talents as a solo artist. This is his All Things Must Pass.