and Beatles related 45s...RINGO!

Ringo's solo career began with a whimper, then managed a few interesting peaks, before it fizzled out all together. Sentimental Journey was an album of standards recorded in tribute to his Mother, then a trip to Nashville resulted in the country album we'd always known he wanted. Surrounded by Nashville's best pickers, and with Pete Drake as producer, the album still has legs. "Coochy Coochy" was the B-side of the title track "Beaucoups of Blues".

1971 saw the release of a couple of strong tracks, "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo". Maybe George helped write the songs, but they're darn good radio music. Of interest is the flip-side to "Boogaloo" called "Blindman". Ringo played a Mexican bandit chief in this weird Eastwoodesque pastiche.

"Photograph" came from Ringo's best album, simply called Ringo and produced by Richard Perry featuring a bevy of friends and sessionmen, the album is one of the best solo records made by any of the ex-Beatles. And the packaging was dynamite too!

There were other tunes released on Apple, but then Ringo moved to Atlantic, where he made a couple of decent, but limited albums. This single went nowhere even though it was produced by the great Arif Mardin. But perhaps the best Ringo single is "It Don't Come Easy" with the fascinating story of his take on the Beatles' breakup on the flipside..."Early 1970".