Goodnight Vienna is the fourth studio album by Ringo Starr. It was recorded in the summer of 1974 in Los Angeles, and released on 15 November through Apple Records. Goodnight Vienna followed the commercially successful predecessor Ringo, and Starr used many of the same players, including Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Robbie Robertson, Harry Nilsson, and producer Richard Perry.

Background and recording

While all three other former Beatles had contributed to Ringo (1973), only John Lennon contributed to Goodnight Vienna.

On 17 June 1974, Starr called Lennon, who was about to record his Walls and Bridges album, and asked him to write a song he could include on his next album. A demo of "(It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna" was recorded by Lennon on 28 June, with the session musicians from Walls and Bridges and sent to Starr in advance of the sessions. Besides writing and playing piano on the title track, Lennon suggested Starr cover The Platters' hit "Only You (And You Alone)" playing acoustic guitar and providing a guide vocal for Starr to follow. Starr's versions of both "Only You (And You Alone)" and "(It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna" were recorded at a session produced by Lennon.

Release

"Only You (And You Alone)", backed with "Call Me", was issued as an advance single from the album in the US on 11 November 1974, before the album was released. Nearly a month later, on 21 February, "Snookeroo" was released as a single in the UK, backed with "Oo-Wee". Starr returned the favour and did the voiceover for the commercial for Lennon's Walls and Bridges album. The video aired on BBC TV's Top of the Pops show, on 19 December.|group="nb" 1972 hit single "Back Off Boogaloo", its B-Side "Blindman" and an extended version of the McCartney-penned "Six O'Clock", a shorter version of which had earlier appeared on the LP version of Ringo.

Album cover and title

The album cover for Goodnight Vienna was based on a still from the classic 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, with Starr's head replacing that of actor Michael Rennie shown standing behind the robot Gort. Rennie's character was the alien Klaatu.

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Side one

  1. "(It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna" (John Lennon) – 2:35
  2. "Occapella" (Allen Toussaint) – 2:55
  3. "Oo-Wee" (Vini Poncia, Richard Starkey) – 3:45
  4. "Husbands and Wives" (Roger Miller) – 3:34
  5. "Snookeroo" (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) – 3:27

Side two

  1. <li value=6> "All by Myself" (Poncia, Starkey) – 3:21
  2. "Call Me" (Starkey) – 4:07
  3. "No No Song" (Hoyt Axton, David Jackson) – 2:33
  4. "Only You (And You Alone)" (Buck Ram) – 3:26
  5. "Easy for Me" (Harry Nilsson) – 2:20
  6. "Goodnight Vienna (Reprise)" (Lennon) – 1:20

1992 bonus tracks

  1. <li value=12> "Back Off Boogaloo" (Starkey) – 3:22
  2. "Blindman" (Starkey) – 2:46
  3. "Six O'Clock (Extended Version)" (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) – 5:23

Personnel

  • Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, percussion
  • Jim Keltner – drums
  • John Lennon – piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Carl Fortina – accordion
  • Richard Bennett – electric guitar solo
  • Dennis Coffey – guitar
  • Steve Cropper – electric guitar
  • Jesse Ed Davis – electric guitar
  • Vini Poncia – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Robbie Robertson – guitar
  • Alvin Robinson – guitar
  • Lon Van Eaton – guitar
  • Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
  • Richard Perry – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Dr. John – piano, backing vocals
  • Elton John – piano
  • David Foster – piano
  • Tom Hensley – electric piano
  • Nicky Hopkins – electric piano
  • Lincoln Mayorga – piano
  • Billy Preston – electric piano, clavinet
  • James Newton Howard – synthesizer
  • Gary Wright – keyboards
  • Chuck Findley – horns
  • Bobby Keys – horns
  • Trevor Lawrence – horns
  • Lew McCreary – horns
  • Steve Madaio – trumpet
  • Madeline Bell – backing vocals
  • Lesley Duncan – backing vocals
  • Jean Gilbert – backing vocals
  • Jimmy Gilstrap – backing vocals
  • Joe Greene – backing vocals
  • Ira Hawkins – backing vocals
  • Clydie King – backing vocals
  • Lynda Laurence – backing vocals
  • Harry Nilsson – backing vocals
  • May Pang – backing vocals
  • Masst Alberts – backing vocals
  • Derrek Van Eaton – backing vocals
  • Cynthia Webb – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

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! Chart (1974–75)

! Peak<br/>position

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! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| align="center"| 11

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"|Danish Albums (Hitlisten)

| align="center"| 5

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! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)

| align="center"| 28

|-

|-

! scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)

| align="center"| 12

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| align="center"| 53

|-

|-

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|-

! Chart (1975)

! Peak<br/>position

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!scope="row"|Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| align="center"| 80

|-

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!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

| align="center"| 61

|}

Certifications

Notes

References

  • JPGR's Goodnight Vienna site