Pages

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Bought this album when it came out also and if it is embarrassing now I really don't care! This song meant a great deal to me and sums up adolescent angst at losing someone that it is possible to articulate for you when one is young. White man's blues . . . . . ?

On this day in music history: November 24, 1973 - “Photograph” by Ringo Starr hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by Ringo Starr and George Harrison, it is the first solo chart topper for the former Beatle drummer. Ringo Starr’s self-titled third album, has its genesis in early 1973 after producer Richard Perry (Nilsson, Captain Beefheart) asks Starr if he’ll be a presenter at the Grammy Awards which are being telecast in Nashville, TN that year. Starr in turn suggests to Perry that they work together. Perry accepts the offer, quickly assembling musicians and booking studio time in L.A.. They record five songs in five days including all three major singles from the album.  Ringo calls on his former Beatle band mates including George Harrison, who writes two songs for the project, with he and Starr collaborating on “Photograph”. The track features various musician friends including Harrison on 12-string acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, Nicky Hopkins (keyboards), Jim Keltner (drums), Klaus Voorman (bass), Bobby Keys (saxophone) and is arranged by Jack Nitzsche. Any previous doubts about the former Beatle drummer’s post band fortunes are immediately smashed, when “Photograph” is released as the first single from “Ringo” on September 24, 1973. Entering the Hot 100 at #74 on October 6, 1973, it climbs to the top of the chart seven weeks later. The original 45 pressing of the single come with custom picture labels of Starr lying under a silver metallic sheet with the image cropped in the shape of a star. This same image is used for the single picture sleeve and for the labels of the original vinyl LP. “Photograph” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

No comments:

Post a Comment