Portrait Label Drops Ringo Starr (1981)

 

I wondered what had happened in 1981 with Ringo's "Can't Fight Lightning" record.  During his press appearances for Caveman, he was also promoting this new album and then suddenly you stopped hearing him talk about it for a while.   What happened?   This article sort of clears that up -- and the album was released under the name "Stop and Smell the Roses" later in 1981.

Portrait Label Drops Ringo Starr; Album Distribution Plan Blamed

By Christopher Connelly (Rolling Stone affiliate)

May 13, 1981 

    Ringo Starr's latest album, Can't Fight Lightning, apparently, won't be thundering into record stores for some time to come. Starr's label, Portrait Records, has dropped the former Beatle from its roster after being unable to concoct an international distribution deal for the LP, according to Portrait vice president and general manager Lenny Petze. 

     "We let him go to make him happy," Petze said. "I'm very disappointed, because I think it's a tremendous album, but without a worldwide deal, the export problem would have been tremendous. In other words, people would only have been able to buy the album in Europe from U.S. dealers who would be exporting it. That would be disastrous for Ringo. He would lose a lot of sales over there without a label. We didn't want to cause him any problems, so we decided to let him go."

     Ringo Starr's lawyer Bruce Graykal would not comment, but a close associate of Ringo's, Peter Silbermann, disputes that assertion. "To my knowledge, that's absolutely not true," says Silbermann, who declined to say precisely what it was in Petze's account that he considered inaccurate. "It's such a sticky thing. I just can't go into it at this time."

     It would seem that the album's worldwide distribution could have been handled by CBS International, with which Portrait is affiliated, but Petze says that it wasn't. "They weren't interested at this time", says CBS International spokesman Julian Shapiro. "If he was offered here and we didn't sign him, it's got to be the same reason we don't sign anybody. It's a cost versus the expectation of sales basis." Indeed, whatever his personality, Starr's records have not sold especially well in the past. (With the exceptions of two gold albums, Ringo and Goodnight Vienna).

     Meanwhile, Ringo took a break from his busy schedule late last month to tie the knot with his longtime girlfriend, American actress Barbara Bach. The ceremony was performed on April 27 in London's Marylebone registry office, with hundreds of fans gathered outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple.

Ravi & George

 

Paul: We Put it All Into the Show (Cleveland 1976)P

Paul and Linda interviewed in Detroit

 

Paul: We Put it All Into the Show

By Jane Scott

The Plain Dealer

May 14, 1976

    We heard one of the Beatles Monday night at the Wings Over America concert at the Coliseum. Is there a chance of ever hearing all four of them on stage again?

     "I would say probably no," answered Paul, "and leave it at that."

     He spoke freely and spontaneously at a dressing room interview following the sellout show. The Cleveland Show, fourth in a 20-city tour, drew 20,731. 

    Belkin Productions had offered the famous four $4 million to do a concert back in 1969, but it has nothing to do with money. "We'd do it for 10 bob. It's only really because no one really is interested to do it," Paul said. "It's like a marriage when people keep asking divorced couples when they are getting back together."

    "You can't reheat a soufflé, my mother used to say," interrupted Linda. 

    But Paul didn't slam the door entirely. "Who knows what the future will be? What will it be in 1985?" he asked. 

    Linda, in ankle-length denim culottes and a sweater set, was barefoot on a chair beside Paul, completely wrapped up in the conversation. Stella, 4, the spitting image of her father, but with her mother's blonde hair. Mary, 6, and Heather, 13, raced around the room just like kids do from Parma to Paris. 

    The McCartneys said that they loved the Cleveland concert. They taped it. There is a possibility that a song done here could show up on a live LP. "Soily", the second encore song that has never been recorded, might make it too.

     For me, the interview was rescheduled for yesterday. I had interviewed the Beatles at the Sheridan Cleveland hotel during their appearance here in August, 1966.  I had tried for weeks to get this interview with Paul, even flying to the Detroit show last Friday. Paul looked only a little older. There are laugh lines around his eyes. Now his face is a little fuller. He's a little heavier. His hair is longer, but pulled back behind his ears, and he smiles just as easily. Yes, he has changed.

     "In the last 10 years, I've sort of changed, like we've all changed, basically, in many ways. I'm now married with three kids, which I certainly wasn't then. I don't know. I mean, I could go on for five hours, you know about the actual changes, but it's like it was the '60s, and now it's the '70s. I never really analyzed it."

     (You know what Paul said, back in 1966? Paul had twinkled at questions about his steady, Jane Asher, remember? But then he had said at the time they didn't want to marry until they were perfectly sure) 

    "Each LP will be different from preceding ones," he said. "Touring today," Paul said, "is different than it used to be for the Beatles. Touring was you didn't hear the music as much. That's the kind of basic difference between the music now that you've got to be able to actually put the notes in now. Then we pretty much did put the notes in. We could just about hear ourselves, but some nights we couldn't, and some nights it was a good job." He said he felt that you can hear a lot more with the better sound systems today. 

    The Wings system Monday night was flown above the stage. "The audience these days want to listen. They're more into music," he said. "It was a more hysterical time, a few years back, for everyone, maybe it's like the Kennedy /Ford difference here."

     Is Paul more serious now?  "I'll tell you what," he said. "I'm more myself than I used to be. I would be purposely unserious because you don't really need to get too serious with the press. It takes less time if you don't get serious," Paul said.

     Does the barrage of Beatles questions bother him? "It bothers me, only that I have to kind of keep saying 'probably no'. Then everyone asks why, and the questions are sort of endless. You know?" he said.

     Paul appeared comfortable and relaxed in blue denim slacks, a black sweater, and an off-white vest. He wore an ivory eagle around his neck.

     Does he still get the mob scenes that The Beatles did? "No, not really. Wings drew a mob Sunday night in Toronto, but generally speaking, they don't." This could be an advantage. Paul felt the scene had changed. "The Beatles always used to announce which airport or someone did. Now we don't," he said. "We try to put it all in the show. You know, people come and buy the tickets, and then if that goes down, we don't really get into the other side. People don't judge you by how many showed up at the airport," he said.

     Incidentally, you couldn't judge the Coliseum concert by the airport. Wings chartered BAC 1011,  luxury plane landed at the wrong one, Burke Lakefront. He said limos were waiting at Cleveland Hopkins airport, so the Wings group finally flew to Hopkins, then had to take cabs to the Coliseum.

     Paul's remark during the concert that Linda's mother was from Shaker Heights was no hype. "That was before she married Lee Eastman, Linda's father; she was Louise Linder, but she's gone now, "said Linda 

    "Lindender, wasn't it?" said Paul.

     Chances are that the McCartneys will stay in England in spite of the heavy taxes. "We like it there. It's still good fun in England. It hasn't sunk, you know, like some people think," Paul said, adding that they need a better system to run the country. 

    Does Paul still see John occasionally? "Yeah, if I'm in New York. He lives in New York. You know?" Paul said.

     The other Beatles? Paul doesn't see them much. They're still good friends. He said he had dinner with Ringo recently, but they live in different parts of the globe.

     Where does Ringo live now? "I'm not sure," Paul said. 

    Paul stared at me for a moment. "Say, I remember you now from that '66 interview," he said.

Jaggers Sail Into the Sunrise (1971)

 

All I ever read was that Paul and Ringo attended Mick Jagger's wedding in 1971, but not much more, so I decided to dig a little deeper.  First off, I discovered that Paul and Ringo did not attend Mick Jagger and Bianca Perez-Mora Macias's actual wedding.  But it sounds like it was pretty crazy -- the mayor allowed 100 pressmen into the courthouse because it was a public place, and Mick Jagger refused to go inside because he didn't want to get married in a "fishbowl."  The mayor got fed up and said if Mick and Bianca didn't appear in 10 minutes "to hell with the wedding."   Right after they were pronounced married, Keith Richards came barging in, cursing up a storm, saying that a fight had broken out outside!  Talk about wedding drama!  Newspapers claim that George Harrison was also at the wedding reception, but I do not see any other proof of that -- just one reporter stating it and others copying what the first person said.  I don't think George was there and after reading this report, I am even more certain. 

Jaggers Sail into the Sunrise

By Barry Simmons

Manchester Evening News

May 13, 1971

    Mrs. Mick Jagger stood sipping champagne at the private reception in St Tropez early today and told me, "Our wedding has been perfect, despite all the fuss."

     Before she and her new Rolling Stone husband sailed into the sunrise aboard their 120 ton honeymoon yacht, she said, "I'm sure we will be happy."

     Who will be accompanying them on their honeymoon cruise to Croatia and Sardinia? "You must be joking, mate," laughed Jagger. "We're going alone." He added, "I'll be back here in a couple of weeks for the Monaco Grand Prix."

     I danced alongside Mick and his beautiful wife, Bianca at their exclusive reception. Girls kissed each other passionately as men in hot pants withered and cavorted to the thumping, ear-splitting music under grotesque papier mache puppets swinging precariously from the ceiling. 

    The jet set reception held in a two-floor music hall next to the Café des Arts in the resort's main square failed to heal the feud between Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the other Beatles. 

    Paul, who left the party early with his wife Linda, sat upstairs. Ringo and his wife, Maureen, remained on the ground floor.

     The only exceptions to the way out guests were the bride's groom's parents, Joe and Eva Jagger from Dartford. Mr. Jagger wore a sober suit, and his petite wife was in a print dress; both looked a little overpowered by the occasion.

Interviewed

 May 13, 2011

Remembering Jack Douglas

 

Let's take a moment to remember Jack Douglas who not only was kind enough to put up with my John Lennon babbling when I met him at the Fest in 2018 but most importantly, he produced John's Double Fantasy album in 1980.  He did a lot more that that, but that is what I best remember him for.  He was a really laid back nice man and had so many great stories.  I am so sad to hear of his death.  

The Silent Beatles (1971)

 

The Silent Beatles on Jagger Juggernaut

By Sydney Curtis

Evening Standard (London)

May 12, 1971

    Two of the Beatles met at Gatwick today. There was no exchange of words in the airport's departure lounge waiting take off to Mick Jagger's wedding. 

    They sat for four minutes at the same table before their flight, the Jagger Juggernaut was called and said nothing to each other. The silent confrontation was between Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

     Paul was with his wife, Linda, his daughter, and Linda's daughter from a previous marriage. Ringo was with his wife, Maureen. 

    Earlier, I talked to both McCartney and Starr.

    McCartney, who had held up the plane for half an hour by his late arrival at the airport, was asked if there was going to be a reunion. He said, "No, it's a wedding."

     I asked him if there was any chance of the month-long Beatles rift being healed because of this wedding meeting. He replied, "Look, I don't want to talk about that."

     But when I told him that Ringo Starr was already at the airport, he grinned and said, "Oh, good lad."

     Asked why George Harrison and John Lennon had not turned up, he said, "I cannot speak for the others."

     Would he be talking to the other Beatles if they arrived at the wedding? "I don't know," he said.

     Earlier, I asked Ringo Starr if all the Beatles were going to St Tropez.  He replied, "We've made our own arrangements."

     Was the rift too great to be healed at a fellow pop idol's marriage? Ringo, wearing a white suit, black shirt, and sunglasses, turned aside without commenting.

Guitar Lessons

 George gives race car driver Damon Hill a guitar lesson.  

Ringo and Maureen were also back at the airport

May 12, 1971 
 

McCartney: One Flew Over the Beatles' Nest (Philadelphia 1976)

 

McCartney:  One Flew Over the Beatles Nest

By Edie Adam

The Reporter

May 15, 1976

    This bicentennial year, nearly every occasion is optimistically called an "event." This past week, however, an event not seen in Philadelphia for 10 years took place and is liable to become the musical highlight of 1976. This was the concert appearance of Wings, featuring ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney.

     The Wednesday and Friday night dates at the Spectrum mark the premier American tour of Wings, (Denny Lane, Jimmy McCulloch, Joe English, and Paul's wife Linda McCartney) and the first live shows McCartney has played since his heyday of Beatlemania.

     The concert Wednesday night, a sellout was something to be reckoned with. Vendors hawked souvenirs such as McCartney T-shirts for six bucks (later to be reduced by 50%), photographs of the group and buttons of the "cute one."

     Hare Krishna disciples paraded in front of the Spectrum, chanting and banging on drums, but they were ignored by onlookers after the first amused glance. And scalpers were out in full force. The lines grew longer every minute, and although Flyers talk popped up here and there, the main topic of conversation was Wings and the excitement of having a former Beatle in the City of Brotherly Love.

     The concert, about two and a half hours long and scheduled to begin at eight, actually got underway about 20 minutes later. The crowd, although marijuana and booze were evident, was well behaved, but not bored. They clapped their hands, stomped their feet, whistled, and cheered. In short, did all those things that spontaneously follow with a good show. The only emotion not apparent was the screaming, hysterical adulation of Beatlemania. 

    The show led off with the title cut from Venus and Mars Are All Right Tonight, with the hall completely dark. The opening chords were strung as miniature circles of red and yellow light played on the ceiling. McCartney sang the slow intro in darkness, but as the band slammed into "Rock Show", the light sparked up, flashing their beams on the stage. From "Rock Show", a fast-moving number, Wings moved into "Jet", a thundering piece with Paul playing an excellent bass.

     After greeting the audience, "Hello, Philadelphia and Flyers fans", McCartney moved over to the piano to take the first of five trips into his past. "Lady Madonna", a piano boogie from 1968, got the audience high enough to demand a replay. Paul obliged. "Maybe I'm Amazed," a beautiful love song from McCartney, the first solo LP followed. Then again, from the Beatles song book, " Long and Winding Road."

     The stories about the next song had preceded the band to Philly. Linda introduced "Live and Let Die" as a tune about "a man known as 007." The song starts out slowly but builds to a sudden crescendo as it hits that peak, smoke bombs explode on stage, and a green laser beam flashes in time to the beat. The crowd loved it. 

    The band next put down its electric instruments and picked up acoustic guitars to perform what turned out to be the highlight of the concert, as they played through "Bluebird," "Picasso's Last Words", and "I've Just Seen a Face " from Rubber Soul. The rest of the group slowly faded to the wings until it was just Paul and his guitar on stage. 

    It took a lot of courage on McCartney's part to include tunes from his Beatles days. The comparison that is inevitable then and almost always comes out on the negative side. However, Paul managed it well, not trying to prove anything and at the same time, not attempting to avoid what had come before, as George Harrison tried to do on his tour.

     Paul sang through the extraordinary, lovely "Blackbird" from the "white" album, and ended the acoustic set with one of the most loved songs of the decade: "Yesterday." The hall was silent as he sang with a voice more mature, but not lacking in intensity of feeling. A single spotlight, shining down on the simplicity and beauty of the moment, was, as one person said, "More than enough to bring tears to your eyes." As the last note faded, the audience leaped to its collective feet, applauding and cheering for several minutes. 

    The rest of the concert consisted of a collection of material from three albums, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound. Jimmy McCulloch's vocals and guitar were featured on his "Medicine Jar", and Denny Laine soloed on "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" and "Time to Hide." Other selections included "My Love," "You Gave Me the Answer", a 30s type number dedicated to Fred Astaire and featuring a lighted stage in the follies tradition., "Magneto and Titanium Man", a story song about "three friends of mine," and Wings' latest single, "Silly Love Songs," spiced up a bit.

     The concert ended with an extremely well known song "Band on the Run", and the band played a movie of the posing of the LP cover photo was shown. It presented an interesting and funny sideline. After the song was finished and Wings had thanked everyone, the crowd gave them a thundering standing ovation, calling them back for just one more song.

     In the end, they came back for two encores. Paul thanked the audience again, promising to "see them next time" and walked off the stage arm in arm with his wife. The concert overall was a smashing success. The sound was excellent. The lighting was appropriate, and the musicianship was overwhelming. Each member knows his or her place in the group. Linda McCartney, the buff of many jokes and criticisms, performed well,  not pretending to do more than she knew how.

     Denny Laine, an original member of Wings, really got into the spirit of the concert, and Jimmy McCulloch's lead guitar work showed him to be near the top of his profession. Joe English has filled a position that has never been particularly stable in Wings, that of the drummer, to his credit. 

    Paul McCartney is, of course, the drawing card to any Wings effort. But more than that, in concert, he is the driving force. He always said that he loves performing live, and it shows. Apparently, the freedom to move, to scream if he feels like it, is very important, because even the weakest concert songs were superior to their album counterparts. A live album from this tour would seem to be a logical step for the new LP.

     Paul McCartney, and coincidentally, Wings have come far since 1970. Many critics say that he's fallen prey to commercialism. He writes pop, not rock. His lyrics are schmaltzy, and he's a marshmallow without John Lennon. Whatever the case may be with the LPs, if the albums give him and the group the financial freedom, the incentive to tour and play as they did Wednesday night, more power to them, because Wings Over America is definitely an event not to be missed in any year.