Details
Track Listing
1. One
2. What in the...World
3. Mindfield
4. King of Broken Hearts
5. Love Me Do
6. Vertical Man
7. Drift Away
8. I Was Walkin'
9. La de Da
10. Without Understanding
11. I'll Be Fine Anywhere
12. Puppet
13. I'm Yours
Album Notes
Personnel includes: Ringo Starr (vocals, guitar, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer, drums, percussion, tamborine, bongos, handclaps); Tom Petty, Alanis Morissette (vocals); Mark Hudson (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, piano, keyboards, Mellotron, synthesizer, bass, percussion, handclaps, background vocals); Steve Dudas (acoustic & electric guitars, bass, handclaps); George Harrison (electric & slide guitars); Joe Walsh (electric & slide guitars, background vocals); Steve Cropper (electric guitar); Steven Tyler (harmonica, background vocals); Jim Cox (piano, B3 organ, Wurlitzer, synthesizer); Paul McCartney (bass, background vocals); Timothy B. Schmit, Nils Lofgren, Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Scott Weiland (background vocals).
Recorded at WHATINTHEWHATHE? Studios, Los Angeles, California.
As Ringo himself writes on the CD jacket, "Life is life--this was just a record." Though we prefer our records to have a little more pretense than that, we're happy to report that VERTICAL MAN is a perfectly good pop record, a playful one that knows its limitations and isn't embarrassed to flaunt them. Basically, Starr doesn't have a clue how to write a song that doesn't sound like one of his fellow ex-Beatles didn't write it for him, and where on past albums he often fought that instinct, on VERTICAL MAN he gives into it.
Bridges sound more than a little like alternate takes on "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever," lyrics refer not so subtly to John and even Yoko, and a good deal of the choruses have the can't-help-but-shake-your-head feel of Paul at his poppiest. In short, Starr, along with co-writer and producer Mark Hudson, has crafted a more than decent Rutles album. Which we mean as a compliment. Though we will be having a talk with whoever suggested Starr remake "Love Me Do" as a slowed-down swamp blues.
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