Oh My My: In 1974, Ringo Starr Became the First (and Is Still the Only) Ex-Beatle to Achieve These Hot 100 Feats

UMe’s announcement contiguous that it is reissuing Ringo Starr’s archetypal 4 solo albums connected colored vinyl connected Oct. 24 puts a spotlight connected his celebrated 1973 medium Ringo, which enabled him to acceptable a brace of Billboard Hot 100 records that helium holds to this day.

Starr is the lone ex-Beatle to onshore 2 No. 1 singles from 1 workplace medium and the lone 1 to merchandise back-to-back singles that some reached No. 1. Starr topped the Hot 100 successful November 1973 with “Photograph,” which helium co-wrote with his erstwhile Beatles bandmate George Harrison. His follow-up, “You’re Sixteen,” a jaunty remake of a 1960 deed by Johnny Burnette, reached No. 1 successful January 1974.

Both singles were released from Starr’s 3rd workplace album, Ringo, which was produced by Richard Perry, 1 of the hottest producers of the era. (Perry died past December astatine property 82.) Starr’s archetypal 2 workplace albums were Sentimental Journey, a 1970 postulation drawn from the Great American Songbook, and Beaucoups of Blues, a 1970 country- and folk-shaded medium recorded successful Nashville. So Ringo was his archetypal modern pop/rock album. On the album, Starr collaborated with his Beatles bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Harrison, arsenic good arsenic Harry Nilsson, Martha Reeves, Billy Preston, Marc Bolan of T. Rex and The Band’s Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm and Rick Danko, among others.

Released connected Nov. 2, 1973, Ringo reached No. 2 connected the Billboard 200. It was Starr’s highest-charting album, which makes him the lone ex-Beatle not to apical the Billboard 200. Ringo was kept retired of the apical spot by Elton John’s classical treble medium Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. (There were nary hard feelings: John contributed to Starr’s follow-up album, Goodnight Vienna, co-writing “Snookeroo” and playing soft connected the track.)

For a fewer weeks, it looked similar Starr mightiness beryllium headed for a 3rd No. 1 deed from Ringo, but the vibrant “Oh My My,” the album’s 3rd single, peaked astatine No. 5.

Near-Misses: Two No. 1 singles from 1 album

McCartney’s set Wings astir had 2 No. 1 singles from its 1976 medium Wings astatine the Speed of Sound. “Silly Love Songs” logged 5 weeks astatine No. 1; “Let ‘Em In” peaked astatine No. 3.

Five years later, Lennon astir achieved the feat with his 1980 medium with Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy