WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.140 Think about the modern music industry for a second, 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:05.940 right? When we look at massive cultural institutions, 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:09.779 a monolithic rock band, for instance, we really 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:11.800 shouldn't think of them as just artists. They 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:15.320 are effectively these massive global supply chains. 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:17.059 Oh, absolutely. I mean, they have established 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:20.670 marketing departments and deeply invested record 00:00:20.670 --> 00:00:23.309 executives. Exactly. And millions of consumers 00:00:23.309 --> 00:00:26.469 who have already pre -ordered a very specific 00:00:26.469 --> 00:00:28.010 expectation of what they're going to get. Yeah. 00:00:28.010 --> 00:00:31.370 So if a global pop icon wants to change direction, 00:00:31.690 --> 00:00:34.350 they are essentially trying to retool an entire 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:37.469 international factory. Which takes a ton of time. 00:00:37.609 --> 00:00:40.210 Right. It is meticulously orchestrated. It's 00:00:40.210 --> 00:00:43.009 heavily focus grouped. And, you know, everybody 00:00:43.009 --> 00:00:45.829 sees the transition coming from miles away. Because 00:00:45.829 --> 00:00:48.350 the momentum of a machine that size is just incredibly 00:00:48.350 --> 00:00:50.880 difficult to disrupt. The financial pressure 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:53.119 to simply keep delivering the exact same product 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.320 is immense. Which brings us to a really fascinating 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:59.219 historical anomaly. What happens when one of 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:02.159 the most recognizable figures on the planet decides 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.980 to just halt the factory, walk away from the 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:07.799 machinery, and tear off in an entirely different 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:10.200 direction? Almost overnight. with zero warning 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.000 to the public. Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.359 we are immersing ourselves in a comprehensive 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:19.040 Wikipedia article detailing a truly bizarre, 00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:21.700 brilliantly executed moment in music history. 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:24.939 We are talking about Ringo Starr's 1970 solo 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:28.370 album, Boku Blues. And our mission today is to 00:01:28.370 --> 00:01:32.209 explore for you how a global pop icon completely 00:01:32.209 --> 00:01:34.650 pivoted his musical identity in a mere three 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:37.409 days. Which is just wild to think about. It really 00:01:37.409 --> 00:01:39.930 is. And beyond just the sheer logistics of that 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:41.930 recording session, we are looking at why this 00:01:41.930 --> 00:01:45.810 deeply underrated, entirely unexpected country 00:01:45.810 --> 00:01:48.930 album serves as an absolute masterclass in trusting 00:01:48.930 --> 00:01:51.329 your authentic passions. Over public expectation, 00:01:51.489 --> 00:01:53.310 yeah. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:56.689 the timeline of this release is crucial for understanding 00:01:56.689 --> 00:01:58.950 the sheer cultural whiplash the public experienced. 00:01:59.370 --> 00:02:02.799 Let's set the stage for you. The year is 1970. 00:02:03.459 --> 00:02:07.540 The Beatles are in the midst of their very public, 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:10.219 very messy dissolution. Right. It was exhausting 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:13.539 for everyone involved. Definitely. So Ringo steps 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:16.979 out on his own and releases his debut solo album, 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:19.819 Sentimental Journey. And to give you some context 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:22.240 on that record, it is a collection of old pop 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:24.479 standards. We're talking Tin Pan Alley music. 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.199 Yeah, those classic pre -rock and roll tunes 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.599 from the 20s, 30s, and 40s that your grandparents 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.569 would have listened to on the radio. radio, he 00:02:31.569 --> 00:02:33.990 releases that in April. So the public is just 00:02:33.990 --> 00:02:36.189 barely wrapping their heads around Ringo as this, 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:40.069 like, tuxedo -wearing crooner. Right. And then, 00:02:40.289 --> 00:02:42.969 a mere five months later, in September, he drops 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:47.129 Bakoo of Blues, a pure, unfiltered, highly traditional 00:02:47.129 --> 00:02:49.990 country and western album. He wasn't simply dipping 00:02:49.990 --> 00:02:51.930 a toe into a new aesthetic to see if it would 00:02:51.930 --> 00:02:54.150 work, you know. He was completely relocating 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:56.370 his artistic center of gravity. While the fans 00:02:56.370 --> 00:02:58.310 and the critics were still trying to digest his 00:02:58.310 --> 00:03:01.430 foray into big band standards. Exactly. He had 00:03:01.430 --> 00:03:04.009 already secretly engineered a massive geographical 00:03:04.009 --> 00:03:07.849 and genre shift. So to understand where this 00:03:07.849 --> 00:03:10.270 sudden country pivot came from, we actually have 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:12.810 to rewind the tape just a bit back to his tenure 00:03:12.810 --> 00:03:16.409 with the Beatles. Because viewing this as a random 00:03:16.409 --> 00:03:19.610 impulse of whim completely misses the reality 00:03:19.610 --> 00:03:22.400 of the situation. Right. Ringo had these deep 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.159 almost obsessive country music roots that he 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:27.520 had been actively nurturing for years. I mean 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.960 he sang lead vocals on the Beatles cover of Buck 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.020 Owens' massive country hit act, Naturally. He 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:36.400 co -wrote the heavily country -influenced track, 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.780 What Goes On, and he penned his very own original 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:42.639 country song, Don't Pass Me By. His championing 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:44.800 of the genre inside the band was actually so 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.680 persistent that it heavily influenced the overall 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.800 sonic shift of the Beatles' 1964 album, Beatles 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.560 for Sale. So the seed for a solo country record 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:55.979 was always there. planted deep in his creative 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:58.699 DNA. It just required the right catalyst to finally 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:01.080 pull it to the surface. And that catalyst arrives 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:04.060 in the form of a rather fateful car ride in May 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:07.159 or June of 1970. The setting is London. Ringo 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.419 is playing drums on the recording sessions for 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:12.159 George Harrison's sprawling solo album, All Things 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.009 Must Pass. Right, and George had arranged to 00:04:15.009 --> 00:04:18.029 fly an American pedal steel guitarist named Pete 00:04:18.029 --> 00:04:20.430 Drake all the way to England to play on a few 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:22.490 tracks. And for those who might not be familiar 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:25.470 with the instrument, a pedal steel guitar is 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:28.389 that complex horizontal instrument played with 00:04:28.389 --> 00:04:31.829 a metal slide. It produces that weeping, sliding, 00:04:32.110 --> 00:04:34.689 distinctly melancholic sound that essentially 00:04:34.689 --> 00:04:37.129 defines traditional country music. Pete Drake 00:04:37.129 --> 00:04:39.620 wasn't just a musician. His presence was a symbol 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:42.540 of pure unadulterated Nashville authenticity. 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.759 Yeah. And the logistical task falls to Ringo 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:48.240 to drive out to the airport, pick up Pete Drake. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:50.740 and transport him back to the studio. Okay, let's 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:53.160 unpack this because the visual here is incredible 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.480 to me. It really is. Think of Ringo Starr in 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:59.459 1970 as a superhero who has a deeply nerdy secret 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:02.180 identity. I love that comparison. By day, he 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:05.360 is the world's most famous rock star constantly 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:08.300 dodging massive crowds of paparazzi outside Abbey 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:10.620 Road studios. Right. But in the privacy of his 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:13.939 own vehicle, he is a massive unapologetic country 00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:16.540 music fanatic. So when Pete Drake gets into the 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:19.420 passenger seat of Ringo's car, He immediately 00:05:19.420 --> 00:05:22.079 notices that the entire vehicle is loaded to 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:24.939 the brim with country music albums. Just absolutely 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.800 covered in them. That moment of recognition is 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:31.160 the turning point of this entire narrative. Pete 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:33.160 Drake didn't look across the console and see 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.939 a former Beatle burdened by global fame. No, 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:38.740 he saw a genuine knowledgeable fan of the genre. 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:42.540 Exactly. Recognizing that shared deep -seated 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:45.480 connection, Ringo takes a massive creative leap. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.740 He turns to Drake and asks, almost tentatively, 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.699 if they could possibly collaborate on a country 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:53.920 album together at some point. And Drake's response 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:56.759 is, like, the ultimate industry flex. Oh, totally. 00:05:56.819 --> 00:05:58.699 He essentially looks at Ringo and says, without 00:05:58.699 --> 00:06:01.000 missing a beat, that his musician friends back 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.079 home in Tennessee could write more than a whole 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:05.339 album's worth of original material in a single 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.600 week. And Ringo's immediate reaction is absolute 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.740 disbelief. He tells Drake that is physically 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:13.420 impossible. Right, because of his background. 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:16.519 Yet despite his skepticism, Ringo eagerly agreed 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:18.800 to try. And this is a vital distinction to make. 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:20.839 What do you mean? Well, this proposed album was 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.139 not some vanity project forced onto a label by 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:26.819 a bored rock star looking for distraction, you 00:06:26.819 --> 00:06:29.660 know. Oh, I see. It was genuine validation from 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:33.579 a deeply respected industry insider. Pete Drake 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:36.759 issued a direct creative challenge, and Ringo, 00:06:37.220 --> 00:06:39.899 despite his monumental fame and established wealth, 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.459 humbled himself enough to accept the premise. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:45.759 So the challenge is accepted in that car, which 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.519 brings us from a purely conceptual idea floating 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:51.399 around London to the boots on the ground reality 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:54.100 in Nashville, Tennessee. Though initially Ringo 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:56.459 actually wanted to execute this project the comfortable 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:59.500 way. Right. He proposed holding the actual recording 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:01.779 sessions in England, suggesting that Drake could 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:03.920 just record the backing tracks in America and 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:06.040 like mail the master tapes over the ocean for 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:08.129 him to sing over. Basically, phoning it in from 00:07:08.129 --> 00:07:10.730 the comfort of his own mansion. Exactly. But 00:07:10.730 --> 00:07:13.970 Drake flatly refused that idea. He convinced 00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:15.910 Ringo that if he wanted to make a legitimate 00:07:15.910 --> 00:07:18.629 country album, he had to physically immerse himself 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:20.930 in Nashville. He had to breathe the air. Yes. 00:07:21.389 --> 00:07:24.089 So on June 22nd, Ringo flies out to Tennessee. 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:27.160 And what unfolds over the next few days is a 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:30.300 massive culture clash. You have the leisurely, 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:34.360 experimental, British rock star lifestyle slamming 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:36.720 into the hyper -efficient, industrial -grade 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:40.040 Nashville recording machine. Drake booked studio 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:42.879 time at Music City Recorders, bringing in the 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:45.060 legendary Scotty Moore to act as the engineer. 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:48.180 Oh, wow. And they proceeded to cut every single 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:50.680 track for the entire album in just three days, 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:55.139 June 25th, 26th, and 27th. OK, wait. I am genuinely 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:57.399 struggling to understand the logistics of that 00:07:57.399 --> 00:07:59.839 timeline. It's intense. The late era Beatles 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:02.319 were notorious, I mean sometimes infamous, for 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.000 their excruciating studio habits. They would 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.199 spend weeks, sometimes months, experimenting 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.920 with tape loops, layering dozens of vocal takes. 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:12.560 Agonizing over the exact tone of a single snare 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:15.279 drum hit. Exactly. How does a musician heavily 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.920 conditioned to that luxurious slow -moving environment 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:20.740 physically adapt to cutting an entire full -length 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:24.810 album in 72 hours? Did he just radically What's 00:08:24.810 --> 00:08:26.689 fascinating here is the underlying mechanism 00:08:26.689 --> 00:08:29.370 of how Nashville operated in 1970 compared to 00:08:29.370 --> 00:08:32.049 London. The Nashville studio culture relied on 00:08:32.049 --> 00:08:35.110 highly specialized session players. These weren't 00:08:35.110 --> 00:08:37.690 rock bands trying to discover their sound through 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:39.610 trial and error. Right, they were pros. These 00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:42.509 were professionals who treated recording like 00:08:42.509 --> 00:08:45.389 a highly disciplined trade. They used something 00:08:45.389 --> 00:08:47.950 called the Nashville Number System, which is 00:08:47.950 --> 00:08:50.289 a shorthand method of writing chord charts. And 00:08:50.289 --> 00:08:53.750 that speeds things up. Massively. It allows a 00:08:53.750 --> 00:08:56.509 room full of musicians to learn a brand new song 00:08:56.509 --> 00:08:59.250 in minutes and play it perfectly together on 00:08:59.250 --> 00:09:02.090 the very first try. They played live on the floor, 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:04.769 locking in instantly. So Ringo is stepping into 00:09:04.769 --> 00:09:06.909 a room with guys who essentially view musical 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:10.649 perfection as a baseline expectation, not a destination 00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:13.049 you spend weeks trying to reach. Precisely. The 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:15.470 schedule must have been grueling. It was an absolute 00:09:15.470 --> 00:09:17.799 gauntlet. Pete Drake had gathered a massive stack 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:20.500 of material written purposely for Ringo by local 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:23.460 songwriters. Right. Ringo himself later described 00:09:23.460 --> 00:09:25.860 the physical toll of those sessions. He said 00:09:25.860 --> 00:09:28.360 he would wake up, learn five brand new songs 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:30.620 in the morning over breakfast, and then go into 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:33.100 the studio and successfully record those same 00:09:33.100 --> 00:09:35.179 five songs that night. Just churning them out. 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:37.740 Guitarist Charlie Daniels, who actually played 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:41.159 on the album, perfectly encapsulated the stark 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:43.779 difference in studio cultures. What did he say? 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:46.779 He noted that the atmosphere was simply, go in, 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:49.860 sit down, and work. He said, here's the songs, 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:52.960 here's the chords, let's get it done. It was 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:55.600 not a Beatles -type leisurely session, it was 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:00.000 work. Wow. Throwing Ringo into the deep end of 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:03.100 the pool with hardened Nashville Session veterans 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:05.399 seems incredibly risky. I mean, we are talking 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:07.220 about guys who've played on thousands of hit 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:10.340 records. Totally. How did he avoid being completely 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:12.720 swallowed whole by the pressure of that relentless 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.500 pace? The saving grace was Ringo's foundational 00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:19.740 skill set. Publicly, the narrative often unfairly 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.340 characterizes Ringo as simply the lucky drummer 00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:23.919 who happened to be in the right place at the 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:25.879 right time with Lennon and McCartney. Right, 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:27.730 people always say that. But the veteran players 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:29.950 in that Nashville studio saw something entirely 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:33.769 different. Session drummer, DJ Fontana, a man 00:10:33.769 --> 00:10:35.809 who played with Elvis Presley and knew exactly 00:10:35.809 --> 00:10:38.289 what elite musicianship looked like, observed 00:10:38.289 --> 00:10:40.850 Ringo playing. And what was his take? Fontana 00:10:40.850 --> 00:10:44.129 stated, he never varied from that tempo. He had 00:10:44.129 --> 00:10:46.309 the greatest conception of tempo I've ever heard 00:10:46.309 --> 00:10:49.309 in my life. Wow. He went on to say, I have never 00:10:49.309 --> 00:10:51.789 heard anybody play that steady in my life. And 00:10:51.789 --> 00:10:54.750 that's a long time. That is an astonishing level 00:10:54.750 --> 00:10:58.399 of praise coming from a legend like DJ Fontana. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:02.000 He essentially recognized Ringo as a human metronome. 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:05.120 Precisely. Stripped of the pop star facade and 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.720 the Beatlemania hysteria, Ringo possessed a mechanical 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:11.519 mastery of his instrument. Right. That unshakable 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.580 timing and inherent musicality allowed him to 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:17.039 not only survive this three -day sprint, but 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:20.039 to earn the immediate unquestioned respect of 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.179 the most demanding session pros in the world. 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.360 It sounds like he finally found a room full of 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:27.000 peers who understood his specific genius. Oh, 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:28.720 exactly. And because they were operating with 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:31.299 this hyper -efficient live -on -the -floor momentum, 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:33.960 they actually generated an overabundance of creative 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:36.559 material. Which is crazy to think about. Yeah. 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:39.539 This wasn't a panicked, frantic three days where 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:41.500 they barely managed to scrape together enough 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.879 tracks for an LP. They worked so fast that they 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:46.720 had hours of extra studio time just to mess around. 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:49.519 The surplus of energy in that room was remarkable. 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:52.899 Beyond completing the actual album tracks, which 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:55.179 included a fantastic duet with Genie Kendall 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:57.419 called I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way, they 00:11:57.419 --> 00:12:00.259 just kept the tape rolling. Yeah. They recorded 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:03.740 a sprawling 28 -minute original track titled 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:06.279 Coochie Coochie. 28 minutes of continuous playing. 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:08.559 Furthermore, they capped off the sessions with 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:11.960 two massive improvised jam sessions, one lasting 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:14.500 18 minutes and the other stretching to 20 minutes. 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:17.759 That is just wild. And there is tangible proof 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:21.600 of just how prolific this Kunlken was. In 1992, 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:24.600 there was an auction featuring acetate discs 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:27.289 from these very sessions. Oh, acetates are those 00:12:27.289 --> 00:12:29.889 fragile direct -to -disc test pressings that 00:12:29.889 --> 00:12:31.990 musicians use to evaluate a recording before 00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:34.750 it goes into mass production? Exactly. These 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:36.929 acetates, originally bearing the working title 00:12:36.929 --> 00:12:39.929 Ringo in Nashville, revealed a completely different 00:12:39.929 --> 00:12:42.590 track order and included entirely unreleased 00:12:42.590 --> 00:12:45.620 songs, such as one called The Wishing Book. It 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:48.299 paints a picture of an incredibly joyous, profoundly 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:51.039 prolific three days that then, you know, the 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.620 Nashville bubble bursts and reality hits. Right. 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:57.139 The album is fully mastered and Bakua Blues is 00:12:57.139 --> 00:12:59.120 officially released to the public in September 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:02.200 1970. And the presentation is as authentic as 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:05.509 the music. The cover art features a great down 00:13:05.509 --> 00:13:08.610 -to -earth photograph of Ringo shot by Marshall 00:13:08.610 --> 00:13:11.730 Falwell Jr. standing casually outside musician 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:14.590 Tracy Nelson's smokehouse. Yeah, the aesthetic 00:13:14.590 --> 00:13:16.490 is right. The sound is completely legitimate. 00:13:17.309 --> 00:13:20.509 But dropping a pure country record to millions 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:23.809 of screaming pop fans in 1970 is essentially 00:13:23.809 --> 00:13:26.710 like serving a rare steak to a room full of vegans. 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.309 That is a great way to put it. How did the actual 00:13:29.309 --> 00:13:32.720 consumer base react to this? Well, bemused is 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:34.879 the most accurate term used in the sources to 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.539 describe the fan base's reaction. Bemused, a 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:39.340 polite way of saying they were entirely baffled. 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:42.259 Pretty much. The abrupt change in style alienated 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:44.980 his core demographic. I mean, the album completely 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:47.419 missed the UK charts, failing to make a dent 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:50.000 in his home country. Which had to sting. In the 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.340 United States, it peaked at a rather lackluster 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:55.840 number 65 on the Billboard top LPs chart, although 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.440 it did manage to climb to number 35 on the country 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:00.730 albums list. Right, showing you had some genre 00:14:00.730 --> 00:14:03.049 cred. Yeah, and it found slightly better traction 00:14:03.049 --> 00:14:05.789 internationally, hitting number 34 in Canada, 00:14:06.309 --> 00:14:10.909 33 in Australia, and 21 in Norway. But when measured 00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.230 against the stratospheric commercial expectations 00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:15.269 of anything carrying the Beatles Association, 00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:18.190 it was widely considered a commercial disappointment. 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.360 And the tepid commercial reaction had immediate 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.639 consequences. Ringo actually stepped away from 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:27.700 releasing any more solo music for a significant 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:30.580 period. Yeah, he chose instead to focus his creative 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:33.480 energies on his film -acting career. Apple Records 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.220 had even preemptively announced in October of 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:39.700 1970 that a second volume of the Nashville recordings 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:42.679 would be released. Oh, wow. But due to the poor 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.299 sales of the first, that follow -up album never 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:48.039 materialized. It's a shame. So what does this 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:50.000 all mean? I want to pose this question to you 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.200 and directly to the listener as well. Okay. We 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:55.019 have a scenario where an artist fulfills a lifelong 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:58.279 burning ambition. He proves beyond a shadow of 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:00.179 a doubt that he has the musical chops to keep 00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:03.019 pace with the most elite session players on earth. 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:06.120 But his established fan base is totally confused 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:08.879 and the album commercially tanks in his own home 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:12.960 country. Looking at the full picture, do we evaluate 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:16.309 this project as a success or a failure? Evaluating 00:15:16.309 --> 00:15:18.570 this requires a complete reframing of how we 00:15:18.570 --> 00:15:20.809 define success, I think. How so? If the only 00:15:20.809 --> 00:15:22.490 metric you care about is the billboard charts 00:15:22.490 --> 00:15:25.250 or unit sales, then it registers as a footnote. 00:15:25.730 --> 00:15:28.210 But for Ringo, on a personal artistic level, 00:15:28.350 --> 00:15:30.730 the creation of Boku Blues was the ultimate victory. 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:33.919 Really? Yeah, the sources emphasize that it became 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:35.899 abundantly clear to everyone in that Nashville 00:15:35.899 --> 00:15:39.220 studio that his natural vocal timbre was far 00:15:39.220 --> 00:15:41.779 more suited to the storytelling, melancholic 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:44.340 nature of country music than it ever was to the 00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:46.440 sweeping pop standards he attempted on Sentimental 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:48.289 Journey. That makes a lot of sense. His voice 00:15:48.289 --> 00:15:51.230 carries that slightly mournful everyman quality 00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:54.210 that perfectly fits a maudlin country narrative. 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:56.669 The true triumph was uncovering his authentic 00:15:56.669 --> 00:15:59.570 solo voice and having the courage to trust his 00:15:59.570 --> 00:16:01.929 passion, even knowing it would likely alienate 00:16:01.929 --> 00:16:03.730 the audience he had spent a decade building. 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:07.110 It serves as a powerful testament to prioritizing 00:16:07.110 --> 00:16:10.230 deep artistic fulfillment over shallow commercial 00:16:10.230 --> 00:16:12.970 expectation. Exactly. Here's where it gets really 00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:15.690 interesting, though. because the historical record 00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:18.590 actually ended up entirely vindicating that brave 00:16:18.590 --> 00:16:21.230 choice. It did. While the general public was 00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:23.809 scratching their heads, the contemporary music 00:16:23.809 --> 00:16:25.830 critics, you know, the people whose job it was 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:28.389 to analyze the actual craft, they listened to 00:16:28.389 --> 00:16:31.049 the record and absolutely loved it. They recognized 00:16:31.049 --> 00:16:33.330 the brilliance of the pivot immediately. The 00:16:33.330 --> 00:16:35.370 critical reception is one of the most fascinating 00:16:35.370 --> 00:16:38.230 aspects of this story. Yeah. Jeffrey Cannon, 00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:41.289 writing his review for The Guardian, boldly rated 00:16:41.289 --> 00:16:45.210 Boku of Blues as his absolute favorite of all 00:16:45.210 --> 00:16:48.009 the solo Beatles releases that came out in 1970. 00:16:48.509 --> 00:16:50.190 Wait, really? Just to put that in perspective, 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:52.970 that means he rated this weekend Nashville Project 00:16:52.970 --> 00:16:55.789 above Paul McCartney's highly anticipated solo 00:16:55.789 --> 00:16:59.350 debut. Yep. And above John Lennon's raw masterpiece, 00:16:59.970 --> 00:17:03.820 Plastic Ono Band. He did. And the reasoning Cannon 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:07.000 provided was incredibly astute. He wrote that 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.619 the album was superior, not because Ringo's a 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:12.559 good singer, but because this time he'd let himself 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:15.920 be used well. He said people who work with men 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.160 like Pete Drake and Charlie McCoy don't go wrong. 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.539 Charles Burton reviewing the album for Rolling 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:24.099 Stone was equally captivated by the project. 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:27.119 He actually drew a highly favorable comparison 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:30.220 between Ringo's effort and Bob Dylan's legendary 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:33.019 country pivot, Nashville Skyline. That's high 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:35.680 praise. Burton noted that instead of lovable 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.200 Bob Dylan standing in front of those luxurious 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:41.460 Nashville backing tracks, the listener gets lovable 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:44.039 Richard Starkey, crooning his heart out with 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:46.660 total sincerity. And even Robert Kriscoe, the 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:48.880 notoriously tough critic writing for the Village 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:52.309 Voice, awarded the album a solid B grade. Wow, 00:17:52.490 --> 00:17:54.710 Chris Gow is tough to please. He really is. Chris 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:57.569 Gow didn't ignore Ringo's technical flaws. You 00:17:57.569 --> 00:17:59.569 know, he's specifically pointed out that Ringo 00:17:59.569 --> 00:18:02.630 was often singing flat while attempting to impersonate 00:18:02.630 --> 00:18:05.029 Buck Owens' vocal style. Right. But he ultimately 00:18:05.029 --> 00:18:07.269 praised the underlying spirit of the record. 00:18:08.150 --> 00:18:11.390 He wrote that the songs and the production bespoke 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:14.210 a high quality obsession that made the music 00:18:14.210 --> 00:18:16.849 resonate and stick with the listener. High quality 00:18:16.849 --> 00:18:20.869 obsession. That is a brilliant phrase. It perfectly 00:18:20.869 --> 00:18:23.450 articulates the idea that you do not need to 00:18:23.450 --> 00:18:26.029 be technically flawless if your passion for the 00:18:26.029 --> 00:18:28.869 material is undeniably authentic. Absolutely. 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:31.470 And the long -term legacy of the album proves 00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:34.170 that this critical praise wasn't just a fluke. 00:18:34.309 --> 00:18:36.730 The original songs from this album went on to 00:18:36.730 --> 00:18:39.349 have a life of their own covered by actual legends 00:18:39.349 --> 00:18:42.369 of the genre. Like Jerry Lee Lewis himself who 00:18:42.369 --> 00:18:44.809 covered I'd Be Talkin' all the time just a year 00:18:44.809 --> 00:18:47.950 later in 1971. And jumping decades into the future, 00:18:47.950 --> 00:18:51.750 In 2012, Texas country legend Ray Wiley Hubbard 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:55.230 recorded a cover of Ringo's epic 28 -minute original 00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:58.029 jam, Gucci Cucci. And actually brought Ringo 00:18:58.029 --> 00:19:00.470 in to sing on the new track. Which is amazing. 00:19:00.670 --> 00:19:02.309 This race is an important question about the 00:19:02.309 --> 00:19:04.450 fundamental nature of creative genius and the 00:19:04.450 --> 00:19:07.720 power of collaboration. Ringo Starr didn't attempt 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:10.619 to be the solitary tortured mastermind here. 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:12.940 He didn't lock himself in a London studio for 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:16.039 six months trying to write, arrange, and produce 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:19.299 a country album entirely by himself just to prove 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:21.440 a point to the world. He leaned heavily on Pete 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.380 Drake, Chuck Howard, Charlie Daniels, and the 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.559 entire ecosystem of Nashville session players. 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:29.200 He presents the self -awareness to know exactly 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.390 what he didn't know. Yeah. True mastery in any 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.410 field often looks exactly like this. Having the 00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:38.690 humility to let dedicated experts guide you. 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:41.880 Ringo provided the initial vision, the funding, 00:19:42.380 --> 00:19:45.160 the unshakable tempo on the drums, and that high 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:47.500 -quality obsession the critics noted. But he 00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:49.400 allowed the seasoned professionals to actually 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:52.119 build the house around him. Exactly. Which is 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:55.059 such an incredibly refreshing, ego -free approach, 00:19:55.420 --> 00:19:56.940 especially coming from a man who had just spent 00:19:56.940 --> 00:19:58.900 the last decade in the biggest, most heavily 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:01.000 scrutinized band in human history. For sure. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:03.799 So let's bring this all together. What a phenomenal 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:06.740 journey. We started with a chance encounter in 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:10.579 a car ride in London where a deeply hidden nerdy 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:13.339 passion was finally spoken out loud to the right 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:15.839 person. Yep. That single conversation sparked 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:19.680 a grueling, hyper efficient, joyous three day 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:22.720 recording sprint in Nashville. The resulting 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.119 album utterly bemused his existing pop fans, 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.700 tanked commercially, but ultimately achieved 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:32.019 incredible critical vindication and secured a 00:20:32.019 --> 00:20:34.920 lasting respected legacy in the traditional country 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.799 music world. It stands as a profound testament 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.299 to the power and the necessity of the hard pivot. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.740 And for you listening to this, the direct application 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:46.180 of the Book Who of Blues story is incredibly 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.220 clear. You should never ignore your weird, deeply 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.700 niche passions just because they don't align 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:53.380 with what people expect from you. That's the 00:20:53.380 --> 00:20:55.519 real takeaway. Even if your fans, whether that 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:57.640 means your actual audience, your clients, your 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:59.880 coworkers, or just your friends and family, are 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:01.960 totally confused by your new direction, you have 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:04.640 to trust your gut. You do. If you attack your 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.039 new goals with that high quality obsession, and 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:08.940 if you have the humility to surround yourself 00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:11.680 with the absolute best in that specific field, 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.400 you can produce the most authentic, fulfilling 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:16.819 work of your life. But as we wrap up, I want 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:18.859 to leave you with one final, slightly different 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:21.299 angle to mull over regarding this story. Okay, 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:23.539 what's that? Think about the modern landscape 00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:26.920 we operate in today. We live in an era defined 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:30.619 by algorithms. Systems on streaming platforms 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:33.539 and social media that financially punish creators 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:36.619 who step outside their neatly defined, highly 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:39.470 profitable genres. That is so true. If a modern 00:21:39.470 --> 00:21:43.190 megastar attempted a drastic 72 -hour genre pivot 00:21:43.190 --> 00:21:46.269 like Ringo did, the algorithm would likely bury 00:21:46.269 --> 00:21:48.769 it entirely before the fans even had a chance 00:21:48.769 --> 00:21:51.869 to be bemused. Wow. It makes you wonder, have 00:21:51.869 --> 00:21:54.150 we engineered a cultural supply chain where that 00:21:54.150 --> 00:21:56.990 kind of brave, bizarre, completely authentic 00:21:56.990 --> 00:22:00.089 left turn is practically impossible today? It's 00:22:00.089 --> 00:22:02.349 a daunting thought. Halting the factory requires 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.390 a lot more courage when the machines are automated. 00:22:04.849 --> 00:22:06.670 Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. We'll 00:22:06.670 --> 00:22:07.289 catch you next time.