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The late '70s for Richard Starkey coincided with a series of notable discographic failures. Having abandoned the "all-stars" formula, which had been successful for "Ringo" and partially for "Goodnight Vienna", the drummer focused on his original songs written in collaboration with Vini Poncia for "Ringo The 4th" but the result was a total disaster along with the subsequent "Bad Boy" in '78 (this time an album of rock'n'roll covers). As if the bad turn his musical career took wasn't enough, Ringo had serious alcohol problems that also involved his new partner Barbara Bach. To improve his fortunes a bit, he decided to call in his old friend Lennon for help in trying to put together a more than decent album. However, fate took John away in December '80, and Ringo was left alone with some demos and a lot of uncertainty.
But help arrived from Paul and George who decided to give their friend in trouble a few songs for his new LP, which would be titled "You Can't Fight Lightning". George had "All Those Years Ago" at hand, Paul (with what was left of the Wings in '81) gathered from the bottom of the barrel "Attention" and "Private Property", which he recorded with Laurence Juber, Linda, and Howie Casey on sax. For his part, Ringo had a new version of "Back Of Boogaloo" and other songs written by Harry Nilsson and Stephen Stills. Harrison eventually kept his song for "Somewhere In England" and swapped it for the ironic "Wreck My Brain", and ultimately the title of Ringo's work changed to "Stop And Smell The Roses".
As in many other works of Ringo, this '81 LP also contains decent material, the tracks composed by the other ex-Beatles are catchy and conceived for the friend's nasal voice. It is a fairly adequate and smooth work, played very well as always but in the end, it does not revive the shaky career of the performer. In the early '80s, it seemed difficult for Ringo to find a credible placement in the music scene; he had his admirers, but in a reality dominated by the New-Wave, "Stop And Smell The Roses" drowned in the charts. The failure of the relaunch would increasingly lead a faded Ringo to cling to the bottle; the subsequent album, "Old Wave", wouldn't even see a worldwide distribution, and the drummer would literally disappear for the rest of the decade, sucked into the vortex of alcoholism along with his wife.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 Wrack My Brain (02:21)
Wrack my brain, wrack my brain,
till my head's filled with pain,
wrack my brain.
All dried up, I'm all dried up,
all I have's this empty cup,
all dried up.
What i have, you don't want,
what you want, I can't give.
I got out of touch with you and yours,
the way that you live.
I try to do my best for you,
while the sky pours down the rain,
wrack my brain.
With a will there's a way,
but there's no way I can see,
coming up with something you'd enjoy
as much as tv
All the same, I play the game,
up and down old memory lane,
wrack my brain, (wrack my brain)
till my head is filled with pain,
wrack my brain, (wrack my brain)
while I slowly go insane,
Wrack my brain. (wrack my brain)
04 Attention (03:20)
Ev'rybody needs attention,
ev'rybody wants to smile,
ev'rybody needs a mention,
attention, attention, for a while.
Come on, baby, give it all you've got,
get into the power of the plot.
you know we'll only get it if we try,
give me your attention for a while.
Feel it, feel it when you tell me,
you've got time to give me,
time can run away.
See it, see it in the children,
people of tomorrow,
living for today.
Your love is fine,
your love can be mine.
Come on, baby, give it all you've got,
get into the power of the plot.
you know we'll only get it if we try,
give it your attention for a while.
Ev'rybody needs attention, (ev'rybody needs attention)
ev'rybody wants to smile, (ev'rybody wants to smile)
ev'rybody needs a mention, (ev'rybody needs a mention)
attention, (attention)
attention, (attention)
for a while.
Give me your attention for a while.
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo.
06 Dead Giveaway (04:31)
By Richard Starkey and Ron Wood
PEOPLE LIKE YOU SEE IT COMIN' A MILE OFF,
FIND IT HARD STAYIN' IN LINE.
IT'S NOT THAT NO ONE REALLY HEARS YOU,
JUST THAT NOBODY REALLY CARES.
LIKE SOMEONE WHO'S JUST SEEN THE LIGHT,
LIKE SOMEONE LOOKING FOR A FIGHT.
SAME THING EV'RY DAY, BEING FOOLISH,
BEING ASKED TO LOSE YOUR SEAT.
DON'T LOOK TO ME ASKIN'
TO BE HELPED UP TO YOUR FEET.
DON'T YOU KNOW YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY?
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY.
DON'T LOOK TO ME 'CAUSE I KNOW YOUR GAME,
NONSENSE MERCHANT, HALL OF FAME.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, YOU'RE A BLIND DRUNK,
AND IF YOU AIN'T THAT, YOU'RE FAR TOO STONED.
'CAUSE YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
SMELL A RAT IN EV'RYTHING YOU DO.
WELL, YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
ASKED TO LEAVE EV'RYWHERE YOU GO.
PEOPLE SAY YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY.
SOMEBODY KNOCKIN' AT THE DOOR!
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
I'VE SEEN YOU HAPPY ALL THE TIME.
DON'T LIVE LONELY LIFE,
DEAD GIVEAWAY.
WELL, IT'S A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
YOU'RE A DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
NOBODY REALLY CARES,
DEAD GIVEAWAY.
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY,
DEAD GIVEAWAY.
10 Back Off Boogaloo (03:17)
Back off Boogaloo
I said
back off Boogaloo
Come on
back off Boogaloo
Boo.
What d'yer think you're gonna do
I gotta flash right from the start.
Wake up meat head don't pretend that.
You are dead get yourself up off the cart.
Get yourself together now
and give me something tasty.
Evrything you try to do
you it shure sound wasted.
Back off Boogaloo
I said
back off Boogaloo.
You think you're groove
standing there in your wallpaper shoes
and your socks that match your eyes.
Back off Boogaloo
I said
back off Boogaloo.
Come on
back off Boogaloo.
11 Wake Up (03:45)
One, two
I wake up calling your name,
But it's still not the same as have you right here with me.
And if you go away, for only a day,
You know that i'll still love you.
There is nothing better than to love you,
When you're near the way is clear, i love you.
You gotta know
What is it for
Why is it so
And can you tell me?
I will be right there
Willing to share ev'rything i can with you.
And when you're by my side
I've no reason to hide i dream all my dreams about you.
There is nothing better than to love you,
When you're near the way is clear, i love you.
You gotta know
What is it for
Why is it so
And can you tell me?
You and me are all we need, stay with me.
Lovers need each other, please, stay with me.
You gotta know
What is it for
Why is it so
And can you tell me?
You gotta know
What is it for
And can you tell me?
Why is it so?
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