2 on the Billboard 200 (kept from the top by Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Starr released the standards tribute Sentimental Journey and the country and western Beaucoups of Blues in 1970.

He issued the singles "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo"[2] over 1971–72, both produced by and co-written with his former Beatles bandmate George Harrison.

[3] Both of these singles were big successes and would ordinarily have inspired albums to support them, but Starr declined to follow through, preferring to concentrate on acting during this period.

Taking part in the sessions were Marc Bolan, four members of The Band (except Richard Manuel),[5] Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Harry Nilsson, Jim Keltner and James Booker.

[8] Harrison dropped by on the sessions on 10 March to see what kind of material Starr had recorded up to that point,[8][9] saying that he was "knocked out by what you've done".

[nb 1][8][12] Ten takes of the song were recorded in a session lasting approximately 18 minutes.

[8] British music magazine Melody Maker reported on 17 March that the session was a Beatles reunion.

John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are all in Los Angeles with Klaus Voormann, the bassist rumoured to replace Paul McCartney after his departure from the group.

[8][9] According to a report in Billboard magazine in late September 1973, Ringo's release was delayed while work was being completed on the album artwork.

[nb 4] Helped by the international success of "Photograph",[27] and speculation regarding the former Beatles working together on the same project,[28] the album reached No.

2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, denied the top position by Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

[35][36] In his review for Rolling Stone, Ben Gerson said that, on one hand, Starr's limited artistry and the abundance of star guests made the album "rambling and inconsistent", yet in terms of "atmosphere", "Ringo is the most successful record by an ex-Beatle.

It is not polemical and abrasive like Lennon's, harsh and self-pitying like Harrison's, or precious and flimsy like McCartney's, but balanced, airy and amiable.

[40][42] At the time of release, various reviews and press articles of the day stated that the longer version was "snuck" onto the tape duplicating masters at the last moment; this may have been done for the benefit of 8-track versions of the album, to make program two of the tape (on which the song appeared) the same approximate length as the other tracks.

[43] Additionally, the original artwork lists the second song, written by Randy Newman, as "Hold On" which was later corrected to "Have You Seen My Baby" in following pressings.

[nb 7][44] On some CD reissues "Down And Out" is inserted into the album as the fourth track (between "Photograph" and "Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)").

An instrumental version of the album was produced by David Hentschel and titled Sta*rtling Music.