Recording: Husbands And Wives by Ringo Starr – 14 August 1974

Wednesday 14 August 1974 | Ringo Starr, Studio

Ringo Starr continued work on ‘Husbands And Wives’ at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles on 14 August 1974. This was the fourth recording session for the song, which was being prepared for Ringo’s fourth studio album, Goodnight Vienna. Further work on the track took place on 20 August and 1 October 1974. The session was produced by Richard Perry and engineered by Bill Schnee.

Husbands And Wives

‘Husbands And Wives’ was written by Roger Miller — the American country singer-songwriter best known for his 1965 hits ‘King of the Road’ and ‘England Swings’. Miller had originally recorded the song in 1966, and it had become a country standard, covered by numerous artists in the years that followed. Ringo’s decision to record it for Goodnight Vienna reflected both his love of American country and pop music and the eclectic, cover-heavy approach that had characterised his most commercially successful album, Ringo (1973).

The song’s reflective, melancholic lyric — meditating on the difficulties of marriage and the ease with which relationships can go wrong — suited Ringo’s warm, conversational vocal style. The multiple recording sessions required to complete the track suggest that considerable care was taken in finding the right arrangement and performance.

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Goodnight Vienna: the album

Goodnight Vienna was Ringo Starr’s fourth studio album, released on 15 November 1974 by Apple Records. It was the follow-up to Ringo (1973), which had been one of the most commercially successful solo albums by any former Beatle, reaching number two in both the UK and the US and spawning two number one singles in ‘Photograph’ and ‘You’re Sixteen’.

Goodnight Vienna was again produced by Richard Perry, who had been the architect of Ringo’s success. The album featured contributions from all three of Ringo’s former Beatles bandmates: John Lennon wrote the title track and played piano on it, George Harrison played guitar on several tracks, and Paul McCartney contributed ‘Pure Gold’. The album also featured Elton John, Harry Nilsson, and a host of other prominent musicians.

The album was recorded primarily at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, one of the most celebrated studios in American music history, which had hosted sessions by The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Prince and many others. Engineer Bill Schnee was a highly regarded figure in the Los Angeles recording scene, known for his work with a wide range of artists across rock, pop and country.

The album reached number eight in the UK and number eight in the US, a solid if slightly less spectacular performance than its predecessor. The single ‘Only You (And You Alone)’ reached number six in the UK and number one in the US, demonstrating that Ringo’s commercial momentum from the Ringo era was still very much intact.

Richard Perry: producer

Richard Perry was one of the most successful record producers of the 1970s, with a string of major hits to his credit including Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’ (1972) and Harry Nilsson’s Nilsson Schmilsson (1971). His work with Ringo on Ringo (1973) and Goodnight Vienna (1974) represented the commercial peak of Ringo’s solo career, and Perry’s instinct for accessible, melodic pop production was perfectly suited to Ringo’s strengths as a vocalist and performer.

Key Facts

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→ Recording: Mind Games by John Lennon – 14 August 1973
→ Wings live: Vejlby-Risskov Hallen, Aarhus – 14 August 1972
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