Recording: Drumming Is My Madness, Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses, Back Off Boogaloo – 4 November 1980

Tuesday 4 November 1980 | Recording | Evergreen Studios, Burbank, California | By Beatles Fabdom

Ringo Starr recorded “Drumming Is My Madness”, “Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses” and a new version of “Back Off Boogaloo” at Evergreen Studios on 4 November 1980. Harry Nilsson produced the work, with Rick Riccio engineering.

All three songs became part of Stop And Smell The Roses, Ringo’s eighth studio album. The session brought together a new Nilsson composition, a Starr–Nilsson collaboration and a remake of Ringo’s 1972 hit. Further recording followed in the Bahamas in December before the album appeared in 1981.

Three songs for Stop And Smell The Roses

The November session formed part of a recording project that brought several of Ringo’s friends and former bandmates into the studio. Nilsson’s contribution was concentrated in these three songs, which appeared in different places on the finished LP.

“Drumming Is My Madness” became the third track, following “Private Property” and “Wrack My Brain”. “Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses” closed the first side. The remake of “Back Off Boogaloo” ended the second side and the album.

The album’s shorter title, Stop And Smell The Roses, echoes the longer song title. Richard Starkey is Ringo’s name in the songwriting credits.

Drumming Is My Madness: Harry Nilsson’s song for Ringo

Nilsson wrote “Drumming Is My Madness” for the project. He and Ringo had already collaborated on the 1973 album Ringo, and this recording continued their musical partnership.

The recording featured Ringo and Jim Keltner on drums. Recalling the song in a Modern Drummer interview published on 19 July 2005, Ringo singled it out as a favourite because making it had been fun, remembering Nilsson, Keltner and himself together.

The track’s credits extend beyond the two drummers. Guitars, piano, bass, percussion, brass and reeds give the recording a larger ensemble. Van Dyke Parks is credited with the arrangement.

“Drumming Is My Madness” also reached listeners as the B-side of “Wrack My Brain”, the George Harrison-written single associated with the album’s release. Our article on the US release of Stop And Smell The Roses on 27 October 1981 follows that later stage of the project.

Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses

Ringo and Nilsson co-wrote “Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses”. Like “Drumming Is My Madness”, it was begun at Evergreen on 4 November and received further work in December.

The original LP placed it at the end of side one, after “Attention”. Its title provided the phrase around which the album’s identity developed, including the cover portrait of Ringo holding red roses.

The expanded 1994 CD added six bonus tracks. One was “Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses (Original Vocal Version)”, preserving an alternative vocal presentation alongside the familiar album performance. It appeared as track fourteen, within the bonus programme.

Back Off Boogaloo: a remake of the 1972 single

The third song recorded on 4 November was “Back Off Boogaloo”. Ringo had first released it as a single in 1972. The Evergreen recording was a new version for Stop And Smell The Roses, produced by Nilsson and arranged by Van Dyke Parks.

The remake incorporated references to songs from Ringo’s own catalogue and The Beatles’ recordings. These included “It Don’t Come Easy”, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, “Good Day Sunshine”, “Baby You’re A Rich Man”, “Help!” and “Lady Madonna”.

Nilsson’s involvement included backing vocals, alongside Rick Riccio. The resulting recording became the closing track on the album, bringing the programme back to a song already established in Ringo’s solo repertoire.

Ringo returned to “Back Off Boogaloo” again for Give More Love in 2017. The 1972 single, the 1980–1981 remake and that later version are separate recordings.

The musicians and arrangement

The album credits for Nilsson’s productions identify a substantial group of session players. The instrumental foundation included Dennis Budimir, Ritchie Zito and Fred Tackett on guitars, Jane Getz on piano, Dennis Belfield on bass and Jim Keltner on drums, alongside Ringo’s performance.

The credits describe the released recording, which developed across the November and December sessions. Nilsson’s other two productions share much of the same instrumental personnel, with Parks also credited as arranger.

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From Evergreen to Compass Point

The Los Angeles-area recordings were followed by further work at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the Bahamas, from 1 to 5 December 1980. Ringo’s lead vocal for the “Back Off Boogaloo” remake was recorded on 4 December.

The session histories for “Drumming Is My Madness” and “Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses” likewise place additional recording between 1 and 4 December. The November date marks the beginning of these recordings rather than the completion of every element heard on the album.

Evergreen Studios: the Burbank recording location

Evergreen Recording Studios was at 4403 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, California 91505. Although session accounts often describe the location broadly as Los Angeles, the studio address is in Burbank.

The building began as the Magnolia Theatre, a movie house designed by Clifford Balch. Evergreen’s own history dates its conversion into a recording studio to 1979, when Charlie Fox, Gayle Levant and Artie Butler acquired the former cinema. That places Ringo’s November 1980 session early in its recording-studio history.

The studio’s published history lists Ringo among its recording artists. The map below identifies the Magnolia Boulevard building.

Open Evergreen Studios’ address in Google Maps.

Three tracks on Ringo’s eighth studio album

Stop And Smell The Roses brought the Nilsson recordings together with work made with other producers. The original ten-song sequence was:

Side one

1. Private Property
2. Wrack My Brain
3. Drumming Is My Madness
4. Attention
5. Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses

Side two

1. Dead Giveaway
2. You Belong To Me
3. Sure To Fall
4. You’ve Got A Nice Way
5. Back Off Boogaloo

Paul McCartney contributed “Private Property” and “Attention”, while George Harrison wrote and produced “Wrack My Brain”. The three Nilsson-associated tracks formed another distinct group within the album’s collection of collaborations.

The record reached American listeners on 27 October 1981, followed by the British release on 20 November. The recording session and the release therefore belong to different years in Ringo’s chronology.

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The Ringo Starr Peace Red Circle grey T-shirt pairs Ringo’s portrait with a red circular background and red lettering.

Frequently asked questions

What did Ringo Starr record on 4 November 1980?

He worked on Drumming Is My Madness, Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses and a remake of Back Off Boogaloo for Stop And Smell The Roses.

Where did the session take place?

At Evergreen Recording Studios, 4403 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, in the Los Angeles area.

Who produced and engineered the recordings?

Harry Nilsson produced the session and Rick Riccio was the engineer.

Who wrote Drumming Is My Madness?

Harry Nilsson wrote it. Ringo and Nilsson co-wrote Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses.

Was this the original Back Off Boogaloo recording?

No. It was a remake for the 1981 album. Ringo’s original single had been released in 1972.

Were the songs completed at Evergreen that day?

Further work followed at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in December 1980, including Ringo’s lead vocal for Back Off Boogaloo on 4 December.

Further context: Ringo Starr’s official album archive · Evergreen Studios’ building history.