Goodnight Vienna was very much a follow-up to Ringo, on which
Ringo Starr called upon his bevy of musical buddies. Most prominent among them was
John Lennon, who again wrote the leadoff track, "(It's All Da-Da-Down To) Goodnight Vienna," and played on three songs; also included are
Elton John, who wrote and played on "Snookeroo,"
Dr. John,
Billy Preston,
Robbie Robertson, and
Harry Nilsson.
Richard Perry again produced, bringing his strong pop sensibility to the diverse material. The only real fall-off was in the songwriting; the album's Top Ten hits were "Only You," the old
Platters song, and
Hoyt Axton's novelty number "No No Song," which winked at intoxicants, but little else on the set stood out.
Goodnight Vienna was another enjoyable
Ringo record, but it lacked the star power and consistency of its predecessor. Still, compared to the rest of his '70s albums, it was a masterpiece. ~ William Ruhlmann