Today marks the 50th anniversary of Ringo Starr’s compilation album, Blast From Your Past, a landmark release that captured the early solo success of the former Beatle. Released in 1975 on Apple Records, the album represented both Starr’s first compilation LP and his final project under his EMI contract, as well as the last Apple Records release until the label’s revival in the 1990s.
Blast From Your Past showcases Starr’s most successful period as a solo artist during the first half of the 1970s. The album compiles eight singles, one B-side, and one album track, released between 1970 and 1975. All eight singles charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, with Photograph and You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine) reaching number 1. Other hits included It Don’t Come Easy, Back Off Boogaloo, Only You (And You Alone), and No No Song, while Beaucoups of Blues was the sole single that missed the top ten. In the UK, five tracks charted, with Back Off Boogaloo peaking at number 2.
Songs such as Oh My My, Photograph, and You’re Sixteen originated from Starr’s 1973 album Ringo, while No No Song and Only You (And You Alone) were taken from Goodnight Vienna. I’m the Greatest, written by John Lennon, also features, alongside the B-side Early 1970, originally paired with It Don’t Come Easy.
The album debuted in the United States on 20 November 1975 and arrived in the UK on 12 December, sporting a distinctive red Apple label. The sleeve was designed by Roy Kohara. To promote the compilation in the UK, Apple issued Oh My My backed with No No Song as a single on 9 January 1976, highlighting tracks that had previously appeared only on albums.
Commercially, Blast From Your Past was met with mixed results. It peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard pop LPs chart but failed to chart in the UK. Critics noted the brevity of the compilation, with the NME pointing out that while Starr had amassed enough US hits for a greatest hits set just five years after the Beatles’ breakup, the album’s short running time limited its appeal to British audiences.
Despite these initial setbacks, the compilation has endured as a document of Starr’s early solo achievements. It was reissued in the US by Capitol Records in September 1981 and later in the UK by Music for Pleasure on 25 November 1981. Compact disc releases followed in the UK on 26 May 1987 and in the US on 18 January 1988. All tracks were eventually included in Starr’s 2007 career-spanning compilation Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr.
Blast From Your Past captures Ringo Starr at a pivotal moment, transitioning from the drummer of the world’s most famous band into a solo artist with his own string of hits. The album’s mix of rock, pop, and country influences highlights his versatility and collaborative spirit, featuring contributions from fellow Beatles including George Harrison and John Lennon. Half a century later, the collection stands as both a historical record and a celebration of Starr’s enduring appeal in the post-Beatles era.
Track Listing
Side One
You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine) – Ringo – 2:47
No No Song – Goodnight Vienna – 2:29
It Don’t Come Easy – Non album single – 3:02
Photograph – Ringo – 3:55
Back Off Boogaloo – Non album single – 3:18
Side Two
6. Only You (And You Alone) – Goodnight Vienna – 3:23
7. Beaucoups of Blues – Beaucoups of Blues – 2:32
8. Oh My My – Ringo – 4:17
9. Early 1970 – B-side of “It Don’t Come Easy” – 2:19
10. I’m the Greatest – Ringo – 3:22
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