Ringo (1973 album) | Page 3 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

An update about Tim Bruckner. Last year he spent a few hours with a huge Beatles fan called Dale Applebee, and together they went over the Ringo cover to identify the cast of characters as best they could. Tim put me in touch with Dale, and I’m hoping to share the info with you all very soon.

I also asked Tim a stack of questions about working with Ringo. I think I got a bit carried away, but he’s kindly offered to answer them when time allows. Here’s the first:

How did you come to paint the cover of the Ringo album?

Tim Bruckner: I’d been working at a Jewelry store in Beverly Hills, Californian as a sculptor and apprentice jeweler. I’d been there almost two years when I realized that wasn’t the career path for me. So, one day, sitting in my apartment, I thought I’d like to do album covers. I looked in the phone book and found two listings. There was no answer at the first one I called.  The second, Camouflage Productions, answered. I told the receptionist what I was interested in and after putting me on hold for a few minutes, asked if I’d be willing come to the studio and show my portfolio. I said yes.

The only hitch was, I didn’t have a portfolio, so I took a handful of framed drawings off the wall, loaded them into the car and spent my last twenty-eight cents to get to the Hollywood hills, about twenty six miles from where I lived. I was greeted by a lovely, smoky voiced receptionist and asked to wait. Ten minutes later I was being interview by Barry Feinstein, famous art director/photographer. He looked at my stuff, seemed to like what he saw and asked me to wait.  He left the room and came back about twenty minutes later in the company of a tall, lanky, generously toothed gentlemen. I was introduced to Richard Perry, the producer for the Ringo album. He looked at my work, said something to Barry and the two left together. Shortly thereafter, Barry returned and asked if I had a passport. I did not. He told me I needed to get one as soon as possible. I was going to England to work on Ringo Starr ‘s album cover art.

That cover led to designing and illustrating the Average White Band Logo, Ray Charles’ Renaissance album cover, a Lipps Inc cover, the prosthetic elephant nose for George Clinton’s Trombipulation cover and the dust jacket for Cat Stevens’ Buddha and the Chocolate Box.

Can anyone furnish me with a high-quality scan of the Ringo album cover? Preferably bigger than 3000x3000px, with no creases/scuffs. The biggest I can find on Google Images are around 1000px.

Email me – joe at beatlesbible.com – if you can help!

I might have to buy a vinyl copy unless someone can help! I only have it on mp3.

Quick update. I’ve had some real gold from Tim Bruckner and Dale Applebee, both of whom have been incredibly generous. I won’t be posting more here just now – the stuff Tim is giving me is so good it deserves to be a proper feature. Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait.