"Bad Boy" is a studio album by Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles. This album is the seventh release by the talented artist. It was first released in 1978 on the label Polydor in the United Kingdom and in other regions, including the United States, on Portrait Records.
The album was produced during a period of personal and professional turbulence for Starr. In artistic terms, the record marked Starr's attempts to establish himself as a solo musician with an identity distinct from his tenure with the Beatles. "Bad Boy" charted best in Norway, where it peaked at number 20, signaling a form of breakthrough for the artist.
The album is a melange of various music styles which speaks volumes about Starr's versatility as an artist. The tracks of the album include a mix of pop, rock, and disco music. Moreover, "Bad Boy" features a selection of cover versions and original songs, the latter including the collaboratively written "Tonight."
The most successful single to emerge from the album was "Heart on My Sleeve," a cover version of the song by Gallagher and Lyle, which charted in the United States and Canada.
The album's release was accompanied by a television special, Ringo, a fictionalized account of Starr's day-to-day life. Despite these promotional efforts, "Bad Boy" failed to achieve the commercial success of Starr's earlier albums.
The album, despite its initial underwhelming response, has been retrospectively appreciated for the artist's unique sound and versatile range of his music.
