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Album : Ringo the 4th

Rating : 2 Stars

Release Date : Sep 26, 1977

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

On his previous three albums, Ringo Starr had depended on superstar friends, a few oldies, and a lighthearted attitude to get him through. The commercial disappointment of Ringo's Rotogravure seemed to dictate a change of approach, and Ringo the 4th attempted to be a slick '70s soul-pop effort with hints of disco. Starr was accompanied by New York studio pros, and he wrote most of the songs with Vini Poncia. The result marked the difference between disappointment and disaster, as the record flopped commercially and Atlantic bounced him.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Drowning in the Sea of Love Gamble, Huff 5:08

2 Tango All Night Poncia, Starr 2:55

3 Wings Poncia, Starr 3:24

4 Gave It All Up Poncia, Starr 4:40

5 Out on the Streets Poncia, Starr 4:25

6 Can She Do It Like She Dances Duboff, Robinson 3:12

7 Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley Poncia, Starr 4:08

8 It's No Secret Poncia, Starr 3:40

9 Gypsies in Flight Poncia, Starr 3:01

10 Simple Love Song Poncia, Starr 2:57

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Album : Bad Boy

Rating : 2 Stars

Release Date : Apr 21, 1978

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

Leaving Atlantic Records after the sales disaster of Ringo the 4th, Ringo Starr signed to CBS's Portrait label and returned to the record racks after only seven months with Bad Boy. Working again with Vini Poncia and a largely pseudonymous band (lead guitar by "Push-alone" and bass by "Diesel"), Starr turned out a competent effort with a few interesting song choices, notably the old Benny Spellman tune "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)" (bet it was a favorite back in Liverpool) and Gallagher & Lyle's "Heart on My Sleeve," along with some that were beyond him, such as the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go." But Starr needed more than competence to reverse his career decline, and Bad Boy sold only to the same hardcore Beatles collectors who had pushed Ringo the 4th into the lower reaches of the charts for half-a-dozen weeks.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Who Needs a Heart Poncia, Starr 3:47

2 Bad Boy Armstrong, Long 3:14

3 Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette) Neville 3:01

4 Heart on My Sleeve Gallagher, Lyle 3:19

5 Where Did My Heart Go? Dozier, Holland, Holland 3:15

6 Hard Times Skellern 3:30

7 Tonight McLagan, Pidgeon 2:57

8 Monkey See-Monkey Do Franks 3:36

9 Old Time Relovin' Poncia, Starr 4:16

10 A Man Like Me Olachainn 3:08

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Album : Stop and Smell the Roses

Rating : 3 Stars

Release Date : Oct 27, 1981

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

The idea, back in 1980, was to resurrect Ringo Starr's recording career by the same method that it had been launched with the Ringo album in 1973 — by having his fellow Beatles and other well-known friends help out. John Lennon was working on a song called "Nobody Told Me," and George Harrison had one ready to go. Then Lennon was murdered in December. His Ringo song languished (his own version would be released in 1984), while Harrison took his tune back and rewrote the lyrics for what became his own hit, "All Those Years Ago." Then Ringo's label, Portrait, lacked enthusiasm for the album, and he moved on to Boardwalk. Finally released as Boardwalk 33246, Stop and Smell the Roses was Ringo's strongest and most effervescent album since Goodnight Vienna, containing two good songs by Paul McCartney and one by George Harrison — "Wrack My Brain," which became Ringo's final Top 40 hit — along with music by Harry Nilsson, Ron Wood, and Stephen Stills. Long out of print, Stop and Smell the Roses reappeared on Capitol's The Right Stuff reissue label on September 6, 1994, with six bonus tracks, reflecting the changes made in the album from its original, unreleased version, that increased the album's length by nearly 70 percent and demonstrated that the later song selection was better.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Private Property McCartney

2 Wrack My Brain Harrison

3 Drumming Is My Madness Nilsson

4 Attention McCartney, Starr

5 Stop and Take the Time to Smell the Roses

6 Dead Giveaway

7 You Belong to Me King, Price, Stewart

8 Sure to Fall (In Love With You) Cantrell, Claunch, Perkins

9 You've Got a Nice Way

10 Back off Boogaloo Starr

11 Wake Up

12 Red and Black Blues

13 Brandy

14 Stop and Take the Time to Smell the Roses [Original Vocal Version]

15 You Can't Fight Lightning

16 Hand Gun Promos

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Album : Time Takes Time

Rating : 4 Stars

Release Date : May 22, 1992

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

On his first new studio album to be released in the U.S. in 11 years, Ringo Starr made a neo-'60s-sounding record that, if it didn't feature his Beatle-mates, certainly evoked them. Don Was, the king of creative retro, produced half the album, bringing in bands like Jellyfish and the Posies, who devote their careers to trying to sound like the Beatles of 1965-66. Here, with a real Beatle on drums and vocals, they came much closer. Of course, it's always a little weird when a veteran star makes what is essentially clone music meant to resemble the sound of his glory days. But Ringo remains a distinctive drummer and an engaging singer, so even when he was singing something called "Golden Blunders," it was hard to blame him. Besides, there are worse things to copy than the Beatles.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Weight of the World ODoherty, Velez 3:54

2 Don't Know a Thing (About Love) Feldman, Lynch 3:49

3 Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go Grainger, Starr, Warman 3:20

4 Golden Blunders Auer, Stringfellow 4:06

5 All in the Name of Love Williams 3:41

6 After All These Years Starr, Warman 3:09

7 I Don't Believe You Manning, Sturmer 2:47

8 Runaways Starr, Warman 4:50

9 In a Heartbeat Warren 4:28

10 What Goes Around Suchow 5:50

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Album : Vertical Man

Rating : 3 Stars

Release Date : Jun 16, 1998

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Early in his career, Ringo Starr realized that he couldn't quite carry an entire album by himself, so he established the practice of the "all-star" (or "All-Starr," as he later dubbed it) album, drafting in his musician buddies to help him make an album. The first time he did this was also the best — 1973's Ringo remains one of the best Beatles solo albums, possibly the only one that is simply, unabashedly fun. The approach also enlivened his 1992 comeback album Time Takes Time, but it fails to deliver on that record's follow-up, Vertical Man. Ringo remains loyal to such longtime friends as Joe Walsh and Tom Petty, as well as Paul and George, but he also brings in such young guns as Alanis Morissette and Scott Weiland, hoping that some of their hipness will transfer to him. Of course, that doesn't happen, but you wouldn't want it to anyway — Ringo is at his best when he's Ringo, warbling amiable ditties with his charming, slightly off-key voice. Vertical Man has that in spades. The overall quality of the songs isn't as strong as Time Takes Time, but there are some neat moments, from a cover of Dobie Gray's timeless "Drift Away" to ingratiating new numbers like "One" and "I'll Be Fine Anywhere." It's a slight album — most of Ringo's albums are — but it's an entertaining one, and that's only true of a handful of his records.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 One Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:02

2 What in the... World Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:29

3 Mind Field Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 4:07

4 King of Broken Hearts Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 4:44

5 Love Me Do Lennon, McCartney 3:45

6 Vertical Man Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 4:42

7 Drift Away Chandler 4:10

8 I Was Walkin' Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:21

9 La De Da Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 5:41

10 Without Understanding Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 4:22

11 I'll Be Fine Anywhere Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:41

12 Puppet Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:21

13 I'm Yours Hudson, Nevin, Starkey 3:23

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Album : VH1 Storytellers

Rating : 3 Stars

Release Date : Oct 20, 1998

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

Just as MTV's Unplugged series started out as a great idea — get musicians to reimagine their material in stripped-down arrangements — then was reduced by the record business to a gimmick for a new kind of live album, which is to say, yet another way to re-sell the same material, VH1's Storytellers series has quickly traced the same decline. After all, not everybody is as eloquent, or as well-prepared, as Ray Davies, who did the first show. And as any music journalist can tell you, a musician's idea of a great story about how he came to write a song may not be anybody else's. But the format would seem perfect for bon vivant Ringo Starr, and even if he has been as guilty of padding his catalog as any veteran, he does tell short, entertaining anecdotes about the collection of Beatles favorites and solo hits included (most of which haven't been circulated widely before), which makes it forgivable that he also sneaks in four Beatlesque songs from his recently released Vertical Man album. His backup band, the Roundheads, is actually more supportive than the various editions of the All-Starr Band he used to tour with, and it's good to have a Ringo Starr live album with so much Ringo on it.

 

 

Tracks

 

1 With a Little Help From My Friends Lennon, McCartney 4:18

2 It Don't Come Easy Starr 3:18

3 I Was Walkin' Grakal, Hudson, Starr 4:21

4 Don't Pass Me By Starr 5:40

5 Back off Boogaloo Starr 3:40

6 King of Broken Hearts Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 7:43

7 Octopus's Garden Starr 2:50

8 Photograph Harrison, Starr 4:11

9 La De Da Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 5:04

10 What in the... World Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 5:32

11 Love Me Do Lennon, McCartney 3:41

12 With a Little Help From My Friends (Reprise) Lennon, McCartney 4:20

13 I've Got Blisters... Starr :18

14 The End Lennon, McCartney :04

 

 

 

 

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Album : I Wanna Be Santa Claus

Rating : 3.5 Stars

Release Date : Oct 19, 1999

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

The Beatles never quite made a commercially released Christmas album, though they put together special singles for their fan club every year from 1963 to 1969, then compiled them as The Beatles Christmas Album, also just for the fan club, in 1970. These recordings were more spoken-word than musical, though there was a song, "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)," heard in excerpts on the 1967 record. It has been left to Ringo Starr to release the first full-length Christmas album from a Beatle, and I Wanna Be a Santa Claus is very much in the group's spirit. Since he returned to recording in 1992, Starr has made a point of making music reminiscent of the Beatles, hooking up in 1998 with a group led by Mark Hudson dubbed the Roundheads. Hudson is everywhere on I Wanna Be a Santa Claus, co-writing the half-dozen originals with Starr and others, co-producing with Starr, and handling a variety of instruments. He and keyboard player/arranger Jim Cox clearly are steeped in the Beatles, and they have effectively recreated a Beatles sound on the record, in some cases aping specific songs. The Roundheads are also good at showcasing Starr's drumming, which is always high in the mix. If none of the new songs are likely to become classics, they are respectable efforts that Starr handles well. On the standards, Starr is his usual good-natured self, and the standout track is the cover of "Christmas Time Is Here Again." There are precious few lyrics besides the title, but it deserves to be added to the ranks of Christmas standards. So, Ringo Starr is well-served by his supporting musicians on I Wanna Be Santa Claus, and his typically cheery manner is so well-suited to the holiday spirit that it's only a shame he waited so long to make his seasonal recording.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Come on Christmas, Christmas Come On Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:35

2 Winter Wonderland Bernard, Smith 2:54

3 I Wanna Be Santa Claus Hudson, Monda, Starr 3:45

4 The Little Drummer Boy Davis, Onorati, Simeone 3:21

5 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Marks 2:23

6 Christmas Eve Hudson, Starr 4:26

7 The Christmas Dance Cox, Dudas, Hudson, Starr 4:12

8 Christmas Time Is Here Again Harrison, Lennon, McCartney, Starr 4:05

9 Blue Christmas Hayes, Johnson 2:58

10 Dear Santa Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 5:14

11 White Christmas Berlin 3:14

12 Pax Um Biscum (Peace Be With You) Gordon, Hudson, Starr 4:45

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Album : Ringorama

Rating : 3.5 Stars

Release Date : Mar 25, 2003

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

It's hard to judge Ringorama, Ringo Starr's 12th proper studio album, by most standard critical criteria. Even comparing the record to his previous solo work doesn't quite work, since so many of his albums are so driven by his persona — a combination of his actual personality and what his team of collaborators (always including a bevy of guest stars, of course) perceive his persona to be. Apart from 1973's towering Ringo, and its good follow-up, Goodnight Vienna, Starr was never consistent, partially because of his decadence in the '70s, but also because he never relaxed — he was always shooting for the charts and shifting his collaborators seemingly haphazardly. It wasn't until the '90s, after he settled into his regular All-Starr summer tours — and after he had made a well-received comeback with 1992's Time Takes Time — that he relaxed with a regular band and set of collaborators, led by producer Mark Hudson; all return for 2003's Ringorama. Prior to the record's release, Hudson stated that he wanted the record to have a harder edge than its predecessor, Vertical Man, which it often does, at least in that it has very bright, rock-oriented productions, and is given a hard surface sheen via Pro Tools. Not exactly the intended edge; but it does mean that it's brassier than recent Ringo efforts, which isn't necessarily a plus. What is a plus is that it's likeable, particularly because everybody concerned — from Ringo's regular band to such guests as Eric Clapton; David Gilmour; Timothy B. Schmit; and Willie Nelson — seems to be having a good time. In another set of hands, such songs as "I Think Therefore I Rock N Roll" would be too silly, but here it's easy to accept; as are his frequent dips into self-references, since it's just Ringo being Ringo. Which brings us back to the point that his albums are sold as much by who Ringo Starr is, as they are by what his mood is. Though there is more care and consideration on Ringorama than on Ringo the 4th, the linch pin in the whole affair is his persona, and whether he has a comfortable, suitable platform or not; and, even if he does, it's likely not to play outside of those that really, really love Ringo. Fortunately, he's relaxed enough now not to care about the wider audience, so he's now making records that are fun and relaxed, even if the production doesn't quite work or if the songs are a little silly. So, Ringorama winds up as a good, enjoyable Ringo Starr album — not as warm or rich as Time Takes Time; and a little more uneven than Vertical Man, but still good; which means this is first string of three good records in a row since the early '70s. And that does count for something.

 

 

Tracks

 

1 Eye to Eye Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:19

2 Missouri Loves Company Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 3:32

3 Instant Amnesia Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 5:12

4 Memphis in Your Mind Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:13

5 Never Without You Hudson, Nicholson, Starr 5:24

6 Imagine Me There Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:55

7 I Think Therefore I Rock 'N' Roll Grakal, Hudson, Santo, Starr 3:25

8 Trippin' on My Own Tears Burr, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:31

9 Write One for Me Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:14

10 What Love Wants to Be Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:03

11 Love First, Ask Questions Later Burr, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 4:44

12 Elizabeth Reigns Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:57

13 English Garden Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson , Starr 3:17

 

 

 

 

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Album : Choose Love

Rating : 4 Stars

Release Date : Jun 7, 2005

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

There's nothing surprising, or even all that different, about Choose Love, Ringo Starr's 13th studio album: it's firmly in the tradition of his 1992 return to recording, Time Takes Time, which itself was an attempt to recreate the breezy, good-natured vibe of Starr's biggest and best album, 1973's Ringo. But where that album and the two records that followed it — 1998's Vertical Man and 2003's Ringorama — were star-studded affairs, the only guests here are Robert Randolph and Chrissie Hynde, who stops in for a duet on "Don't Hang Up." That means Ringo relies on his longtime collaborators Mark Hudson (who is also the record's co-producer), Gary Burr, and Steve Dudas, who form the core of his touring and recording band, as well as function as his co-writers, and by this point, they've been together nearly a decade. This is a relaxed, comfortable group, but that familiarity pays off here. Instead of sounding lazy, Starr sounds assured and confident, and he has a strong set of tunes that know how to make the best of his endearingly limited vocal range and lovable personality. The music here is well within his comfort zone — partway between the amiable yet splashy Richard Perry productions of the early '70s and classic mid-period Beatles (the title track has plenty of direct allusions, from the "Taxman"-styled riff to a quote from "Dizzy Miss Lizzy") — but it all works, largely because it never sounds like Ringo and the lads are straining to capture that vibe: it just seems to come naturally to them now. It also helps that Choose Love has a warm, rich sound that is far removed from the digital brightness of its two predecessors: it helps give the album a friendly aura that's hard to resist if you've ever loved Ringo. And if you've ever loved Ringo, take comfort that this album will be one of the few records of his that you can play without guilt and enjoy from start to finish. It's not just a good record for Ringo, it's just a flat-out good record.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Fading in Fading Out Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:57

2 Give Me Back the Beat Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:54

3 Oh My Lord Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 5:32

4 Hard to Be True Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:27

5 Some People Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:18

6 Wrong All the Time Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:39

7 Don't Hang Up Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:27

8 Choose Love Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:07

9 Me and You Dudas, Hudson, Starr 2:15

10 Satisfied Hudson, Nicholson, Starr 3:19

11 The Turnaround Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 3:54

12 Free Drinks Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 4:46

 

 

 

 

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Album : Blast From Your Past

Rating : 4.5 Stars

Release Date : Nov 20, 1975

 

Review by Mike DeGagne

 

Within the span of five years, Ringo Starr was able to muster up seven Top Ten singles, with three of them coming from the self-titled Ringo album. Taking all of these tracks and adding three more, Blast From Your Past ends up being a worthy ten-song collection of Starr's best solo tunes. In 1973, Ringo had back-to-back number one hits with both "Photograph," aided by George Harrison's harmony vocals, and the quirky, adolescent-sounding "You're Sixteen," with Harry Nilsson backing him and Paul McCartney playing the kazoo. His first hit, "It Don't Come Easy," had Badfinger filling in on harmony, while the humorous "No No Song" which went to number three in 1975, was penned by Hoyt Axton. Starr's easygoing character and blatant lightheartedness presents his music with a welcomed distinction, contrasted but hardly bettered by John Lennon's social, philosophical, and politically guided material that was coming out at around the same time. The jovial spirit of Ringo Starr shines through in songs like "Back off Boogaloo" and in the innocent satire of "I'm the Greatest" with a little help from his friend Mr. Lennon — not one of Starr's best efforts, but entertaining nonetheless. For an enjoyable skip through Starr's best solo work, Blast From Your Past surely foots the bill.

 

 

Tracks

 

1 You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine) Sherman 2:49

2 The No No Song Axton 2:31

3 It Don't Come Easy Starr 3:04

4 Photograph Harrison, Starr 3:58

5 Back off Boogaloo Starr 3:20

6 Only You (And You Alone) Ram, Rand 3:27

7 Beaucoups of Blues Rabin 2:36

8 Oh, My My Poncia, Starr 4:18

9 Early 1970 Starr 2:22

10 I'm the Greatest Lennon 3:22

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Album : Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2

Rating : 3 Stars

Release Date : Feb 24, 1989

 

Review by William Ruhlmann

 

A follow-up compilation to Blast From Your Past, Starr Struck gathered together the better tracks from Ringo Starr's less successful albums originally released between 1976 and 1983. "A Dose of Rock 'N' Roll" and "Wrack My Brain" were Top 40 singles, and the album contained specially written songs by Ringo's Beatle colleagues. The album also marked the first U.S. release for four songs from Ringo's 1983 album Old Wave. The result was a good substitute for five Ringo albums that were out of print when it was released, but no match for the hit-filled Blast From Your Past.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Wrack My Brain Harrison 2:20

2 In My Car Walsh 3:13

3 Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love) Lennon 3:37

4 I Keep Forgettin' Leiber, Stoller 4:18

5 Hard Times Skellern 3:31

6 Hey! Baby Channel, Cobb 3:10

7 Attention McCartney, Starr 3:18

8 A Dose of Rock & Roll Groszman 3:24

9 Who Needs a Heart Poncia, Starr 3:48

10 Private Property McCartney 2:44

11 Can She Do It Like She Dances Duboff, Robinson 3:12

12 Heart on My Sleeve Gallagher, Lyle 3:20

13 Sure to Fall (In Love With You) Cantrell, Claunch, Perkins 3:41

14 Hopeless Starr, Walsh 3:17

15 You Belong to Me King, Price, Stewart 2:11

16 She's About a Mover Sahm 3:52

 

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Album : Liverpool 8

Rating : 3 Stars

Release Date : Jan 15, 2008

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

For a Beatle, Ringo Starr has had a relatively quiet latter-day solo career. After salvaging his tattered reputation in 1992 with Time Takes Time — his first album in nearly a decade and his first in nearly 20 years to serve his legend well — Starr settled into touring regularly with his ever-changing All-Starr Band, documenting almost every tour with a live album, then turning out a new studio album every three or four years. After Time Takes Time, all these albums were recorded in collaboration with Mark Hudson, best known as one of '70s popsters the Hudson Brothers but also an L.A. session man who slowly became Ringo's right-hand man. Starr's albums with Hudson never grabbed much attention outside the Beatles hardcore — unlike Time Takes Time, they were rarely studded with stars and once he decamped from the majors to the indie Koch in 2003, they never received much of a marketing push, either, so they played solely to the devoted, who were always satisfied by the happily Beatlesque music Starr made with Hudson. This collaboration continued into 2007 as the duo embarked on what would become the Liverpool 8 album, but they had a falling out in the final stages of recording, with former Eurythmic David A. Stewart brought in at the last minute to polish up the album and collaborate on its title song. Stewart helps give Liverpool 8 the gloss the album needs as it's not only Ringo's first major-label album in five years, it's his homecoming to Capitol Records, the label that released the Beatles albums and Starr's first, best solo albums (highlights from which dominated the 2007 hits comp Photograph, released a matter of months before Liverpool 8).

 

On the surface, Liverpool 8 does indeed feel a bit like a comeback: Stewart's "re-production" — so named in the liner notes as he gussied up Hudson's original production — turns the music shiny and sleek and there are several cheerful forays into baby boomer nostalgia, whether it's the outright reference to "It Don't Come Easy" on "Gone Are the Days" or Ringo's stroll through his back pages on "Liverpool 8," reminiscent of Paul McCartney's marveling at his past on "That Was Me," a rollicking number on his 2007 album Memory Almost Full. At times, Liverpool 8 recalls Memory in how it balances nostalgia and mortality — on "R U Ready" Ringo jovially stares into the great beyond — which is just enough of a hook to reel in boomers who haven't listened to Ringo in years. Nevertheless, this sentimentality, like the Stewart reproduction, is just window dressing on an album that is essentially not all that different than the three that preceded it. Liverpool 8 is a relaxed, amiable collection of friendly pop tunes: it's nothing too flashy and it has no one tune that calls attention to itself, but it's a well-constructed, casually charming pop record. In a way, the smaller-scale productions of the Koch records served latter-day Ringo better, as they were as humble and unpretentious as his music, but even if Liverpool 8 is a little bit too pumped up and slick for its own good, Starr remains eminently likable, which is enough for those who have enjoyed Ringorama or Choose Love. However, it may not be enough for those hoping for another Ringo or Goodnight Vienna, which is what the big marketing push, complete with the album's release as a USB bracelet, suggests it is. Liverpool 8 is not another Memory Almost Full, an album that offers enough reminders of the past but is about the present; it is merely another good latter-day record for Ringo, filled with songs about love and spiked with a ridiculous novelty number (this time, it's "Pasodobles," where Starr warbles about a Spanish dance). For those who already love Ringo, that's plenty good enough, but for those who often (and often unfairly) run the good man down, this is too light, easygoing, and sometimes unapologetically silly to change their minds.

 

 

Tracks

 

1 Liverpool 8 Starkey, Stewart 4:49

2 Think About You Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 3:40

3 For Love Hudson, Starkey 3:49

4 Now That She's Gone Away Burr, Hudson, Starkey 3:02

5 Gone Are the Days Hudson, Starkey, Stewart 2:49

6 Give It a Try Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 3:26

7 Tuff Love Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 4:33

8 Harry's Song Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 4:00

9 Pasodobles Burr, Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starkey 4:17

10 If It's Love That You Want Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 3:06

11 Love Is Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 3:52

12 R U Ready Burr, Dudas, Hudson, Starkey 3:59

 

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Album: Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr

Rating : 4.5 Stars

Release Date : Aug 28, 2007

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Hard as it is to believe but there has not been a proper Ringo Starr hits collection since the first, 1975's Blast from Your Past — that's not counting 1989's Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, which was designed as a companion to that earlier set — until 2007's Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr. Blast from Your Past was released just five years after his debut, Sentimental Journey, but it ignored that collection of pop standards, along with much of its country cousin Beaucoups of Blues, winding up as a collection of highlights of 1973's Ringo and 1974's Goodnight Vienna, with a few non-LP hit singles rounded up within the LP's tight ten-track, 30-minute span. Ringo kept recording after Blast, working his way through several labels and ill-advised phases before settling into a nice, easy groove with 1993's Time Takes Time, but he stopped having hits not long after 1975, after the Elton John/Bernie Taupin "Snookeroo" climbed all the way to number three, capping off a remarkable streak of seven Top Ten singles. After that, the crash was fast: "Oo-Wee" was pulled off of Vienna and stalled at 31, then there was just one more hit — "A Dose of Rock & Roll," peaking at 26 in 1976 — before a five-year wait until the George Harrison-written "Wrack My Brain" limped to 38 in 1981 before Ringo disappeared from the charts. His '90s comeback may have never dented Billboard, but it is represented on the 20-track Photograph, which also contains all the aforementioned singles (apart from "Oo-Wee," no great loss) and the entirety of Blast from Your Past, albeit presented in a different running order. This doesn't just make for a compilation that's longer than the 1975 set, it makes for one that's better, since it adds the terrific "(It's All Down to) Good Night Vienna" to the mix, along with the amiable 1976 cover of Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby," a duet with Buck Owens on "Act Naturally" from 1989, and a well-chosen selection from each of Time Takes Time, 1998's Vertical Man, 2003's Ringorama, and 2005's Choose Love. This may not hit all the great stuff from the early '70s — after all, the whole of Ringo is exceptionally strong — but it does cut out all the real embarrassing stuff from the late '70s and just concentrates on the good latter-day material that holds its own with the best of his '70s hits. Far from merely being songs that are good when graded on a curve, these hits have aged really well, especially his originals: "It Don't Come Easy," the thundering glam rocker "Back Off Boogaloo," the cheerfully post-Beatles autobiography of "Early 1970" and "Photograph," his gorgeous collaboration with George, which lends this comp its title and ranks as among the very best post-Beatles songs by any of the Fab Four. That tune proves Ringo could deliver music every bit as memorable as his colleagues and much of this excellent, long overdue compilation is at a similar high standard. [Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr also includes entertaining track-by-track commentary from Ringo and was also released in a deluxe edition that contains a wonderful DVD with the videos for "Sentimental Journey," "It Don't Come Easy," "Back Off Boogaloo," "You're Sixteen," "Only You (And You Alone)" (which also features Harry Nilsson), and "Act Naturally," along with an ad for Goodnight Vienna.]

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Photograph Harrison, Starr 3:58

2 It Don't Come Easy Starr 3:01

3 You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine) Sherman, Sherman 2:49

4 Back Off Boogaloo Starr 3:19

5 I'm the Greatest Lennon 3:26

6 Oh, My My Poncia, Starr 4:15

7 Only You (And You Alone) Ram, Rand 3:24

8 Beaucoups of Blues Rabin 2:33

9 Early 1970 Starr 2:18

10 Snookeroo John, Taupin 3:24

11 No-No Song Axton, Jackson 2:31

12 (It's All Down To) Goodnight Vienna Lennon 3:02

13 Hey Baby Channel, Cobb 3:10

14 A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll Groszman 3:24

15 Weight of the World ODoherty, Velez 3:54

16 King of Broken Hearts Dudas, Grakal, Hudson, Starr 4:43

17 Never Without You Hudson, Nicholson, Starr 5:23

18 Act Naturally Morrison, Russell 3:00

19 Wrack My Brain Harrison 2:21

20 Fading in and Fading Out Burr, Hudson, Starr 3:58

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Album: The Fireman - Electric Arguments

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Release Date: Nov 25, 2008

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ever since the early days of the Beatles, Paul McCartney has known the value of a pseudonym, famously registering into hotels under the surname Ramone and pushing the Fab Four to act like another band for Sgt. Pepper. This carried through to his solo career, where he released a couple odd singles while flitting back and forth with Wings, but he never again embraced the freedom of disguise like he did with Sgt. Pepper until 2008, when he put out the Fireman's Electric Arguments. McCartney created the Fireman alias with Youth back in the mid-'90s when electronica was all the rage and Macca hesitated dipping his toe in the water on his own LPs. A decade after Rushes, he revived the Fireman moniker not to cut another electronic record but to put out what in effect was McCartney III: a weird clearinghouse of experiments, jokes, detours, and rough-hewn pop. McCartney and Youth recorded Electric Arguments quickly — not so much in a brief, weeklong blast of activity, but spending one day on each of the 13 tracks, writing and recording within a 24-hour period. This speed is the opposite of his ambitious 2000s projects Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and Memory Almost Full, both accomplished, carefully considered albums constructed with a broad audience in mind, if not necessarily the charts. As its release under McCartney's pseudonym makes plain, Electric Arguments wasn't intended for a large audience; he did this for himself, just like he did the two McCartney albums and even Ram, three records that had loose ends and odd detours, just like this does.

 

This revival is announced boldly by the thumping, full-throated blues-rocker "Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight," but it's not just that McCartney has gotten loud again — things that McCartney has shied away from over the past two decades suddenly reappear, like the simple, sweet intimacy of "Two Magpies," the grinding rocker "Highway," which finds its loose-legged laid-back cousin in "Light from Your Lighthouse," and a fondness for lazy jazz. He's telling jokes and making noise — and if you dig underneath the surface it's possible to hear references to his bitter divorce from Heather Mills, a situation he cheerfully ignored on Memory Almost Full — but this is not merely a McCartney pop album under another name; it is indeed a collaboration with Youth, so this veers off into rather experimental territory, especially toward the end of the album, as it floats away on the circular "Lovers in a Dream" and gets claustrophobic on "Universal Here, Everlasting Now." McCartney and Youth often strike a delicate balance between these two inclinations, and they're some of the best moments on the album: the delicate waltz of "Travelling Light," the surging "Sing the Changes" (which matches U2 for melodrama), the wall of sound on "Dance 'Til We're High," and the beautiful, meditative "Lifelong Passion (Sail Away)." There are more twists and turns, more textures, than on any other McCartney album in the last 20 years, and if it's a little messy, so be it: it's better to have Paul letting it all hang out instead of hanging back.

 

 

Tracks

 

 

1 Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight 4:55

2 Two Magpies 2:12

3 Sing the Changes 3:43

4 Travelling Light 5:05

5 Highway 4:16

6 Light from Your Lighthouse 2:31

7 Sun Is Shining 5:11

8 Dance 'Til We're High 3:37

9 Lifelong Passion 4:48

10 Is This Love? 5:51

11 Lovers in a Dream 5:21

12 Universal Here, Everlasting Now 5:05

13 Don't Stop Running 10:30

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Album: Let It Roll: The Best of George Harrison

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Release Date: Jun 16, 2009

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

George Harrison had two periods of great commercial success, separated by 15 years and two record labels. This extended gap is the chief reason there hasn't been a career-spanning Harrison collection until 2009's Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison, the first-ever disc to gather songs from George's stints at both Apple and Dark Horse, and only his third-ever hits collection, following 1976's Beatles-heavy The Best of George Harrison and The Best of Dark Horse, released in 1989 in the afterglow of Cloud Nine's comeback success. Let It Roll balances these two periods, swapping any Beatles-era song ("Something," "Here Comes the Sun," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps") for a live version from The Concert for Bangladesh, then mixing it all up chronologically, so the set starts with the pristine bounce of "Got My Mind Set on You" before giving way to "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" If anything jars, it's the sounds of times, as Jeff Lynne's clean, manicured arrangements don't necessarily fit with Phil Spector's lush, magisterial productions, but that's a minor quibble about a useful compilation that consolidates all of Harrison's signature tunes on one very enjoyable disc.

Tracks

 

 

1 Got My Mind Set on You Clark 3:52

2 Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) Harrison 3:35

3 Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) Harrison 3:48

4 My Sweet Lord Harrison 4:40

5 While My Guitar Gently Weeps [live] Harrison 4:46

6 All Things Must Pass Harrison 3:46

7 Any Road Harrison 3:52

8 This Is Love Harrison, Lynne 3:47

9 All Those Years Ago Harrison 3:46

10 Marwa Blues Harrison 3:41

11 What Is Life Harrison 4:24

12 Rising Sun Harrison 5:27

13 When We Was Fab Harrison 3:51

14 Something [live] Harrison 3:10

15 Blow Away Harrison 3:59

16 Cheer Down Harrison, Petty 4:06

17 Here Comes the Sun [live] Harrison 2:54

18 I Don't Want to Do It Dylan 2:54

19 Isn't It a Pity Harrison 7:07

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Album: Good Evening New York City Live

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: 2009

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Unlike its 2002 predecessor Back in the U.S., Good Evening New York City doesn’t cherrypick highlights from a tour, it commemorates a specific event: the inauguration of Citi Field -- the replacement for the now-defunct Shea Stadium, where the Beatles played a legendary show in 1965 -- in the summer of 2009. The circumstances may be different -- different enough to lead to a Billy Joel cameo on “I Saw Her Standing There," the piano man returning a favor from Paul, who played at Billy’s Shea-closing shows in 2008 -- and McCartney might have two strong albums of new material to draw upon, but as an album, Good Evening New York City plays a lot like Back in the U.S. with a whopping 17 of its 35 tracks shared between the two titles. More importantly, the vibe is the same, with Macca delivering an expertly balanced and sequenced set with all the skill of the old pro that he is. Apart from the inclusion of “Mrs. Vanderbilt” and “I’m Down,” there are no surprises, either in song selection or performance, but no surprises doesn’t mean no satisfaction, and this is plenty entertaining.

 

Tracks

 

1 Drive My Car 2:36

2 Jet 4:19

3 Only Mama Knows 3:38

4 Flaming Pie 2:24

5 Got to Get You into My Life 2:50

6 Let Me Roll It 5:49

7 Highway 3:56

8 The Long and Winding Road 3:36

9 My Love 3:55

10 Blackbird 2:41

11 Here Today 2:27

12 Dance Tonight 2:58

13 Calico Skies 2:35

14 Mrs. Vandebilt 4:39

15 Eleanor Rigby 2:21

16 Sing the Changes 4:13

17 Band on the Run 5:25

18 Back in the UssR 3:12

19 I'm Down 2:19

20 Something 4:03

21 I've Got a Feeling 5:48

22 Paperback Writer 3:25

23 A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance 5:41

24 Let It Be 3:54

25 Live and Let Die 3:12

26 Hey Jude 7:22

27 Day Tripper 3:10

28 Lady Madonna 2:30

29 I Saw Her Standing There 3:09

30 Yesterday 2:13

31 Helter Skelter 3:47

32 Get Back 4:11

33 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 4:38

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Album: Y Not

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: Jan 12, 2010

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Ringo Starr defined his solo career through his collaborations, scoring his first big hit with the assistance of his fellow Fabs and later sustaining himself through his All-Starr Band, so his decision to produce 2010’s Y Not on his own appears to be a big deal. Of course, those collaborators sharpened Ringo’s focus but never altered his amiable pop — that friendly, shambling sound is Ringo, something Y Not proves without a shadow of a doubt by sounding virtually interchangeable with its immediate predecessors despite a production that inexplicably feels like a response to George Harrison’s 1987 comeback, Cloud Nine. Since Ringo bathes himself in unrepentant nostalgia, this 20-year flashback is odd but appropriate because Starr is all about cheerful reminders of happy times filled with Peace Dreams and memories of “The Other Side of Liverpool.” Starr does have some famous friends to bolster his journey through the past — Van Dyke Parks co-wrote “Walk with You” but his presence is obscured by a Paul McCartney harmony, Joe Walsh is partially responsible for the stiffly thumping “Fill in the Blanks,” Richard Marx keeps the '80s nostalgia flowing on “Mystery of the Night,” while Joss Stone valiantly tries to pull the proceedings into the present on the album-closing “Who’s Your Daddy,” a song where Ringo comfortably plays second banana — but he has no overall collaborator; he’s steering this ship himself and has no desire to depart from his familiar course home. Again, like there was on Liverpool 8, there is charm to Starr’s tried and true: exciting it is not but it’s as comforting as an old friend who doesn’t change, he just stays the same.

 

Tracks

 

1 Fill In the Blanks Starkey, Walsh 3:13

2 Peace Dream Nicholson, Starkey 3:35

3 The Other Side of Liverpool Starkey, Stewart 3:23

4 Walk With You Parks, Starkey 4:41

5 Time Starkey, Stewart 3:48

6 Everyone Wins Starkey, Warman 3:54

7 Mystery of the Night Marx, Starkey 4:05

8 Can't Do It Wrong Burr, Starkey 3:44

9 Y Not Ballard, Starkey 3:49

10 Who's Your Daddy Starkey, Stone 2:29