Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band: The Anthologyby Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

August 01, 2001: First, for those of you (&me!) who plunked down a hard-earned 10 bucks back in 1990 for the original ''Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band'' single disc, sorry all 10 songs are repeated (exactly) on the 1st CD (of 3) on ''The Anthology?'' I did A to B comparisons of old vrs new recordings of the same song on several cuts, and yes the new CD is a slightly superior recording (cymbals and tambourines crisper, just a wee bit better dynamics overall). But a tad better sound is the worst reason to pick up the new 3CD set. The best reason is the eclectic yet spectacular R&R veterans who join the ''Cute One'' to re-interpret dozens of rock standards and classics in once-in-a-tour combos. You will find, for example that Peter Frampton's guitar (playing the Clapton parts) AND voice are a near perfect match for the bass lines of Cream's bassist Jack Bruce's playing and lead vocal on Sunshine of Your Love, and I Feel Free. Think about it gentlemen, Frampton & Bruce might make a GREAT duo some day. And although he didn't sing the lead on the originals by Free and Bad Company, Simon Kirke does a very respectable lead vocal on All Right Now and Shooting Star, while being faithful to his drumming skills with the rest of the band. Kirke has sung Shooting Star with the newer edition of Bad Company in concert by the way, so in a way the song is now his. And before you say these legends are washed up, LISTEN TO THE MUSIC! By and large the vocals and instruments are tight, and pleasant and even innovative. I mean you WILL recognize the songs as they begin, but nice little nuances appear here and there due to the Dream-Teams Starr has assembled for the 4 different All-Starr tours, that make this a must listen for any die-hard fan of classic rock. In fact, Ringo's material (especially the few real Beatle songs) are fairly routine, even a touch weaker than the other monster hits played. Especially good performances of the Eagle's I Can't Tell You Why and Life in the Fast Lane come to mind, indeed. Bottom Line: for the price of one (mediocre) concert ticket, you get to live and re-live Ringo's cross-country treks from 1989-2000. See You There!