Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band: The Anthology - Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr's constantly shifting All-Starr groups had been dusting off and gathering together rock survivors for more than a decade since 1989 -- and this triple-CD package is their most comprehensive testament to date. Starting with the 1989 band, the box takes listeners through the 1992, 1995, 1997, and 2000 editions -- curiously omitting the 1999 band -- with Ringo's jolly renditions of his Beatles-era songs and solo recordings serving as a friendly home base. Alas, the box's 12-page booklet is appallingly mum about the dates, locales, and release status of the recordings, nor is the set in strict chronological or concert order. Of the 47 numbers, 21 are new to CD, while the rest are taken from the Rykodisc albums of the 1989 (Greek Theatre, Los Angeles) and 1992 (Montreux Casino) tours and the limited-edition Blockbuster Music album of the 1995 (Tokyo) tour. The unreleased tunes, originating from outtakes of the Tokyo concert, the 1997 concert at Pine Knob outside Detroit, and the 2000 concert in Milwaukee, are of variable interest. It's nice to have Felix Cavaliere's free, relaxed 1995 rendition of "Groovin'," and Peter Frampton (1997) has the temerity to take up "Norwegian Wood," the only All-Starr to attempt a Beatles song without Ringo. At the same time, one can detect a general drop-off of interest and energy in the 1997 and 2000 concerts, particularly in Gary Brooker's and Eric Carmen's numbers, a sign (since disproved by the 2001 band) that the All-Starr formula was running low on juice. The sound quality of the previously released tracks is virtually unchanged from their earlier incarnations, and there is evidence of haste in the album's final assembly -- there is a two-second dropout just after Dr. John's "Iko Iko," and Mark Farner's "Some Kind of Wonderful" was audibly shoehorned in at the last minute since he was the only All-Starr without a solo number in the package's original lineup. Even so, anyone who wants a souvenir of Ringo's rollicking tours need only get this set, attractively priced at three discs for less than the price of two. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide