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Excellent All-Starr Anthology

Carl Savich | Detroit, MI, USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 3 CD set The Anthology...So Far by Ringo Starr and the All-Starrs is an excellent compendium of the six All-Starr Band Tours. The set consists of 47 live selections from the twelve year span of the All-Starr Tours which began in 1989 and continued through 2000.Currently, Ringo Starr is rehearsing for the seventh All-Starr Tour with a new line-up.The All-Starr concept of bringing musical legends together into a group to tour around the world is a unique and novel one. There is at present a spin-off of the All-Starr concept called A Tribute to Abbey Road which consists of an all-star musical ensemble performing Beatles songs headed by All-Starr alumnus Todd Rundgren.The All-Starr concept is a perfect showcase for Ringo Starr. The songs are chronologically sequenced beginning with the first All-Starr Tour in 1989. The song selections consist of Beatles numbers on which Ringo Starr sang lead vocal, his solo hits, and selections by the All-Starr performers. From his solo career, "It Don't Come Easy", "Photograph", "I'm the Greatest", "Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go","Back Off Boogaloo", and "You're Sixteen", are musical highlights. From the Beatles period, the songs included are "Yellow Submarine", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Boys", "Honey Don't","Act Naturally",and the anthem and signature song, "With a Little Help From My Friends" from the 1967 Sgt. Pepper album. John Lennon once referred to Ringo Starr as the "heart of the Beatles". The positive,self-deprecating, good natured mood of the songs shows why. The All-Starrs who accompany Ringo Starr in the ensemble consist of Billy Preston, Dr. John, Peter Frampton, John Entwistle of the Who, Jack Bruce of Cream, Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, Simon Kirke of Bad Company and Free, Rick Danko of The Band, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman of the Guess Who, and many more. The All-Starr song selections include "American Woman" by Burton Cummings, "Life in the Fast Lane" by Joe Walsh, "I Feel Free" and "Sunshine of Your Love" by Jack Bruce, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Gary Brooker, and "Show Me the Way" by Peter Frampton. The performances are excellent. The musical talent assembled is unprecedented. The sound quality of the set is excellent. A booklet is enclosed with the set which features an essay on the Tours. A weakness of the booklet is that it does not give the venues and dates for the songs.There are,however, excellent biographies of the performers and a good listing of the song selections. The booklet is decent although not comprehensive.The CD packaging is good. This 3 set Anthology CD by Ringo Starr and the All-Starrs is highly recommended. Some of the greatest musicians and greatest songs of the Rock Era are included. Every Beatles fan should own a copy. This anthology is essential for any rock/pop collection.I highly recommend it."

What's my Name? RINGO!!

Lewis Rose | North Potomac, MD United States | 08/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 3 CD set does an admirable job capturing the spirit of Ringo's live sets with his various All Star bands over past summers. I've seen a lot of concerts in my life and one of the most special was singing along with Ringo and the entire audience to Yellow Submarine. The live version of that song reflects the love Ringo's audience has for the man and his effervescent personality. My only criticism of the CD is in the mixing. Transitions from song to song are rough. I suppose the reason is that the material spans lots of concerts over several years yet technology has advanced to the point where that could have been done seamlessly. Still, I love to put the CD in the changer and sing along with all the rock stars that play with Ringo. He has aged gracefully and has lots of fun with his fans. This CD shows just how much fun!"

Great Listening & Historical Too!

Grant Coatsworth | Merlin, Ontario Canada | 08/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I highly recommend you purchase this CD & the accompanying DVD. Great songs, (all of which you will know) played by musicians who obivously checked the own indivdual egos at the door. My only complaint about the CD (and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) is first, the engineering & mixing of these songs. In some cases the volume level of these songs are so low, you really need to crank your stereo to hear properly. Then the next song will come on, and your speakers just shake your room because of the volume levels being set to high. Secondly, in some cases the vocals are lost behind the instruments. Lastly (and this is just my own personal opinion) the CD was great listening too, until the end of disc 3. I never was a fan of Eric Carmen, and his 2 songs at the end of the CD just ruin a fun filled CD. His songs just bring the CD to a screeching halt. I would have loved to hear Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way, or additional songs from Billy Preston and/or Burton Cummings, who only received 1 song from each. Other than that, I still highly recommend buying this CD. It's not only great listening, but it's historical too!"