Ringo Proves That You Can't Go Wrong If
You "Choose Love"
Various Artists - Beatles Regrooved
Ringo continues the
winning streak of
albums that he’s been on since 1992's “Time Takes Time”.
On “Choose Love” Ringo employs the
same team approach to recording as he did with “Ringo Rama”. Ringo and his comrades have developed into
a tight knit unit and the album has such a band feel that I’m
surprised that the album isn’t credited to “Ringo Starr & the
Roundheads”.
In fact, Ringo & the Roundheads demonstrate a real show of
confidence here. A quick glimpse of the album’s liner notes will bear
out that there’s a nucleus of players on this album as opposed to the
“guest star” approach that Ringo has employed in the past.
“Choose Love” deals with the subject
of love in it’s various forms. These songs represent the lessons of a
man who’s gained some hard earned wisdom on the subject while still
navigating his way through life. It’s clear that he’s learned from old
mistakes while trying to rectify new ones.
Anyone who appreciated “Ringo Rama”
will like the new album. It rocks a little less than “Ringo Rama”, it’s
stylistically varied and has a more organic sound than it’s predecessor
- which is a good thing. While “Ringo Rama” was grounded on Ringo’s
drumming, the new album is a more guitar based effort. There are
layered acoustic guitars, Spanish guitars, Harrison-like guitar riffs,
even a surf guitar (!) throughout the album's tracks.
When fans started hearing about
Ringo’s new album a few years ago, it was suggested (in “Goldmine”
magazine) that this would be a country album. That didn’t happen. At
one point, this album had a working title of “One Leg At A Time”. Later
Ringo considered recording a concept album on the subject of love. That
didn’t happen either, although “Choose Love” comes very close to
realizing that objective.
The album’s philosophy implies that
it’s essential to “Choose Love” in everything you do. That’s
why the album’s title is in the present tense. It acknowledges that
choosing love is a decision that people face every day, countless times
in life. The lyrics are candid enough to address that choosing
love isn’t always easy - and can be downright complicated and
conflicting - but ultimately it is the best
option.
A one time contender for the album’s
title track, “Fading In, Fading Out” comments on the purpose of life -
a common thread in all our lives. When Ringo contemplates the legacy of
his life, wealth and status is not what he focuses on, instead he hopes
that in the end, he’s left enough love. He reiterates and reinforces
the “all you need is love” sentiment that Beatle fans everywhere can
appreciate.
“Give Me Back The Beat” is not the
‘thunder drums’ sequel to “Back Off Boogaloo” as the title would
suggest. At first, the song was envisioned for three drummers (Ringo,
Charlie Watts and Jim Keltner). The finished version is a jubilant
rockabilly tune on the subject of a relationship in need of repair that
could also be interpreted as an analogy for Ringo’s recent shoulder
surgery that temporarily affected his playing of the drums.
“Oh My Lord” is Ringo’s first attempt
at a spiritual song. Ironically, in the early ‘70s, when writing songs
with Ringo, George Harrison would often encourage the inclusion of
“God” or “Krishna” in the song lyrics. At that time, Ringo would
emphatically resist this. “Oh My Lord” is clearly a reversal of that
tendency and a signpost of Ringo’s spiritual passage in life. The song
is also a nod to George Harrison with it’s “My Sweet Lord” style
backing, the Harrison-like guitar work and Billy Preston’s involvement.
Ringo first played the demo version of this track to Olivia Harrison as
he felt that George would appreciate the effort. Like many of
Harrison’s compositions, the subject matter of “Oh My Lord” is subtle
and is addressed from a spiritual (not religious) perspective. The
intro/ending is Ringo’s original beat box demo. It's ‘low- fi’ sound is
a bit jarring at first but after a few listens, it becomes clear that
it fits the track’s subject matter appropriately.
With a lyric like “Am I A Record
That’s Been Broken” (in “Hard To Be True”) “Choose Love” is definitely
grounded in the generation that grew up with the Beatles - or at least
- has an appreciation of classic rock. “Some People” is from the
‘the Beatles meets the Byrds’ guitar school of songs (similar to
“Weight of the World”). Beatles fans will also appreciate the
appearance of Billy Preston on a solo album after a long absence.
“Wrong All The Time” is a nice piano
based ballad on the subject of marital discord, with nice B-3 keyboard
fills by Billy Preston. It’s the closest thing on the album to a
country song.
“Don’t Hang Up” is a duet with
Chrissie Hyde who provides a strong counterpart, about maintaining a
relationship and balancing a (music) career. Unlike many current duets
(which have a “flown in” aspect) Hyde makes the song her own, adding a
new dimension to the lyrics. A strong rocker, this is a good contender
for radio play.
Aside from underscoring the album’s
theme, with lyrics like: “You gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing the
blues”; “‘The ‘Long And Winding Road’ is more than a song”..
“Tomorrow Never Knows”... “What Goes On”, the title track for “Choose
Love” is definitely the album’s Beatle reference track.
“Me and You” is a heartfelt ballad
about love and loyalty (“I’m Gonna Love You Beyond Forever”). The
acoustic guitar backed by a woodwind section is particularly effective
and evocative.
The “Beatles” sounding track,
“Satisfied” is a strong single possibility with its Harrison style
guitar solo and drum counterpart. Lyrically, the song neatly
substitutes the negative with the affirmative: “I Won’t Be Satisfied”
becomes “I Am Satisfied”.
“The Turnaround” started out as a jam
session (and sort of stays that way). This track gives Ringo and the
band a chance to rock out and unwind a bit before the album ends. The
‘age defying’ Ringo certainly doesn’t sound like he’s almost 65!
“Free Drinks” is a good time, travel
song, with phased vocals and place names dropped literally throughout
the lyrics, backed with a surf guitar. The subject matter is ironic
considering Ringo’s post rehab stance on alcohol but it’s good to see
him loose enough to record something like this. The “Saturday,
Saturday” lyric channels Elton John.
The album ends on a brief instrumental
coda like in the Pepper days of old.
The liner notes of “Choose Love”
acknowledges “The Best Rock Band In Heaven: John, George and Harry.”
Format
Notes: The copy of “Choose Love” I reviewed was a DualDisc. The
CD side worked well on my 10 year old CD player but didn’t track
properly on my current DVD player. The DVD portion works well although
I found the bio and track analysis easier to navigate using a DVD-ROM
drive. The DVD side includes the complete album in “enhanced stereo”.
The audio difference between this and the CD layer is subtle but it
does seem to have more headroom and less compression. The DVD
video portion runs about 10 minutes and includes footage of Ringo &
the
Roundheads developing ideas in the studio, and sessions with Chrissie
Hyde and Billy Preston (reminiscent of “Let It Be”). It’s a nice
addition but it’s brevity leaves you wanting more. I can easily see an
expanded version of the DVD coming our way in a 2nd edition of “Choose
Love”.
Various Artists - Beatles Regrooved
The same day that “Choose Love”
is released, Koch Records is also issuing “Beatles
Regrooved” which is an interpretation / re-imagining of 14 Beatles
songs
by electronica / downtempo artists including John Selway, Skylab 2000,
EROS, Mystiquintet and Jay Atwood.
If you're in an experimental mood,
curious about the Beatles’ influence on current artists or are simply
a collector of cover versions, than this release is aimed at you.
Since the original versions of
the tracks covered here are so much a part of my DNA, this disc was a
challenging listen. Once I accounted for that, I found myself playing
this disc more than I thought I would.
The artists seem respectful of the Beatles material while adapting
these classics for their own genre.
In general, McCartney tracks such as
“Blackbird”, “Eleanor Rigby” and “Let It Be” retain their sense of
melody and presence. Psychedelic era
Lennon such as “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
and “Strawberry Fields” also lend themselves well to electronic
reinterpretation, as does “Across The Universe”.
Some tracks on this disc are a mixed
bag, losing something essential in the translation
when compared to the originals. However, I commend what I believe to be
a sincere effort on the part of the artists.
Press
Releases
KOCH Records to Release New Album by
Ringo Starr
"CHOOSE LOVE" Hits Stores June 7th
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) --
04/27/2005 -- "'The Long And Winding Road' is more than a song," Ringo
Starr sings on the title track of his latest album "Choose Love." And
one of the most remarkable things about "Choose Love" is that this far
down that long and winding road, Ringo Starr has never sounded more
excited and engaged by the music he's making and the message of love
that it spreads.
"Choose Love" is full of inspired
songs of innocence and experience -- the heartfelt and heartening work
of someone who's lived a little and learned a lot. This is rousing,
rough and ready rock & roll that lovingly embraces the past, but
has its eye very much on our shared future. And it's an album first and
foremost about the best choice any of us have -- Love.
"What other choice is there?"
Starr asks as he sits at home with Mark Hudson. Hudson is one of his
key fellow travelers in the journey of the Roundheads, the loose but
tight combo of collaborators -- Hudson, Steve Dudas, Gary Burr and
auxiliary Roundhead Jim Cox -- who have worked with Ringo on his recent
run of winning albums. For Starr, love is a theme of profound and
enduring importance. "From the beginning, the Beatles were saying 'I
Wanna Hold Your Hand' and 'Love Me Do.' It was all about love and
that's still the most powerful message. If you look at the overall
picture, the Beatles were about love and what better subject is there
really?"
Having lost his way somewhere in
the first half of the Seventies, Ringo Starr eventually found love with
his wife Barbara and found his way back to his love of music at the
start of the Nineties. And now with the Roundheads, he has rediscovered
his rightful place in the world. "I am a band member," he declares.
"That's who I am. That's who I want to be. It takes a band -- even more
than it takes a village -- to make music like this. By now, we feel
like we know each other's minds, we know where we're going. It takes
time -- time takes time. The good news is that we've been making
records together a while now, and I'm proud if this album shows growth
and progress in terms of playing like a band."
"That's what we are -- a
well-to-do garage band," says Starr with a grin.
"Speak for yourself," Hudson says
with a laugh.
Though the new album features a
few guests, notably Chrissie Hynde on "Don't Hang Up," roots guitarist
Robert Randolph on "Fading In, Fading Out" and "Oh My Lord," and Billy
Preston on "Oh My Lord," Ringo and the Roundheads are once again at the
beating heart of "Choose Love."
"Every time before we start a new
album we sit down and think, okay what do we do now? On the last album,
'RingoRama,' we decided to feature the drums -- the drumming on that
album is unbelievable. Ringo was literally the driving force on that
album. This time Ringo wanted to go the other way. He said, 'I want it
to sound like a band, a little more down and dirty and guitar-driven.'
And as soon as we got on that page, we started writing that way as
well."
"This has been a joy in my life
working with the guys," Starr says. "You can have fun and you can even
have that bad day with each other and it's not held against you. So you
have the freedom to be who you are and still be together. It's been a
remarkable run already, but ten years from now it will be all blues
because that will be the only speed I'll be able to play."
Until then, Starr is proud to
spread his own good word. "You have to get a lot of experience to get
to the point where you can say 'Choose Love' in an honest way," he
says. "Life is filled with ups and downs, but in the end it's best
filled with love -- that's my conclusion. That it's the best choice any
of us have."
For more information including a
track-by-track discussion between Starr
and Hudson, please contact:
Elizabeth Freund
718-858-3550
Zeliz@aol.com
Giovanna Melchiorre
212-353-8800 x257
Gio@kochent.com
David Bosch
212-353-8800 x272
david.bosch@kochent.com
Web site resources follow:
Freund PR: www.efpr.net
Ringo Starr: www.Ringostarr.com
KOCH Records: www.kochrecords.com
SOURCE: KOCH Records
KOCH
Records Turns the Tables on the Fab Four - "Beatles ReGrooved"
Electronic Compilation CD in Stores June 7th
Set Features Classic Beatles Tunes Re-Imagined for the Chill & Down
Tempo Grooves Set
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/18/2005 -- KOCH Records is set to
release the latest compilation in its "ReGrooved" electronic music
series, "Beatles ReGrooved," on June 7, 2005.
The Beatles continue to exert a hold on the musical imaginations of
both fans and artists worldwide with each new generation discovering
the genius of their work on their own terms.
So it is fitting to find 14 classic Beatles songs re-imagined and
"ReGrooved" by some of the biggest names in the electronic world on
this unique and fascinating compilation. "Beatles ReGrooved" is the
follow-up to 2004's critically praised and successful "Classics
ReGrooved," which upon release immediately shot to #1 on the iTunes
Music Store Electronic Chart.
Featuring electronic kingpins such as John Selway, Skylab 2000,
MystiQuintet, EROS and Jay Atwood, "Beatles ReGrooved" will appeal to
longtime fans as well as aficionados of the chill out and down tempo
scenes.
Track List:
1. Tommorrow Never Now * Jay Atwood & Mac Corkle
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps * The Natural 1
3. Black Bird * Eros
4. Two Of Us * Skylab2000
5. Something * Selway
6. Eleanor Rigby * Mystiquintet
7. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds * Joseph Jaime
8. Strawberry Fields * Signs
9. Let It Be * Eros
10. Hey Jude * Chokocheeky
11. I Want You * (She's So Heavy) * Jette-Ives
12. Come Together * Azade Abi and Holmes Ives Feat. Avalon Frost
13. Because * Mystiquintet
14. Across The Universe * Selway Feat. Morpho Eugenia
About KOCH Records
KOCH Records is a division of KOCH Entertainment, the fastest-growing
music company and the market leader among independents in North
America. The KOCH Entertainment corporate umbrella encompasses the KOCH
Records label, KOCH Vision home video, KOCH Music Publishing and KOCH
Entertainment Distribution with operations in both the U.S. and Canada.
KOCH Records proudly claims the largest number of Billboard charting
albums among independents for each of the last four years (2001-2004).
For additional info on the KOCH Records label and its roster of
artists, please visit www.kochrecords.com