Ringo Starr, probably best described as the easygoing Beatle, was doing well in his solo career by this point. He had two earlier solo album releases, which, although they had set the scene for Ringo, had not had the major impact that this album had. This was Ringo’s coming of age. The groundwork arrived when he recorded and released two singles written by former Beatle and friend George Harrison, It Don’t Come Easy and Back Off Boogaloo, which were major successes for both musicians. Although his earlier efforts were promising, this was the first real deal release by Ringo Starr. A huge array of stars were included in the recording process of this album, including the likes of Marc Bolan, most of The Band, Billy Preston and countless others, including every other former member of The Beatles. Under the guidance of producer Richard Perry, this album was released on 2 November 1973. It was produced in multiple locations and was released on Apple Records. Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear what Ringo has to offer.

1. I’m The Greatest begins with some piano, guitars and organ that sound straightforward. Ringo Starr delivers a straightforward listen that is loveable and very honest. This sounds a bit Abbey Road-esque, but all the same, Ringo is making a fantastic and enjoyable listening experience that has aged surprisingly well. He sings about reflecting on a lifetime of achievement. “All I want to do…is boogaloo!” is exactly what Ringo states, and he means it. This is a fantastically enjoyable tune that has references to The Beatles and his extraordinary life throughout. A fuzz guitar solo is present with slide guitar, and Ringo sounds powerful and amazing with his Classic Pop/Rock Music. A winner of a listen, he sounds like he is having fun and enjoying himself. A thrilling start to this album.

2. Have You Seen My Baby may be a subtle Stones reference to a late 1960s B-side of theirs. It begins with whistling before launching into raunchy guitars and boogie-woogie piano, before a brass section emerges to join in. This is a song of love, lust and desire throughout. This is a cool tune with some glorious sounds, a positive attitude and Ringo’s typical peace and love themes. The guitars and music throughout are fantastic, and this music is sensationally good to hear. A winner of a song, with a story of honesty and passion, warts and all, about one’s love. A really cool listen, with class and glamour musically. This sounds quite unlike anything else in the world of music today. Hanclaps and excellent piano soloing mesh with glorious guitar work throughout. Ringo Starr is on fire on this record, and he makes a logical development from the unfortunate breakup of The Beatles. Sweet and enjoyable throughout. Top stuff. It is enjoyable from start to finish.

3. Photograph begins with dual-tracked strummed acoustic guitars and sweet melodies over the top, with drums and Ringo singing well here. A lovely tune about missing one’s ex-lover, this is a very enjoyable and wonderful listen throughout. A very powerful and enjoyable song about the heartbreak and loss of a love once strong, complete with a string section, Ringo Starr articulates his love for a lady for whom he quite clearly longs for. A neat saxophone solo is present here, and this tune sounds absolutely fantastic. A really cool tune to hear, being emotional and sincere about losing the love of one’s life. A golden oldie in today’s postmodern world but a lovely listen. It is extremely sweet to listen to. One can hear the despair and regret that Ringo Starr feels here. If you ever miss an ex-partner, this is a good song to hear on the matter. Wonderful music. A classic song.

4. Down And Out follows with some extraordinary guitars, straightforward drumming and more piano parts. Ringo Starr sings well about not feeling the greatest about life. This is a perfect song for those of you who are struggling through life, complete with brassy horn sections to match. Ringo allows for the other musicians to shine brightly on this record as well, not just himself. The piano solo present here is fantastic. Obviously, if this tune were a greatest hits album of anyone’s career with the best of those of the time, this would be it. Ringo delivers a fine and sweet tune, with another glorious electric guitar slide solo here. Not bad and a wonderful listen. If you are having a rough time in life, this is a good listen for you. A worthy and awesome listen from start to finish and very fresh sounding to this day. It ends suddenly after three minutes.

5. Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) is a liquid Country Music based piece that sounds excellent. Yes, not everyone will listen to this particular tune, but it sounds extremely sweet and good for what it is. Ringo Starr sings euphorically and wonderfully throughout, and he sounds melodic and confident. There is banjo, fiddle and other traditional Country instrumentation throughout. This is one of the relatively unknown gems of the album that sounds lovely. Another winner of this album, and something reflective and honest from the perspective of Ringo throughout. A very uplifting and fantastic tune to hear, with some sweet and multitracked backing vocals, Ringo Starr was back, and he was making a great impression musically. Good tune.

6. You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine) is a lovely song title with some interesting and layered pianos, with some sweet harmonies and glorious sounds throughout. A fantastic song to listen to, this sounds absolutely wonderfully glorious and sweetly fantastic from start to finish. Ringo asserts himself as a lover extraordinaire, complete with kazoo solos, which is a little bizarre. Still, this works wonderfully and sounds absolutely joyous and divine. A lovely tune from start to finish, with a dash of The Beatles throughout, for those who are listening. The kazoo solos and harmonies throughout maintain this piece of music’s interest. Phenomenal for what this is.

7. Oh My My follows with a count-in and pounding pianos, alongside some kick drum beats. Organs enter, alongside some sweet saxophone, and this piece gets going nicely. Revisiting the themes of Doctor Robert, Ringo Starr sings about meeting a lovely lady of one’s fancy, and he makes all listeners want to get their partner and dance along with them. A lovely and particularly sweet tune, this is a good example of 1970s glory. A powerfully expressive and sweet listen, with some excellent saxophone solos throughout, Ringo showed the world that the Dark Side Of The Moon was not the only thing ongoing in 1973. He had come of age in his solo career. An awesome and pleasant listen from start to finish, Ringo and friends make a wonderful and classy song for fans of 1970s music to listen to. A truly awesome and a top listen to hear. This sounds classy, glamorous and extremely fun to listen to. Its extended outro sounds fantastic, too. Worth it all the way through.

8. Step Lightly begins as a Bluesy tune with some low down instrumentation and some tuneful guitar playing. This is a smooth song about taking it easy throughout life, presumably after a breakup. Ringo Starr delivers his mojo across all of this, and he articulates his life’s progress straightforwardly. “I wish this song was yours instead of mine…” he sings, launching into a lyrical set of lines about despair and difficulties in romance. A sweet saxophone solo is present, alongside a hand-based percussion imitation of a horse hopping along. Great stuff. The backing vocals are also very, very sweet. A lovely and passionate listen throughout that has some interesting instrumentation and music power without necessarily being turned up to 11. This is a smooth and easy-listening winner. Nice stuff.

9. Six O’Clock is a moody piano ballad about starting the day on the wrong foot. This is about relationship issues directly at hand, complete with a sweet string section and a lush Pop/Rock set of instrumentation. A sweet tune about being brokenhearted, yet in love, there is a strangely added keyboard solo that is really very cool. Ringo seemingly has been through it all, and he sounds in fine form on this song. A really lovely song. Admitting fault at hand, Ringo is being very honest here. All the same, the heartbreak and music mixed together perfectly sounds wonderful. Some elements of this album have not dated so well, but all in all, this is a fine effort for what it is. One can sympathise with Ringo Starr, and he sounds like a human being on this one. Good to hear, even with its mixed-up music message. A worthy listen.

10. Devil Woman begins with a groovy set of percussion and an awesome electric guitar lick that is highly memorable. Piano enters, and this tune gets going along underway. Ringo Starr sings sweetly and confidently about finding the lover that he wants, with a bit of lust thrown into the mix. A cool and raunchy song that has class and grandeur, this is exactly the sort of song that describes young lust. Referencing Sexy Sadie, Ringo is on fire, and he details his need to be satisfied. A descriptive and expressive guitar solo is present in this song, and Ringo Starr is the man of the moment. A really cool and interesting listening experience with flavour and style, Ringo is a classy man who knows how to win over a lady. Really very cool. The drum solo with bass guitar is reflective of his extraordinary work as a drummer. A very cool and expressive song, Ringo is a winning musician here. A very sexually expressive song, this is a glorious listen. Worth hearing, for sure.

11. You and Me (Babe) follows and is a straightforward and very 1970s sounding song, with pleasant guitars and organ in the background. This is a super lovely, genuine and sweet breakup song. Perhaps Ringo Starr was experiencing some considerable issues in his own love life at the time? In any case, the sounds and music throughout are excellent. This is a sweet and smooth listen with some descriptive music elements, especially in relation to the guitar fills. A string section emerges, and this song sounds absolutely wonderful for its mixed-up emotions. The strings and brass sound very, very good to hear. A joyous and uplifting tune that sounds extremely cool to hear and has Ringo moving on and finding a new lover, be it real or metaphorical. An enjoyable song to listen to, this sounds incredibly uplifting. An extended instrumental section, with a brass section, guitar solo and firm drumming ends this song nicely. Absolutely cool. Ringo Starr thanks the band and contributors for this album, although it hasn’t quite ended yet here. Thanks to Ringo, we can appreciate this genuinely great music.

12. It Don’t Come Easy comes next and has cymbal rushes, leading into a cool tune with some leading backing vocals and guitars with some interesting drumming. Ringo Starr sings a rather emotional and powerful tune, and he sounds like the man of the moment. Really super cool, Ringo does his best to articulate a deep and moving set of emotions set to music. In darkness, Ringo Starr paints a better way forward. This is an upbeat and fantastic tune to listen to. This was a major single from this era, and Ringo puts his heart on his sleeve throughout. Very, very cool to hear. A very wonderful and enjoyable song to hear, this is a golden moment of music. Top.

13. Early 1970 is the final track, with some interesting drum fills and slide guitars. Ringo sings about his past experiences back in early 1970. A short and excellent listening experience that has some super nice and sweet, and is a good reflection on the past. This is seemingly about the other members of The Beatles and their lives post-breakup of the band. The music and pounding pianos do make an impression and are a quirky reflection on the beautiful nature of music itself. A cool listen, Ringo Starr concludes this masterwork of an album nicely.

This is a very, very good album release by the former Beatle. Understandably, it is a classic to this day, despite the fact that some moments are a little corny and some songs are better than others. Having said all that, Ringo Starr reveals his solo masterwork and coming of age as a musician on this album, with a little help from his friends. He comes across as a genuinely lovable musician, albeit with some troubles in his love life at this point. This album was mostly well-received and was a commercial success as a result. Should you listen to this album? Yes, if you like Classic Rock and want to hear a guy with no pretentions deliver a good album. Fans of postmodern 21st-century music will likely not dig this, however.

A humane, down-to-earth album listen.

8/10