Give More Love

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Track list

Disc 1

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About

From Wikipedia:

Give More Love is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Ringo Starr. The album was recorded primarily in Starr’s home studio in Los Angeles and was released on 15 September 2017 by UMe, featuring appearances by Starr’s former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney, as well as frequent collaborators such as Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Gary Nicholson, and members of the All-Starr Band.

Background

Starr began working on the album following the release of Postcards from Paradise and a tour with his All-Starr Band. Starr initially recruited longtime collaborator Dave Stewart to help him produce a country album in Nashville, but ultimately ended up recording mostly rock tracks in his home studio. The album features a number of Starr’s regular collaborators, including former and current All-Starr band members Steve Lukather, Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter, and Timothy B. Schmit.

Starr’s former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney plays bass on a pair of tracks and sings backing vocals. Starr announced McCartney’s appearance on the album via Twitter.

The album consists of ten new original tracks and four bonus tracks; the bonus tracks are all re-recordings of songs previously released by Starr. The re-recording of Starr’s single “Back Off Boogaloo” is based on Starr’s original demo of the song and features Electric Light Orchestra founder Jeff Lynne and Eagles member Joe Walsh on guitar, the re-recording of “You Can’t Fight Lightning” from Stop and Smell the Roses features the Swedish band Alberta Cross, and the re-recordings of Starr’s song “Photograph” and his Beatles song “Don’t Pass Me By” feature the American band Vandaveer.

Starr officially announced the album on 7 July 2017, his 77th birthday, and simultaneously released the title track as a single via streaming services and digital download. The track “We’re On the Road Again“, featuring McCartney, Lukather, Walsh, and Winter, was released as a second single on 18 July 2017. The country track “So Wrong For So Long” was released as a single on 18 August 2017. The track “Standing Still” was released as the final single on 8 September 2017.

Release and reception

Give More Love received mixed reviews upon its release. Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes described Starr as “rock’s mischievously minimalist id and Eternal-Optimist Emeritus” , and called the album “a well-timed all-star candygram.” AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote “this isn’t the kind of album that plays its cards close to the vest; as the title suggests, this is open-hearted, kind music.” The album was compared both favorably and unfavorably to Starr’s other solo material of the 2010s. […]

From Billboard, August 1, 2017:

Paul McCartney plays on two songs on the album – the opener “We’re On the Road Again” and also “Show Me the Way.” [Ringo Starr’s longtime recording engineering Bruce] Sugar says McCartney came in in the middle of sessions for his own album, for which a release date has yet to be announced.

“They talk when they’re both in L.A. Ringo just asked him, ‘Look, I’m doing an album. Could you play on it?’ And Paul was so nice. He came by on his day off on a Sunday. And he worked hard, too. Those weren’t easy songs he played on.” He said McCartney’s vocal on “We’re On the Road Again,” which has been released ahead of the album, is “vintage McCartney.” “But the bass on the ballad ‘Show Me the Way’ … that’s a difficult ballad. So he had to work on that a bit. We definitely put him through his paces. But the guy’s the greatest. (He’s) humble. He came in to help his friend on a Sunday when he had his day off. What else can you say?”

Sugar says the songs that McCartney played on were challenging. “I think (Paul) was initially a little taken back by what Lukather wrote. It’s a little more sophisticated than some of the stuff Ringo’s done in the past. I think Paul was looking at and listening to it. He doesn’t read charts. He has his own notation.” Sugar says he’s discussed this with Starr. “I’ve brought that up to Ringo. ‘I can’t believe Paul doesn’t read charts.’ He goes, ‘We’re all buskers.’ They just played, just played by ear.” […]

From RollingStone, August 10, 2017:

How did Paul wind up taking part in sessions for the new album? 

Well, I just called him up and said, “I got this song called ‘Show Me the Way,’ and I want you to play on it.” Because he is a really good friend of mine, he said he’d come to L.A. for it. It’s about [my wife] Barbara. She shows me the way. I wanted it to be very personal. While he was there, he also played on “We’re on the Road Again.” That was very kind of him.

You two still sound great together.

He’s an incredible musician. He’s incredible at singing too and as a writer, but for me, as a bass player, he is the finest and the most melodic. It’s always fun when we’re playing together. I’ve played on several of his records, mainly in the Nineties. People keep saying, “Oh, it’s been so long.” It’s not been that long. We did the Grammys, we did that Beat­les show three years ago. So we are still pals, but we don’t live in each other’s pocket.

Ringo Starr, interview for RollingStone, August 10, 2017

Last updated on April 11, 2021