Ringo Starr taps into country vibe for his new album

A new album from Paul McCartney has appeared recently, and now, this week, a new record from Ringo Starr - and this coming barely two years since his last one.

A country album no less but shouldn’t surprise anyone as the last one was very much in that style and after all with songs like Act Naturally and Don’t Pass Me By from decades ago, he has always loved that vibe.

Long Long Road was recorded, appropriately, in Nashville and Los Angeles and produced by T Bone Burnett who additionally has co-writing credits on six of the songs.

I must pause for the moment to highlight the title track, a sentimental swaying country swinger with backing from Sheryl Crow and Daniel Tashian. The memorable aspect here is the accompanying video directed by Ringo’s stepdaughter Francesca Gregorini using new technologies and dear Ringo at the wheel of a classic American car – could be a Ford Thunderbird but I’m no expert.

It all starts underwater with a Yellow Submarine before Ringo at the wheel along the Pacific Coast Highway. It appears to be Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles as the coastline seems familiar, but it is the cut away films that matter most. We see young Richard Starkey from unreleased photos, we see the Butlins camp where he played with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes then to The Beatles arriving in America in 1964. A snapshot of Marc Bolan is there as his Ringo’s wedding day to Barbara.

The promo to the 1974 album Goodnight Vienna is featured when Ringo in a spacesuit entered a flying saucer on top of the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. Finally, we see the All Starr Band at Radio City and Grand Ol’ Opry before he drives into the sunset. This all sold it for me and there nine other songs to savour and out now on CD and Ultraviolet Dream colour vinyl.