Ringo Starr

Photograph: The Very Best Of (2007)

 

  1. Photograph
  2. It Don't Come Easy
  3. You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine)
  4. Back Off Boogaloo
  5. I'm the Greatest
  6. Oh My My
  7. Only You (And You Alone)
  8. Beaucoups of Blues
  9. Early 1970
  10.Snookeroo
  11.No No Song
  12.Goodnight Vienna (It's All Down To)
  13.Oo-Wee
  14.Have You Seen My Baby
  15.Six O'Clock
  16.Weight of the World
  17.Never Without You
  18.Act Naturally
  19.Wrack My Brain
  20.Fading In Fading Out
  
  

It comes as no surprise that the majority of material featured on Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr is drawn almost exclusively from 1973’s Ringo and 1974’s Goodnight Vienna—the only two albums in Ringo’s solo catalogue that could reasonably be classified as commercial hits. In that regard, the title “very best of” is accurate, if not especially adventurous.

The compilation, as expected, plays it safe, revisiting the usual highlights: Photograph, It Don’t Come Easy, You’re Sixteen, and Back Off Boogaloo among them. All are here, presented crisply and sequenced with care, making this an ideal one-stop for those seeking the top-shelf selections without venturing deeper into the discography.

But one can’t help but wish that the latter-day renaissance—spanning from Time Takes Time through to Choose Love—had been afforded more space. Ringo's post-1992 output, while largely under the radar, showed a consistency and maturity that rarely gets acknowledged in these sorts of retrospectives. Even a single representative track from that era would have broadened the picture.

As it stands, Photograph effectively renders Ringo’s earlier compilation, Blast from Your Past, entirely redundant. Every track from that 1975 release reappears here—remastered, resequenced, and surrounded by a few sensible additions. For newcomers, it’s a concise, accessible introduction. For longtime listeners, it’s a reminder of just how good the peaks really were, even if the valleys saleswise remain unrepresented.