Recorded: 2006–2007
Producers: Ringo Starr, Mark Hudson, Dave Stewart
Released: 14 January 2008
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, percussion, organ, handclaps
David A Stewart: guitar, backwards fabulousness
Mark Hudson: guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, Mellotron, bongos, harmonica, vocals, handclaps
Jesse Davey: guitar
Sean Hurley, Dave Way: bass guitar
Gary Burr: guitar, keyboards, mandolin, vocals, handclaps
Steve Dudas: guitar, vocals, handclaps
Zac Rae: keyboards
Brent Carpenter, Bruce Sugar, Keith Allison: vocals, handclaps
Tracklisting
‘Liverpool 8’
‘Think About You’
‘For Love’
‘Now That She’s Gone Away’
‘Gone Are The Days’
‘Give It A Try’
‘Tuff Love’
‘Harry’s Song’
‘Pasodobles’
‘If It’s Love That You Want’
‘Love Is’
‘R U Ready?’
Liverpool 8 is Ringo Starr’s fifteenth solo studio album. Released by EMI/Capitol, it marked Starr’s return to the label for the first time since 1975.
It began as a collaboration between Starr and his long-term production partner Mark Hudson, who had worked together on Vertical Man, I Wanna Be Santa Claus, Ringo Rama, and Choose Love, as well as the live album VH1 Storytellers.
Liverpool 8 was initially to have been released in June 2007, but was pushed back to 2008 after Starr and Hudson fell out. Despite rumours that their disagreements arose over Starr’s use of synthesizers over conventional instruments, it was apparently due to Hudson dropping out of Starr’s 2006 tour to work on the television show The One: Making A Music Star. According to Starr, “The separation between Mark Hudson and myself was a question of trust and friendship and had nothing to do with synthesizers.”
Hudson’s replacement was Dave Stewart, who co-wrote the title track with Starr. The album’s production credit read: “Produced by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson; Re-Produced by Ringo Starr and David Stewart.”
The title Liverpool 8 refers to the postal zone of the Toxteth area of Liverpool, in which Starr was born and raised.
The release
Liverpool 8 was streamed ahead of its release at vh1classic.com.
The title track was released as the first single on 7 January 2008, on compact disc and digital download.
The album followed one week later, being available on CD, USB wristband, and digital download. It reached numbers 91 and 94 in the UK and US charts respectively.
The Ringo albums with Mark are some of his best. Ringo’s more recent efforts are much weaker imho. About time he patches things up w/ Mark