Ringo Starr‘s solo career got off to an incredibly fast start. Often boosted by his old buddies from the Beatles, he’d score four Top 20 hit singles (two of which topped the chart) and a pair of Billboard Top 10 albums by 1974.
Perhaps that was because he remained the group’s most cordial former member. The songs were as approachable as he was. So, it’s no surprise that 1973’s Ringo is the only album to have brought together all four of the Beatles after their ugly 1970 split.
He wouldn’t remain on that streak, as the late ’70s saw the others drift away and Starr drift into addiction. At one point, Starr didn’t even have a recording contract. He didn’t bounce back until the remaining Beatles emerged from the late-’90s Anthology era, finally regaining momentum by working with Mark Hudson, Jeff Lynne and his newly founded rotating All-Starr Bands.
READ MORE: Top 10 Ringo Starr Solo Songs
By then, he’d cleaned up and refocused on the inviting amiability that had made Ringo Starr such a presence in the first place. He never again reached those previous chart heights – Starr’s best-charting modern-era LP remains 2010’s Y Not, at No. 58 – but he’d found his voice again. There was a rhythm to his releases over the following decade, as Starr issued four more LPs before the pandemic shut things down. He geared back up by sharing music on a string of EPs before returning to his country roots with 2025’s Look Up.
In ranking every Ringo Starr album, we’ve stuck with the officially released full-length projects, beginning with a pair of offbeat genre records that showed off both sides of his always-congenial personality. A funny thing happened along the way: Some albums that initially failed to create much commercial interest ended up growing in both fan and critical estimation.
Ranking Every Ringo Starr Album
Some LPs that initially failed to create much commercial interest ended up growing in both fan and critical estimation.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
Remembering Ringo Starr’s Amazing Garage Sale
