Liverpool 8


Liverpool 8 is the 15th studio album by Ringo Starr, released worldwide on 14 January 2008. Received with mixed reviews, it marked Starr's return to EMI for the first time since leaving the label in 1975, following the end of the Beatles' recording contract with the company.

Background

Liverpool 8 was originally planned for release in June 2007, and began as another production by the collaborative team of Mark Hudson and Starr. However, the release date was pushed back to the beginning of 2008 when Hudson was replaced by Dave Stewart after a falling out with Starr. The album's production credits read, "Produced by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson; Re-Produced by Ringo Starr and David Stewart."
All of the songs but one were written with the Roundheads, although Stewart also has several co-writing credits. Starr's attorney Bruce Grakal told journalist Peter Palmiere that the partnership between Hudson and Starr was over and they would never work together again. This happened after Hudson dropped out of Starr's 2006 tour as musical director to do the television special . According to Palmiere, Hudson claimed that the split was over Starr's insistence on using synthesized sounds, for which Stewart is known, whereas Hudson wanted real guitars, pianos, strings etc. However, concerning the parting of ways with Hudson, Starr commented, "The separation between Mark Hudson and myself was a question of trust and friendship and had nothing to do with synthesizers."

Release

Liverpool 8 was released worldwide by Capitol Records. The title refers to the postal district of the Toxteth area of Liverpool in which Starr was born. The album was released on CD, MP3, and USB Wristband. It was available as a free audio stream at www.vh1classic.com before its release date. The title track was released on CD and digital download as the first single from the album on 7 January 2008. Liverpool 8 entered the UK Album Chart at number 91, and reached a peak of number 94 in the US. The album sold 7,000 copies within the first week of release and as of January 2010, 31,000 copies have been sold.
A few weeks later after the album release, readers of the New York Daily News were offered a non-album track called "It's Love", which was recorded during the sessions for Liverpool 8.

Reception

Liverpool 8 has a 59 percent "mixed or average" rating from Metacritic. Billboard gave the album a positive review, calling it "full of nostalgia for the good ol' days". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes that "it's nothing too flashy and it has not one tune that calls attention to itself". In a particularly unfavourable review for The Times, Pete Paphides wrote that "it’s hard not to boggle at Liverpool’s susceptibility to flattery", and "Just because was fun to make, it doesn’t follow that you might enjoy listening to it."

Track listing

USB File Listing

The Ringo Starr Liverpool 8 Exclusive Reusable USB Wristband claims to contain on its packaging:
The Bio could not be located among the USB files.
These are the actual files found on the USB drive.

Root Directory

The root directory contains two system files, one system directory, and four directories with the actual assets. Note, the original directory dates were lost when the USB was inserted into a Windows 10 PC.
File NameTypeDateSize in BytesInformation
.DS_StoreSystem File12/18/2007 01:51 PM6,148
.TrashesSystem Directory12/18/2007 01:50 PMAn Empty System Directory
._.TrashesSystem File12/18/2007 01:50 PM4,096
Liverpool 8 - 192kbpsDirectoryContains the Songs
Liverpool 8 ArtworkDirectoryContains the Artwork
Liverpool 8 VideoDirectoryContains the Video
Ringtune Clips - 192kbpsDirectoryContains the Ringtunes

Liverpool 8 - 192kbps Directory

This directory contains the twelve songs on the album in MP3 format. Technical details of the files are:
File NameTypeDateSize in BytesDuration
01 01 - Liverpool 8 - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM6,994,4464:51
02 02 - Think About You - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM5,286,6683:40
03 03 - For Love - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM5,506,0903:49
04 04 - Now That She's Gone - 192kbp.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM4,378,2383:02
05 05 - Gone Are The Days - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM4,077,9322:49
06 06 - Give It A Try - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM4,960,0313:26
07 07 - Tuff Love - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM6,563,7374:33
08 08 - Harrys Song - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM5,780,0654:00
09 09 - Pasodobles - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM6,180,6784:17
10 10 - If It's Love That You Want - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:54 AM4,472,2873:06
11 11 - Love Is - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM5,580,0693:52
12 12 - R U Ready - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:53 AM5,746,8363:59

Liverpool 8 Artwork Directory

The artwork is found on a single PDF file with two pages showing the album's cover art on the first page and a track listing next to Ringo's picture on the second page.
File NameTypeDateSize in Bytes
ringo_L8_cover for USB.pdfPDF File12/18/2007 12:54 AM493,660

Liverpool 8 Video Directory

The single video file contains three of the items promised on the packaging:
The technical details of the video file are:
The two ringtones are encoded identical to the twelve songs. They are 38 and 27 second edits of two of the album's songs.
File NameTypeDateSize in BytesDuration
01 Liverpool 8 Ringtune Clip - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:54 AM930,6630:38
02 For Love Ringtune Clip - 192kbps.mp3MP3 File12/18/2007 12:54 AM665,4650:27

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.
;Musicians
;Production