| Ringo Starr's 2003 album, Ringo Rama features a song dedicated to George Harrison.
The song "Never Without You" features a guitar solo from Eric Clapton and was written by Ringo Starr, producer Mark Hudson, and guitarist Gary Nicholson.
"It was my way to say how much George meant to me and how much he will be remembered," Starr said. "I actually tried to get George, John Lennon, and Harry Nilsson all into that song. But it got too busy, so I thought, 'I'm just going to do it for George.'"
"The sound is updated Britpop: simple, catchy melodies and 60's-ish vocal harmonies, gritty guitars, a straightforwardly solid rhythm section and layers of decorative lead guitar and keyboard." -- Allan Kozinn, New York Times
"Ringo Starr's post-Beatles music has relied on allusions to his legendary past. Indeed, the very first line of "Eye to Eye," the melodic hard rocker that opens Ringo Rama, asks, "Remember when I said 'it don't come easy'?" On the country-tinged "Write One for Me," guest vocalist Willie Nelson name checks the Fabs' "Yesterday". And, strangely, "English Garden," the final track, very obviously borrows from "Let 'Em In," the 1976 Paul McCartney & Wings hit. But the Beatles reference that will undoubtedly touch the most fans is "Never Without You," a tribute to George Harrison that features some nice '60s pop flourishes and a familiar-sounding Eric Clapton guitar solo. In its own way, it's as fine a tribute to George as the latter's "All Those Years Ago" was to John Lennon. Most of Starr's songwriting today is done with producer Mark Hudson, who also cowrote his last solo effort, 1998's Vertical Man, and who's always acknowledged a strong Beatles influence in his own material. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour manages to get the great rock drummer mighty revved up on "I Think, Therefore I Rock & Roll," while the catchy "Missouri Loves Company" and "Memphis in Your Mind" should remind all doubtful listeners that Ringo's had some classic pop moments of his own over the years. -- Bill Holdship, Amazon.com
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