Well happy day after turkey day, otherwise known as Thanksgiving, for all those reading this in North America!

As it happens this fine sunny Friday is also the infamous Black Friday, the start of the Christmas season sales madness, but it also  happens that it’s another Record Store Day around the world as well.

And as you know if you’ve read this blog that Record Store Day is much more fun for me then attempting to fight the crowds at all the Black Friday retail sales so as per usual I managed to slide into one of my local record stores and happened upon some fine Beatles-related booty.

This Record Store Day had one particular CD I was looking for and manged to find – a very limited reissue (500 copies) of Ringo Starr’s 1983 album called “Old Wave” that’s being released exclusively to indie record stores.

(Note: The “Old Wave” album is also being released as an exclusive RSD vinyl LP as well. I happened to avoid the crowds at my record store by going a couple hours after they opened and they luckily had one copy left of “Old Wave” on both vinyl and CD)

As any Beatles fan knows the original release of Starr’s “Old Wave” album was itself very limited as the album didn’t even get a U.S. release at the time. Ringo was at the lowest point sales wise in his solo career in the early 1980s and while the album wasn’t very easy to find I did manage to get obtain a vinyl pressing from Germany on the Boardwalk label.

I’ve always enjoyed the “Old Wave” album and thought it was unjustly overlooked. Sure it’s not on the same quality level as Starr’s wonderful “Ringo” and “Goodnight Vienna” albums but for me it’s a much better record than his other late ’70s albums and the addition of Joe Walsh’s distinctive guitar throughout really makes this album a fun listen.

I’ve always been particularly fond of the single from the album “In My Car”. I’m not sure why it wasn’t released in the U.S. as it had potential to be a Top Fifty hit if given the chance at radio. I find it very catchy and though it’s not quite as catchy as Ringo’s 1981 single and last Top Forty hit  “Wrack My Brain” it’s nonetheless a fine single.

Other songs on the album that I love include “Be My Baby” (which features some lovely guitar work from Walsh), “She’s About a Mover”, “I Keep Forgettin'” (a good song choice for Ringo as it fits his style very well) and “Picture Show Life” which I think would have been a good single if in fact Starr could have gotten any airplay at the time.

I think this new CD reissue by Culture Factory sounds really good and probably on par with the Right Stuff reissue from 1994 (it also has the same bonus track as the Right Stuff CD). I haven’t compared them side by side yet but the sound of this reissue isn’t compressed or shrill and revisiting this CD again today reinforces to me that it’s a very solid Ringo offering and well worth seeking out.

The Mini-Lp cardboard sleeve and vinyl looking black disc (see photos above) are nice touches and any collector out there who doesn’t own this album would be happy with this reissue, I know I am. The one thing I thought was amusing was that on the OBI type sleeve it says this album was originally issued in 1971 – oops – but otherwise this is a lovely reissue.

The other thing new I got today is a nifty 2 CD/Blu-Ray set of “Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band Live at the Greek Theater 2019”. This particular show is being released today on an exclusive RSD 2 LP yellow vinyl set (nice looking but I passed on it) as well as a non-exclusive 2 CD set, a single DVD or single Blu-ray or what’s in my opinion the best deal out there this 2 CD/Blu-ray combo set.

Yes, I know that there are a million Ringo and His All-Starr Band shows out there but after having just watched the Blu-ray this is one of the better All-Starr shows available and the Blu-ray is one of the better looking and sounding Ringo live collections and a joy to watch.

I’ll probably watch the Blu-ray more than listen to the CDs so that’s why I passed on the groovy 2 LP yellow vinyl set though I’m sure it’s a great set to own.

For me the 2 CD/Blu-Ray combo set.is the best of both worlds and now that I’ve watched it I think it will definitely be something I pull out form time to time as it’s a very entertaining show and with Ringo having to cancel his current 2022 tour due to Covid issues it’s a great reminder of how entertaining this show is and a wonderful way to see his current show if you missed one of the cancelled performances.

Well that’s all for now. Just a brief RSD Beatles-related update. As usual check out photos of these two new releases above and until next time be healthy and well and have a great holiday season!

Be back with more posts soon so until then see you soon.