Starr still in the game, playing, making records

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Forget "When I'm 64." Ringo Starr has that age in his rearview mirror.

But the 67-year-old ex-Beatle still has the musical drive and looks of a rock 'n' roller half his age. And he acts it, too.

Seated recently in a swank hotel room in Beverly Hills, Starr looked slender in a blazer and slim-fit jeans flecked with blue pen scratches (his own scribblings, he disclosed).

His customary shades only left his face once, exchanged for a tinted pair of glasses. For the past 20 years, Starr's eyes have remained well hidden, symbolic of his rock-star cool.

"Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr" — culled from his solo career and label-spanning collection of tunes from 1970-2005 — arrived on CD racks Tuesday. Between sips of water, Starr cracked jokes and chatted with The Associated Press about aging, the past and staying in the game.

AP: How did you pick the songs for the new album?

Starr: Actually, we had a set of tracks we could use, going back to Capitol in the early days. What was great was Capitol/EMI expanded it, which they don't usually do. Usually the label only uses tunes from the label. They actually went and got tracks off 2005's "Choose Love" CD, off different labels. It's a great representation of the stuff I've done in the last 400 years.

AP: Any favorites in particular? The "No-No Song," from 1974, was so facetious about hard partying.

Starr: I have great memories of when we recorded that, because the last thing any of us were doing was saying "no" in those days. Things have changed, of course. "Photograph" is beautiful. That's one of the best songs I've ever written. I was writing it with George Harrison, so that also helped. In those days, and still to this day, I only play three chords. I'd write these songs, and then I'd give them to George and he would put in 10 more chords, and they'd think I was the genius.

AP: Which three chords?

Starr: I can only play guitar in E, and I can only play piano in C. Everything I've ever written, if I play it on guitar I make it in E and if I play it on piano, I do it in C. "Photograph" was actually written because George made me play C. It's so hard, you have to get that little finger over.

AP: So, Ringo, you're 67 this summer.

Starr: You'll have to speak up (laughs).

AP: And it was also the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Starr: How great!