Welcome to Nothing As Real a podcast about the Beatles.

Everybody thinks they know the Beatles, but how much do we really know?

My name is Jason Carty.

My name is Stephen Corkroft.

And we are live on tape from Dublin and Belfast.

When we think of all the great music that came out in 1981,

we don't often stop and smell the Stop and Smell the Roses album by Ringo Starr.

And that's not to make light of this album.

It's potentially something that could have been wonderful,

but maybe ended up being a lost opportunity.

The Stop and Smell the Roses album, one of your favourite, Stephen?

I have a confession to make.

Yes, it is.

Okay.

I'm here to represent the defence of Stop and Smell the Roses, mostly. Okay. I'm here to represent the defence of stop and smell the roses, mostly.

Okay, well, this is going to be an interesting hour.

But it is, on paper, you think, an album with Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison

and Ronnie Wood and Harry Nielsen, open brackets, and I suppose Stephen Stills, close brackets.

On paper, you think, could be very, very good.

But it's kind of a little bit out of time, isn't it?

I suppose you have to look at it in the context of Ringo's career where he was, what he was trying to do, what he was trying to revisit.

And he was trying to revisit 1973's Ringo album.

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