Ringo Starr Albums in Order – Not Yet

So where's the Ringo map?

Good question. It’s one I’ve asked myself more than once. I’ve mapped the whole solo careers of John, Paul, and George - each sprawling in its way. But Ringo Starr? Not yet. And it’s not for lack of trying. The spreadsheet exists. The albums are logged. The musicians are tracked. But something about this one’s taking longer to land. Let me explain.

The data is... chaotic

Ringo's solo discography spans from 1970 to the present, encompassing over 20 studio albums. That’s a lot on its own. But the objective complexity? The contributors. Unlike McCartney or Harrison, whose albums often feature familiar, repeat collaborators, Ringo’s albums are built like patchwork quilts. Dozens (sometimes hundreds) of guest musicians, rotating line-ups, and different producers almost every time.

He attracts friends, old bandmates, touring musicians, big names, and lesser-known session players... You name it. Take Ringo (1973): you’ve got George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney (on different tracks), Billy Preston, Marc Bolan, Robbie Robertson, Nicky Hopkins. A dream line-up - but it doesn't repeat.

The next album, Goodnight Vienna, features a different personnel lineup. Mapping this visually, across 20+ albums, means designing a network that can display huge numbers of artists who appear once or twice. There's no clean throughline. No single “band” to track over time. It’s more like a shifting constellation.

A quick peek at the spreadsheet

Above: a glimpse at the raw data behind the map. Each row represents a musician’s appearance on a Ringo album. Not shown: the headaches.

This is where every map starts: spreadsheets. I’ve logged every studio album, every credited performer, and in many cases, who played what, on which tracks. The result is a massive dataset covering hundreds of individual contributions over five decades. It’s dense. It’s inconsistent. It’s brilliant.

So is it happening?

Yes. It’s just not done. The design hasn’t quite come together. I don’t want to rush it. The map needs to do justice to Ringo’s very particular legacy - a solo artist who's often collaborative to a fault, pulling people in rather than building around a set sound. His career isn’t about cohesion; it’s about joyful, chaotic experimentation. Capturing that in a way that’s readable, beautiful, and useful is going to take some time. But if you're a Ringo fan, stay tuned. The data’s there. The structure is forming. It’s coming - just... not yet.

Want to know when it’s ready?

Sign up for the newsletter, and I’ll let you know the second it launches. It’ll be a full music map print, showing every studio album and every musician who helped shape Ringo's solo path.