Ringo Starr already has a permanent spot in music history for his drumming in a small, relatively well-known band from England. But his new album, Liverpool 8, solidifies his place in rock away from John, Paul and George.

The two surviving members of The Beatles have been doing their share of reflection on the past with albums from this decade. The title track Liverpool 8, is perhaps an answer to Paul McCartney’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, an album full of glorious wafts of “the good old days.”

Starr rocked through the significant moments of his life, from being a sailor, becoming a drummer with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and eventually making history with a few buddies from Liverpool.

The album doesn’t match the power of McCartney’s Chaos, but Starr was never the serious Beatle. Changing his name to make it one of the coolest in rock history definitely added to his personality. Thirty years later, Starr still has his playful personality and it shines on this album.

Each track is like an excerpt from the decades and musical genres through which Starr lived. “Gone are the Days” harks back to his overindulgent 80s with plenty of trippy computer distortion. His affection for country music is shown through “Harry’s Song” and others.

None of the songs are like “Yellow Submarine” or anything he did with The Beatles, but “R U Ready” could possibly be a kid’s song, reminiscent of “Octopus’ Garden.”

Starr always had the weakest voice of his Beatle colleagues, but as a solo artist the songs he chooses complement his minimal vocal range, with plenty of straight rock and driving guitars.

Starr’s biggest success was 1973’s Ringo, but Liverpool 8 shows that he still has style, and lots of talent without the support of his rock brethren. He can’t compare to today’s artists because his towering resume already puts him ahead, and Liverpool proves he’ll be around for a while.