‘Moonbeam Sunday’ Slated For Release On June 16

LONDON—Excitedly informing fans that the iconic pop group was back with more original music, Ringo Starr announced Tuesday that on June 16 he would be releasing a 26th Beatles album titled Moonbeam Sunday with an all-new backing band. “Even though we’ve got a new lineup, this album really represents what The Beatles have always done best,” said Starr, whose new bandmates include a 27-year-old session bassist, a former touring guitarist for Jefferson Starship, and a backing vocalist from the Broadway production of Rock Of Ages. “It’s got a lot of great pop hits interspersed with some longer, more psychedelic explorations—we wanted to try out some new stuff while also staying true to who The Beatles are. It’s definitely a throwback to our late-’60s sound, but also with bits of our mid-’80s experimentation peppered in—I guess you can think of it as a spiritual successor to The Colonel’s Jamboree or the last installment of an informal trilogy including The Porridge Papers and Sally Sally.” Starr went on to say that as long as fans continued supporting The Beatles, he would keep giving them the music they’ve always loved.