Newsday

NEW YORK--

"I'm fifth on Rolling Stone's list of drummers of all time," he says, laughing. "I'm still trying to work my way up."

For the 13th edition of Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, he's added Steve Lukather of Toto and Greg Rolie, who worked with Santana and Journey, to a band that includes Todd Rundgren ("Who doesn't want to bang the drum all day?" asks Starr); Mr. Mister singer Richard Page; Gregg Bissonette, known for Santana; and music director Mark Rivera.

"We want to make sure it'll be a great show," says Starr.

Do you worry about the band's chemistry when you bring in new members?

It's hard work putting it together. The rehearsals are eight hours a day of torture so we can have two hours of incredible fun when we play. We all have to learn new songs. I used to think, "Well, I hope it works." But now I've done it often enough, and it's worked every time, so now I feel it will work.

Will you play songs from your recent "Ringo 2012" album?

I'll be playing two But mainly I'll be doing the music I'm recognized for--"Help," "A Hard Day's Night," "Yellow Submarine."

Do you like playing outside versus inside?

I've come to the conclusion that I enjoy playing wherever they put me.

The 50th anniversary of your joining The Beatles will be in August. Will you be doing anything special?

I'm not planning a big celebration. I'm gonna relax.