Flaco is a God
Ry is amazing....I would echo what many have said on recommendation but also include the Live album at The Great American.
Lindley and Ry collaborate often - go down that rabbit hole for sure !!! Caught David live recently at the Belly Up in SoCal....amazing artist and sound in a very tight venue. |
Right you are sfar, Ry and Flaco have worked together a lot. infection, Van Vliet was, as expected, like no one else I've ever seen. Said not a word to the audience! His vocals were very low-pitched, and his band played very economically, leaving much more space than most. Like Jazz players---very deliberate phrasing, notes played to achieve a desired effect, not just played to be playing something, like most Rock players. The whole thing was rather cerebral, directed at the intellect, not the heart or testosterone ;-). |
When you hear the accordion on any of Ry Cooder's songs it is Flaco Jiménez, the absolute master of that instrument and one of Ry's most important collaborators. He doesn't get nearly the recognition he deserves. |
@bdp24 I'm jealous you saw Don & co on that tour! How was it? |
"Jazz, Bop until you Drop are both good. Buena Vista Social Club is Fantastic."
Those are three I'm familiar with, love Jazz and Buena Vista Social club. Thanks to all for other Ry albums to check out, I certainly will!
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Yup, that's a good one infection. I think it was on the tour in support of that album that I saw him live in '78, at The Roxy Theater on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Nobody even remotely like him, though Tom Waits tries ;-). |
Yes indeed he was - 'Safe As Milk' - great album.
Although the best Beefheart album is Doc At The Radar Station. |
Ry was also the original guitarist in Captain Beefhearts Magic Band, on their first album. I believe he was all of 18! |
He was in an early band with Taj Mahal and Ed Cassidy (drummer with Spirit - Randy (California) Woolf's stepfather. Not sure if the LP is still available. |
Here you go. Down at the Field-1974 broadcast where he played to an audience of 200 in Denver. I would say that’s about as stripped down as you will get. Solo.
You can You Tube Terry Evans and Hans Theessink featuring Ry. Two albums, great recordings, spooky real. Delta Time has Ry on it.
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and the great Harry Dean Stanton. String- see the first response to this thread. |
Paris Texas; the most desolate, and forlorn music I have ever heard in my entire life, for the most desolate and forlorn movie I have ever seen in my entire life. If you ever think about suicide, go see "Paris Texas", and you will realize "It could be worse". |
...no one talked of Paris Texas....my personal fav.
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Well, if you count anything with a repeating 1/4/5 progression as "some form of the blues", you’re going to pick up a LOT of music with that net. |
This thread inspired me to clean/play "Chicken Skin Music".
It was recommended to me by a former friend who didn't really like blues based music! Wow!
Isn't most music some form of blues?? Is it just me??
Cheers!
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Didn't see mention of his soundtrack for Last Man Standing. The imagery bounces around a bit and he pushes the envelope in a couple of places, but it's all pure Cooder. |
A real rare one that is pretty bare bones instrumental music is the soundtrack to The End of Violence. Now most all of Wim Wender's films have great soundtracks (Until the End of the World is a stupendous mix of tracks, enhanced with overdubs and short cello pieces). The thing is there was a pre-release version I have that is quite different from the official release. Very moody and brooding sort of atmospheric stuff that is actually quite a challenge to play loud on a good hifi. It's not 100% great but most of it is quite excellent. Both of these qualify as audiophile imho.
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Been a huge fan if RC since about 1974, no bad albums and few like one another. Older stuff is a hoot; funky, country-ish, blues-ish, comical. He is hysterical! Chavez Ravine and I Flathead are more recent records which show his musical genius. Other perhaps under the radar albums definitely worth owning are The Slide Area, Borderline, Chicken Skin Music. I think I own most every commercial record and/or cd he's recorded. IMHO one of the top modern American musicians of our era. Hard to go wrong with Ry on the slide. |
Shoukichi Kina "Bloodlines"
Essential!
Avoid anything where he sings!
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Yea Ry Is One Of Those Artists That Does It All
I Have An Excellent Japanese Pressing For Sale
RY COODER CHICKEN SKIN MUSIC REPRISE P-10253 Japan OBI Vinyl LP
have lots of other great Japanese Pressings for sale just look up Jamhog on Canuck Audio Mart
cool!! |
bdp24,
Leave it to you to bring us all down to reality. .. JUST KIDDING!
I ALWAYS appreciate your knowledgeable insight!
I am quoting from the back jacket of my "A Meeting By The River" lp/Analogue Productions... monitoring was done with the inclusion of an ET tonearm/SOTA Star Sapphire tt.
It always brings great pleasure to mention the inclusion of the ET arm in regards to any great recording' production!
Little Village is still a great demo lp!!
Cheers!
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Any RC disc(s) to avoid?
Happy Listening!
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Long time fan. Started with his first S/T album back in 1970. Jazz is also a favorite. Recently picked up Ry Cooder and Corridos Famosos Live. Definitely one of his best in my book. |
Showtime is also worth picking up.
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Well that narrows it down! |
Re: David Lindley & Rayo-X. I own 3 studio LP's by them but they also recorded a killa live album! I'd say it's one of the great 'unknown' live records. Absolutely worth looking for! |
@chazro @bdp24 Excellent and interesting observations, thanks. Cheers,
Spencer |
His first record "Ry Cooder" is also pretty terrific. It's a collection that's kind of centered on depression era themes. "One Meatball" and "How Can a Poor Man Survive" are typical examples. In some ways, I prefer this one to Chicken Skin, which I recommended above and which remains IMO a classic. |
Boomer's Story - good old blues/folk tunes. not fancy but real good playin'. I have not heard the 1990 import but the original version is great.
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As chazro said, Little Village is the group Ry had with John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. That same line up is also on Hiatt’s Bring The Family album, the first they did together. BTF has much better songs than does the Little Village album imo. Ry is very serious about his recorded guitar sound, which is what led him to record his Bob Till You Drop album in the then brand-new digital format. He hated the sound of his guitar on that album. When he heard a Water Lily label (the great Santa Barbara California audiophile record company, owned by recording engineer Tavi Alexander) album, Ry asked "Why don’t my records sound this good?". He ended up doing an album for the label himself, the one mentioned by sfar and sbank above. The album sounds great, and will be of interest to World Music fans more than to others. Ry is not only a great guitarist (though not much of a singer), but quite a musicologist as well. All his albums are deeply musical, and unlike any you’ve heard by anyone else. One of our National musical treasures! Chazro is SO right about David Lindley! He played guitar for Jackson Browne for years, and his first two Asylum solo albums with El Rayo-X kick ass! The albums sound real good, too. David and Ry are pals, with great respect for each other. |
I love Jazz (and Paradise and Lunch, which I meant to mention) but Jazz has only three vocal tunes (all excellent) which makes it less accessible for some folks.
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+1 for Chicken Skin Music. Paradise and Lunch is better!!!!!!!
Jazz, Bop until you Drop are both good. Buena Vista Social Club is Fantastic. |
+1 for Chicken Skin Music, Paradise and Lunch, and Into the Purple Valley....classic wonderful Ry Cooder.
I am also enjoying My Name is Buddy and I Flathead |
+! Chazro. Other than 'Bop,' what other albums do both Cooder and Lindley play on together? (Love Lindley). |
I have most of his records and am a big fan. The most unusual soundtrack he participated in would have to be 'Crossroads' where he 'duels' with a young Steve Vai! A good record that should've been great IMO is by the band Little Village, an unknown 'supergroup' consisting of Cooder, Johm Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Cooder's great, but you're a hop, skip, and a jump from listening to his frequent bandmate (from the old days); David Lindley! Once you listen to him and his band Rayo-X, you'll be digging for all of their output!!!;) One of the best things (for anybody on Audiogon) about Cooder's work is that it's all recorded impeccably. |
I like that many of his LPs each go in a different direction. Paradise & Lunch is my fav, sorta straight folk rock including nice cover of Stand By Me.
Chicken Skin Music features Hawaiian guitar masters & a beachy feel.
Jazz is awesome sonically, early big band Broonzy, CottonClub flavor.
Bop Till You Drop, straight 50s inspired R 'n R.
Paris, TX soundtrack for that tumbleweeds blowing down the highway, pour me another tequila craving.
Meeting By The River - Like if George Harrison never returned from India.
Can't leave out grammy winning Buena Vista Social Club, old school Cubano/Latino party for sure. Cheers,
Spencer |
Many of Ry's albums are pretty eclectic. He liked to do old depression-era stuff, gospel, calypso, and world music. He sings the lead vocals on much of his music and, while an adequate singer, his singing is not his strong suit.
There is a 2-CD set of his soundtrack work called Music By Ry Cooder which includes a lot of the solo slide guitar that you're referring to.
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Ditto to all the recommendations above and I'll add Paradise and Lunch. The man's a national treasure. |
Chicken Skin Music - a record that will reward listeners forever. |
The following two titles will not qualify as “stripped down”,
but certainly worth consideration:
Little Village
Buena Vista Social Club
The following two titles are both movie soundtracks and will
come somewhat closer to your criteria:
Music from the Film Cal
Crossroads
Cheers,
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Into the Purple Valley and Chicken Skin Music Live (esp. the latter, where he plays nothing but his Stratocaster with some excellent slide work).
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Bop Till You Drop is still my favorite by Ry Cooder. |
Have a listen to "Meeting by the River," an improvised collaboration between Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. It won a Grammy for Best World Music Album.
The two met only an hour before it was recorded. It was unplanned and unrehearsed. Brilliant playing, brilliant interaction between two master musicians. |
LOVE Ry Cooder's music. Check out "Talking Timbuktu" from the mid nineties. Incredible album.
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Ry Cooder, Anthology - The UFO has landed, a Rhino/Warner 2 cd set is a decent overview of his work, enjoy! |
Thanks for your input guys & thanks jafant...sounds like good timing !
So are any of his albums just him & guitar? |
Nice idea for a thread- infection ;)
I am looking to get into Ry myself. There are (2) boxed sets, 1 for studio albums, 1 for his Movie/Film soundtracks avail now. Any of you guys own these?
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2nd on the John Hiatt album. Ry's solo on "Lipstick Sunset" is just incredible. His playing is not about "flash", but taste, economy, and lyricism. Ry is sort of the anti-Hendrix ;-). A fun Ry album is Bop Till You Drop, from 1979. The first digitally recorded Pop album, it turned Ry off to digital. |
Love his work on John Hiatt's "Bring the Family". |
I have all his recordings and enjoy each. Jazz is unlike anything else I have in my collection. Not a bad place to start. Might be love-hate though
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