Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, and record producer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.
The first multi-label spanning, American released Ry Cooder compilation does its best to present a coherent portrait of a musician whose wildly eclectic recordings and broad, four decade (and counting) list of releases makes that job all but impossible. Certainly the guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer and coordinator of the successful Buena Vista Social Club reunion deserves a comprehensive box set. But even then it would be difficult to follow his diverse recorded accomplishments that range from '60s work with Captain Beefheart and Taj Mahal, to sessions with Little Feat and the Rolling Stones, world music side projects, outside productions of other artists, and over a dozen solo albums that mix folk, soul, funk, rock, country blues, gospel, and Tex-Mex, among other styles. This 34-cut double-disc package, compiled by Cooder's son and musical companion Joachim, does an excellent job cherrypicking well-known nuggets along with a batch of obscurities from his father's voluminous output, resulting in an intriguing, enlightening, and above all listenable sonic résumé.
Rather than arrange his father's songs in chronological order, the younger Cooder decided to take the organic approach of presenting the material in a more cohesive fashion. He mixes and matches items from papa Cooder's 1970 debut through 2008's I, Flathead to maximum effect without the jarring segues that might occur if sequencing was done in a time based manner. The elder Cooder provides short, occasionally odd, usually humorous blurbs about each track in the accompanying booklet, shedding a bit of light on the tunes, and in the case of the selections from films such as Southern Comfort, The Long Riders, and Paris, Texas, the directors he worked with. One previously unreleased tune, a passable version of "Let's Work Together" performed with Buckwheat Zydeco is here, perhaps as an enticement to collectors.
But it's Joachim's excavations into his dad's deep catalog to resurrect oddities such as "Smells Like Money" from the Johnny Handsome flick and gems like the Willie Dixon/Cooder jointly composed "Which Came First" from The Slide Area that make this collection so enjoyable. Eagle eyed admirers might lament that nothing from 1978's impressive genre excursion Jazz is included, but Cooder's phenomenal slide guitar skills, and somewhat limited vocal abilities, are well displayed throughout the two-and-a-quarter hour running time.
The song that helps provide the unusual title for the disc, "UFO Has Landed in the Ghetto," is M.I.A. and surely there are fan favorites that didn't make the cut due to limited space, but this is an impressive and relatively inclusive recap that is a fine starting point for anyone interested in delving into Ry Cooder's extensive and influential career.
Disc 1
1. Get Rhytm (3:18)
2. Low--Commotion (3:11)
3. Available Space (2:13)
4. On A Monday (2:58)
5. Do Re Mi (3:01)
6. Which Came First (3:47)
7. The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor) (5:29)
8. Down In Hollywood (4:20)
9. Smells Like Money (2:28)
10. Let's Work Together (3:12)
11. I Got Mine (4:28)
12. Cherry Ball Blues (4:13)
13. Jesus On The Mainline (4:11)
14. Tattler (4:19)
15. Teardrops Will Fall (3:06)
16. Maria Elena (4:32)
17. Jesse James (5:05)
Disc2
1. Paris, Texas (2:54)
2. Theme From Southern Comfort (3:47)
3. Tamp 'Em Up Solid (3:22)
4. Billy The Kid (3:48)
5. Crazy 'Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know) (5:07)
6. Drive Like I Never Been Hurt (4:07)
7. Feelin' Bad Blues (4:17)
8. Boomer's Story (4:15)
9. How Can You Keep Moving (Unless You Migrate Too) (2:28)
10. Alimony (2:56)
11. Always Lift Him Up/Kanaka Wai Wai (6:03)
12. Theme From Alamo Bay (5:09)
13. Dark End Of The Street (3:27)
14. Why Don't You Try Me (4:59)
15. Poor Man's Shangri-La (5:27)
16. Going Back To Okinawa (4:42)
17. Little Sister (3:52)
Personnel
Ry Cooder - vocals, guitar, guitars, electric guitar, tiple, tres, mandola, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, piano, organ, keyboards, vibraphone, bass instrument, percussion
Buckwheat Zydeco - vocals, accordion
Jim Dickinson - vocals, piano, organ, bass instrument
William D. "Smitty" Smith - vocals, piano, organ
Russ Titelman - vocals, electric bass
Bobby "Blanco" King, Terry Evans, Bill Johnson , Herman "P Nut" Johnson, Bobby King - vocals, background vocals
Walter Cook, Dan Penn, Richard Jones , George McCurn, Walter Cook, Gene Mumford, Karl Russell, Richard Jones , Gloria Jones, Juliette Commagere - vocals
David Lindley - guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, saz
Osamu Kitajima (biwa, koto); Curt Bouterse - dulcimer, flute
Gayle Levant - harp
David Mansfield - violin, cello
Tom Sauber - fiddle
Kazu Matsui - shakuhachi
Marc Savoie, Flaco Jiménez, Marc-Andre Savoie - accordion
Steve Douglas - saxophone, midi
Steve Douglas & the Rebel Rousers - saxophone
Plas Johnson - alto saxophone
Fred Jackson Jr., Fred Jackson, Jr. - tenor saxophone
Oscar Brashear - cornet
George Bohannon, George Bohanon - trombone, baritone horn
Benny Powell (trombone); Ronnie Barron - piano, organ
Van Dyke Parks - piano, keyboards
Jesse Harms - synthesizer
Jorge Calderón - bass instrument, electric bass
John Duke, Mike Elizondo, Red Callender, Tim Drummond, Tommy McClure , Bill Bryson - bass instrument
Chris Ethridge - electric bass
Joachim Cooder - drums, timbales
Jim Keltner, Milt Holland - drums, percussion
Roger Hawkins - drums
George Pierre, Baboo Pierre, Miguel Cruz - percussion
Willie Green, Jr., Pico Payne, Greg Prestopino, William "Bill" Greene, Cliff Givens, John Hiatt, Arnold McCuller, Willie Green , Jimmy Adams, Chaka Khan - background vocals
Mariachi Los Camperos, John Barbeda, Max Bennett, Richie Hayward, Roy Estrada, Bobby Bruce.
Credits
Notes
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Arrangers: Jesus Guzman; Jesús Guzmán; George Bohanon; Nick DeCaro; Ry Cooder.
Recording information: Amigo Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Ardent Recording, Memphis, TN; Little Pink Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Moula Banda Studio; Muscle Shoals Sound, Muscle Shoals, AL; Ocean Studio, Burbank, CA; Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA; Susade Studios, Santa Monica, CA; The Burbank Studios; The Complex; The Sound Factory; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA; Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Western Studios, Hollywood, CA; Young Avenue Sound, Memphis, TN.
Genre: Blues Country, Blues Rock
Style: Americana, Roots Rock, Tex Mex
Length: 2:09:27
Label - Rhino Records
Rather than arrange his father's songs in chronological order, the younger Cooder decided to take the organic approach of presenting the material in a more cohesive fashion. He mixes and matches items from papa Cooder's 1970 debut through 2008's I, Flathead to maximum effect without the jarring segues that might occur if sequencing was done in a time based manner. The elder Cooder provides short, occasionally odd, usually humorous blurbs about each track in the accompanying booklet, shedding a bit of light on the tunes, and in the case of the selections from films such as Southern Comfort, The Long Riders, and Paris, Texas, the directors he worked with. One previously unreleased tune, a passable version of "Let's Work Together" performed with Buckwheat Zydeco is here, perhaps as an enticement to collectors.
But it's Joachim's excavations into his dad's deep catalog to resurrect oddities such as "Smells Like Money" from the Johnny Handsome flick and gems like the Willie Dixon/Cooder jointly composed "Which Came First" from The Slide Area that make this collection so enjoyable. Eagle eyed admirers might lament that nothing from 1978's impressive genre excursion Jazz is included, but Cooder's phenomenal slide guitar skills, and somewhat limited vocal abilities, are well displayed throughout the two-and-a-quarter hour running time.
The song that helps provide the unusual title for the disc, "UFO Has Landed in the Ghetto," is M.I.A. and surely there are fan favorites that didn't make the cut due to limited space, but this is an impressive and relatively inclusive recap that is a fine starting point for anyone interested in delving into Ry Cooder's extensive and influential career.
Disc 1
1. Get Rhytm (3:18)
2. Low--Commotion (3:11)
3. Available Space (2:13)
4. On A Monday (2:58)
5. Do Re Mi (3:01)
6. Which Came First (3:47)
7. The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor) (5:29)
8. Down In Hollywood (4:20)
9. Smells Like Money (2:28)
10. Let's Work Together (3:12)
11. I Got Mine (4:28)
12. Cherry Ball Blues (4:13)
13. Jesus On The Mainline (4:11)
14. Tattler (4:19)
15. Teardrops Will Fall (3:06)
16. Maria Elena (4:32)
17. Jesse James (5:05)
Disc2
1. Paris, Texas (2:54)
2. Theme From Southern Comfort (3:47)
3. Tamp 'Em Up Solid (3:22)
4. Billy The Kid (3:48)
5. Crazy 'Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know) (5:07)
6. Drive Like I Never Been Hurt (4:07)
7. Feelin' Bad Blues (4:17)
8. Boomer's Story (4:15)
9. How Can You Keep Moving (Unless You Migrate Too) (2:28)
10. Alimony (2:56)
11. Always Lift Him Up/Kanaka Wai Wai (6:03)
12. Theme From Alamo Bay (5:09)
13. Dark End Of The Street (3:27)
14. Why Don't You Try Me (4:59)
15. Poor Man's Shangri-La (5:27)
16. Going Back To Okinawa (4:42)
17. Little Sister (3:52)
Personnel
Ry Cooder - vocals, guitar, guitars, electric guitar, tiple, tres, mandola, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, piano, organ, keyboards, vibraphone, bass instrument, percussion
Buckwheat Zydeco - vocals, accordion
Jim Dickinson - vocals, piano, organ, bass instrument
William D. "Smitty" Smith - vocals, piano, organ
Russ Titelman - vocals, electric bass
Bobby "Blanco" King, Terry Evans, Bill Johnson , Herman "P Nut" Johnson, Bobby King - vocals, background vocals
Walter Cook, Dan Penn, Richard Jones , George McCurn, Walter Cook, Gene Mumford, Karl Russell, Richard Jones , Gloria Jones, Juliette Commagere - vocals
David Lindley - guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, saz
Osamu Kitajima (biwa, koto); Curt Bouterse - dulcimer, flute
Gayle Levant - harp
David Mansfield - violin, cello
Tom Sauber - fiddle
Kazu Matsui - shakuhachi
Marc Savoie, Flaco Jiménez, Marc-Andre Savoie - accordion
Steve Douglas - saxophone, midi
Steve Douglas & the Rebel Rousers - saxophone
Plas Johnson - alto saxophone
Fred Jackson Jr., Fred Jackson, Jr. - tenor saxophone
Oscar Brashear - cornet
George Bohannon, George Bohanon - trombone, baritone horn
Benny Powell (trombone); Ronnie Barron - piano, organ
Van Dyke Parks - piano, keyboards
Jesse Harms - synthesizer
Jorge Calderón - bass instrument, electric bass
John Duke, Mike Elizondo, Red Callender, Tim Drummond, Tommy McClure , Bill Bryson - bass instrument
Chris Ethridge - electric bass
Joachim Cooder - drums, timbales
Jim Keltner, Milt Holland - drums, percussion
Roger Hawkins - drums
George Pierre, Baboo Pierre, Miguel Cruz - percussion
Willie Green, Jr., Pico Payne, Greg Prestopino, William "Bill" Greene, Cliff Givens, John Hiatt, Arnold McCuller, Willie Green , Jimmy Adams, Chaka Khan - background vocals
Mariachi Los Camperos, John Barbeda, Max Bennett, Richie Hayward, Roy Estrada, Bobby Bruce.
- Producer – Joachim Cooder
- Art Direction – Al Quattrocchi, Jeff Smith
- Compilation Producer – Joachim Cooder
- Design – Tornado Design
- Executive-Producer – James Austin
- Liner Notes – Michael Ondaatje
- Liner Notes [Discographical Annotation] – Steeve Woolard
- Remastered By – Bernie Grundman
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Arrangers: Jesus Guzman; Jesús Guzmán; George Bohanon; Nick DeCaro; Ry Cooder.
Recording information: Amigo Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Ardent Recording, Memphis, TN; Little Pink Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Moula Banda Studio; Muscle Shoals Sound, Muscle Shoals, AL; Ocean Studio, Burbank, CA; Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA; Susade Studios, Santa Monica, CA; The Burbank Studios; The Complex; The Sound Factory; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA; Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Western Studios, Hollywood, CA; Young Avenue Sound, Memphis, TN.
Genre: Blues Country, Blues Rock
Style: Americana, Roots Rock, Tex Mex
Length: 2:09:27
Label - Rhino Records
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