[GoRedwings19]

I was wondering if there are an Ry Cooder fans who could suggest an album for me.

I have only heard small amounts of his stuff but from what I heard, I liked.

I often read he is just as good as guitarist as any. But for some reason More people mention the likes of steve vai, joe satriani, clapton etc.

Is there any album which you could recommend which showcases the man talent and muscial ability. A sort of a definitive album?

Thanks for the help.

 

[bigshot]

His first real breakthrough album was Into the Purple Valley.

See ya
Steve

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Paradise and Lunch sounds great on vinyl - I think it's his best. Just my opinion.

 

[Voltron]

Ry Cooder is an awesome guitarist but he is in a different kind of category than any of the examples you mention. He is not a big cross-over leader like Clapton or a splashy virtuoso type like Vai or Satriani, and most fundamentally his musical tastes and genres are varied and not always all that guitar-dominated. Plus his own singing is basically passable, but he is better when playing with real singers. Here are some thoughts based on my own favorites and some more from a guitarist friend who likes Cooder's work with others more than his own albums.

His early stuff is mostly poorly produced, but Get Rhythym is a really good album and has better sound than most of his first 10 years' worth of records:

An earlier one that is a great album is Paradise and Lunch:

Another one that I have had for many years (25?) is Bop Til You Drop:

A recent album called Chavez Ravine gets mixed reviews but I think it is fun and it is well-produced:

Mambo Sinuendo is a great record that has wonderful sound and mixes surf music, latin rhythyms and Cuban mambo sound into a tasty mix:

OK, for some collaborations that are cool and feature Cooder's guitar prominently, try these. Best of the bunch is Live and Let Live by Bobby King and Terry Evans. As my friend put it, this is "a phenomenal album and is the best of both worlds because you get all the Ry Cooder/Jim Keltner groove-play but you don't have to put up with the crappy Ry Cooder vocals."

Little Village by Little Village is another good one, with John Hiatt singing and other great musicians playing with Cooder:

Lastly, the John Hiatt album Bring the Family is mostly the Little Village guys doing a Hiatt album, and Cooder is cool on that one too:

 

[nelamvr6]

Definitely check out Bop til You Drop.

 

[kramer5150]

Thanks!!!

 

[sno1man]

Check out the soundtarck to the Long Ryders. Movie was nothing special but the album is terrific acoustic/traditional and a few originals.

It also sounds great recording wise

 

[pds6]

These are some of my favs:

Boomer's Story, has a lot of acoustic blues playing.

Chavez Ravine electric and latin.

Chicken Skin Music, all over the place, Hawaiian Steel, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly blues.

Mambo Sinuendo, my favorite latin flavored album.

and

Paris, Texas, this is the soundtrack to the movie. "Dark was the Night" alone is worth the price of the album. Ry Cooder wears many hats. This album seems to get to the heart of who Ry Cooder is as a musician. Great Great Slide Work and even better, "no crappy vocals" (LOL).
In truth, his singing isn't all that bad. The only bad part is a dialog "I knew These People" from the movie.

 

[Old Pa]

The very thing that makes her rich will make you poor.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa The very thing that makes her rich will make you poor.

Without a doubt my fave Ry track off my fave Ry album!

 

[Old Pa]

It was my understanding at the time that when it was released Bop Til You Drop was the first digitally recorded popular record album. Cooder had at the technology while Fleetwood Mac waited in the wings to record Tusk digitally.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa It was my understanding at the time that when it was released Bop Til You Drop was the first digitally recorded popular record album. Cooder had at the technology while Fleetwood Mac waited in the wings to record Tusk digitally.

That's true, but I first bought it on vinyl.

It sounded great! Still does IMHO.

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 That's true, but I first bought it on vinyl. It sounded great! Still does IMHO.

Yup. Digitally recorded and mastered and then marketed on analog media on LPs and tapes (I had to get a friend an 8-track of it

)

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron Ry Cooder is an awesome guitarist but he is in a different kind of category than any of the examples you mention. He is not a big cross-over leader like Clapton or a splashy virtuoso type like Vai or Satriani, and most fundamentally his musical tastes and genres are varied and not always all that guitar-dominated. Plus his own singing is basically passable, but he is better when playing with real singers. Here are some thoughts based on my own favorites and some more from a guitarist friend who likes Cooder's work with others more than his own albums. His early stuff is mostly poorly produced, but Get Rhythym is a really good album and has better sound than most of his first 10 years' worth of records:

I really like "Get Rhythm" and think it's underrated. Great, raunchy ("I Can Tell By The Way You Smell"), rolling, rollicking tunes - all of them. Even the vocals are fun, and there's a pleasant version of "Across The Borderline" with Harry Dean Stanton on lead vocal!

 

[Kees]

Chicken skin music.
Bop till you drop.
Jazz.
Mambo Sinuendo.

Chicken Skin Music is IMO the essence of what Ry Cooder can do best.