[immtbiker]

Mike...I don't have the digital version, but the vinyl goes down to 10 htz so the surf/latino sound is awesome.

 

[Old Pa]

The sound on the redbook CD of Mambo Sinuendo is as good as your system; just lovely in the extreme. Rattles my windows.

And the idiosyncracy of Mambo Sinuendo is Mr. Cooder at his modern best. Chavez Ravine, on the other hand, does not do much for me. Too many inside jokes.

 

[nelamvr6]

And once you have exposed yourself to Ry's work and are looking to dig a little deeper, you can check out A Meeting by the River with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

It's a little exotic, if you don't care for Indian raga type music it may not be your cup of tea, but otherwise it's an excellent piece of work and very well recorded to boot.

Ry is his usual superb self and it's really great to hear how well he can adapt his playing to such divergent styles.

 

[Vic]

This thread brought back souvenirs of fantastic albums by Ry Cooder that I have not heard for more than 25 years now. I agree with most of the suggestions above, notably Borderline and Chicken skin music.

Mike, if you are interested in Ry's guitar skill you should definetly check "Jazz" and "Show time" (a live album). I am surprised nobody mentioned those two

 

[Jeff E]

Let me add to the Paradise and Lunch chorus (Votron & Doc Sarvis). I am a long time Cooder fan, saw him live, own most of his albums, admire his chops as well as his ethnomusicological approach, etc. but there is really something special about this particular album.

[personal anecdote alert]
As a graduate student in the 70's I had little money in Austin, TX. One day I am having lunch off campus with one of my profs and he suggests that we stop in a high-fi store to listen to speakers. I took this to be a great chance to tag along and hear some nice speakers that were out of my league. I don't remember what floor-standers were fired up but I do remember that it was my first time hearing Paradise & Lunch. Instead of listening to the equipment as intended, I listened to Cooder. As Jesus is on the Main Line played, I can recall thinking "the music is so compelling I can't pay attention to anything else." Then when the next song, fool for a cigarette grabbed me, it was all over. We left talking about Cooder and the album, to the disappointment of the saleman. I became a Cooder fan and started buying his albums.

Whenever the topic of audio equipment versus music comes up, it reminds me of this experience. For me, the take away message is: if the music is good enough, there is no contest.

'nuff said

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic This thread brought back souvenirs of fantastic albums by Ry Cooder that I have not heard for more than 25 years now. I agree with most of the suggestions above, notably Borderline and Chicken skin music. Mike, if you are interested in Ry's guitar skill you should definetly check "Jazz" and "Show time" (a live album). I am surprised nobody mentioned those two

Hey Vic-

I think Jazz is an interesting album and does show off some good licks, but it didn't seem to be quintessential Cooder to me. I have never heard Showtime and it isn't on Rhapsody so I looked it up. With Evans and King and Flaco Jimenez it sounds pretty great, so I might be stopping by the record store on my way home...

Best, Al

 

[Vic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron Hey Vic- I think Jazz is an interesting album and does show off some good licks, but it didn't seem to be quintessential Cooder to me. I have never heard Showtime and it isn't on Rhapsody so I looked it up. With Evans and King and Flaco Jimenez it sounds pretty great, so I might be stopping by the record store on my way home... Best, Al

Hi Al,
I agree Jazz is a bit atypical in Ry's production, but is a wanderful album.

"Show Time" is one of the rare live album and should not be missed by any Ry's fan.
I remember going to a gig by Ry Cooder with Terry Evans and Bobby King in Dublin in 1980 and they were extraordinary.
Have not heard the album for more than 20 years, but I remember "DoReMI" was one of the best remake of Woody ever, "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" had probably the best guitar solo by Ry Cooder and "Volver, volver" was classic Flaco Jimenez.
Too bad that there are only 8 tracks.
I am sure you will enjoy it. Actually I am seriously thinking of re buying it myself.

 

[John Buchanan]

I don't understand why "Show Time" was never released on CD in the USA. It's on import only. Great album, and it was my first exposure to Ry.

 

[Vic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Buchanan I don't understand why "Show Time" was never released on CD in the USA. It's on import only. Great album, and it was my first exposure to Ry.

For some strange reason several American CDs are available this side of the pond but not in the US.
BTW at the moment you can find "Show time" for a very good price at Amazon.co.uk

 

[AndyKatz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pds6 AndyKatz says: Good post. We connect another dot. How are your Malian lessons going. In the back of my mind I knew of this album, but have never heard it.

Ali and I keep working on it, but I'm a bit slow to learn new lingoes at my age

Lucky for me that it's all in the journey and not the destination.

Andy

 

[Denim]

Many thanks to those that suggested the CD's. I picked up Little Village and knew I would like it as soon as the music started playing. Can't wait to try other suggestions in this thread.

 

[jonnyhambone]

'Paradise and Lunch'
'Chicken Skin Music' ...both awesome (I only know them on vinyl and listen to them often).
Ry also played, maybe his first recording(?), on Cpt. Beefheart's 'Safe As Milk' album when he was 17 or something in 1967. Not Beefheart's best maybe but its got 'Electricity' and 'Abba Zabba' and some other strong tunes along with a young gun Ry Cooder.

 

[Denim]

I did a bit of searching for other Ry Cooder music and came across an interesting find. Rising Sons was a group from 1964 until 1966 that featured Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. I picked up the CD (the only one that I know of) and found some familiar tunes. All of the music sounds like it's from the early 60's, but was none the less enjoyable for me. It has two cuts of "Statesboro Blues", and sounds nothing like the Allman Brothers version. It also has "Dust My Broom", but again, nothing like the ZZ Top version. The CD contains other tunes that sound familiar, but I can't put my finger on the updated version.

 

[pds6]

Denim says:
Quote:

Rising Sons was a group from 1964 until 1966 that featured Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder

I have read a number of bad reviews of this "album" and have always past. It is my understand that the recording and vocals are very poor. The only good thing about the album is Ry's guitar work.

 

[Denim]

The CD won't win any awards for the sound quality. At least one of the songs is a mono recording. I listened to it in my car on the way to work and back. I didn't expect much in that regard, and the CD delivered nothing more.

I'm not a big fan of the early 60's sound, if you know what I mean. All of the songs have a very common sound. What grabbed my attention was the songs themselves.

I've heard Statesboro Blues, as done by the Allman Brothers. I don't know if they based their version from the one on this CD, or elsewhere, but it blows me away that a song can be so radically transformed from a simple, slow tune that was played on Rising Sons, to the song I love so much as done by the Allman Brothers.

The same is true with "Dust My Broom". Rising Sons version is nothing great, but to have ZZ Top transform the song to what I am familiar with it and make it so much better just amazes me.

I would like to see what other songs from this CD have been done later on by other bands. I hope to find some new music from this lead that I would not have otherwise.