Showing posts with label ry cooder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ry cooder. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 April 2017

What we're listening to: Ry Cooder 'Bop till you drop'




Ry Cooder has long been a doyenne of the music business. The musicians, musician and particularly, for slide guitar (8th on Rolling Stones 100 best guitarists ever). 6 Grammy winner.

He's collaborated with everyone from Van to The Doobies and actually played on The Stones 'Sticky Fingers', Van's 'Into the Music' and lots, lots more. 

You'll possibly know him best from the Cuban 'Buena Vista Social Club' in 1997.

This was his 8th Album from 1979 and features Tex-Mex blues, rock songs like Presley's 1960's 'Little Sister' which became the best known track on the record and which opens the record. It's light blues but technically great. 

"The very thing that makes you rich" is almost an old negro spiritual and "I think it's going to work out fine" a soft, laid back song. The session people playing on the record is a "who's who" as you'd expect from Cooder, including Jim Keltner Drums, David Lindley Guitar and even, Chaka Khan.

It was critically, a huge Album for Ry Cooder but not a commercial enough sound, to chart very well. You get a sense that this would not concern Mr. Cooder. He just wants to make great music and this is, a great record.

(If you like it, check out too, his 'Get Rhythm')




Previous "listen to's" you'll also find on this blog (you can search them in the Search top left on the Blog)
......Jon&Vangelis 'Friends of Mr. Cairo': Mary Chapin 'Come on, Come on': Frank Zappa 'Joe's Garage': Joni Mitchell 'Blue': Steve Gibbons 'Caught in the Act': Elton John 'Tumbleweed Connection': Elton John 'Honky Chateau': Gallagher & Lyle 'Breakaway': Warren Zevon 'Excitable Boy': Donald Fagen 'The Nightfly': Supertramp 'Breakfast in America': George Michael 'Listen without predujice': Radiohead 'The Bends': Beyonce 'Lemonade' Album of the year 2016: Oddisee 'The mix Tape': Soul 11 Soul 'Club Classics': Jennifer Warnes 'Famous Blue Raincoat':Art Garfunkel 'Watermark': REM 'Out of Time': Van 'Keep me Singing': Frank Sinatra 'Songs for Swinging Lovers': Al Stewart 'Year of the Cat': Stevie Ray Vaughan 'Texas Flood':Frank Ocean 'Blond': Jimmy Buffett 'Son of a Sailor': Marc Cohn 'Marc Cohn': Bill Withers 'Complete Sussex and Columbia': Hendrix 'Electric Ladyland': ABC 'Lexicon of Love': Rickie Lee Jones 'Rickie Lee Jones': Billy Joel "Glass Houses": Rodriguez "Cold Fact": Prefab Sprout 'Steve McQueen'; Chet Baker 'Live 64-79'; The Stone Roses 'Stone Roses'; Joe Jackson 'I'm the Man'; Oasis 'Morning Glory'; Bob Dylan 'At The Budokan'; Van "It's too late to stop now Volume 2/3/4"; Air 'Moon Safari'; Talking Heads 'Stop Making Sense'; Lynyrd Skynyrd 'One for the road'; Marvin Gaye 'Whats Goin on'; Mercury Rev 'Deserters Songs'; Dave Matthews 'Crash'; Beyonce 'Lemonade'; Prince 'Sign O the times'; Daft Punk 'Random Access Memories'; Amy Winehouse 'Back to Black';Police 'Outlandos D'Amour'; Michael Jackson 'Off the Wall'; Carole King 'Tapestry'; Beatles 'Red Album'; Sex Pistols 'Never mind the Bollocks'; Sam Cooke 'Live at Harlem Square'; The Doors 'LA Woman'; Thin Lizzy 'Live & Dangerous'; Kendrick Lamarr 'Butterfly'; Aretha Franklin 'Amazing Grace'; Clapton '461'; Massive Attack 'Blue Lines'; The Clash 'London Calling'; Chris Isaak 'At The Filmore'; Bob Dylan 'Street Legal'; Bad Company 'Straight Shooter'; Jackson Browne 'Love is Strange'; Lou Reed 'Transformer'; Steely Dan 'AJA'; Stones 'Black+Blue'; Stephen Bishop 'Careless'; Nils Lofgren 'Night after Night'; Mike Oldfield 'Tubular Bells'; Neil Young 'Harvest'; Led Zep '4'; David Bowie 'David Live'; Van Morrison 'It's too late to stop now'; Wings 'Band on the Run'; Rod Stewart 'Atlantic Crossing'; Ryan Adams 'Heartbreaker'; Santana 'Essential'; Bob Dylan 'Desire'; Roxy Music 'For your pleasure'; Bob Marley 'Legend'; Stephen Fretwell 'Magpie'; James Taylor 'Sweet Baby James'; Deep Purple 'Machine Head'; Springsteen 'Darkness on the edge of town'; Leon Bridges 'Coming Home'; Eagles 'Hotel California'; Jungle; Aretha 'Soul Queen'; Neil Young 'After the Goldrush' ; Zappa 'Overnite Sensation'; Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours'; Keith Jarrett 'Koln Concert'; Doobies 'Southbound'; Stevie Earle 'I feel Alright'; Tom Waits 'Closing Time'; Pink Floyd 'Dark Side'; Van Morrison 'Moondance'; Eric Church 'Caught in the Act'; Randy Newman 'Little Criminals'; Elton John 'Madman across the water'; Patti Smith 'Horses'; Doobies 'Captain and Me'; Steely Dan 'Can't Buy a Thrill'.

Friday, 13 March 2015

What we've been listening to this week. Randy Newman 'Little Criminals'.


We put this on because we were still in that 1970's vibe, this from 1977.

When we now think of Randy Newman in here, the 'Lion King' gets mentioned (!) but he is an extraordinary songwriter. 

On this album, all of The Eagles play on the tracks (betcha' didn't know that) who were probably America's biggest band at the time, having just released 'Hotel California'. Ry Cooder also plays on it as does guitarist Waddy Watchtel. He was known for his association with Jackson Browne so we guess that's The Eagles connection here?

'Short People' always gets a smile on 'Little Criminals' but 'Jolly Coppers on Parade' and 'Baltimore' are superb nevermind the chilling song about a child killer, 'in Germany before the war' (check out Ireland's Freddie White's superb version of this).

Anyway, it's been a lovely listen all week in Streamabout. Really has.

Here's 'Baltimore' as a taster......."man it's hard just to live"....