Ry Cooder - unusual career curve - GuitarTalk Community

Ry Cooder - unusual career curve

Bob-Dubery

I'm quite intrigued by the way that Mr Cooder's career has developed. He started off as a session player, then released a string of albums that were primarily covers and, I guess, sort of musicological exercises. He seemed to be particularly in Tex-Mex (often supported by the accordion playing of Flaco Jiminez) and dust-bowl era Americana. What we didn't see much was Cooder as songwriter. Even when an album did have something with his name against it, it was usually a co-write.

This phase of his career continued until 1987's Get Rhythm (3 out of 9 songs have Cooder's name in the credits, 2 of them co-writes). Thereafter he seemed to be more interested in collaborations in what we might term World Music, notably the album he cut with Ali Farka Toure and the very successful Buena Vista Social Club.

Then suddenly in 2005 we get Chavez Ravine, the first album credited to "Ry Cooder" in 18 years. More Cooder writing credits than in the past, but several co-writes and there are plenty of other composers on the album too. This album was received with fairly loud critical hosannas, though more was yet to come as Cooder pushed on with what he calls his "California Trilogy" and released I, Flathead and My Name is Buddy. The critics go increasingly singe merde and Cooder is now writing nearly everything himself.

Last year he released Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down and the critics continue to dish out 5 star ratings like there's no tomorrow and, again, he is the main composer (one song being a co-write with Jim Keltner). This album scored 92 on meta-critic, which suggests that nobody was panning it and everybody was praising it. Cooder's now showing a gift for mimicry with a near flawless impersonation of one of his musical heroes on "John Lee Hooker for President".

This year we get Election Special and reviews along the lines of "...just when you thought he couldn't possibly do better..." (though I note that meta-critic scored it at 77, which indicates "generally favourable". I suspect scores might have been reduced because the material on this album is not likely to have a lot of relevance in a year or so's time). Once again he writes it all, and whilst it's all his, it's steeped in his influences and much of it could have come from the earlier eras that he so treasures. Oh... and this time he channels the ghost of Elmore James.

Thing is this: Cooder released his first album under his own name in 1970. It's 35 years later (including an 18 year break between records under his own name) that we suddenly see Cooder the songwriter emerging and do a pretty good job. I think that's unusual, that degree of development that late into a career.

singemonkey

I need to start listening. He's definitely one of those artists who hasn't grown tired and predictable with age. Peace and love is all very well, but holding onto some of your anger can make you much more interesting.

PeteM

Maybe he was too busy earning a living to spend time on creating original music which might not have proved to be lucrative... just saying.

Bob-Dubery

PeteM wrote: Maybe he was too busy earning a living to spend time on creating original music which might not have proved to be lucrative... just saying.

He's always done a lot of studio work, and some movie soundtracks, but from 1970 to 1987 he had a string of albums in his own name, and they had very little original content - indeed some of them had none at all.

I just find it interesting that this far into his career he suddenly starts writing his own material.

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote: I need to start listening. He's definitely one of those artists who hasn't grown tired and predictable with age. Peace and love is all very well, but holding onto some of your anger can make you much more interesting.

My advice: Head straight for Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down.

What I find interesting on the latest two records is how much he sounds like Keith Richards at times. Though, of course, he's actually sounding like himself - he showed Keith the open G tuning and some licks whilst doing a session on an early stones album. Said tuning and licks are now part of the Keef vocabulary. Listening to the last two albums I can clearly hear the influence that he's had on Richards, though if you know the Stones but not Cooder and you don't know the story you might think he's copping stuff from Keef.

Jack-Flash-Jr

I find his material like Pull Up too... depthless? What's the word. Light? As in not dark. Just a personal thing. My two favourite recordings of his are Paris Texas soundtrack... sublime and Sister Morphine with Stones. Other than PT I prefer his collaborations because other musos seem to add weight, and in PT's case Wim Wenders and Sam Shepherd brought the goods.

This is aaaaaaaaawesome:

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Bob-Dubery

Jack Flash Jr wrote: I find his material like Pull Up too... depthless? What's the word. Light? As in not dark. Just a personal thing. My two favourite recordings of his are Paris Texas soundtrack... sublime and Sister Morphine with Stones. Other than PT I prefer his collaborations because other musos seem to add weight, and in PT's case Wim Wenders and Sam Shepherd brought the goods.

I think there's an argument to be had that his best recorded playing was on John Hiatt's Bring The Family. A fab album for many reasons, Cooder's playing being one of them. Great song writing on that album too. Hiatt's performance is strong. Jim Keltner is right on the money. This is one of those magical albums made on a shoe string budget and in an implausible amount of time (4 days or something ridiculous). They (Hiatt, Keltner, Cooder and Nick Lowe) tried to recreate the magic with the Little Village project but couldn't strike the same spark again.

Chabenda

Jack Flash Jr wrote: I find his material like Pull Up too... depthless? What's the word. Light? As in not dark. Just a personal thing. My two favourite recordings of his are Paris Texas soundtrack... sublime and Sister Morphine with Stones. Other than PT I prefer his collaborations because other musos seem to add weight, and in PT's case Wim Wenders and Sam Shepherd brought the goods.

This is aaaaaaaaawesome:

=

Feelin' Bad Blues is one of my all time favourites - along with 'Paris, Texas'!