Why don't you try me (Ry Cooder) (LP 2134 - 2139)

Ry Cooder  Borderline (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1980) ****  

Ry Cooder  The Border (Vinyl, Backstreet Records, 1982) *****  

Ry Cooder  Paris, Texas (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1985) ***  

Ry Cooder  Get Rhythm (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1987) ****

Ry Cooder  Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down (CD, Nonesuch Records, 2011) ***    

Ry Cooder and Corridos Famosos  Live in San Francisco (Vinyl, Nonesuch Records, 2013) ***  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records (Borderline/ Get Rhythm); Real Groovy Records (The Border); Lindsay Hope collection (Paris, Texas); JB Hi-Fi (the rest).

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Across The Borderline (The Border); Across The Borderline (Get Rhythm)

Gear costume: Simple Tools (Pull Up Some Dust...); Get Rhythm 

Active compensatory factors: The second half of my Ry Cooder collection is much spottier. as I sort of stopped and started buying his stuff from 1978 onwards.

Jazz didn't interest me (I suspect he lost quite a few listeners with that one) and the mega seller Bop Till You Drop sounded too commercial to my ears (a whole lot of people bought that one who I suspect knew little about his earlier records). 

So, it wasn't until 1980's Borderline that I re-enlisted. Two years on from Jazz and a sound that is unrecognisable!

Synths? Digital recording? Ry Cooder?? No way!! Yes way!!

Tim Drummond adds rock muscle on bass, Jim Keltner, who had been on those earlier albums as well, adjusts and lays down the beat! First track, 634-5789, lays down a marker and from then on Ry is different - but in a good way.

The subject matter and sound is like a Bruce Springsteen album - down and outers, those born on the wrong side of town, losers, and the broken hearted - they are all represented but there is also a nice humourous side that isn't Bruce. Crazy 'Bout An Automobile rocks with a smile on its face!

His soundtrack work was a sideline that was obviously very lucrative. His wikipedia page lists around 15 soundtrack albums!

The Border came in 1982. It's a good film (Jack Nicolson heads a great cast) but the music is even better. The cinematic/ thematic approach suits Ry's rootsy approach to a tee. 

Freddy Fender's vocals on Across The Borderline are a standout on an excellent album which also includes Jim Dickinson (Texas Bop), Sam Samudio (Palomita, No Quiero), Brenda Patterson (Building Fires) and John Haitt (Too Late, Skin Game).

Paris, Texas contains some masterfully atmospheric guitar by Ry, but it also contains some lengthy dialogue from the film which I quickly become bored by, even if it is Harry Dean Stanton.

Get Rhythm, from 1987 has a superb new version of Across The Borderline, this time featuring Ry and the aforementioned Harry Dean Stanton on vocals instead of Freddy Fender.

That plus some rockin' versions of songs by Johnny Cash (Get Rhythm), Elvis (All Shook Up) and Chuck Berry (13 Question Method).

The other drawcards are the return of both Van Dyke Parks and Flaco Jimenez to the cause. It's a heady brew! Prime rockin' Ry.

Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down is a studio album from 2011. It has its moments but the political stuff doesn't grab me too much and Ry's vocals aren't his strongest suit.

These days I can suss out albums easily via Spotify and I wouldn't have committed some hard earned moolah on this one if I'd had a pre-listen.

The 2013 Live in San Francisco album is a bit unfortunate because I was wanting another Showtime. But Ry is 36 years older and my expecting another Showtime is quite frankly ridiculous crazy talk!

But in my defense - all the elements were there: the same songs give or take, Flaco Jimenez, and San Francisco!!!

Once I got past that, subsequent listens have revealed a master craftsman at work. Boomer's Story for instance is just wonderful! And the solo Vigilante Man is extraordinary!

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Ry.