a look at the beginnings of a never ending journey

Ry Cooder 

Prodigal Son

Fantasy Records

   I am sure Joachim Cooder, Ry’s son, will be happy to assume all the blame and place it squarely on his own shoulders if it would get his dad to do another disc such as this one.  They are a good team together, watching them work you can see that family telepathy often kicks in so oft times there is no need for speaking, the other person just knows what has to be done, and does it.  Then you have Ry Cooder’s old comfortable team, from long long ago of Terry Evans and Bobby King doing vocals enriched here with added voice by Arnold McCuller.  With a thought of doing an album of basically gospel songs that aren’t very preachy and you have the ground work for this disc.  Don’t forget there is Mr. Cooder’s guitar work that has made him a legend in the over 50 years he has been playing.  He first came to audience attention way back playing with the Rising Sons with Taj Mahal, back then he started conversations with his incendiary guitar work. Oft time you find yourself saying wait a minute did I hear that correctly?  Oh my god let me play that again, I can’t believe it, it is so understated and yet clearly a mountain that he climbed.  

If you think of an influential musician from that era there is a good chance Ry played with them; from Captain Beefheart, to the Rolling Stones, and all the members’ individuals projects, to Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and on and on. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEUIZWyieAk

   He is one of the legends of the guitar and he is doing as he has always done, playing what he has found and putting it out there for all of us to enjoy.  Before we get carried away and forget there is the work he did with traditional Cuban musicians with the Buena Vista Social Club!   Just a side note reminder for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VWy8yll3jA

   In all honesty this is a family disc as Ry Cooder is doing the vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, and keyboard; Joachim Cooder is playing drums and percussion; with Robert Francis, bass on “you must unload’; Aubrey Haynie, violin on “you must unload’; and the afore mentioned trio doing vocals.  The songs are mostly Traditional and/or written by Ry or Ry and Joachim; and one by Alfred Reed, one by Carter Stanley, and one by William Dawson.  However they all do stay in that Country/Gospel/Blues feel. This disc is filled with that music that is both new/old/traditional/progressive and always groundbreaking.  It is music that is made by a man who has mastered his craft (as much as it can be called mastered) and is going to keep pushing it to new heights as long as he can push it.  

   This last clip is for David who once asked about what goes into the making of an album from the artists point of view, this speaks only to Ry Cooder and where and how he went on this last disc he did; and since he is such an iconic figure, who many of you grew up with, also learned how to play slide guitar from (all of you inspired to learn slide guitar by him please raise your right hand), because he has been around for this long and gone through so many genres of music with, yet always steeped in those Country Blues.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5GtXp64NYE

by bob gottlieb