Take That Ride

Let's enjoy a cool couple of tracks from a fine fine Ry Cooder gig today. It's 1974, we're in New York's legendary Bottom Line club, and brother Ry is in his prime, so here we go.

Ry Cooder - Preacher (live '74)
Ry Cooder - Goin' To Brownsville (live '74)

Here Comes Johnny

High time for another musical six pack, my amigos da musica, so here we go. Artwork as usual by the mighty Tinca. Johnny come listen... To be continued soon, as there's a lot of Johnnys about...

George Russell and his Smalltet - Round Johnny Rondo

Charlie Feathers - Johnny Come Listen

Terry Callier - Johnny Be Gay If You Can Be
Connie Converse - Johnny's Brother

Ry Cooder - Johnny Porter

Wendy - Bye Bye Johnny

Still Worth Doing

Down here at FTSOTS headquarters we completely agree with Kris Kristofferson's maybe not very subtle but most definitely heartfelt motto: if you don't like Hank Williams, buddy, you can kiss my ass. Which is precisely why we present these honest homages to the Hillbilly Shakespeare this fine Monday. "We never met I know and yet I know you well my friend, and if ever I get to heaven on high I hope you'll shake my hand..." Amen to that.

Kris Kristofferson - If You Don't Like Hank Williams
Moe Bandy - Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life
Jimmy Murphy - I Long To Hear Hank Sing The Blues
Stoney Edwards - Hank And Lefty Raised My Country Soul
Freddie Hart - Hank Williams' Guitar
Tim Hardin - Tribute To Hank Williams
Mark Chesnutt & George Jones - Talking To Hank
Waylon Jennings - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
Johnny Cash - The Night Hank Williams Came To Town
Ry Cooder - Hank Williams

Y Nada Más

Cuba calling. I've loved these guys ever since their Ry Cooder produced eponymous smash appeared out of nowhere back in '97, although it soon got a little tiring hearing it in every restaurant, bar or chiringuito you found yourself in. But that was then and this is now, and there's a new compilation called Lost And Found to be enjoyed. A bit of a ramshackle collection of live tracks, outtakes and rest material it may be, but listen closely and you'll unearthen some real gems for sure. Take the infectuous Tiene Sabor for instance, sung by the wonderful Omara Portuondo. Tastes good, huh?

Buena Vista Social Club - Tiene Sabor

Have Mercy

Original and cover. Written by Joe South, the bittersweet Down In The Boondocks was first recorded by Billie Joe Royal, who took it to the charts in '65. Nice one, but Ry Cooder's slower and grittier version from 1980, with Bobby King on lead vocals if my ears don't deceive me, may very well be the definitive interpretation.

Billie Joe Royal - Down In The Boondocks
Ry Cooder - Down In The Boondocks

Look Bright

A subtle blues by the Rising Sons, the commercially unsuccesful '64 combo that gave both Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal their first shot at stardom. Needless to say, both shine here. "Can't get to Natchez, they tell me there's high water there..."

Rising Sons - By And Bye (Poor Me)

Ry's Writings

"A woman in a prewar Dodge coupe passed them on the road. She was headed for Brakke's. She turned into the parking lot and drove the car up to the front door. Inside, the boys were just getting started on Divorce Me C.O.D., which had been a big hit for Merle. The woman opened the trunk and began to throw items of men's clothing out onto the parking lot. Suits, shirts, underwear, shoes, the works. When she was done, she backed the Dodge out. The future ex-Mrs. Ray McKinney headed north toward Willow Springs in a cloud of oil smoke."

Yup, that's Ry Cooder writing. Renowned roots musician and producer, movie soundtrack specialist, guitar magician, and now an author, too. And a damn good one at that. I'm currently reading his first collection of noir short stories, and it holds me spellbound.

Merle Travis - Divorce Me C.O.D.

Ry Cooder - Mexican Divorce

The Numbers Game

Because it all adds up in the end anyway, here's a somewhat mathematical ten pack for your listening pleasure. Buy some albums if you like what you hear, mi amigos da musica. I've got your number.

Wire - The 15th MP3

Mantis - 199(7)1 MP3

The Outcasts - 1523 Blair MP3

Ry Cooder - 634-5789 MP3

Pere Ubu - Cloud 149 MP3

Prince Pompidou - 70 Times 7 MP3

Dead Moon - 54 40 Or Fight MP3

The Godz - 1+1=? MP3

The Haunted - 1-2-5 MP3

Easter Monkeys - Heaven/.357 MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 37

It´s gonna be a Wild Weekend, issue 37. Where East meets West and the well known goes hand in hand with the obscure. What have we got in store for you this week? Some Britfolk, soul, and afro-reggae, a shot of dino-rock, an Indian ghazal, and a promising new Americana trio to boot. Have a wild one, y´all.

We´ll kick off with some shimmering soul featuring brother Ry and friends, who give the Maurice & Mac classic Why Don´t You Try Me a whole new coat of paint. From the mighty fine Borderline album (´80). Give it a try why don´t you. Time to go pentangling now. I was enjoying some beers with a friend of mine recently when he put an old Pentangle album on, and it amazed us all over again how fresh these British folkrockers still sound today. Bert Jansch and John Renbourn: a wiz guitar team if ever there was one. "Look around for someone lying in the sunshine, marking time, hear the sighs, close your eyes..." And in case you were wondering: that´s the underrated Jaqui McShee on vocals.

Ry Cooder - Why Don´t You Try Me MP3

Pentangle - Light Flight (Take Three Girls Theme) MP3

May we continue with a new band now? Thanks. Presenting Woodsy Pride, an Americana threesome all the way from Redhook, Brooklyn. Wasn´t that the birthplace of Joey, the famous mafioso Dylan wrote such a great but controversial song about? Cool. Anyway, they call their stuff ´southern gothic´ and I sure can live with that. Nice lap steel, too, which is always a good thing. Next we move all the way to India for a relaxed ghazal by a contemporary singer called Hariharan. If I´m not mistaken, the delicate Hasti Apni Habab Ki Si Hai was written by Mir Taqi Mir, the most famous Urdu poet of the eighteenth century. Yes, it´s that old. No idea what he´s on about though. Anyone?

Woodsy Pride - As Always A Good Thing MP3

Hariharan - Hasti Apni Habab Ki Si Hai MP3

On to Jamaica now, with one of the weirdest ventures in the Lee Perry catalogue: his collaboration with Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo. These two singers from Zaire were brought to Kingston in the year when the two sevens clashed, by some malafide promotor who abandoned them almost right away. The duo didn´t speak the language and had no money, but did manage to locate Perry´s famous Black Ark studio somehow. Scratch then worked his magic and produced what was probably the first Afro-Jamaican crossover. Irie or what? And we´ll be off with a pastoral classic by Led Zep. This time Sir Percy´s in pursuit of a Californian beauty who´s never been born. "Meet you up there where the path runs straight and high..." Deal.

Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo - African Roots MP3

Led Zeppelin - Going To California MP3

Two From Frederick

"Trouble, you can´t fool me, I see you behind that tree..." I wrote a piece about Ry Cooder´s fine cover version of Trouble, You Can´t Fool Me on the Groover´s Paradise blog recently. Check it out, it´s still up. Had to admit I´d never heard the original by an Alabama soulman called Frederick Knight, who recorded it as Trouble for the mighty Stax label back in the early seventies. But I finally managed to track down a copy and it´s easy to see why Cooder picked it. Man, that choppy guitar is funky.

And maybe even better is another Frederick Knight song I found while I was at it. You´re probably familiar with I´ve Been Lonely For So Long because of Mick Jagger´s interpretation on his solo album Wandering Spirit from ´93. Knight´s version is the real deal though. "Just can´t seem to get ahead in life, nothin´ I do ever turns out right, won´t somebody help me please..." They sure don´t come any sadder than this one.

Frederick Knight - Trouble MP3

Frederick Knight - I´ve Been Lonely For So Long MP3

Married Man´s A Fool

"Ever since you walked right in, the circle's been complete,

I've said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street,
To the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun,
I love you more than ever and I haven't yet begun..."

Thanks for that, Bob, could not have said it any better myself. As it happens to be my - umpteenth - wedding anniversary today, here´s a tenpack of songs about that weird phenomenon called marriage. Married man may be a fool, Ry, and granted Tom, I do indeed have to ask permission when I want to go out fishin´, but that´s cool with me.

"And I could never let you go, no matter what goes on,

'Cause I love you more than ever now that the past is gone..."

Ry Cooder - Married Man´s A Fool MP3

Bob Dylan - Wedding Song MP3

Tom Waits - Better Off Without A Wife MP3

George Jones & Tammy Wynette - Golden Ring MP3

David Bowie - Be My Wife MP3

Blind Willie Reynolds - Married Man Blues MP3

Freda Payne - Band Of Gold MP3

Jimi Hendrix Experience - 51st Anniversary MP3

Replacements - You´re Getting Married MP3

Moby Grape - Gypsy Wedding MP3