Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Already a seasoned music business veteran at the age of 22, Ry Cooder stepped out from behind the shadows of the likes of Jackie DeShannon, Taj Mahal, the Rolling Stones, and Captain Beefheart, signing his own deal with Warner Brothers records in 1969. Released the following year, Cooder's eponymous debut creates an intriguing fusion of blues, folk, rock & roll, and pop, filtered through his own intricate, syncopated guitar; Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker's idiosyncratic production; and Parks and Kirby Johnson's string arrangements. And while he's still finding his feet as a singer, Cooder puts this unique blend across with a combination of terrific songs, virtuosic playing, and quirky, yet imaginative, arrangements. For material, Cooder, the son of folklorist parents, unearths ten gems -- spanning six decades dating back to the 1920s -- by legends such as Woody Guthrie, Blind Blake, Sleepy John Estes, and Leadbelly, as well as a current Randy Newman composition. Still, as great as his outside choices are, it's the exuberant charm of his own instrumental "Available Space" that nearly steals the show. Its joyful interplay between Cooder's slide, Van Dyke Parks' music hall piano, and the street-corner drumming creates a piece that is both loose and sophisticated. If "Available Space" is the record's most playful moment, its closer, "Dark Is the Night," is the converse, with Cooder's stark, acoustic slide extracting every ounce of torment from Blind Willie Johnson's mournful masterpiece. Some of the eccentric arrangements may prove to be a bit much for both purists and pop audiences alike, but still, Cooder's need to stretch, tempered with a reverence for the past, helps to create a completely original work that should reward adventurous listeners.
© Brett Hartenbach /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $16.65/month
Jones, Writer - Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Young, Writer - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Higginbotham, Writer - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - Joe Callicott, Writer - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Louis Singer, Writer - Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - HY ZARET, Writer - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Woody Guthrie, Writer - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - Randy Newman, Writer - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - Alfred Reed, Writer - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Huddie Ledbetter, Writer - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Arthur Blake, Writer - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Estes, Writer - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Van Dyke Parks, Producer, Piano - Chris Ethridge, Performance - LENNY WARONKER, Producer - Milt Holland, Performance - Ry Cooder, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist - Blind Willie Johnson, Writer - Max Bennett, Performance - Ritchie Hayward, Performance - Kirby Johnson, Orchestration - Roy Estrada, Performance - John Barbeda, Performance
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Album review
Already a seasoned music business veteran at the age of 22, Ry Cooder stepped out from behind the shadows of the likes of Jackie DeShannon, Taj Mahal, the Rolling Stones, and Captain Beefheart, signing his own deal with Warner Brothers records in 1969. Released the following year, Cooder's eponymous debut creates an intriguing fusion of blues, folk, rock & roll, and pop, filtered through his own intricate, syncopated guitar; Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker's idiosyncratic production; and Parks and Kirby Johnson's string arrangements. And while he's still finding his feet as a singer, Cooder puts this unique blend across with a combination of terrific songs, virtuosic playing, and quirky, yet imaginative, arrangements. For material, Cooder, the son of folklorist parents, unearths ten gems -- spanning six decades dating back to the 1920s -- by legends such as Woody Guthrie, Blind Blake, Sleepy John Estes, and Leadbelly, as well as a current Randy Newman composition. Still, as great as his outside choices are, it's the exuberant charm of his own instrumental "Available Space" that nearly steals the show. Its joyful interplay between Cooder's slide, Van Dyke Parks' music hall piano, and the street-corner drumming creates a piece that is both loose and sophisticated. If "Available Space" is the record's most playful moment, its closer, "Dark Is the Night," is the converse, with Cooder's stark, acoustic slide extracting every ounce of torment from Blind Willie Johnson's mournful masterpiece. Some of the eccentric arrangements may prove to be a bit much for both purists and pop audiences alike, but still, Cooder's need to stretch, tempered with a reverence for the past, helps to create a completely original work that should reward adventurous listeners.
© Brett Hartenbach /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:29:56
- Main artists: Ry Cooder
- Label: Warner Records
- Genre: Country
© 1970 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1970 Warner Records Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.