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Binding: Audio CDEAN: 0075597990058 Label: Nonesuch Manufacturer: Nonesuch MPN: 511762 Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Nonesuch Release Date: June 24, 2008 Studio: Nonesuch Editorial Review: Amazon.com: Ry Cooder's I, Flathead, is the culmination of his ambitious and fascinating "California Trilogy," the last of three albums in which the singer and guitarist journeys through the real and imagined history of mid-20th century, multi-ethnic California, sampling the sounds of its barrios and byways, its nightclubs and honkytonks. He encounters the disenfranchised, the hopeful, the cheerfully strange and seriously nefarious, along with the occasional alien who races around in a souped-up flying saucer on the desert salt flats. On previous installments, Chávez Ravine (2005) and My Name Is Buddy (2007), learning the facts and stories behind Cooder's songs made them even more compelling, whether it was the not-quite vanished legacy of the Chávez Ravine neighborhood of Los Angeles, bulldozed to make way for Dodger Stadium, or the allegorical, Bound For Glory-like adventures of Buddy Red Cat in a time of commie-baiting and union-busting. This time, however, no research is necessary: Cooder, a California native, has written a remarkable 104-page novella to accompany this disc, a surreally funny page-turner of a tale about itinerant musician Kash Buk and the various characters he meets in his travels out west, all of whom get to narrate parts of the story. If you mixed John Steinbeck with, say, Thomas Pynchon, and threw in a bit of Popular Mechanics for good measure, it might read something like the I, Flathead narrative. Album Description: Ry Cooder's I, Flathead is the culmination of his ambitious and fascinating "California Trilogy," the last of three albums in which the singer and guitarist journeys through the real and imagined history of mid-20th century, multi-ethnic California, sampling the sounds of its barrios and byways, its nightclubs and honkytonks. The CD functions beautifully on its own, but also serves as a sort of soundtrack to the book equivalent. Abetting Cooder in his story telling is a veritable repertory of players who've appeared in the previous discs in the trilogy, among them drummer Joachim Cooder, Jim Keltner, Flaco Jimenez, Jon Hassell, Juliette Commagere and Gil Bernal. Average Rating:
 Rating: - Still going strong.This new Album from Ry Cooder is a knockout. I thought that he had topped it with Buena Vista Social Club, but this ROCKS. It showcases every style that the man has given us........... it is SENSATIONAL. I would LOVE to hear his next album be a classical one, as I think that that's all that is left. For fans young and old, do yourselves a favour and buy this. Rating: - 5 Star Slide phenomIf you aren't well versed with Ry Cooder's music, you can be fairly certain that you'll get great music no matter which album of his you buy. This is the final of a trilogy about Los Angeles in the first half of the 20th century. Each has tells the story of the city and it's people. First was the album 'Chavez Ravine', the family oriented hispanic neighborhood cleared out to build Dodger Stadium. The second, 'My name is Buddy', is a fabulous ride through depression era migration and American socialism. ... Read More Rating: - Finally, an album surpassing his early work.I love this album. I've been waiting years for Ry to equal Boomer's Story and Borderline and his early work (most of which I bought on casette 30 years or so ago and still have). I frequently listen to Buena Vista Social Club, but Ry's contribution on that was impressarial rather than musical. This album has great electric guitar and lyrics but I believe Ry's vocals are better than they have ever been. Maybe age has smoothed out the gravel a bit, or maybe he just ... Read More Rating:  - A fine end piece to his trilogy.It takes courage to release a concept album, and something close to mad faith in one's art to release three in succession, as Ry Cooder has. The concept album is usually an accident waiting to happen, so Ry Cooder is pushing his luck making three in a row. "I, Flathead" is the concluding part of his 'California Trilogy', following 2005's "Chavez Ravine" and last year's "My Name Is Buddy", and it's a tribute to Cooder's talents that it's a match for either. More than four decades since he ... Read More |
