RY COODER - BOOMER'S STORY (180G)

Named after Carson Robison's tale of a vagrant, Ry Cooder continues his sonic archaeological and cultural-historical excavations of Americana's known and forgotten past on his third album, "Boomer's Story." As with his earlier recordings, he not only draws on the masters - including blues legend Sleepy John Estes, songwriter Dan Penn (both make an appearance on this LP) and the great Skip James - but also on lost and neglected pieces of American folk, blues and soul music. The album opens with the traditional title track and Lawrence Wilson's "Crow Black Chicken" from the late 1920s - both pieces are interpreted with just the right balance of personality and respect. He lends a dark irony to the "Rally 'Round The Flag", which is chauvinistic from today's point of view, with his slow sad piano played by Randy Newman and his slide guitar, while the guitar arrangement in the style of Joseph Spence conveys a feeling of hope and courage to the "Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer". On four of the ten tracks, Cooder steps back from the microphone, leaving it to Sleepy John Estes in his own "President Kennedy" instead. Among the instrumental pieces, "Dark End Of The Street" stands out, Cooder realizes that in order to do justice to James Carr's definitive version, the only option is his own remorseful slide guitar. Without singing a single word, he manages to convey the shame and deep regret of the classic by Dan Penn/Chips Moman. "Boomer's Story" is an enchanting portrait of inspired execution and inventive craftsmanship that, after years of neglect, can finally boast the analog sound that does justice to the performances with this release. This Speakers Corner reissue LP Recording: 1972 in various studios by various engineers, among them Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Sheffield, Alabama Production: Jim Dickinson and Lenny Waronker

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