Lately I've been going through a real Ry Cooder revival - listening binge over the last few weeks . Listening to all his classic Warner Brothers LPs from 1970's "Ry Cooder " to 1987's " Get Rhythm . " Enjoying getting re acquainted immensely . I can totally recommend this exercise .
Also I have been discussing Ry on line with others so inclined and somebody stated that David Lindley ( ex Kaleidoscope / Jackson Browne / El Rayo X ) played on Ry's most successful LP 1979's " Bop till you drop ".
At first I thought they were mistaken as I am an avid reader of album credits ( as I think most here are ) and I did not recall this. So I got out my copy of the album and sure enough David Lindley features on about half the tracks . This greatly surprised me. Not because DL is not a fantastic guitarist and well up to the task of playing with Ry . He absolutely is. My surprise is because I have all of Ry's solo catalogue and nowhere else does Ry share guitar duties. ( until his later world music collaborations . )
Does anyone here have any inside information on why Ry might have shared the guitar spot on this one occasion ? I do not recall reading at the time that Ry might have injured his hand or anything like that ?
Listening to the album I can't tell which might be Ry and which guitar is David ( ?)
[Edited on 5/28/2020 by midnightvwdriver]
[Edited on 5/28/2020 by midnightvwdriver]
I have a live album called The Family Tour from about 1994 and in big letters on the front it says Ry Cooder and David Lindley. Their offspring play on it too.
No I doubt Ry had hurt his hand during recording Bop Til You Drop. Ry produced Bop Till You Drop and David Lindley was one of the musicians Ry ask to play.
Ry has played with hundreds of musicians and singers. He played banjo for Bill Monroe and Doc Watson. Played guitar on some Rolling Stones albums. Played guitar for Kim Karnes who had the hit single Bette Davis Eyes and I remember she was pregnant and named the boy Ry after Cooder.
I checked the liner notes on Bop and both Ry and David are listed as Guitar and Mandolin so I don't know how you can tell them apart.
I use to have trouble telling Duane Allman from Dickey Betts on the old albums when there was no slide. But after a couple of years of listening, their styles and tones are so different. By 1972 I could spot one or the other immediately. I imagine as you soak up more and more Ry you will spot his playing when he is with other guitarists.
[Edited on 5/28/2020 by blackey]
thanks so much blackey ,
I will checl out that Family Tour disc.
Ry and David Lindley in 1990. Excellent picking from both.
I had never heard of a Dobro before my dad and I went to a Flatt & Scruggs concert about 1959 and I saw Josh Graves play one.
Both worked (previously) on the soundtrack for the film, "Long Riders" - which is a great movie!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Riders
Back in '95 I attended and taped about 75% of a benefit show for Jorge Calderon of Lindley's band, "El Rayo X". Ry and his son Juaquim were there along with Jackson, Zevon, Crosby & Nash. The show opened with with Mr. Dave and Ry playing quite a few tunes including "Jesus on the mainline" & "Snake" which I caught on tape and is part of the recording called "A Show of friends" which went down at the Hollywood Palace.
Here is the set list from that show:
Tell Him What You Want - Ry Cooder & D. Lindley
Snake - Cooder/Lindley
Breakin' up somebody's Home - David & Rosanne Lindley
Time - Graham Nash
Carry Me - Nash & Crosby
Something Fine - Jackson/Nash/Crosby
Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson/Nash
Lives in the Balance - Jackson
Too many angels - Jackson
World in Motion - Jackson
Lawless Ave. - Jackson
To a Dancer - Jackson/Lindley on fiddle
Hands Like a Man - El Rayo X
Talk to the lawyer - El Rayo X
El Rayo - El Rayo X
Gimme da 'Ting - El Rayo X
Werewolves of London - El Rayo X/Zevon
I happened to catch David Lindley & El Rayo X at a reggae fest I attended in the summer of 1986 or 1987. We were not there to see him, but he sure blew us away!! Great player, bandleader, frontman. Mr. Dave owned the crowd.
What a thrill to see the clip with those two playing together back in 1990 (thanks Black Key). I actually caught one of the shows from that same tour and in Yokohama of all places. I was spending a few months studying in Tokyo and catching live events with renowned western artists wasn't easy (the "biggee" was my only time seeing Paul McCartney at the Tokyo Dome). And the shows there were always extra expensive too.
Anyway, it was the same intimate setup and Ry's son was the only other member as I recall, sitting in for some percussion. A great show and a great memory.
