Customer Reviews

I, Flathead

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 emerged as an electric blues guitarist so highly rated that he turned down an offer to join the Rolling Stones when they looked for a replacement for Brian Jones in the Sixties, Cooder has ploughed a less commercial but hugely rewarding furrow as possibly America's most important rock musician.
A set of linked songs supposedly performed by one Kash Buk and his 'Klowns', a circle of 'petrolheads': drag racers and automotive junkies who wander the salt flats of California in the early 60s.
This third album in the guitarist's recent Californian collection is the most essential, with the former Captain Beefheart and Randy Newman sideman mining a rich southern Cafifornia seam.
Kash's story is nostalgic for a time when weird was commonplace. There are a couple of awkward narrative moments but they're soon forgotten in a project that affirms Cooder's acute sense of place and musical history, and his fiery ambition to make 'vernacular American music'.
The music is sharp and enjoyably coherent throughout. The playing is sublime, the drama captivating - check out "Can I Smoke In Here" for authentic atmosphere and "Pink O Boogie" for jangly In Here' for authentic atmosphere and 'Pink O Boogie' for jangly paranoia.
Pick of the album: "Waitin' For Some Girl", "Ridin' With the Blues", "Can I Smoke In Here" , "Pink-O Boogie", "5,000 Country Music Songs".

Chavez Ravine
My Name Is Buddy

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 found his true voice.

If 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. If allegory leaves you cold, just enjoy the music. This album, 'I Flathead' is the final of the trio. If you really want a treat, the CD versions of Buddy and Flathead each include a very cool, small graphic novel within the CD case to accompany the album. Ry is one of our finest Musicologist and maybe the best slide player alive. (though Sonny Landreth is fabulous).

I, Flathead may have been the best of album of 2008. It will certainly have the longest life, as these tracks will hold relevancy for years to come. It's fun, it's amusing, and at the same time tinted with dark edges of reality that time moves forward, things are ever-changing. An irresponsible cad with an eye for young women, a sideshow dwarf, a mechanic out of patience to get paid for his work, a failed songwriter, these are only a few of the characters in this book of verse on life, looking back, and still looking forward. Rolled together, these stories are not just songs, they are us. In some way, they are all of us, with a red Naugahyde decor, asking for ashtray, having awoken from a dream knowing that "time is all you've got." It's life and death, reality, and no punches pulled in the name of sensitivity.
Production is clean, dynamic, and alive, with a band-in-the-room feel. I should have bought this album the day it was released.
Five stars and cheers for more!

I've always heard about Ry Cooder's sterling credentials as a musican. It's just that I had the impression that most of his stuff was on the goofy side. But, since he is one of the top slide guitar players, I wanted something from him in our collection. To my surprise this is a great album and the thing that I really like about it (besides the excellent instrumentation) is that the lyrics are so entertaining. Instead of a disc to be played a couple times and put on the shelf, this is one to be played over and over and over again.

I remember when I first got into this trilogy with Chavez Ravine that this album was given the lowest reviews of the bunch from the major critics, but I am not sure why.

Sure, this album may not be as in depth of a social or historical commentary as Chavez Ravine or even the allegorical statement that My Name is Buddy is, but the one thing that I love about this album is that it is fun. It is upbeat and has a relaxed mood that just works. While I like all three albums, this is the one I listen to the most because it flows quite well from start to finish, and it makes me happy.

I kind of think this is what Ry Cooder was going for. It isn't devoid of the social commentary the first two components of the trilogy have, but they don't dominate this recording. For my ears it is a nice balance that is probably why I listen to this album so much. It is great music, and I love listening to it on a nice sunny day, and I find the underlying story a bit comedic at times while it never neglects the seriousness of some issues.

There is a release that is a limited edition with an additional hard cover booklet written by Ry. It makes a nice addition for a few extra dollars in that it provides a nice story line that complements the album. It isn't absolutely necessary, as it is really about the music, but it can be a nice addition to the album.

I, Flathead is a concept album and it is the third in his "Calfornia triology" and one has to admire a person that releases a concept album since it is very far from the safe ground of selling a pop album. The album has alot of Americana in it with references to drag racing, listening to Jonny Cash as a child and many more. The booklet is quite a piece of work and has a very nice linernotes written by Ry Cooder in which he explains why he recorded this album and what he hoped to accomplish. The lyris are in a very easy to read font and for every song you get a list of wo plays what. 4/5.

I bought this for my husband's b'day. He has been a music connisseur forever...I sometimes hesitate wondering whether he will like an artist. He love this and so do I..I felt Ry Cooter couldn't loose and this release is enought of a change from the Ry Cooter of earlier days to be a fantastic and enjoyable trip into new territory with an old friend. Buy and enjoy....Great road, traveling music amd we're headed to the beach in a few days....I can feel it now...

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.

If you are a fan of the Southern California sound of the 60's this will make you feel young again.