The Slide Area

Ry Cooder

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002KNE
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,547 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue-Eyed Soul at its Best, October 2, 2000

By	dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

Browse through the rhythm and blues section of your favorite CD cyberstore, and it's unlikely that you'll find a copy of The Slide Area. Too bad. Guitar champion Ry Cooder (along with his buddy John Haitt) has more soul in his little finger than contemporary artists the likes of Boyz II Men dream about.

The Slide Area opens with outrageous and funky `UFO Has Landed In The Ghetto.' The song includes Tim Drummond's ground-shaking bass rhythm, and a list of every funk and dance cliche every written. With visual impressions of an alien doing the funky chicken, I believe Cooder takes a cynical swipe at 160 beats per minute dance tempo music. Cooder's voice is at its soulful best, and with the help of his backup singers (Bobby King, Wilie Green, Herman Johnson) love songs such as Curtis Mayfield's `Gypsy Woman' recall the sweet soul music of the Inspirations. The band rocks `Mama Don't You Treat Your Daughter Mean.' The songwriting team of Cooder/Keltner might very well be penning R&B numbers for the Rolling Stones. I can imagine Jagger swaggering on stage, and Richards/Wood dueling guitars to `I'm Drinking Again.' On a final note, I believe `That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me' is Cooder's finest moment. If soul music is supposed to reach deep into the heart, then this composition is a winner - lonesome and heartbreaking.

Technical Note: The CD material makes no mention, but I suspect this is an analog recording. The recording and mastering is first-class - pushing the limits of analog to the edge. Note the sparkle of the percussion on `That's The Way.' I can't detect the slightest hint of distortion on the ground-shaking bass chords of `UFO.'

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue-Eyed Soul at its Best, October 2, 2000

By	dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

Browse through the rhythm and blues section of your favorite CD cyberstore, and it's unlikely that you'll find a copy of The Slide Area. Too bad. Guitar champion Ry Cooder (along with his buddy John Haitt) has more soul in his little finger than contemporary artists the likes of Boyz II Men dream about.

The Slide Area opens with outrageous and funky `UFO Has Landed In The Ghetto.' The song includes Tim Drummond's ground-shaking bass rhythm, and a list of every funk and dance cliche every written. With visual impressions of an alien doing the funky chicken, I believe Cooder takes a cynical swipe at 160 beats per minute dance tempo music. Cooder's voice is at its soulful best, and with the help of his backup singers (Bobby King, Wilie Green, Herman Johnson) love songs such as Curtis Mayfield's `Gypsy Woman' recall the sweet soul music of the Inspirations. The band rocks `Mama Don't You Treat Your Daughter Mean.' The songwriting team of Cooder/Keltner might very well be penning R&B numbers for the Rolling Stones. I can imagine Jagger swaggering on stage, and Richards/Wood dueling guitars to `I'm Drinking Again.' On a final note, I believe `That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me' is Cooder's finest moment. If soul music is supposed to reach deep into the heart, then this composition is a winner - lonesome and heartbreaking.

Technical Note: The CD material makes no mention, but I suspect this is an analog recording. The recording and mastering is first-class - pushing the limits of analog to the edge. Note the sparkle of the percussion on `That's The Way.' I can't detect the slightest hint of distortion on the ground-shaking bass chords of `UFO.'

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock Out!, October 28, 2004

By	AL.W PITTMAN (anderson, in United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Of all the Ry Cooder cd's I have, this is the one I keep going back to, why?, well it really rocks!, it lifts my spirits when I'm in a blue funk, get's me on my feet! great riffs by Ry, no flash, just tasteful licks, he puts them in the right spots. Some of the cleverest lyric's you will hear, and the background vocals fit like a famous California glove, and the way Ry sings, well he could of had a second career, there are far worse voices out there that made it. get it and enjoy!