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ated among
the fi nest of
Cooder’s 17
Rsolo albums,
Paradise And Lunch,
his fourth release, is easily
deserving of Vinyl Icon status.
Ryland Peter Cooder fi rst
achieved wide recognition as an
in-demand axe-slinger who worked
with The Rolling Stones, Little Feat,
Van Morrison and countless other
artists. But to think of him simply
as a superbly tasteful guitarist does JOACHIM COODER
not do him full justice.
He’s not a great songwriter,
or a fantastic vocalist, but from
the outset of his career he
demonstrated an uncanny knack é Label I wondered how we ought to do it,
for unearthing relatively obscure for the so he just said, “You do it like this,
songs that were not only unjustly original LP then you play this, so and so sings
overlooked gems, but were also on Reprise that, and that’s how it’s done”.
ideal for him to perform. Records ‘All of a sudden you fi nd you’re
learning a whole great big thing
GORGEOUS GOSPEL Cooder about arrangements which stays
From 1974, Paradise And Lunch ìposes with you, although it doesn’t
amply demonstrates all of his gifts for a promo happen very often.’ As with all
from the opening twangs of the shot in 2018 Cooder albums, Paradise And
first track, the traditional work song Lunch is about a well-ordered

‘Tamp ’Em Up Solid’. Cooder sets it The sequence of perfectly arranged

to a lively shuffle beat, and colours ìrear of performances rather than
it with gorgeous gospel-like male the LP sleeve overwrought emotional impact,
backing vocals, while his guitar – a cocktail high-end production or gasp-
sparkles and dances throughout. It’s of sounds, inducing instrumental virtuosity. Cooder takes a rare co-writing
hardly an earth-shatteringly original perhaps? credit on this song, because, ‘There
arrangement, but Cooder and his SHIMMERING GUITAR were a lot of verses I didn’t include,
crew deliver exactly what it needs. Cooder The 1929 composition ‘You Can’t church verses about people who
‘That’s an old railroad song I ê caught Stop A Tattler’ by the Texan gospel- go to church on Sunday, raise hell
heard from Josh White’, he has on camera in blues performer Washington Phillips on Monday. People who don’t put
explained. ‘One of the gospel singers the mid ’70s And His Manzarene Dreams is next any money in the collection box.
on the record, Bill Johnson, knew it. up for transformation. Cooder People making dates with their
takes what was a neighbour’s wife in
simple moral tale ‘“I can’t stand church’. Feeling that
accompanied by such preachy lyrics
nothing more than a girl singers, wouldn’t work for a
lightly plucked zither hip 1970s audience,
and elevates it to though not Cooder simply went
another realm with yet and left them out.
more gospel vocals, a personally”’ His rearrangement
deliciously understated resulted in a song
Nick De Caro string arrangement, that was certainly more accessible
and his own shimmering guitar lines. to contemporary listeners, as was

Cooder has always employed confirmed when Linda Ronstadt
unusual tunings in his arrangements, covered Cooder’s arrangement on
and ‘The Tattler’ is one of the fi nest her 1976 Grammy-winning album
examples of this. ‘The overall sound Hasten Down The Wind.

of “The Tattler”,’ Cooder told Guitar ‘I figured somebody would cut
Player magazine in 1980, ‘is strictly that song,’ Cooder later revealed. ‘I
on account of playing D position in didn’t know who but I think it’s nice
SUSAN TITELMAN G tuning. You just can’t get those that she did. I certainly appreciate
it. I’ll make some money.’ Even by
passing chords in standard, and you
this point in his acclaimed career,
can’t get the bass notes.’

DECEMBER 2020 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 85