Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/18/2006
The folks at
Raven Records in Australia must have a blast assembling projects. This pairing of two 1980s
Ry Cooder soundtracks is a case in point.
The Border, composed and released in 1982, was the
soundtrack to
Tony Richardson's film
The Border, and 1985's
Alamo Bay was directed by
Louis Malle. The interesting thing about these
soundtracks is that they come immediately after
Cooder's successful collaboration with
Walter Hill on
The Long Riders and
Southern Comfort, and as the before-and-after bookends to his enigmatic score for
Wim Wenders'
Paris, Texas. The score for
The Border is perfectly balanced.
Cooder's slide work is always touted, but also noteworthy is his ability to virtually disappear in the mix when collaborating with
Flaco Jimenez,
Freddy Fender,
Jim Dickinson,
Jim Keltner, and
Sam "The Sham" Samudio. The haunting title track,
"Across the Borderline," sung by
Fender, is among the most beautiful and literate cuts
Cooder has ever written. The cantina music by
Jimenez and
Samudio is utterly evocative. Check the tunes with
Samudio on vocals, such as
"Palomita" and
"No Quiero," to get the laid-back, sun-up feel. Then there's
John Hiatt.
Hiatt was at the beginning of his association with
Cooder. He helped to pen some of the better cuts on the set, including the aforementioned
"Across the Borderline" and the bluesy
garage rock jam
"Skin Game." His high-whine vocals are perfect for the tension between cultures and reflect the conflict of
Jack Nicholson's character as a principled U.S. border guard.
Alamo Bay,
Malle's picture that pits American shrimpers against refugee Vietnamese on the south coast of Texas, is another study in contrasts. Once more,
Cooder assembles an all-star band that includes
Hiatt,
Cesar Rosas,
David Hidalgo,
Lee Ving,
Van Dyke Parks,
David Lindley,
Keltner,
Chris Ethridge,
David Mansfield, and
Dickinson. The theme features
Cooder's acoustic slide amidst strings (including
Gayle Levant's harp), piano, and
ambient sounds. The ethereal airy feel is swallowed whole by the raunchy electric roadhouse
blues of
"Gooks on Main Street," and dislocated once more on the
country ballad "Too Close," performed by
Hiatt with actress
Amy Madigan, only to shift again with the sinister slide guitar and harmonica Eastern
modal blues of
"Klan Meeting," an instrumental. The score weaves and wends through barroom shouters, panoramic instrumentals,
ballads,
Tex Mex, and
conjunto. Placing both recordings on a single disc is a rare and exotic treat, and gives great insight into the complex yet visionary artist
Cooder is, and just how his music is the perfect accompaniment to visuals yet stands completely on its own.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
;)
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