Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

A Tip O’ The Hat To Ry Cooder

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In the last post on The Cowboy Iliad, I noted that the soundtracks for Walter Hill’s films The Long Riders and Geronimo: An American Legend were composed by Ry Cooder — and I thought I oughta give that master of Americana a tip o’ the hat.

In one of those flashes of synchronicity that seem to occur rather frequently here at Frontier Partisans, I had, a couple of days before discovering Hill’s spoken word piece on the Newton Massacre, picked up a two-CD collection of Cooder’s soundtrack work. Right there in the FP wheelhouse.

The Geronimo soundtrack is a weird critter — throat singing? — but it works. The “Apache” pieces evoke the eerie mysticism of Geronimo’s Power, while the band music evokes the brash push of the expanding American Empire.

The Long Riders soundtrack is loose-limbed and slightly drunken, evoking rural Missouri and — again — that sense of a britches-busting American exuberance.

Way back in the long ago, Marilyn and I attended a star-studded tribute to the singing cowboys at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in L.A. Quite a night. Saw Dwight Yoakam accompanied by Ry Cooder.

In 2010, Cooder joined The Chieftains for San Patricio, a musical exploration of the musical and cultural affinities between Ireland and Mexico, built around the tale of John Riley and his band of mostly Irish Catholic U.S. Army deserters who fought for Mexico during the U.S.-Mexican War.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Traven Torsvan says

    My favorite song, https://youtu.be/gUYBKpphoVk. I swear to God though I think that’s Zappa making a cameo.

    Cooder was also in a band called Rising Sons that featured Taj Mahal and Ed Cassidy before he joined Spirit that was short lived but influential

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  2. deuce says

    I’d HEARD of Ry long before, and listened to his music for THE LONG RIDERS, the Stones etc, but I didn’t really home in on Cooder as a separate musician until CROSSROADS–another Walter Hill movie!–came out. As it so happens, it was actually Arlen Roth doing a lot of the guitar work in the movie, not Cooder, but what the hell.

    A very recent article about Roth and CROSSROADS:

    https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/forgotten-guitar-crossroads-and-its-unsung-guitar-hero-arlen-roth

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  5. Saddle Tramp says

    Ry Cooder cuts a wide path for sure.
    Interesting as well is his early association with Captain Beefheart and his assignment to reign him in and make them the next BEATLES. Ry could not break him and they went their separate ways to their own individual greatness. Ry also tells some good tales of the experience (good and bad).

    As it were the June issue of TRUE WEST MAGAZINE closes out with a piece on Walter Hill with mention of THE COWBOY ILLIAD. I will share one quote from Walter on “the secret to a good Western is finding an Old Testament Story. Do it with elegance and simplicity. And most of all fill it with characters that demonstrate a refusal of self-pity.”
    I would add that it does not hurt to have Ry Cooder do the soundtrack.
    This issue is also stock full of other treats as well. Might suggest you take a look…

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  7. Dave Allen says

    Was up in Reno last week and picked up a copy of the Tahoe weekly which had the 4th installment of an article detailing the Mexican-American War. Written by local historian Mark McLaughlin, this piece chronicled the defense of the Churubusco Mission by mostly Irishmen who had deserted the U.S. Army to help their catholic brethren south of the border. Many of these men had been in the English army and were trained artillerists. They held Gen Winfield Scott’s troops off, killing hundreds with their expert and withering fire until the ammo and powder were gone. Upon their capture many of the Irishmen were either executed or punished severely.
    The Saint Patrick’s Battalion (San Patricio’s) and their leader Maj. John Riley are still celebrated as heroes every year in the town of San Angel outside of Mexico City. A little known episode in one of America’s lesser known wars.
    For anyone interested the articles can be found by going to TheTahoeWeekly.com click on History under the explore Tahoe menu. Lots of good stuff (pictures) as well on the Transcontinental Railroad which tracked through northern Tahoe at Truckee. They are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the railroad with many events this year.

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  11. Yeoman says

    I’ve always been a big Ry Cooder fan, nice to see a post on him here.

    I wonder if we might expect a post soon on the late Leon Redbone, now that he’s passed?

    Reply

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