My Name Is Buddy

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• This item: My Name Is Buddy ~ Ry Cooder

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• I, Flathead ~ Ry Cooder

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• Chavez Ravine ~ Ry Cooder

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I, Flathead ~ Ry Cooder 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £4.98

Chavez Ravine ~ Ry Cooder 4.3 out of 5 stars (20)  £7.98

I, Flathead (Deluxe Edition) ~ Ry Cooder 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)

Fleet Foxes ~ Fleet Foxes 3.9 out of 5 stars (143)  £4.98

Raising Sand ~ Robert Plant and Alison Krauss 3.6 out of 5 stars (131)  £4.98

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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though this release carries the deceptive subtitle Another Record by Ry Cooder, the virtuosic guitarist and ethnomusicological adventurer has never released another album quite like this. And neither has anyone else. After brilliant side trips into the music of pre-Castro Cuba and pre-baseball Chavez Ravine, Cooder returns to the Depression-era and Dust Bowl ballads that marked his earliest solo releases of the 1970s. Yet most of this material is original, offering a populist parable of three fellow travelers: Buddy Red Cat, Lefty Mouse, and the Reverend Tom Toad. The tradition of putting pointed social commentary in the mouths of animals extends from Animal Farm to Pogo, and Buddy seems like a feline cross between Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill--a troubadour of union solidarity, interspecies brotherhood, and radical populism. Though Cooder's cartoon vocals occasionally sound a little mannered, the music throughout ranks with his best, as he reunites with conjunto accordion master Flaco Jimenez and soul singers Terry Evans and Bobby King, enlists banjo brothers Pete and Mike Seeger, and receives inspired support from the Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, pianist Van Dyke Parks, and drummers Jim Keltner and (his son) Joachim Cooder. Whether he's channeling his inner Chet Baker on "Green Dog" or closing with the utopian vision of "There's a Bright Side Somewhere," Cooder shows more sides of his multifaceted music than he has on any previous release. --Don McLeese

Product Description
On My Name Is Buddy, Ry Cooder revisits, in a new set of original material, the sound and feeling of the "dust bowl songs" he first explored more than three decades ago on such groundbreaking albums as his self-titled 1970 debut and 1971's In The Purple Valley. In fact, he's joined by old friends like pianist Van Dyke Parks and drummer Jim Keltner who were with him at the start of his extraordinary, ultimately globe-spanning musical odyssey, which has yielded him six Grammy Awards to date, several more nominations, and perennial acclaim. My Name Is Buddy is also a journey, a phantasmagorical rendering in music, words and pictures of the travels of three unlikely cohorts - Buddy Red Cat, Lefty Mouse and Reverend Tom Toad - as they meander through the west "in the days of labor, big bosses, farm failures, strikes, company cops, sundown towns, hobos and trains...the America of yesteryear." For this allegorical tale, Cooder marshals all his remarkable skills as a producer, arranger, songwriter, soundtrack composer and musicologist. (The Christian Science Monitor recently dubbed him "a modern-day Alan Lomax.") My Name Is Buddy recalls Woody Guthrie's Bound for Glory - that is, if it had been enacted by the articulate animal characters of Walt Kelly's classic comic Pogo. Cooder conjures up the dark shadows of an earlier time to wryly comment on the political and social issues of the present. As back-story to his songs, Cooder has written short stories for each one and they're accompanied by evocative illustrations from noted San Antonio-based painter and muralist Vincent Valdez, all of which are included in a specially designed package.

19 Reviews 5 star:  (12) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (3)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   35 of 37 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars an "old-fashioned" Cooder-album!, 23 Feb 2007 By  Yovra (Driebergen, Holland) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    The problem I had with the last two Cooder-albums (Mambo Sinuendo and Chavez Ravine) was the fact I found them too elaborate; large ensembles, many instrumental ideas. This album is in line with the Ry Cooder I know (and love) from the early- to mid '70s! Most of the tracks have a blues-country-feel with hints of Tex Mex (Flaco Jimenez!)and Irish Folk (Paddy Moloney!). There are rockers (The Rolling Stones should be jealous of 'Three Chords and the Truth'!) and acoustic ballads. It's a concept-album about the travels and adventures of Buddy Red cat and his friends, complete with stories and illustrations... This could be a very nice journey! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   29 of 31 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Well Ry, what a great surprise!, 7 Mar 2007 By  jayhikkss - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    With this new record, Ry Cooder returns to sounds and themes that he often explored on his first four Warner Bros albums (1970-1974). These are now considered as classics. Ry Cooder's return to this kind of material is good news indeed if, like me, you have been less enthralled by the recorded output he came up with after the "Long Riders" (OST, 1980.) Actually, since that time, apart from the superb "Paris, Texas" (OST, 1989), and "Music By Ry Cooder" (1995 soundtrack collection), I must confess that his only other projects that I have thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end are "A Meeting By The River" (1993) and - of course - "Buena Vista Social Club" (1997.) It should be added, though, that there was always something worthwhile on most everything he did release. The material here is centred on topics related to the life of the poor folks living (sort of) in the USA at the time of the Great Depression, their incessant travels, their whereabouts in the work camps... as described by fictional characters. Boomers stories indeed which remind of Woody Guthrie (himself a Cooder favourite). Cooder composed most of this material but it is firmly steeped in the old folk tradition (a tradition that Ry Cooder, always the ethnomusicologist supreme, intimately knows.) The lyrics show much more of a (left of centre) political stance than on Cooder's earlier recordings. Humour is also put to good use. The tunes are of a consistently high quality, but, at this moment, I would single out "Suitcase in My Hand", "Red Cat Till I Die" and "The Dying Truck Driver." The production and musicianship are, predictably, superb. Alongside long-time acolytes like Jim Keltner, Flaco Jimenez, Bobby King, Terry Evans and Van Dyke Parks, there are appearances by banjoists Mike and Pete Seeger as well as by the Chieftains' Paddy Maloney. This album is a gem on a par with the best previous Cooder offerings. It is a must if you already enjoy Ry Cooder's early albums. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   29 of 33 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Buddy, can you spare the time?, 2 April 2007 By  Smokey Joe "biglouis" (London) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    I honestly do not understand the first review of this album. Anyone who does not understand the allegorical nature of "My Name Is Buddy" must be the kind of persion who thinks George Orwell's classic tale of Stalinist Russia, Animal Farm, is a poor kind of children's story. Cooder can fairly claim to be the living guardian of dust-bowl Americana. This is a finely crafted album which takes us back to Cooder's acoustic roots. There is an authentic feel to the tracks with some very fine playing in Cooder's instantly recognisable style - be it on guitar, bajo sexto or mandolin. On many tracks Cooder collaborates with Flaco Jiminez (acordian) and one of the best drummers around, in my humble opinion, Jim Keltner. For those who are impressed by such things, Peter and Mike Seeger add some lovely banjo flourishes. This is a story, from start to finish. You need to listen to it carefully and read the beautifully presented notes in order to truly benefit from the experience but if you only dip in and out of it you will still admire the stylish, tasteful music. Incidentally, do NOT buy this album via iTunes - you really, really need the CD package to enjoy this experience to its full and when you hold it in your hands you'll understand why you need it. I think Ry Cooder must be on a mission to give something back to his loyal fan base. Both this album and his previous, Chavez Ravine, appear to have been made for the pure joy of reliving history and telling a story. They have also come with extensive liner notes and beautiful packaging. And at a fair price. Kinda makes you wonder exactly why many popular CDs come with nothing and cost double, doesn't it? My personal recommendation, if you have young children in particlar, is buy this album and read the story from the liner notes to them while they listen to the music. Although it is not a children's story, what child could not resist the imaginative use of animals as a way of making history accessible? Perhaps only an adult who thinks Animal Farm is for kids? Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 19 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Ry's Journey After hearing/reading/listening to this album absolutely spellbound, I was left with tears in my eyes as the final song, "There's a bright side somewhere", was playing. Read more Published 12 months ago by Mr. Peter Gage 5.0 out of 5 stars an old red cat - and how! if a cat took human form, joined the IWW and went on the road, this is what his songbook would sound like. i'm guessing ry cooder didn't vote for dubya? Read more Published 19 months ago by Ms. Fiona Allen 5.0 out of 5 stars A Mature Classic I love this record. I have all the others and really enjoy the range on this album as it covers most of his musical adventures. Read more Published 20 months ago by Burnie 4.0 out of 5 stars OK, Good, Brilliant or, some of the above? I think you'll either love it or hate it. Old fashioned country style protest / working man / story songs. Read more Published 22 months ago by AfterTheEvent 1.0 out of 5 stars Complete an utter rubbish!!!! On the strength of the revues i purchased this CD, on listening to this CD i found it quite boring! Very dissapointed, complete rubbish!!! Read more Published on 3 Jul 2007 by Mr. W. Kirkham 5.0 out of 5 stars RY COODER AT HIS FINEST - YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND! I can appreciate where some of the critics of this album are coming from - especially if they wanted "Classic Cooder". Read more Published on 28 Jun 2007 by Robert Hewitt 2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointed again I guess Ry has moved away from what his fans really like. Like one of the other writers I go back to the Rising Suns with Taj Mahal and what we picked up on was the really great... Read more Published on 31 May 2007 by Roy Middleton 1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing I was first introduced to Ry Cooder some years ago by the presence of "Paradise and Lunch" in my Dad's record collection. Read more Published on 20 May 2007 by J. L. Loughlin 4.0 out of 5 stars On friends and travelling Even though he doesn't know me, Ry Cooder and I are great friends. We first met, bopping until we dropped, some years ago and we have been close ever since. Read more Published on 4 April 2007 by Toffeeman 5.0 out of 5 stars Ry rolling back the years My first ever album was 'Paradise and Lunch' and here I am over 30 years later feeling just as positive about Ry. Read more Published on 3 April 2007 by Graham P. Rogers Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 19 customer reviews...

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