Comments on: Ry Cooder and the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces - Let's Have A Ball, a film by Les Blanks

Ry Cooder and the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces - Let's Have A Ball, a film by Les Blanks

y2karl — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:42:58 -0800

Ry Cooder and the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces - Let's Have A Ball, a film by Les Blanks
This is the complete show from the Catalyst in Santa Cruz in March 1987. Via The Iwebender Channel

Love that Maria Elena....

Let's Have A Ball Jesus On The Mainline How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live? Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb Down In Mississippi Maria Elena Just A Little Bit The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor) Crazy About An Automobile Chain Gang Down In Hollywood Good Night Irene Ry Cooder - guitar, vocals; Jim Keltner - drums; Van Dyke Parks - keyboards; Jorge Calderon - bass; Flaco Jimenez - accordion; Miguel Cruiz - percussion; Steve Douglas - sax; George Bohannon - trombone; Singers: Bobby King, tenor; Terry Evans, baritone; Arnold McCuller, tenor; Willie Green Jr, bass

By: Vibrissae

Vibrissae — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:25:03 -0800

y2kari: Thank you! What pleasure!

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:35:17 -0800

Oh yay, I will have fun with this tomorrow. I foresee a late delivery on Monday morning client project #1. Thanks, y2karl!

By: anewnadir

anewnadir — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:46:29 -0800

What an amazing documentary that I didn't even know existed. Van Dyke Parks spoke at my high school graduation ceremony. I wish I had known about this film back then, maybe I would have paid more attention to what he said. In any event I do remember one piece of advice he gave. A lot of people in my graduating class were wearing sunglasses (the ceremony was in the late afternoon and the platform where we all stood faced the sun). Before VDP began speaking, the sun set behind one of the school buildings. The first thing he said was that a valuable life lesson was to never wear your sunglasses when it's no longer necessary. If the measure of a successful graduation speech is to give the students something to remember for the rest of their lives, I can safely say that Van Dyke Parks gave the most successful graduation speech of all time, and I was there to hear it.

By: anewnadir

anewnadir — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:51:39 -0800

Of course, I came to regret not following the inverse of VDP's proposition (wearing sunglasses is advisable when the sun is out) when I stumbled, predictably hung over, to my college graduation four years later without sunscreen or sunglasses. That ceremony involved a speech from the president of Doctors Without Borders concerning a hands-on experience with Ebola-infested placenta, which of course I will never forget but which I do not deem to be a "successful" speech.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:28:56 -0800

Van Dyke Parks spoke at my high school graduation ceremony. I wish I had known about this film back then... Oh, my, Van Dyke Parks is famous for things above and beyond any connection to Ry Cooder. He is a legend: See, for example, Van Dyke Parks: return of a musical maverick or L.A. Weirdos for details...

By: mannequito

mannequito — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:08:46 -0800

Fantastic, thank you. Perfect for a Sunday night.

By: C.A.S.

C.A.S. — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:02:29 -0800

Ry Cooder is the man. I was obsessed with trying to play the album version of "Maria Elena" note-for-note for years. I think I finally cracked it once I realised it was a dropped D standard tuning. Those singers are awesome, thanks for the post. I wonder why Ry never wanted this released, which is something I thought that I once read.

By: C.A.S.

C.A.S. — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:09:58 -0800

Lets throw a nice version of Dark End Of The Street in the mix, mostly the same band. Old Grey Whistle Test. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgD6E0s4mIY Nice

By: pete_22

pete_22 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:31:19 -0800

A year before this was posted on Youtube, I spent $35 ordering a bootleg copy from some guy in Argentina. Oh well... I'm also curious why RC didn't want it released, which is still the official line on Blank's website. By the way, this is a great album from around the same time, featuring many of the same performers.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:08:11 -0800

Well, now I see I was drawing a blank when I added an 's' to Mr. Blank's name.