Paradise and Lunch

Paradise and Lunch
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1974
StudioWarner Brothers Studios, North Hollywood, CA and
The Burbank Studios, Burbank, CA
GenreRoots rock, blues, folk, Americana
Length36:51
LabelReprise
ProducerRuss Titelman, Lenny Waronker
Ry Cooder chronology
Boomer's Story
(1972)
Paradise and Lunch
(1974)
Chicken Skin Music
(1976)
Music video
Tattler on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[2]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[3]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide[4]
Tom HullB+[5]

Paradise and Lunch is the fourth album by roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released on June 8, 1974 on Reprise Records.[6][7] The album is composed of cover versions of jazz, blues and roots standards and obscurities recorded at the Warner Brothers Studios.[6] The final track, "Ditty Wah Ditty," showcases a duet between Cooder and jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines.[8] It was produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker.[9] The album reached #167 on the Billboard 200.[10]

The album also includes Cooder's updated arrangement of bluesman Washington Phillips' "The Tattler" that stands out for its guitar playing.[11] It was subsequently covered by Linda Ronstadt on her 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind and by David Soul on his 1977 album Playing To An Audience of One.[12]

In 1990 the album was released on CD,[13] while a remastered version appeared in 2007.[14] It was newly remastered from the original master tapes for a high-resolution SACD in 2017.[15]

Track listing

[edit]

Side One

  1. "Tamp 'Em Up Solid" (Traditional) – 3:19
  2. "Tattler" (Washington Phillips, Ry Cooder, Russ Titelman) – 4:14
  3. "Married Man's a Fool" (Blind Willie McTell) – 3:10
  4. "Jesus on the Mainline" (Traditional) – 4:09
  5. "It's All Over Now" (Bobby Womack, Shirley Womack) – 4:49

Side Two

  1. "Fool for a Cigarette/Feelin' Good" (Sidney Bailey, J. B. Lenoir, Jim Dickinson) (medley) – 4:25
  2. "If Walls Could Talk" (Bobby Miller) – 3:12
  3. "Mexican Divorce" (Burt Bacharach, Bob Hilliard) – 3:51
  4. "Ditty Wah Ditty" (Arthur Blake) – 5:42

Personnel

[edit]
Technical
  • Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker - production
  • Judy Maizel, Trudy Portch - production coordination
  • Lee Herschberg - engineer, mixing
  • Bobby Hata, John Neal - assistant engineer
  • Susan Titelman (Ry Cooder's wife and Russ Titelman's sister) – cover paintings and photography

Chart positions

[edit]
Year Chart Peak
1974 Billboard Top LPs & Tape 167

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  4. ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (Editors). The Rolling Stone Record Guide, 1st edition, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979, p. 84/598.
  5. ^ Hull, Tom. "Ry Cooder". Tom Hull - on the Web. Retrieved May 26, 2024 – via tomhull.com.
  6. ^ a b "Ry Cooder - Paradise And Lunch (original)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  7. ^ "Ry Cooder Biography". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  8. ^ Allmusic.com review by Brett Hartenbach
  9. ^ Lefsetz, Bob. "Welcome To My World - "Ry Cooder Primer"". rhino.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  10. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1974-06-22). Billboard Magazine (print). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 62. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ "Deep Cuts: Ry Cooder's Funky Fingerstyle". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  12. ^ Moon, Tom (2008). "Paradise and Lunch | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die". www.1000recordings.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  13. ^ "Ry Cooder - Paradise And Lunch (CD release)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  14. ^ "Ry Cooder - Paradise And Lunch (remaster)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  15. ^ "Ry Cooder - Paradise And Lunch (Hybrid Super Audio CD release)". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  16. ^ Moon, Tom (August 28, 2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing. ISBN 978-0761-1538-56 – via Google Books.