Ry Cooder - The Border - 1982 (24/96 Vinyl Rip)

"The Border", composed and released in 1982, was the soundtrack to Tony Richardson's film "The Border". The interesting thing about this soundtrack is that it comes 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".
"Enjoy this atmospheric soundtrack album of Cooder; it is really an excellent recording".
Note: No silence was deleted from this album, so please burn gapless..



Review:

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.
His music is the perfect accompaniment to visuals yet stands completely on its own.
Thom Jurek - Allmusic.com 4/5


Track List:

01 Earthquake
02 Across The Borderline
03 Maria
04 Texas Bop
05 Highway
06 Palomita
07 Rio Grande

08 Too Late
09 No Quiero
10 Skin Game
11 El Scorcho
12 Building Fires
13 Nino