I, Flathead

I, Flathead:The Songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns is a concept album by Ry Cooder. It is the third in his "California trilogy" that began with Chávez Ravine (2005) and was followed by My Name Is Buddy (2007).^[1]

The Deluxe Edition of the album is accompanied by a 104 page hardback book which included a CD in paper pocket, a novella (on 97 pages) and song lyrics. That story even subtitled "The Songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns." It's told about beatnik, salt-flats racer, and country musician Kash Buk, his band the Klowns, the girls, the strange and wonderful extraterrestrial visitor called Shakey, and the Passenger who pursues him, and other characters.

The title is a play on the Isaac Asimov novel "I, Robot", but the flathead in question is the Ford Flathead engine.

Reception

Track listing

1. "Drive Like I Never Been Hurt" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder) - 4:07
2. "Waitin' for Some Girl" (Ry Cooder) - 3:48
3. "Johnny Cash" (Ry Cooder) - 3:08
4. "Can I Smoke In Here?" (Ry Cooder) - 4:19
5. "Steel Guitar Heaven" (Ry Cooder) - 3:40
6. "Ridin' with the Blues" (Ry Cooder) - 3:01
7. "Pink-O Boogie" (Ry Cooder) - 3:05
8. "Fernando Sez" (Ry Cooder) - 4:44
9. "Spayed Kooley" (Ry Cooder) - 2:09
10. "Filipino Dancehall Girl" (Ry Cooder) - 3:54
11. "My Dwarf Is Getting Tired" (Ry Cooder) - 3:59
12. "Flathead One More Time" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder, Jared Smith) - 3:12
13. "5000 Country Music Songs" (Ry Cooder) - 6:41
14. "Little Trona Girl" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder) - 3:13

Credits

Musicians

• Gil Bernal - Sax (Tenor)
• Ron Blake – Trumpet
• Rene Camacho – Bass
• Juliette Commagere – Vocals (14)
• Joachim Cooder – Drums, Timbales
• Ry Cooder – Vocals, Guitars, Bass guitar, Mandolin, Piano (Electric), Producer, Package Design, Laud
• Jesús Guzmán – Arranger, String Arrangements
• Jon Hassell – Trumpet
• Flaco Jiménez – Accordion
• Jim Keltner – Drums
• Martin Pradler – Drums, Piano (Electric), Engineer, Mixing, Package Design
• Jared Smith - keyboards
• Francisco Torres – Trombone
• Mariachi Los Campreros

Production

• Producer - Ry Cooder

Recorded & mixed by Martin Pradler

• Production Supervisor, Karina Benznicki
• Production Coordination, Eli Cane
• Editorial Coordinator, Ronen Givony
• Mastering by Stephen Marcussen
• Assistant, Alex Pavlides

Artwork

• Cover photo by Robert Wilson Kellogg

Charts

Releases

References

1. ^ John Kruth, "Three (or Four) Chords and the Truth", Sing Out!, 51:3, Autumn 2007

Further reading / listening

• "Cooder's Buddy Revives Tales of Bygone America", Morning Edition, NPR, March 6, 2007
• "From the Dust", The Observer, March 4, 2007

External links

• My Name is Buddy, site at Nonesuch Records