''The Slide Area'' is the tenth studio album by

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

. It was released in 1982 and peaked at No. 105 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Reception

Reviewing the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Bob Gottlieb said:

Yes, it is a rhythm & blues, bordering at times on
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
album, and rap is one direction R&B took, but..... The two gems on this are the phenomenal treatments of both "Blue Suede Shoes" and
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
's "I Need a Woman." Two songs as different in the original forms as pigs and gerbils are converted to R&B hit status. Both contain some memorable
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...
work, but isn't that what we expect from this master of the guitar family. The album is very good but those two songs make it a gem.

Track listing

Side A

# "UFO Has Landed in the Ghetto" (Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner) # "I Need a Woman" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

) # "Gypsy Woman" (

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

) # "

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...

" (

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

)

Side B

# "Mama, Don't Treat Your Daughter Mean" (Ry Cooder) # "I'm Drinking Again" (Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner) # "Which Came First" (Ry Cooder,

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) # "That's the Way Love Turned Out for Me" ( Quinton Claunch, Ry Cooder, Dave Hall)

Personnel

Musicians Liner notes from Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3651, 1982 LP

* Ry Cooder – guitar, vocals * Jim Keltner – drums * Jim Dickinson – keyboards (A1 – A3, B2, B4); piano (A4); electric piano (B1); organ (B3) * William D. Smith – keyboards (A1 – A3, B2, B4) * Tim Drummond – bass guitar (A1–A2, A4, B1, B3) * Reggie McBride – bass guitar (B2, B4) * Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (A3) * Ras Baboo Pierre – percussion (A3) * Bobby King – backing vocals (A1 – B1, B3, B4) * Willie Greene – background vocals (A1 – B1, B3, B4) * Herman Johnson – backing vocals (A1 – B1, B3, B4) * John Hiatt – backing vocals (A1 – B1, B3, B4); guitar (B4) * George McFadden – backing vocals (A4, B1) * Kazu Matsui –

Shakuhachi A is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

flute (B1, B3)

Technical

* Mark Ettel – engineer assistant * Mark Linett – engineer (Santa Monica) (A1, A2, A4, B1, B3) * Bernie Grundman – mastering * Allen Sides – mixing (A3, B2, B4) * Masuru Mera – cover photography * Ry Cooder – producer * Leslie Morris – assistant producer

References

Ry Cooder albums 1982 albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Ry Cooder {{1980s-rock-album-stub