RY COODER: PARIS, TEXAS
Label: Warner Bros, 925 270-2
Recorded by: Allen Sides and Mark Ettel at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood
Mastered by: Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood
DR: 14
Paris, Texas is a pure analog recording and tape hiss is the first sound that jumps out of speakers. It never disappears and instead becomes a canvas upon which Ry Cooder’s steel guitar lays the ornaments. It is a strong introspective record that explores depths of human soul.
Paris, Texas is a movie soundtrack. In her review, Emma53, a user on csfd.cz website, wrote the following:
"One of the very few films that reached deep into my soul. Being in a whirlwind of emotions – this would probably be the most appropriate term for what I experienced for over two hours without even realizing the length of the movie. From the first moment I saw Trevis, who had lost his memory and speech, it was clear to me that this was going to be an extraordinary experience. And that expectation came true. A very powerful, human, and profound story about a man trying to escape from the shadows of his past to find the new peace of mind. I am short of words to capture my feelings about the movie. I know, it sounds pathetic, but I was deeply moved. In the movie, love takes many forms - painful love, jealous love, forgiving love, and finally the ultimate one, the love of sacrificing oneself for the sake of another's happiness. The ending scene, which is a conversation reflected at a mirror, where Trevis' face overlaps with Jane's, left unforgettable fingerprint on me. A wonderful movie with an amazing atmosphere, perfect cinematography with its great shots and last but not least the unforgettable soundtrack provided by Ry Cooder. A movie that will never leave my mind."
The above describes very well the feelings that embrace the listener during listening to the ten tracks of the soundtrack, no matter whether you have seen the movie or not. The guitar work is spare, the pace is extremely slow, the motifs return as if in gusts of a hot desert wind and loosely connect into a cohesive whole. The music feels lonesome and spellbinding, you can feel the desert sand, the burning sun against the blue sky of the vast wasteland, the chalky panorama of the mountains, the hope, and the despair.
The guitar pick up and microphones recorded every single nuance of vibrating strings and the recording (apart from its artistic value) ends up as an microscopic study of the bottleneck guitar sound. Actually the guitar is the main performer here, not Ry Cooder who seems to be a facilitator, not the main person. That is why the other two contributing musicians, Jim Dickinson and David Lindley, remain mostly unnoticed. The pieces like Nothing Out There are a real audiophile treat, with its detailed sound and a great dynamic range.
The track #9 is not less interesting: I Knew These People is a dialogue, a strong narrative that sounds as a filed recording, with prominent tape noise in the background which makes very authentic and present in the room. It is like watching a movie without picture.
Tracklist:
1 - Paris, Texas / 2:56
2 - Brothers / 2:06
3 - Nothing Out There / 1:30
4 - Canción Mixteca / 4:17
5 - No Safety Zone / 1:55
6 - Houston in Two Seconds / 2:00
7 - She's Leaving the Bank / 5:56
8 - On the Couch / 1:28
9 - I Knew These People / 8:38
10 - Dark Was the Night / 2:50
