Mandolin sighting

[TommyK]

Wow! What a great movie. I rented it, not really knowing what it was about. From the cover it looked like it might be a good Western. With names like Carradine, Keach, and Quaid thrown in for comedy relief, I thought a buck was not too much to spend.
Much to my surprise, this movie is a biography of the James-Younger gang of the post-civilwar era. Throughout the entire movie is great folk music. There is one scene in a house of ill repute where there is a band playing at one end of the room. A guitar picker, a 'taterbug mandoliner and a banjer picker. Other scenes have other similar, but larger or the same size groups playing dance music, reels, jigs and such. There's a weddin' scene with about 8 - 10 players. Jugs to Jaws Harps, Dulcimers to fiddles, and everythin' in betwixed. And when there's no band in a scene, music is ever present. Don't push re-wind when the end credits start to roll. There's a very raw, but pleasant to listen to, rendition of 'Jesse James'

Also a surprise to me Randy Quaid does NOT play the goof ball character ala Cousin Eddy Johnson from the Lampoon 'Vacation' series, but a seriously bad dude, Clell Miller.

Not one for the kiddies, due to the very violent nature of the robbing business as well as their . . frequenting of houses of ill repute, but when the kids are to bed, not a bad one to watch if'n you likes Westerns and acoustic music.

[BauerHaus]

One of my all time fave Westerns, right next to Pale Rider.
I immediately went out and bought one of those long rider coats, after seeing that movie.
Steve

[Jim Garber]

I believe that Ry Cooder and David Lindley played on the soundtrack. I am not sure if that is them on screen. It has been some time since I saw that one.

Jim

[John Flynn]

There is one scene in a house of ill repute where there is a band playing at one end of the room. A guitar picker, a 'taterbug mandoliner and a banjer picker.
Pickin' at a house of ill-repute, man, those were the good 'ol days. You just can't get gigs like that anymore! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[kww]

jflynnstlPickin' at a house of ill-repute, man, those were the good 'ol days. You just can't get gigs like that anymore!
I understand that there is a mariachi band at ours.

[glauber]

jflynnstlPickin' at a house of ill-repute, man, those were the good 'ol days. You just can't get gigs like that anymore!
I understand that there is a mariachi band at ours.
I thought your place was a hotel...

Oh... nevermind! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[TommyK]

I believe that Ry Cooder and David Lindley played on the soundtrack. I am not sure if that is them on screen. It has been some time since I saw that one.

Jim
The end credits indicated:
Banjo, Bill Bryson
Guitar, Mitch Greenhill
Fiddle, Tom Sauber

After that they listed musicians, but not their instrument as:
George Bohanon, musician #
Curt Bouterse, musician #
Oscar Brashear, musician #
Bill Bryson, musician #
Ry Cooder, music arranger #
Ry Cooder, musician #
Jim Dickinson, musician #
Mitch Greenhill, musician #
Milt Holland, musician #
David Lindley, musician #
Baboo Pierre, musician #
Tom Sauber, musician

I found the lyrics to the vocal songs under...
http://www.rycooder.nl/pages....ics.htm (http://www.rycooder.nl/pages/ry_cooder_the_long_riders_chords_lyrics.htm)

I believe Mitch Greenhill is the guit tar picker on screen as evidenced from the repeating pic along the left side of this page: http://www.wirz.de/music/greenfrm.htm It sure looks like the guy Clell Miller requested to play "I'm a Good Old Rebel"

Cooder and Lindley's names don't ring a bell with me. #What else has they done?

[TommyK]

One of my all time fave Westerns, right next to Pale Rider.
I immediately went out and bought one of those long rider coats, after seeing that movie.
Steve
Ooh 'Pale Rider'. That's probably Clint E's best. Saw it years ago. Bought a VHS on a yard sale for a buck last summer. The first time I watched it I hadn't read and understood Revelations and the part about the four horsemen. This time the title makes sense.

The pale horseman is alluded to also in 'Tombstone.' Got that on VHS for a buck too. Wyatt sending a message to Ike Clanton after puting his brother and the women folk on the train and thwarting an ambush.

Johnny Cash's 'When the Man Comes Around' referrs to it to. That song makes my hair stand up.

[Frank Russell]

A good friend of mine was one of the guys that rode through the building and out the window in "Long Riders." Totally non-related, but he's also in the newsman rumble on "Anchorman, the Legend of Ron Burgundy," riding a horse and getting stabbed with a trident. And I hope that was not serious about not knowing who Ry Cooder and David Lindley are. Frank

[TommyK]

A good friend of mine was one of the guys that rode through the building and out the window in "Long Riders." #Totally non-related, but he's also in the newsman rumble on "Anchorman, the Legend of Ron Burgundy," riding a horse and getting stabbed with a trident. #And I hope that was not serious about not knowing who Ry Cooder and David Lindley are. #Frank
[i]And I hope that was not serious about not knowing who Ry Cooder and David Lindley are. Frank[i/]

I'm, afeared so. I've only been traveling in these here circles for a year or two.

[Jim MacDaniel]

jflynnstlPickin' at a house of ill-repute, man, those were the good 'ol days. You just can't get gigs like that anymore!
I understand that there is a mariachi band at ours.
The clientele at ours is more fond of the "High and not-so-Lonesome" sound.

[Frank Russell]

Tom - Those two guys are not necessarily bluegrass, although Ry Cooder has definitely been there. (I thought I read somewhere that he was briefly a Bluegrass Boy.) David Lindley plays all styles, a huge number of normal and weird instruments, and played with Jackson Browne during the "Running on Empty" years. He is great to see in concert, always plays some interesting esoteric acoustic instruments. Great slide guitar player. Ry Cooder has also done blues, rock, country, latin, just about everything. He is behind the film/album "Buena Vista Social Club," which was incredibly popular. Lots of 80's soundtrack work. Both are well worth checking out. Frank

[glauber]

Ry Cooder is a wonderful guitar and mandolin player. Good singer too. One of those guys who can do anything. I first heard him in the soundtrack of the movie Crossroads
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/70/36/28m.jpg (http://imdb.com/title/tt0090888/)
where he plays gorgeous acoustic blues guitar (and classical). That movie did a lot to encourage me to be a musician.

More soundtracks... (http://imdb.com/name/nm0176839/)

[Joe Dodson]

Ooh 'Pale Rider'. That's probably Clint E's best. Saw it years ago. Bought a VHS on a yard sale for a buck last summer. The first time I watched it I hadn't read and understood Revelations and the part about the four horsemen. This time the title makes sense.

Good, but in my mind it can't compete with "Unforgiven." Not only that, but there's a beautiful classical guitar part playing over the final epilogue that runs as Eastwood stands looking out over the prarie sunset at the end of the movie.

[Paul Hostetter]

The Long Riders musical credits as quoted by Tommy are a little incomplete. The core of the musicians all grew up together in the LA folk music scene, the Ash Grove, Topanga, McCabe’s, and so on:

- Ry Cooder, besides being the arranger plays guitar, bajo sexto, saz, samisen, banjo, and sings. Does not play mandolin on this project.

- David Lindley plays banjo, mandolin, lap steel, autoharp and fiddle. These two guys have been joined at the hip since they were kids.

- Curt Bouterse plays hammered dulcimer, banjo and pennywhistle; he’s best known for playing oldtime five-string banjo.

- Tom Sauber plays fiddle, plus some banjo, mandola and guitar. Ace musician.

- Bill Bryson, not the writer of the same name, is a highly regarded bluegrass banjo player who mostly played bass.

Then there's Mitch Greenhill who plays guitar, and used to manage some of these musicians. Maybe he still does? His father, Manny Greenhill, was also into artist management going way back.

Some of the players were studio musicians at Warner’s, and had worked with at least Cooder before:

- Oscar Brashear plays cornet.
- Milt Holland, musician is a studio percussionist.
- George Bohannon plays trombone and baritone horn on one track.
- Jim Dickinson plays organ, piano, harmonium, etc.

Baboo Pierre, AKA Ras Baboo in Lindley’s El Rayo X, was a percussionist.

Jim Keltner, a longtime associate of both Cooder and Lindley, played drums.

There was also the vocal support of Pico Payne and Lester and Joe Chambers on one track.

[TommyK]

Sounds like you know about this move Hostetter! Where'd you come up with this info?

[Paul Hostetter]

I know some of the musicians and was hearing bits and pieces as the recordings came together, but the main info is on the soundtrack album cover. Remember those big 12"sqaure items? Vinyl?