Backing track for Paris Texas

Alan Hamley · From: Queensland, Australia

Hi there,
I am looking for a copy of a free backing track for the Ry Cooder instrumental song, Paris Texas. If you can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.
Cheers
Alan

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

You'd probably have to make your own. Try asking on the Band In A Box section of this forum to see if anyone can help you there.

For what it's worth, the original tune by Blind Willie Johnson was a solo guitar performance (one of my favorites, by the way).
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Alan Hamley · From: Queensland, Australia

Thanks Brad!

I am aware of the Blind Willie Johnson original tune and agree it is legend status. I do a solo version of the tune and was thinking about recording my version on my latest lap slide. The tune is full of dynamics and needs to be played slowly IMO. I like Ry Cooder's version with the moog synth (or what ever it is) behind it. The backing doesn't take anything away from the sound of the slide instrument.

Thanks again and will see if the other guys on the forum cam help.

Cheers

Alan

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

Cooder's main theme from Paris Texas is also done mostly solo, the "moog" is most probably David Lindley playing a cumbus saz with a bow. Producer Jim Dickinson is also featured on "ambient sounds",- scraping and plucking piano strings, usind wind chimes, rolling gaffa tape rolls over the piano keys (check photo), etc, but I can't recall if he's on the main track..

I've played it as a solo piece many times on a weiss, it works great without the ambient sounds (but you could always encourage "audience participation... Wink

).
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David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

This post jogged my memory. I had to go dig out my original soundtrack CD. Twenty three years old; havn't listened to it in yonks. Great mood music, but I had the habit of FFing thru "I knew these people." Damn! that Nastassia Skinski was hot!
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Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

here's an excerpt from Acoustic Guitar magazine article which featured tablature for Paris, Texas. Just curious, does anyone know what they might be referring to as "hoses?" Steinar, maybe you could add hoses to one of the tunes on your next cd?

"The highlight of the Paris, Texas, soundtrack is this song. Ry
Cooder's loose adaptation of the Blind Willie Johnson slide
masterpiece "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground." This
famo us piece has influenced slide guitarists throughout the
world and possibly beyond. When the Voyager craft was
launched into space by NASA in 1977, its cargo included a copper
record labeled "Sounds of Earth." Blind Willie Johnson's
recording of this tunc was one of the cuts included as proof 0:
intelligent life on Earth .
The piece, which can be heard on Music by Ry Cooder, is
played almost ent irely with a slide until measure 25, where
Tuning: D A D F# A D
with slid!:
Cooder drops into a meditative series of descending chord
shapes. Notice how he uses microtones throughout the piece,
such as when he slides toward the Fi notes on the fi rst string
and stops midway between the third and fourth frets. Also
notice the articulations in measures 3 and 17, where he dips
quickly down and then back up to the note rather than picking
it twice. Treat the sustained notes throughout with a generous
amount of vibrato. On the recording, an ethereal backdrop for
the guitar is provided by David Lindley on saz, Jim Dickinson
on piano, and Ry Cooder on piano and hoses. Hoses?"
-Dylan Schorer

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

You can make some crazy sounds through a hose, listen for low frequency "burps and farts", and if you swirl it in the air you get some really eerie sounds.. Lots of that on the soundtrack..

Hm... maybe I should cover the Stones' "Wild Hoses" on my next album... Laughing

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