Bop Till You Drop Explained

Bop Till You Drop
Type:studio
Artist:Ry Cooder
Cover:Ry Cooder, Bop till You Drop (1979).png
Released:July 1979[1]
Recorded:Warner Brothers Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California
Length:39:56
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Ry Cooder
Prev Title:Jazz
Prev Year:1978
Next Title:Borderline
Next Year:1980

Bop Till You Drop is Ry Cooder's eighth album, released in 1979. The album was the first digitally recorded major-label album in popular music, recorded on a digital 32-track machine built by 3M.[2] [3]

The album consists almost entirely of covers of earlier rhythm and blues and rock and roll classics, including Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" and the 1965 Fontella Bass-Bobby McClure hit "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing", on which Cooder duetted with soul star Chaka Khan. Khan also performed on the only original track on the album, "Down in Hollywood".

Reception

Writing about the lead track, "Go Home Girl", Mojo magazine described Cooder's portrayal of the broken-hearted singer attempting to act stoic as worthy of an Academy Award and High Fidelity magazine described the "Mexican-style" guitar part as "splendid," and also praised Tim Drummond's diversified bass guitar lines.[4]

The digital recording

There was considerable interest in the new technology of digital recording of this trailblazing album. Some reviewers perceived that, (even though the album was on vinyl, CDs not as yet invented), there was something "different" about the new sound. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Brett Hartenbach said:

Cooder and his excellent band, which includes the rhythm section of Tim Drummond and Jim Keltner along with guitarist David Lindley, understand the material and are more than capable of laying down a decent groove, but something must have gotten lost in translation from what was played to what came across on the recording. There's a thinness to the tracks that undermines the performances, which according to Cooder is due to the digital recording.

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Black . Johnny . September 2010 . Ry Cooder: Bop Until You Drop Vinyl Icon . . United Kingdom. Ry Cooder's eighth album, Bop Till You Drop, released at the very end of July 1979....
  2. Web site: Roger Nichols . I Can't Keep Up With All The Formats II . https://web.archive.org/web/20021020102042/http://rogernichols.com/EQ/EQ_2001_08.html . 2002-10-20 . The Ry Cooder Bop Till You Drop album was the first digitally recorded pop album.
  3. Web site: 1978 3M Digital Audio Mastering System. NewBay Media, LLC. 23 December 2017. 1 September 2007.
  4. Web site: High Fidelity. 1979. 2014-04-25. High Fidelity Magazine.
  5. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 73.
  6. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music New Zealand. 28 January 2022.