From “Ry Cooder & The Moula Banda Rhythm Aces: Let’s Have A Ball”, a film by Les Blank taped at The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA on March 25’th 1987.

Comment from MrBillindallas:
Concert was from a two night run – the last of nine total dates on the NorCal tour. Shot on 16mm film with an audio remote truck in the alley. Movie was released in Europe but not in the US. Great band, at one of the best venues in the ‘States, the last two nights of the mini-tour they were truly on fire. One venue was so small the band filled the stage and the dance floor.

Setlist for the two nights in Santa Cruz:

3-24-87 Santa Cruz, CA (the Catalyst):

Showtime
Little Sister
Smack Dab In The Middle
Lets Have A Ball
Me and Frank
unknown title [Spanish lyrics]
Hell Have To Go
If Walls Could Talk
Jesus on The Mainline
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live?
One Meatball
Atom Bomb
Teeny Weeny Bit of Your Love
Why Dont You Try Me?
Down In The Boondocks
The Things That Make You Rich Make Me Poor
Crazy Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know)
encores:
Chain Gang
Down In Hollywood
Goodnight Irene

3-25-87 Santa Cruz, CA (the Catalyst):

Smack Dab In The Middle
Lets Have A Ball
unknown title [Spanish lyrics]
Hell Have To Go
If Walls Could Talk
Jesus On The Mainline
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live?
One Meatball
Atom Bomb
Teeny Weeny Bit of Your Love
Down In Mississippi
instrumental
The Things That Make You Rich Make Me Poor
Crazy Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know)
Chain Gang
Down In Hollywood
Goodnight Irene

Band:
Ry Cooder: guitar, vox
Jim Keltner: drums
Van Dyke Parks: keys
Jorge Calderon: bass
Flaco Jimenez: accordion
Miguel Cruiz: percussion
Steve Douglas: sax
George Bohannon: trombone

Singers:
Bobby King: tenor
Terry Evans: baritone
Arnold McCuller: tenor
Willie Green Jr: bass

32 Comments

  1. The story goes that Leadbelly, during one of his stays in prison, used to sing this to the warden's wife in the evening when she would come out to tend her garden.

  2. Goodnight Irene & leave me alone you stalker biggest gossiper in three Arizona counties… ALWAYS gossiping, Always.
    Love Ry…Flaco…all of them. 🎸👵

  3. FLACO JIMÉNEZ IS SO VERSATIL WITH ANY GENRE OF MUSIC ..
    ROCK, FOLK BALLADS, BLUES MARIACHI, NAME IT AND HE PROBABLY KNOWS IT, OR WOULD IMPROVISE IT ..
    HE ACTUALLY TAUGHT DAVID HIDALGO (LOS LOBOS), A FEW LICKS AND PLAYED WELL INTO HIS LAST DAYS ..
    RIP FLACO ..♥️🕊✝️

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