I, Flathead: The Songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns is the fourteenth studio album by Ry Cooder. It is the final concept album by Ry Cooder. It is the third in his "California trilogy", which began with Chávez Ravine (2005) and My Name Is Buddy (2007).John Kruth, "Three (or Four) Chords and the Truth", Sing Out!, 51:3, Autumn 2007
The Deluxe Edition of the album is accompanied by a 104-page hardback book which included a CD in paper pocket, a novella (on 97 pages) and song lyrics.
The title is a play on the Isaac Asimov novel "I, Robot", but the flathead in question is the Ford Flathead engine.
Track listing All tracks composed by Ry Cooder; except where indicated "Drive Like I Never Been Hurt" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder) - 4:07 "Waitin' for Some Girl" - 3:48 "Johnny Cash" - 3:08 "Can I Smoke in Here?" - 4:19 "Steel Guitar Heaven" - 3:40 "Ridin' with the Blues" - 3:01 "Pink-O Boogie" - 3:05 "Fernando Sez" - 4:44 "Spayed Kooley" - 2:09 "Filipino Dancehall Girl" - 3:54 "My Dwarf is Getting Tired" - 3:59 "Flathead One More Time" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder, Jared Smith) - 3:12 "5000 Country Music Songs" - 6:41 "Little Trona Girl" (Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder) - 3:13
Personnel Musicians Gil Bernal – Tenor saxophone Ron Blake – Trumpet Rene Camacho – Double bass Juliette Commagere – Vocals (14) Joachim Cooder – Drums, Timbales Ry Cooder – Vocals, Guitars, Bass guitar, Mandolin, Electric piano, Producer, Package Design, Laud Jesús Guzmán – Arranger, String Arrangements Jon Hassell – Trumpet Flaco Jiménez – Accordion Jim Keltner – Drums Martin Pradler – Drums, Electric piano, Engineer, Mixing, Package Design Jared Smith – Keyboards Francisco Torres – Trombone Mariachi Los Campreros
Production Producer – Ry Cooder Recorded & mixed by Martin Pradler Production Supervisor, Karina Benznicki Production Coordination, Eli Cane Editorial Coordinator, Ronen Givony Mastering by Stephen Marcussen Assistant, Alex Pavlides
Artwork Cover photo by Robert Wilson Kellogg
Releases year format label catalog # 2007 CD Nonesuch 511762
References
Further reading / listening "Cooder's Buddy Revives Tales of Bygone America", Morning Edition, NPR, March 6, 2007 "From the Dust", The Observer, March 4, 2007
External links My Name is Buddy, site at Nonesuch Records