--- product_id: 64031156 title: "Election Special" brand: "ry cooder" price: "€ 22.80" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 23 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/64031156-election-special store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Election Special **Brand:** ry cooder **Price:** € 22.80 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Election Special by ry cooder - **How much does it cost?** € 22.80 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/64031156-election-special) ## Best For - ry cooder enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted ry cooder brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Product Description Ry Cooder’s Election Special is a wake-up call as the US heads into the 2012 fall election season. On Election Special, which he produced, Cooder plays mandolin, guitar, and bass and wrote all of the songs, co-writing one with Joachim Cooder, who plays drums on the record. Review Even by Ry Cooder’s characteristically rarefied standards, this is a noble curiosity. After inspirational adventures with Cuban, Mexican and many other musical styles – not to mention a series of blissfully evocative movie soundtracks – Cooder gathers up his considerable roots in blues and R&B and steams into Barack Obama’s corner to help him hang on to the US presidency.America does have a tradition of campaigning songwriting, though it has rarely been as overt as Cooder’s approach here. He plays a variety of instruments, with son Joachim on drums, on a snarling succession of songs aimed right at jugular of the 2012 election.Republican candidate Mitt Romney is mercilessly lampooned in a shuffling blues written from the viewpoint of his pet dog, while the likes of Wall Street, Guantanamo, the Koch brothers and Sarah Palin are savaged by an artist sounding more animated than he’s done for years.Amongst this incendiary fare is a Robert Johnson deal-with-the-devil crossroads moment on Brother is Gone, highlighted by a wonderful mandolin arrangement. Elsewhere, more general attacks are made on Republican values with Kool-Aid – blistering electric guitar and jagged production disguising an updated Cocaine Blues – and the stomping The Wall Street Part of Town.Nods to America’s heritage abound, both lyrically and musically, in the strident R&B of Take Your Hands Off It, while The 90 and the 9, which references The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time, is a rather touching homage to Woody Guthrie, who knew something about political observation.Obama is vigorously defended on an impassioned Cold Cold Feeling, though its sympathetic tone is distorted by Cooder’s weirdly strangulated vocals on a desperate blues depicting a slightly manic, paranoid figure, wilting under the pressures of office as he paces the White House floor.The album’s long-term problem is whether it have any meaning or relevance once the election is done and dusted. Well, no, probably not in thematic terms; but the scathing humour of Going to Tampa is timeless and the thunderous Guantanamo, the sort of song Springsteen must wish he’d written, will remain a classic, whoever’s in the Oval Office. --Mike Diver Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off in a new window ## Images ![Election Special - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71WGin5Xy1L.jpg) ![Election Special - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71BGsje0JtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ still on form *by J***T on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2012* I have been a fan of Ry Cooder from the earliest - I have everythinghe's done and still listen to it regularly, particularly in myworkshop. In my opinion he's at his best when playing materialcloser to his roots - I was not so keen on "Buddy" or, goingback a few years, "The Slide Area" - even so, he can do nowrong, so this latest will join an impressive body of workfrom one of the most significant players of the last 100 years. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Righteous Ry. *by M***S on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2012* After such a long,esteemed career through folkblues, Tex-Mex.funk,film soundtracks and collaborations with musicians from all over the world, from Cuba to Ireland Ry keeps recording, luckily for us. This set shows us he's lost none of the fire,from the early days he interpreted Woody Guthrie with passion, and a real social conscience, this is in that vein. An attack on the right wing of American politics, Mitt Romney firmly in his sights, this is heartfelt stuff,great musicianship as usual. Another great album from Ry Cooder. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We won! *by R***T on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2012* Brilliant! I've been a great fan of Ry Cooder since the 70s and my 20s. He has probably done more than anyone to mould my musical tastes and guitar style (such as it is). It's great to hear him on top form piling in against Romney, capitalism, bankers and those who want to do down the working classes. A great return to form. Ry plays almost all the instruments on this (his son Joachim doing most of the drumming). Occasionally (Wall Street part of Town) he makes you wonder what would have happened had he joined the Stones back in '68. Styles range from R&B to Woody Guthrie folk to blues à la John Lee Hooker. Say "Thank You" Mr Obama. 5 star album!!!!! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/64031156-election-special](https://www.desertcart.be/products/64031156-election-special) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-04-28*