Thursday, April 5, 2007

RODRIGUEZ - Cold Fact @320


Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (also known as Rodriguez or as Jesus Rodriguez) is a US folk musician, born in Detroit, Michigan on the 10th of July 1942. He was named 'Sixto' because he was the sixth child in his family. Rodriguez's parents were middle-class immigrants from Mexico, who left in the 1920s. In most of his songs he takes a political stance on the cruelties facing the inner-city poor. In 1967 (under the name Rod Riguez) he released the single ‘’I'll Slip Away’’ though the small label ‘Impact’. He didn’t produce anything for another three years until he was signed to Sussex Records; an offshoot of the Buddah label. It was after the move to Sussex he changed his professional name to just Rodriguez. Rodriguez recorded two albums with Sussex - "Cold Fact", in 1970, and "Coming to Reality" in 1971. But after mixed reviews and low album sales he was later dropped from the label, which would later fold in 1975.After the failing to make an impact in America, he gave up his career as a musician. However, although he was relatively unknown in his home country - by the mid 70’s, his albums were starting to gain airplay in countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Australia. Imported copies of his Sussex albums soon ran dry so in the mid 70's, an Australian record label, Blue Goose Music, bought the Australian rights to his back catalogue. The label released his two studio albums plus a compilation album "At His Best" (featuring unreleased recordings from 1976 "Can't Get Away, I'll Slip Away (a re-recording of his first single) and Street Boy). Unbeknownst to him went platinum in South Africa, where he achieved cult status. With a new buzz around Rodriguez, in 1979 he toured Australia with the Mark Gillespie Band as support. Two shows from the tour were later released on the Australian only album "Alive" - the title being a play on the rumours caused by his public obscurity that Rodriguez had died years ago. After the '79 tour he returned to Australia for a final tour in 1981 with Midnight Oil before quietly slipping back into normal life. It wasn't until the late 1990's (which at the time he was working on a Detroit building site) when his daughter discovered his fame thanks to a South African fan website.In 1996 both his albums were released on CD in South Africa for the first time. The publicity buzz around Rodriguez again forced him out of retirement and in 1998 he played his fist South African Tour. A documentary about the tour Dead Men Don't Tour: Rodriguez in South Africa 1998 was later screened on SABC in 2001. Later he then played dates in Sweden before returning to South Africa in 2001 and 2005. In 2002 his signature song, Sugar Man, was added to DJ David Holmes' mix album Come Get It I Got It; gaining Rodriguez airplay again on Australian radio station Triple J. In 2007 he will return to Australia where he will play the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival as well as shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

Track listing
Sugar Man (3.45)
Only Good For Conversation (2.25)
Crucify Your Mind (2.30)
This Is Not A Song, It's an Outburst: Or, The Establishment Blues (2.05)
Hate Street Dialogue (2.30)
Forget It (1.50)
Inner City Blues (3.23)
I Wonder (2.30)
Like Janis (2.32)
Gommorah (A Nursery Rhyme) (2.20)
Rich Folks Hoax (3.05)
Jane S. Piddy (2:54)

LINK: (copy link to browser and change "!!" to "tt")
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=CB3P7SZW

THIS IS THE ONE THAT NOT SO MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT.
Highly recomended to all!!!

Please leave a comment

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've worn my vinyl out and haven't been able to find replacements.

I suppose you wouldn't have a copy of "reality" or the other live recording you allude to in your review would you?

great album...great artist...thanks so much for uploading this!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Being re-released on thick vinyl and cd by Light in the Attic. Also the pre-orders are entered to win a signed poster and 45 by the man. (Out of the 1000 pre orders 50 will be registered to randomly receive the bonuses.)

https://lightintheattic.net/buy/item.php?product_id=463&c_id=1&page=1

Heli0tr0pe said...

Cheers man!

Anonymous said...

Great album. Music at its best. (As is the rest of your page)
Thanks for this wonderful page. The quality of the music and the write ups gives one such a great insight to this music that would otherwise have been missed.

Anonymous said...

Great blog and a great album. Thanks!

zappahead said...

Thank you for letting me hear this album...never heard of him before but he sounds a lot like country joe to me so....thats not a bad thing.....cheers.

Cate said...

I hadnt heard this since sometime back in the late 70s. It sounds just as good and relevant today as it did back then. Cheers.