Cold Fact, by Rodriguez
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Sixto Rodriguez is a poet of the streets who released two albums of social protest in the early 1970’s, then languished in obscurity for decades until reappearing as the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man.”
While Rodriguez did not find fame in his home country, his message of social injustice resonated with the youth of South Africa, who were suffering under the authoritarian Apartheid regime. Although repressive government policies banned his music from being played on the radio, word of mouth about Rodriquez spread through the South African counter-culture, resulting in him becoming an underground cult sensation. Cold Fact eventually went platinum in South Africa, and Rodriguez became an icon for the opposition movement. South Africans hold Rodriguez in the same esteem as Bob Dylan and the Beatles – a tribute to the power of his music.
Sixto (named for being the sixth child) Rodriquez was born into a family of Mexican immigrants. He grew up in Detroit, and was discovered performing in small clubs by Doug Coffey, a session guitarist for Motown Records. Coffey signed Rodriguez to a contract with Sussex Records, then co-produced his debut album “Cold Fact,” released in 1970.Cold Fact is an indictment of society’s wealthy and privileged who prosper at the expense of its poor and helpless. It takes the listener down side streets and back alleys to the bars, brothels, and drug dens, where the downtrodden seek respite from the struggles of their daily lives.
The album opens with “Sugar Man,” Rodriguez’s theme song about a drug dealer he knew in Detroit: Sugarman
Won’t ya hurry
Coz I’m tired of these scenes
For a blue coin
Won’t ya bring back
All those colours to my dreams
Cold Fact contains several songs that warranted radio airplay including “Crucify Your Mind,” about a scheming amour; and the well-orchestrated shuffle of “Inner City Blues.”
Other highlights include “Hate Street Dialogue,” “Establishment Blues,” “Forget It,” “Like Janis,” “Rich Folks Hoax,” “Jane S. Piddy,” and the sardonic “I Wonder”:
And I wonder how many plans have gone bad
I wonder how many times you had sex
And I wonder do you know who’ll be next
The 2012 documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” includes several tracks recorded in 1973 for an unreleased third album including “Can’t Get Away,” and “I’ll Slip Away.”
Video
Inner City Blues (Paris, 2009)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRAprz5fq8
Crucify Your Mind (Paris, 2009)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=von2WWtmGNY
I Wonder (Triple Door, Seattle, WA, 6-29-2009)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw-BpTZAFRY
Crucify Your Mind (David Letterman, 8-14-2012)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3XLiGw4MKo
Sugar Man (Live with Jules Holland, 11-13-2012)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAaFTOLAziM
Like Janis (Paris, 2012)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ky6IQiGLl8
Forget It (Paris, 2012)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXptR3d5phA
Inner City Blues (Paris, 2013)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVN7zl6T2yU
Rich Folks Hoax
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF_mAB3nM48
Sixto Rodriguez interview w/Hollywood Reporter
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCiacXhqHw8
I Think of You (Rodriguez cover by Anna Carow)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6iPaWgptYw
