As featured in my e-Book
"…Someday These May Be All We
Remember Of Each Other…"
"Light In The Attic
Records" - a reissue label out of Seattle in the USA - has been building
up a steady and loyal audience of music connoisseurs since 2002. Their releases
cover many genres of music and often involve the reissue of ultra-rarities -
obscure albums and material by artists that actually deserves reappraisal
(their Karen Dalton, Rodriguez and Lou Bond issues are good examples).
And they are clearly proud of
their 50th release - why? Because the first thing you notice about the gatefold
card sleeve is the bulge in the left flap - the booklet is 60-pages long
featuring a stunning essay by MICHAEL SIMMONS on the history of these amazing
audio finds (the whole set is produced by Mark Linn and Matt Sullivan). I've
seen Bear Family’s detachable booklets reach as much as 40 pages for a single
Rhythm 'n' Blues CD (which is impressive) - but this is something else (the
notes tell us it’s taken LITA over five years to compile it). Let's get to the
itty-bitty details…
USA released May 2010 - "Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72" by KRIS
KRISTOFFERSON is a 16-track CD on Light In The Attic LITA 050 (Barcode
826853005029) and breaks down as follows (51:47 minutes):
1. Me And Bobby McGee [5:12
minutes]
2. Please Don't Tell Me How
The Story Ends [3:19 minutes, with False Start]
3. Smile At Me Again [2:34
minutes] (lyrics above)
4. The Lady's Not For Sale
[3:45 minutes]
5. Border Lord [3:58 minutes]
6. Just The Other Side Of
Nowhere [2:40 minutes]
7. Come Sundown [3:19 minutes]
8. Slow Down [2:29 minutes]
9. If You Don't Like Hank
Williams [1:50 minutes]
10. Little Girl Lost [3:23
minutes]
11. Duvalier's Dream [2:31
minutes]
12. When I Loved Her [2:47
minutes]
13. Billy Dee [2:55 minutes]
14. Epitaph (Black And Blue)
[3:25 minutes]
15. Enough For You [2:40
minutes] [with studio chatter]
16. Getting By, High, And
Strange [4:57 minutes] [with False Starts & Dialogues]
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13,
15 and 16 are solo acoustic recordings
3, 5, 8 and 12 are band
recordings
The sound quality is a little
rough on some tracks, but most of the acoustic demos are beautifully clear and
amazingly free of recording glitches. The band material is good too and the
occasional studio chatter and false starts lend a lovely intimacy to it all.
The booklet opens with
interviews from Dennis Hopper, Kinky Friedman and Merle Haggard - then has a
huge essay on the release by label-founder Michael Simmons which is followed by
Kristofferson's own dictated notes on every song (lyrics are provided, but the
recording details are oddly sketchy). In-between all these words are loads of
superb period photos - the young country singer with friends and like-minded
musicians, hand-written lyric pages and even passport details... It's one of
the best presentations I've ever seen.
Lyrically Kristofferson's as
sharp as Dylan and as caustic as Cash - "...nothing looks as empty as a
motel bed..." (from Smile At Me Again), "...she's got six gold
records and been married seven times" (from Slow Down) and "...I like
Bobby Gentry and that sexy Mama Cass, but if you don't like Hank Williams
buddy, you can kiss my ass..." These are songs about whiskey-drinking
loose women and needle-chasing young men who are "...driven towards the
darkness by the devils in his veins..." (from Billy Dee). Great
stuff...and smart too.
The stark piano playing of
Donnie Fritts accompanies Kristofferson's lone guitar on "Epitaph (Black
And Blue)" - it was written for Joplin after she died and obviously played
with real pain and hurt. And then there's the opposite - great fun with Billy
Swan on the last track about women on construction sites in New York - a tape
box that was rescued from Swan's shed.
Obviously LITA is hoping that
this release will warrant a reappraisal of Kristofferson as a major writing
force - but I don't know if that's going to happen. Some of it is good, some a
bit weak, but the better stuff is truly fantastic - it really is. And as I
listen and re-listen to these songs - I'm reminded of Bruce Springsteen's
"Nebraska" and Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" - albums
I adore - and I'm sure many of their fans hold them precious too - being a true
representation of their inner voices precisely because they're so raw and
stripped-down.
As Kristofferson finishes
singing the highly emotional words to "Enough For You" - he stops and
says (rather impressed with himself) - "Was that just perfect!" And
at times it's hard not to agree.
“Please Don’t Tell Me How The
Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72” by KRIS KRISTOFFERSON is a major
release from a wonderful reissue label and in award-winning presentation too.
Light In The Attic have done the great man proud…
--> PS: LITA have also issued it a 2LP Vinyl Set with the full booklet.
