Kris Kristofferson Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Shake Hands With The Devil CD

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, his ninth album for Monument, was released in the aftermath of Kristofferson's starring appearance with Barbra Streisand in the film A STAR IS BORN (the cover shot is a still from the film). It is a hastily recorded and assembled affair, at best. The title track, "Once More with Feeling," and "Come Sundown," were of 1970 vintage--the latter two were hits for Bobby Bare and Jerry Lee Lewis, respectively. "Seadream" was written for the 1976 film THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA, which he starred in with British actress Sarah Miles. There's a terrific band here, but the material is such a hodge-podge it's tough to get a hold on the album.

On this Wounded Bird two-fer we get Kris Kristofferson's stellar, if truly misunderstood, SPOOKY LADY'S SIDESHOW (1974) paired with the forgettable SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL (1979). The former title is a kind of concept album. It reflects on the state of the songwriter's life journey to that point, from the hard road of slogging through bars and Nashville offices to the rough life lived in the process to the price of stardom and the dark side of fame. It also reflects on the lives and tragedies of people he'd met along the way. One need not go any further than "Same Old Song," the album's opening track, to get a snapshot of the entire album thematically. There are some real Kristofferson classics to be found here, including "Broken Freedom Song" and "The Lights of Magdala," just to name two. The musicians who guest here include Leland Sklar, Bobby Neuwirth, Stephen Bruton, Delbert McClinton, a horn section that includes saxophonist Jim Horn, guitarist Jerry McGee, and drummer Sammy Creason. This is worth the price of the package alone--it's all killer, no filler from start to finish.

Personnel: Kris Kristofferson (vocals, guitar); Stephen Bruton (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Mike Utley (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Rita Coolidge (vocals, background vocals); Billy Swan (vocals); Fred Tackett (guitar); Jerry McGee (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, sitar, harmonica, background vocals); Jackie Kelso, Jim Horn (saxophone); Dick Hyde (trombone, tuba); Chuck Findley (trombone); Darrell Leonard, Dwight Smith (horns); Donnie Fritts (keyboards); Sammy Creason (drums); Bobbye Hall (percussion); Moan Tones, Herb Pedersen, John Beland, Larry Murray, Terry Paul (background vocals).