Customer Reviews

Silver Tongued Devil & I

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4 star:		(1)
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I have been listening to this great album for 30 years. For someone whose name is so well known it is almost criminal that more people do not know that Kristofferson is the greatest poet in the English speaking world. His lyrics speak of freedom and survival of the human spirit like no one else. If you are unfamiliar with his writing this album is a terrific starting point. You will never be able to get enough!

Ever since I was born,there has been a copy of this album around me.Kris ushered in the era of the singer songwriter and without him I wouldn't have gotten hooked on Neil Young,Bob Dylan,Warren Zevon;as well as countless country tinged rock groups.SILVER TONGUED DEVIL presents a poet wandering America,cataloguing what he finds there; the characters,love and the situations he finds himself in. With Jennings and Nelson, Kristofferson personified "outlaw country"-country with a dash of rock.This release and his self-titled LP(re-released as ME AND BOBBY McGEE) are Kristofferson's best.I strongly recommend this release to you.

SILVER TONGUE DEVIL AND I - A sly,good natured wink at the excuse,"The devil made my do it!". The snicker near the end of the song gives the whole game away.

JODY AND THE KID - A sad song about the more things change the more things stay the same. From being childhood sweethearts to having a little girl who mirrors her late mother; it's heartbreaking in it's simpleness. Latered covered by Roger Miller.

BILLY DEE - Tale of everybody's friend who slowly loses his battle with a heroin addiction.

GOOD CHRISTIAN SOLDIER - Innocent Christian boy faced with the horrors of combat in Vietnam.

BREAKDOWN (A LONG WAY FROM HOME) - Tale of a loner out on the street a long way from home,not having acheived much.

LOVING HER WAS EASIER (THAN ANYTHING I'LL EVER DO AGAIN) - Kristofferson extolling his passion for his lover(or recent ex-lover). The imagery is just magnificent: "Aching with the freedom of an eagle when she flies". Covered by Roger Miller and Waylon Jennings.

THE TAKER - Kris warning a woman that her current beau will only use her and then dump her. Great Spanish horn arrrangement. Later covered by Waylon Jennings.

WHEN I LOVED HER - The feelings that come with falling in love and breaking up,full of wonderment and confusion.

THE PILRIM, CHAPTER 33 - Song about a 'walking contradiction', a man who indulges in the vices while knowing, "The going up was worth the coming down". I love the credits list Kris rambles off at the start of this track.

EPITATH (BLACK AND BLUE) - The final,sad note on the life and death of Janis Joplin (an ex-lover of Kristofferson's). The solo electric piano gives the song a dirge-like quality.

I was going through my parents old albums when I found this. I was listening to them to see what was worth keeping. I had never heard of Kris, but this blew me away. He is a great poet. His voice is full of so much feeling that you believe that he is a down and outer. He is terrific at putting feelings into words. However, it is a little depressing. Buy this.

my first copy of this album was played several thousand times by the mid-70's -- KK's skills at turning a phrase and truly putting my life into words have enriched every day of my life for 28 years now. This is the one I turn to when I need to get "me back to being me."

I had this album when it first came out and wore it out. This is KK's song writing at its best. The songs hold up to the test of time and still have the same power they always did. Fine poetry.

Alright. Now you've made it. You've flown helicopters, swept floors, tended bar, all to make ends meet while you peddled your songs. You got some hits (Help Me Make It Through The Night), some misses (Vietnam Blues) and when the hits came more often than the misses, you got to make your own album (Kristofferson).

Now you get to top that. "Silver Tongued Devil" does. Some say he's your double, some even say you're the same. Whatever, whichever, it's as good a song as you've written. They say you should write about what you know. If that is the case, I'd say you have quite a bit of material in the same vein. I like "Jody and the Kid". Sad song, but there is a ray of hope in it too. "Breakdown" is another song that could be autobiographical. A lot of tough gigs, huh? How about "Epitaph"? That about Joplin? And "Pilgrim Chapter 33". Mister, you sure got a lot of stories stashed in that guitar case.

p.s. This album is practically the soundtrack to Kris' film, "Cisco Pike". A good movie and the songs fit the story well. Check it out.

This was the first KK album I ever heard back when it was originally released - I was then hooked on KK. Love his way of singing. When my original record and cassette wore out had to replace it with the CD just purchased.

It' great! One of his best along with Jesus Was A Capricorn and Border Lord. A can't miss for great music!!

Can't think of an album I've enjoyed more and some of the songs hit pretty close to home.

This is one of the greatest CDs I have ever heard. This guy Kris is a poetic genius.