Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down:
A Tribute To Kris Kristofferson

Assembled over the course of two years of searching for the perfect artist and the perfect song, Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down celebrates the songwriting genius and emotional depth of one of our best, and lately undersung, singer/songwriters, Kris Kristofferson. It's a testament to Kristofferson's simple, earthy themes and melodies that his songs could be taken in so many different directions.

Tom Verlaine of Television starts the record off with his singularly moody, adept fretwork on Kris's "The Hawk," best known to some as the closing theme from Alan Rudolph's avant noir Trouble In Mind. The moody introspection of the track leads nicely into Chuck Prophet's tough but tender reading of the sad classic "Loving Her Was Easier," backed by Prophet's wife and musical partner Stephanie Finch's soaring, looped vocals. Polara, the noise pop pioneers from Minneapolis, bring space and noise to "Just The Other Side of Nowhere," a song that sounds as at home in a wall of fuzz as it did tripping off Dean Martin's sodden tongue.

The Mother Hips, Northern California's version of the Everly Brothers, add a shuffle and awesome harmonies to "Sunday Morning Coming Down" -- if you're only familiar with Johnny Cash's famous version, you'll be surprised by this rendition's angelic vocals and gently hungover pace. Keeping the atmosphere thick and barroom sore is John Doe's mournful "Me and Bobby McGee;" the X-co-founder finds the soul of the song in its themes of regret and melancholy, forsaking Janis Joplin's frenzied classic.

Hannah Marcus and the Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek discovered Larry Murray's "Lights of Magdala" through Kristofferson's version on Spooky Lady's Sideshow, and their genre-bending version embodies the record's spirit of reinvention and tribute.

Tom Heyman, the guitarist extraordinaire behind Philadelphia's late, lamented Go To Blazes, takes "Sugar Man" into Tom Waits territory, lending a bluesy Bourbon Street crash and lurch to its tale of drug addiction. Steve Earle's guitarist and alt-country mainstay Eric "Roscoe" Ambel offers production support and multi-instrumentalist talents to the track.

San Francisco psych-pop purveyors Oranger, meanwhile, lasso "Casey's Last Ride" to a sound that's so Spaghetti Western you can almost picture Lee Van Cleef and Eastwood staring across a wide screen. The Mekons' Jon Langford and the man who wrote "Wild Thing," Chip Taylor, offer a soaring version of "Help Me Make It Through The Night" that you would never, ever confuse with Sammi Smith's number one original.

On "The Law Is For Protection Of The People," Los Angeles' Northern Lights freakify California country with the assistance of producer Ben Vaughn. They find kindred spirits in San Francisco's Mover, specialists in rock that tucks its shirt into its belt, who add odd keyboards to a hillbilly hippie "Jesus Was A Capricorn." The Blake Babies and Antenna's John P Strohm set a nighttime pace to the honky tonk heartbreaker "Nobody Wins, " while Kelly Hogan, Bloodshot Records' vocalist supreme, belts out "Why Me" so convincingly we almost felt obligated to go back to church. Twice.

And if you think Kristofferson's songs had been taken in every possible direction, Dart, who hail from Los Angeles, add trip-hop and new wave new romanticism to "For The Good Times." If only Radiohead covered Ray Price.

Austin, TX belter Beaver Nelson sings his heart out on "Jody And The Kid," a song that's been known to make grown men burst into weeping fits in the cab of a pickup truck. And Paul Burch and the WPA Ballclub sing us the tale of "The Pilgrim (Chapter 33)," a song that seems autobiographical and is dedicated to boozers and losers the world over.

Of course, no tribute to Kris Kristofferson would be complete without his own guitarist Stephen Bruton, a solo force as well. His version of "Border Lord," which he co-wrote with Kristofferson, takes us out of the record and on a road trip through roadhouses and regret.

It's a stellar collection of songs and a great group of musicians. We think you'll find your favorite Kris songs reconsidered. And you'll probably find some new ones along the way.

Don't Let The Bastards Get You Down was assembled between 2000 and 2002 by Nick Tangborn. Nick was formerly the Editor In Chief and VP, Content of Listen.com. He also DJs honky tonk nights in San Francisco at the Hemlock Tavern, Thee Parkside and the Make Out Room.

'Don't Let The Bastards
Get You Down: A Tribute To
Kris Kristofferson'
:: format :: cd
:: out » 2002

tracks
» the hawk - tom verlaine
» loving her was easier -
chuck prophet
» just the other side of nowhere -
polara
» sunday morning coming down -
mother hips
» me and bobby mcgee -
john doe
» lights of magdala -
mark kozelek and hannah marcus
» sugar man - tom heyman
» casey's last ride - oranger
» help me make it through the night -
jon langford and chip taylor
» the law is for protection of the people -
northern lights
» jesus was a capricorn - mover
» nobody wins - john p. strohm
» why me - kelly hogan
» for the good times - dart
» jody and the kid -
beaver nelson
» the pilgrim (chapter 33) -
paul burch
» border lord - stephen bruton