Some Strong Stuff
Old T.B. | Cheyenne, Wy USA | 10/15/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Surreal Thing is not one of Kris Kristofferson's better known albums, but it is actually a much stronger effort than the one preceding it, 1975s Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame, and the one that came after, 1978s Easter Island (included on this two-fer). In fact, the run of songs beginning with "Never Gonna Be the Same Again" through to "If You Don't Like Hank Williams" qualifies as one of the most consistent sequences of high-quality music on any Kristofferson album. Surreal Thing is probably one of my top five favorite Kristofferson releases.
Easter Island, on the other hand, is not as strong; there's really too much filler on this one. With that said, the final two tracks, "The Fighter" and "Living Legend" (redone in the Nineties admirably, but not as powerfully, by Kristofferson and company in the Highwaymen) are two of the man's finest creations. And, "The Sabre and the Rose" is an interesting track; I'm not exactly sure why, but I've always enjoyed this song.
I definitely recommend this re-issue. It holds some great music from one of our greatest songwriters."