Lou Reed & Kris Kristofferson – “The Bottom Line Archive: In Their Own Words with Vin Scelsa” [Album Review]

Located in New York’s Greenwich Village from 1974 through 2004, The Bottom Line was one of Manhattan’s most popular intimate live music venues. Among the thousands of artists that performed on the Bottom Line stage were Eric Clapton, The Police, Prince, Hall & Oates, The Ramones, Miles Davis, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. Even after artists like those became superstars, it would not be out of the question for them to appear at The Bottom Line.

In recent years, the archive of The Bottom Line has opened with some great live recordings coming out thanks to co-founder Allan Pepper. The latest title is In Their Own Words With Vin Scelsa, a live show featuring Lou Reed and Kris Kristofferson, as moderated by radio innovator Vin Scelsa. Taped on February 2, 1994, the two-disc set features a combination of live performances, conversation, and traditional interviewing. In turn, listeners hear a bunch of songs and what particularly inspired some of them. Beyond the two CDs, In Their Own Words With Vin Scelsa includes photos from February 2, 1994, liner notes from a mix of folks (including the aforementioned Scelsa and singer/songwriter Garland Jeffries), and Bottom Line gigographies for both Reed and Kristofferson.

The content is compelling if you are an admirer of both Lou Reed and Kris Kristofferson. The sound quality is great. The package looks good, while being full of interesting information. The only thing keeping this from being a 10 out of 10, scoring-wise, is the question of how many times you are going to listen to a concert performance that is heavy on talking. Well done, Bottom Line team — I am sure that I am not the only person looking forward to seeing what else you have in your archives.

The Bottom Line Archive: In Their Own Words Track Listing:

Disc 1
01. Introduction by Vin Scelsa
02. Vin Scelsa Introduces Lou Reed
03. Betrayed by Lou Reed
04. Vin Scelsa Introduces Kris Kristofferson
05. Shipwrecked by Kris Kristofferson
06. L.R. On Songwriting by Lou Reed & Kris Kristofferson
07. Legendary Hearts by Lou Reed
08. K.K. On His Childhood & Songwriting by Kris Kristofferson
09. Sunday Morning Coming Down / The Pilgrim by Kris Kristofferson
10. L.R. On New York by Lou Reed
11. Strawman by Lou Reed
12. K.K. Talks About “Strawman” by Kris Kristofferson
13. Sam’s Song by Kris Kristofferson
14. L.R. On Writing for Wim Wenders by Lou Reed
15. Why Can’t I Be Good by Lou Reed
16. L.R. On Autobiographical Songs by Lou Reed

Disc 2
01. K.K. On Nashville by Kris Kristofferson
02. Help Me Make It Through the Night by Kris Kristofferson
03. L.R. On Velvet Underground & Warhol by Lou Reed
04. Sweet Jane by Lou Reed & Kris Kristofferson
05. K.K. On Writing by Kris Kristofferson
06. To Beat the Devil by Kris Kristofferson
07. L.R. On Writing Prose by Lou Reed
08. Romeo Had Juliet by Lou Reed
09. Burden of Freedom by Kris Kristofferson
10. K.K On “Me and Bobby Mcgee” by Kris Kristofferson
11. Me and Bobby Mcgee by Kris Kristofferson
12. K.K. On “Bird on a Wire” by Kris Kristofferson
13. Bird on a Wire by Kris Kristofferson
14. Tracks of My Tears by Lou Reed & Kris Kristofferson

Run Time: 95 minutes
Release Date: September 15, 2017

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