Kristofferson

by Kris Kristofferson

Overview

On the evidence of his first collection of songs, Kristofferson was ahead of his country music peers in realizing that, despite Nashville's conservative political tilt, there was a natural affinity between the country archetype of a hard-drinking, romantically independent loner and the rock & roll archetype of a drug-taking, romantically free hippie. A sleeve note suggested that Kristofferson had been reluctant to record, but while he didn't have much range as a singer, he brought a conviction to his vocals and a complete understanding of the nuances of the lyrics. The songs were so personal that they seemed to demand a personal interpretation, and established the persona of a poor songwriter struggling against despair. Nashville, as it turned out, didn't have much use for his countercultural songs, but the country music community could recognize a good love song, and Ray Price quickly cut "For the Good Times," which topped the country charts. Then Johnny Cash covered the first-person hangover narrative "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" for a number one country hit, and Sammi Smith gave a twist to "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by recording it as a woman's song for yet another country number one. The finishing touch to Kristofferson's sudden renown was Janis Joplin's cover of the classic on-the-road song "Me and Bobby McGee," released shortly after her death, which topped the pop charts. When it was released in 1970, Kristofferson did not reach the charts. By the following year, however, its creator was on his way to becoming a major star, and after his second album broke into the pop charts in July 1971, Monument retitled the first album Me and Bobby McGee and reissued it. This time around, it made the pop and country charts and went gold. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	07/02/2013
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8718469532568
Rank:	42867

Tracks

1. Blame It on the Stones
2. To Beat The Devil
3. Me and Bobby McGee
4. The Best of All Possible Worlds
5. Help Me Make It Through the Night
6. The Law Is For Protection of the People
7. Casey's Last Ride
8. Just the Other Side of Nowhere
9. Darby's Castle
10. For the Good Times
11. Duvalier's Dream
12. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kris Kristofferson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Bergen White   String Arrangements
Fred Foster   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes
John Jackson   Product Manager
John Wilkin   Composer
Joseph M. Palmaccio   Mastering
Nick Shaffran   Series Consultant
Al Quaglieri   Reissue Producer
Tommy Strong   Engineer
Billy Swan   Liner Notes
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
Johnny Cash   Liner Notes
Todd Parker   Engineer
Bucky Wilkens   Composer
Ken Kim   Cover Photo,Art Direction
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
John Christiana   Packaging Manager
Cathy Pugh   Composer
Randall Martin   Design
Steve Mazur   Assistant Engineer
Carol Pugh   Composer