Kristofferson (album)

Kristofferson
Studio album by Kris Kristofferson
Released 1970
Recorded 1969, Monument Recording Studio
Genre Country
Length 41:29
Label Monument
Producer Fred Foster
Kris Kristofferson chronology
Kristofferson
(1970)		 The Silver Tongued Devil and I
(1971)The Silver Tongued Devil and I1971
Me and Bobby McGee
1971 re-release cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
The Village VoiceB–[4]

Kristofferson is the first album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1970 (see 1970 in music) on Monument Records.

Many of the songs on the album were already hits as they had been recorded by other artists when Kristofferson was primarily known as a songwriter. In spite of this, the album was initially a commercial disappointment, although it reached number 10 on the country album charts.

It was re-released under the title Me and Bobby McGee in 1971 immediately following the success of Janis Joplin's interpretation of that song and the success of Kris Kristofferson's second album, The Silver Tongued Devil and I. It became a hit upon re-release. In 2001, the album was re-released on CD with four bonus tracks.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review for Rolling Stone, Adam Bresnick praised the melancholic passion of Kristofferson's singing and regarded the album as "one of the great lost records of the hippie era, a country masterpiece packed with tales of drifters and dreamers recounted in rough-hewn poetry worthy of the best honky-tonk songwriters".[5] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, finding Kristofferson "deft and common" as a songwriter but "the worst singer" he had ever heard. "He has no relation to key .. no phrasing, no dynamics, no energy, no authority, no dramatic ability, and no control of the top two-thirds of his six-note range", Christgau wrote.[2]

Track listing

All songs by Kris Kristofferson except as noted.

  1. "Blame It on the Stones" (Kristofferson, John Wilkin) – 2:46
  2. "To Beat the Devil" – 4:43
  3. "Me and Bobby McGee" (Kristofferson, Fred Foster) – 4:23 ( Listen )
  4. "Best of All Possible Worlds" – 3:01
  5. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" – 2:24
  6. "The Law Is for Protection of the People" – 2:40
  7. "Casey's Last Ride" – 3:37
  8. "Just the Other Side of Nowhere" – 3:39
  9. "Darby's Castle" – 3:19
  10. "For the Good Times" – 3:25
  11. "Duvalier's Dream" – 2:58
  12. "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" – 4:34
    Bonus tracks from the CD release:
  13. "The Junkie and the Juicehead, Minus Me" – 3:24
  14. "Shadows of Her Mind" – 3:13
  15. "The Lady's Not for Sale" (Kristofferson, Carol Pugh) – 3:27
  16. "Come Sundown" – 2:36

Personnel (for CD re-release edition)

Additional personnel

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

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
Country Albums 10
Pop Albums 43

References

  1. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Kristofferson at AllMusic
  2. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Kris Kristofferson: Kristofferson". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1970). "Consumer Guide (12)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ Bresnick, Adam (April 16, 2001). "Kris Kristofferson: Kristofferson". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
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