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Average Customer Review
(22 customer reviews) 44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Songs that make us feel good,
April 1, 2004 J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essential Kris Kristofferson (Audio CD)
Essentialness is defined as the basics, the necessary listening to fully capture and appreciate a musician's career. Born the son of an air force general in Texas in 1936, Kris Kristofferson's first gig in Nashville was as a janitor cleaning ashtrays and "go-fer" at CBS Studios in the mid-60s. Encouraged by Johnny Cash who helped him "beat the devil," Kris had his first own real big on-the-road hit with "Me and Bobby McGee," especially after it was covered by Cash, Janis Joplin and Roger Miller. Songwriter Kristofferson fully established himself with "Help Me Make it Through the Night" and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (which also got covered by Ray Stevens). His songs have now been covered by at least 500 artists from Elvis to Dylan. A great many of these 37 tracks come from his early albums, "Kristofferson" (ten tracks) and "The Silver Tongued Devil and I" (six tracks). I could also argue that some of his followup records from 1972-74 were less than monumental. I certainly...Read more
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
+1/2 -- Weighted to seminal early work,
June 5, 2004 hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essential Kris Kristofferson (Audio CD)
An artist as prolific as Kristofferson is necessarily difficult to capture in compilation, not least of which because his songs and singing are half his artistic story. Without the hits that others launched from Kristofferson's pen, you can't assemble a full view of his impact on Nashville and pop music in general. Still, Kristofferson's own recordings, especially those of songs made popular by others, are intimate and revealing in ways that no one else's could ever really be. Jopin sung the hell out of "Me and Bobby McGee," but she lost some of the down-and-out brokenness Kristofferson laid into it. Similarly, for "Help Me Make it Through the Night" and "For the Good Times" the hits became icons for Sammi Smith and Ray Price, respectively, but Kristofferson's own versions are perhaps even more unforgettable for his earthier, less-polished voice.These two discs lean heavily on Kristofferson's earlier work, which, for most listeners will be the right...Read more
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Essential? You betcha!,
March 20, 2004 DanD - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essential Kris Kristofferson (Audio CD)
Kris Kristofferson is not just a songwriter--he's a friggin' poet. "The Essential" is a 2 CD collection of some of his best songs ever, sung in his ragged country voice, spanning pretty much his entire career (although 2003's "Broken Freedom Song" gets left out; but that's forgiveable).I won't bore you by going song-by-song; there're too many, and they're all too good. Let me hit the highlights (my favorites):"To Beat the Devil," about a man who refuses the Devil's advice, then "steals his song"; "The Best of All Possible Worlds," a sarcasm-laced story of a noncomforist in a small town; "Help Me Make It Through the Night," a song of desperation and lonliness that's probably the best Kristofferson tune ever (though I'm willing to argue that)."Loving Her Was Easier" is a beautiful poem; "From the Bottle to the Bottom" is a witty toe-tapper; "Highwayman" features Cash, Waylon, and Willie...Read more
