Top Artists – Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson – Jesus Was a Capricorn

More of the Music of Kris Kristofferson

  • Kris’s 4th album is back on the site for the first time in three years, here with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout this vintage Monument pressing
  • It’s richer, fuller, more musical and more natural than practically all other copies we played – Kristofferson’s breathy voice is reproduced with a solidity and immediacy that’s not easy to find
  • The vocals sound particularly nice on this copy – rich, warm and full, just as they should
  • Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
  • “Both album and single went gold, giving Kristofferson his greatest success as a recording artist.”

We’ve been really digging the early Kristofferson albums around these parts lately. The first album is an absolute classic — not a bad song on there — and this one is solid as well.

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Kris Kristofferson – The Silver Tongued Devil and I

More Kris Kristofferson

  • Seriously good sound for Kristofferson’s sophomore release, with Double Plus (A++) grades from top to bottom – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • It’s richer, fuller, more musical and more natural that a lot of what we played – Kristofferson’s breathy voice is reproduced with a solidity and immediacy that’s not easy to find
  • Both of these sides are wonderfully full-bodied and warm, exactly the way you want your vintage analog to sound
  • 5 stars: “On its way to becoming a gold record, The Silver Tongued Devil and I reached the pop Top 20, Kristofferson’s career high on that chart, and the country Top Five; thus, Kristofferson made the transition from being a successful songwriter to a successful recording artist.”

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Kris Kristofferson – Me and Bobby McGee (aka Kristofferson)

More Kris Kristofferson

More Singer-Songwriter Albums

  • This vintage Monument pressing was giving us the sound we were looking for on Kristofferson’s debut LP, earning seriously good Double Plus (A++) grades from start to finish
  • You won’t believe how rich, Tubey Magical, big, undistorted and present this copy is (until you play it anyway)
  • Although the self-titled originals will always win our shootouts, the early reissues with the cover you see above can sound quite good on the right pressing
  • 5 stars:: “[Kristofferson] 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.”
  • This is an excellent title from 1970, which just happens to be a great year for Rock and Pop Music, maybe the greatest of them all

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Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge – Full Moon

More Kris Kristofferson

More Rita Coolidge

  • You’ll find excellent Double Plus (A++) sound throughout this early A&M pressing
  • The vocals are wonderfully breathy and sweet, the bass is killer and everything is natural and musical
  • 4 stars: “Despite Kristofferson’s greater celebrity, the LP was made with Coolidge’s strengths in mind. . . The songs were set in her key, with Kristofferson crooning along in an unusually high register. The tempos were mostly slow, emphasizing the dreamy quality of Coolidge’s voice.”

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Kris Kristofferson – Kristofferson

More Kris Kristofferson

More Singer-Songwriter Albums

  • Boasting KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them on both sides, this vintage Monument pressing was giving us the sound we were looking for on Kristofferson’s debut LP
  • You won’t believe how rich, Tubey Magical, big, undistorted and present this copy is (until you play it anyway)
  • Both of these sides are full-bodied, natural and clear, with Kristofferson front and center, exactly where he should be
  • Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
  • 5 stars:: “[Kristofferson] 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.”
  • This is an excellent title from 1970, which just happens to be a great year for Rock and Pop Music, maybe the greatest of them all

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Willie Nelson – Sings Kristofferson

More Willie Nelson

More Country and Country Rock

  • A stunning copy of Willie Nelson’s wonderful 1979 release with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound on side two mated with an outstanding Double Plus (A++) side one on this original Columbia pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • This is yet another amazing recording of one of the most recognizable and enjoyable voices in the history of popular song
  • A superb collection of Kris Kristofferson favorites, including Me and Bobby McGee and For The Good Times
  • 4 stars: “A return to country-rock after the smash success of Stardust the year before, this is one of Willie Nelson’s best albums. . . As he demonstrated from the beginning, Nelson had one of the best interpretive gifts of any singer, and this album only strengthened that reputation.”

We’ve heard great copies of this one in the past, but after throwing one on just for fun last year and hearing pretty mediocre sound, we decided that we’d collect a bunch of them to find out just how good the best pressings could sound — and how mind-numbingly average the typical copy can be. It’s not easy to find a copy that gets EVERYTHING right, but this one does it all.

This is one of the better Willie Nelson records, not quite in the same league as Stardust (musically or sonically, I’m afraid), but certainly one of his strongest efforts from the period. Some songs are recorded better than others (when ain’t that the case?) but just about everything sounds great and the best stuff is out of this world.

What do the best pressings give you on a record like this? More space around all the instruments, more strength to the bottom end, wonderful immediacy and breath to the vocals (though at times Willie’s vocals are a bit low in the mix — an odd choice), weight to the piano, superb clarity, and lovely analog warmth. (more…)