Top Artists – Kris Kristofferson

Willie Nelson – Sings Kristofferson

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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…)

Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge – Full Moon

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A KILLER pressing of Full Moon with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from first note to last – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
This stunning copy gives you amazing immediacy, loads of richness and warmth, and wonderful transparency
The vocals are wonderfully breathy and sweet, the bass is killer and everything is natural and musical – so good!
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 & Rita Coolidge – Full Moon

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A Classic Pop Duo album finally available in Hot Stamper form! This copy has an AMAZING A++ TO A+++ SIDE ONE, and an excellent side two. Full Moon is a very well-recorded album, but the typical copy misses a lot of the magic that you hear on the better pressings. This side one gives you amazing immediacy, loads of richness and warmth, and wonderful transparency.

At Mint Minus Minus, this record is not quite as quiet as we would like. Still, if you can live with some surface noise this is an excellent chance to get Super Hot Stamper sound at a substantial discount.

We’ve been digging through some of the early Kristofferson albums here recently looking for Hot Stamper sound (keep an eye out for great copies of his first two albums) and were delighted when a copy of his first duet album with Rita Coolidge hit our table and blew us away with its lovely analog magic. We started picking them up in bulk, but of course, most of them sounded pretty mediocre. Many copies we played lacked the kind of presence and richness that brought out the best in these heartfelt songs. Others lacked transparency and never really opened up. We wen through a big stack of copies and only a handful gave us the kind of sound that really got us involved in the music. (more…)

Kris Kristofferson – Me and Bobby McGee

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Two strong sides each earning a Plus or better
The sound is big, rich and open with excellent presence
Unusually quiet Mint Minus vinyl throughout
A 5 Star album on Allmusic with great songs including Help Me Make It Through The Night and the title track

Two great sides on quiet vinyl, giving you a wonderful copy of Kristofferson’s classic debut. This album is an absolute tour de force — every last song on here is a winner. Me and Bobby McGee, Help Me Make It Through The Night, Sunday Morning Coming Down, For The Good Times… it just goes on and on.

Thankfully, the sound is excellent too — at least on a copy like this. We had a stack of originals and early reissues and this was one of a very small group of copies to really deliver. The best originals can be out of this world but good luck finding one that actually sounds great and plays with reasonable surfaces. Most of the reissues are dull and subgen sounding but we got our hands on a winner here. (more…)

Kris Kristofferson – Me and Bobby McGee

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An outstanding pressing of this Kristofferson Classic: Triple Plus (A+++) on side one, Double Plus (A++) on side two
Both sides are big and spacious with a huge three-dimensional soundfield and correct tonality in the midrange
We were struck by how much these songs have in common with those by writers such as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan
5 stars: “Kristofferson retained his gift for intimate love songs, and the album’s most memorable selections turned out to be “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” (which became a semi-standard) and “When I Loved Her.”

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 (his second) ranks right up there with it. Obviously the man became a huge country star, but going back and listening to his earliest material now we were struck by how much it shares in common with guys like Leonard Cohen and even Bob Dylan.

What to Listen For (WTLF)

This copy has the kind of sound we look for in a ’70s Singer Songwriter album. A few qualities to listen for:

Immediacy in the vocals (so many copies are veiled and distant);

Natural tonal balance (most copies are at least slightly brighter or darker than ideal; ones with the right balance are the exception, not the rule);

Good solid weight (so the bass sounds full and powerful);

Spaciousness (the best copies have wonderful studio ambience and space);

And last but not least, transparency, the quality of being able to see into the studio, where there is plenty of musical information to be revealed in this simple but sophisticated recording. (more…)

Kris Kristofferson – Jesus Was a Capricorn

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More Singer-Songwriter Albums

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An outstanding copy of Kristofferson’s 4th album, with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it from first note to last – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
It’s richer, fuller, more musical and more natural – 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
“Both album and single went gold, giving Kristofferson his greatest success as a recording artist.”

We played a bunch of these recently and this was one of the better copies we heard.

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. (more…)

Willie Nelson – Sings Kristofferson – Our Shootout Winner from 2011

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Sings Kristofferson

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A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame.

A MINDBLOWINGLY GOOD A+++ SIDE ONE, the best we heard in the whole shootout! Side two earned an A++, making this the best copy to ever hit the site! 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 side one seems to do it all.