Kris Kristofferson-The Essential(MP3@320){19glide58}[H33T]

Artist: Kris Kristofferson
Title: The Essential
Label: Columbia / Legacy
Release Date: 2004
Format: MP3 @ 320 K



Drunkards, free spirits, wayward travelers, and lady-killers populate the songs of Kris Kristofferson, who was a wandering soul himself before becoming a professional musician. Always one to appeal to country and rock fans alike, Kristofferson is a songwriter's songwriter, as illustrated by this double-disc collection. The first disc is primarily comprised of nine tracks from his landmark 1970 debut, KRISTOFFERSON, and seven cuts from 1971's equally strong THE SILVER TONGUED DEVIL AND I. These include "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and "For the Good Times"--all hits for other artists, though Kristofferson's weathered, raspy versions feel definitive.

Disc two culls tracks from more varied sources, though a mere five of 19 go beyond 1979. It opens with 1972?s narcotic "Border Lord," and continues through four tracks from 1972's JESUS WAS A CAPRICORN (including "I'd Rather Be Sorry," a duet with his then-wife, Rita Coolidge), "How Do You Feel About Foolin' Around" (with Willie Nelson, from the 1986 film SONGWRITER), and a 1985 cut from the country supergroup Highwaymen (with Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings). A strong collection for the true fan, or a fantastic intro for the uninitiated, ESSENTIAL is a concise overview of this groundbreaking songwriter's work.

Disc 1:

01. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
02. To Beat the Devil
03. Just the Other Side of Nowhere
04. Me and Bobby McGee
05. The Best of All Possible Worlds
06. Casey's Last Ride
07. Help Me Make It Throught the Night
08. Darby's Castle
09. Jody and the Kid
10. Loving Her Was Easier (That Anything I'll Ever Do Again)
11. For the Good Times
12. Come Sundown
13. From the Bottle to the Bottom
14. Billy Dee
15. Breakdown (A Long Way from Home)
16. The Silver Tongued Devil and I
17. The Taker
18. The Pilgrim: Chapter 33 [Live]

Disc 2:

01. Border Lord
02. The Sabre and the Rose
03. Broken Freedom Song
04. Jesus Was a Capricorn (Owed to John Prine)
05. Shandy (The Perfect Disguise)
06. Sugar Man
07. The Last Time
08. Nobody Wins
09. I'd Rather Be Sorry
10. Highwayman
11. Don't Cuss the Fiddle
12. The Bigger the Fool, The Harder the Fall
13. Stranger
14. If You Don't Like Hank Williams
15. Here Comes That Rainbow Again
16. Once More With Feeling
17. How Do You Feel About Foolin' Around
18. Why Me
19. Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends

Personnel:
Kris Kristofferson - guitar, vocals
Jerry McGee - guitar, dobro, mandolin, sitar, background vocals
Fred Tackett - guitar, mandolin
Mark Knopfler, Stephen Bruton, Billy Swan - guitar, background vocals
Chip Young, Chris Gantry, Dennis Linde, Fred Carter, Jr., Grady Martin, John "Bucky" Wilkin, Jim Colvard, Jerry Kennedy, John Willis, Johnny Christopher, Mac Gayden, Ray Edenton, Wayne Moss, Steve Gibson , Jerry Shook - guitar
Paul Franklin , Pete Drake, Weldon Myrick - steel guitar
Josh Graves, Norman Blake - dobro
Norman Bruton - mandolin
Tommy Jackson, Buddy Spicher - fiddle
Charlie McCoy - harmonica, horns
Nick DeCaro - accordion
Don Sheffield, Chuck Findley, Dick Hyde, Darrell Leonard, Dwight Smith, Earl Lon Price, Harrison Calloway, Jackie Kelso, Jim Horn, Harvey Thompson, Ronnie Eades - horns
Donnie Fritts, Mike Utley - keyboards, background vocals
Glen Clark, David Briggs , Jim Cox, John Harris , Shane Keister, Bobby Emmons, Bobby Wood - keyboards
Gene Chrisman, Kenny Buttrey, Andy Newmark, Sammy Creason, Jerry Carrigan - drums
Farrell Morris, Bobbye Hall - percussion
Clydie King, June Page, Sherlie Matthews, D. Bergen White, Donna Rhodes, Terry Dearmore, Don Gant, Jack Skinner, James Cason, Herb Pedersen, Randy Cutlers, Allan Wald, Benny Whitehead, Gary Busey, Sandra Chalmers, John Beland, Larry Gatlin, Larry Murray, Alan Rush, Mentor Williams, Mickey Newbury, Ray C. Walker, Rita Coolidge, Sammi Smith, Terry Paul, Venetta Fields, Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Millie Kirkham, Buzz Cason, Byron Berline, Charles Chalmers - background vocals