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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Disappointed Sep 21, 2009
I was very disappointed. I have been a Kris Kristofferson fan for many years. You could always identify him immediately on the radio. This CD does not sound like the Kris Kristofferson I love to hear. It isn't only that some of the songs are from his younger years. He had his own distinctive sound even then. This CD does not sound like him.
 The Essential Kris Kristofferson Jun 27, 2009
Very much enjoyed this product.A long time fan but still found some excellent songs on here I hadn't been familiar with previously.A great product.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Johnny Cash's favorite song (that he didn't write) May 09, 2009
Did you ever 'discover' a song that you can't hear without weeping? That touches your heart with the simplest of words? Well . . . buried on Disc 2 (track 15) of this splendid retrospective of Kris Kristofferson's career, is the song Johnny Cash considered the very best (of those he didn't write himself).
Here in Canada "Mr. Diana Krall" (Elvis Costello) hosts a show which recently featured a stage-full of songwriter/performers. Bracketing Mr. Costello were Kris Kristofferson and (Ravi Shankar's little girl) Norah Jones, John ("no longer Cougar") Mellencamp and Johnny Cash's daughter Roseanne.
The highlight for me (for Elvis Costello too - it brought a tear to his eye which he tried to wipe away unobtrusively during the subsequent applause from the Toronto studio audience) was Kris Kristofferson's solo performance of one of his own songs.
[Just as an aside I'm partial to Kris Kristofferson having seen him perform in a coffee house in my hometown of Ottawa Canada 45 years ago (before any of his big hits like Me & Bobby McGee) - I remember his claim to fame then was as a "Rhodes Scholar" - wonder if he remembers performing at Le Hibou (The Owl) in Ottawa; Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee had performed the week before.]
Accompanied only by himself on his new signature model "Southern Jumbo" (J-45) Gibson (the simplest of chords, strummed with his thumb) Kris provided a vivid reminder of the power of the English language. He'd introduced this song to this audience (and to me - I'd not heard it before) saying,
"I read in his (Johnny Cash's) autobiography that this might be his favorite song."
[Then, looking heavenwards, his speaking voice choked with apparent humility at that thought ]
"And so I sing it for him."
-----
The scene, is a small roadside café, the waitress is sweeping the floor;
Two truck drivers, drinking their coffee, and two Okie kids by the door
"How much are them candies?" they asked her.
"How much have you got?" she replied
"We've only a penny, between us."
"Them's `2-for-a-penny' she lied.
[THE BRIDGE, KRIS BLOWING A 2-NOTE CHORD ON HARMONICA]
And the daylight grew heavy with thunder, with the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't that just like a human?
Here comes that rainbow again!
[KEY CHANGE]
One truck driver called to the waitress, after the kids went outside,
"Them candies ain't two for a penny!"
"So? What's that to you?" she replied.
In silence they finished their coffee - got up, and nodded Goodbye;
She called out "Hey! You left too much money!"
"So? What's that to you?" they replied.
And the daylight was heavy with thunder, with the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't that just like a human?
Here comes that rainbow again."
---------
After a standing ovation from the studio audience, and during applause that seemed to last more than a minute -- and after surreptitiously brushing away with his left hand a tear from his right cheek (and the camera switched to Kristofferson, clearly moved that this simple song -- "Johnny Cash's all-time favorite" --- still had such a powerful effect), the show's host regained his composure and stopped the proceedings right there to ask a question:
ELVIS: "I just have to say something . . . before we move on . . . that song . . . is just SO beautiful! And pure! Can you remember the moment when you wrote it?
KRIS: "Yeah. It was inspired by a scene out of THE GRAPES OF WRATH. And . . . it was always the one that choked me up. And it (the words) just came out - all together."
ELVIS: "That's the thing I hear! And it's something you share with Rose (Roseanne Cash, seated next to Elvis) - and Rose's father! It's the work of a writer. Have you ever thought of writing a book?"
KRIS: `Well yes . . . "
[POLITE LAUGHTER]
"When I get old!"
[AUDIENCE BREAKS UP WITH LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]
Yes . . . disarmingly simple words . . . set to the simplest of tunes -- an almost generic country melody (like Tom T. Hall used to employ for instance, on his "Ballad of 50 dollars") -- producing 'high art,' evoking such emotion that the great Johnny Cash would proclaim it his all-time favorite song!
A cause for joy, that there is a Disc 2 of this delightful collection, including the lesser-known but wonderful early songs by (arguably) America's greatest living singer/songwriter!
Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
 Triple double! Apr 13, 2009
I was introduced to Kris Kristofferson through the classic film BIG TOP PEE WEE. Since then, I've learned that he's written songs for Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, and Dean Martin. This ain't no Kris Kross, but the mack dad'll make you jump!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Kris crossed/confined by 2 CDs Mar 02, 2009
Kris Kistofferson has much more "Essential" than this bland 2 CD set offers.
Kris is the legacy of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, WPA works, Selective Service System, and a life lived. Rhoades Scholar, US Army Captain, actor (heck, he even saw Barbra Streisand naked), and an American treasure.
This 2 CD is an attempt of his overall recordings. It just can't happen within the hour and half or so alotted. What is needed is a box set consisting of the Monument LPs "Kristofferson" "Silver Tongue Devil and I" and "Border Lord".
Latter day enthusiasts will appreciate the "Highwaymen" hits, but they are better off on that/those specific CDs.
+ hearing "For the Good Times" on LP is as good as an ache gets.
No! wait! hearing " Help Me Make Through the Night" even better!
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