Kris Kristofferson:

Me And Bobby McGee (Kristofferson):(1971)

The Silver Tongue Devil and I:(1971)

Border Lord:(1972)

Jesus Was A Capricorn:(1972)

Full Moon:(1973)

Spooky Lady's Sideshow:(1974)

Breakaway:(1974)

Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame:(1975)

Surreal Thing:(1976)

Songs of Kris Kristofferson:(1977)

Easter Island:(1978)

Shake Hands With The Devil:(1979)

To The Bone:(1981)

Songwriter:(1984)

This is one of my favorite sections of my collection. Kris Kristofferson was another artist I became enamored with at a very young age. He just seemed cool! I still feel that way. That fact that he's also one of the greatest songwriters of all time is a bonus. The Earthiness in his voice and words stirs the dust we're all made of in the most human way possible. As a small child daydreaming about being a songwriter... the road... the venues... the adventure... Kristofferson embodied it all in what seemed like the best possible way. Then when I learned about his outspoken activism, well, the deal was sealed. This man was a bona fide hero. 

I met him once at a show in Boulder, CO. He was sharing a bill with Jesse Winchester. After the show he jumped off the front of the stage, and started shaking hands, and chatting with people still hanging around. I was eighteen. It meant the world to me. 

Kraftwerk:

Autobahn:(1974)

Man-Machine:(1978)

Computer World:(1981)

Musique Non Stop:(1986)

Sometimes when I can't sleep I close my eyes, and imagine a river of static and white noise washing over me, and it lulls me to sleep. Kraftwerk are kind of like that river. I find this music to be so peaceful. Sure, I could talk about how influential they are. Or how inventive they are. Or how stylish they are. But, really, talk can be overrated, and it's so much better to just put on one of these albums, and enjoy.

Eartha Kitt:

Down To Eartha:(1955)

Ooohhh...Eartha. Her name alone contains intrigue and mystery. With that seductive voice she lures you in to her strong confident aura. However, that's not at all what I thought when I first saw her in Ernest Scared Stupid as Old Lady Hackmore. One of my favorite stories about Eartha is the one where at White House luncheon she brought her activist ideals to the front by responding to Ladybird Johnson's question about Vietnam with, "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot."

KISS:

Double Platinum:(1978)

I am not a KISS fan. I'll just be upfront about that. I find them schlocky. So why the hell do I have this album? Well... When I was eighteen, late bloomer here, that was the age that I really started partying. And party we did, usually at a friend of mine's parents house. One such evening we discovered that the built-in cabinets above the central fireplace pulled out to reveal speakers and a turntable. Very late sixties chic. It became a ridiculous night of young drunkenness listening to albums we would never listen to otherwise. In the record pile, obviously left by one of my buddies older siblings, was this lone Rock'N'Roll album. Because of its familiarity, we must have played it five times that night. So now, no matter how trite, cheesy, and ridiculous I find the music...it reminds me of that night. 

Gladys Knight and The Pips:

Greatest Hits:(1970)

Greatest hits from the early part of the Gladys Knight and The Pips story. Sorry, Midnight Train to Georgia came later. I've always felt that Gladys had such an underrated voice. Sure, she had hits, but what I mean is... among most people today, when they speak of great R&B/Soul singers, I don't hear her name as much as I feel we should. You can get any party going with a record like this. It does contain GK&P's manic version of Heard It Through The Grapevine, the one that contains the infamous stripper drumbeat demonstrated in the movie, Standing In The Shadows of Motown.

Frederick Knight:

"I've Been Lonely For So Long": (1973)

The only Stax release Frederick Knight had, but what a minor hit it produced! I've Been Lonely For So Long, is a killer R&B track that just begs for you to sing along with it. hat song, originally released as a single in '72 was a last ditch effort by Knight to have a hit after going through a few different labels. It was in fact, recorded after hours in a Birmingham, AL studio that was closed. Knight couldn't find a drummer for the session, so he improvised using a 2x4, and a padded bar stool. Musical gold was struck. 

As a side note, I would totally sport a patchwork leather jacket like this on the cover.