We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
It might have been different for a cover artist. Someone who didn’t have to come up with another album of original songs so quickly. When Kris Kristofferson released the LP “Border Lord” in early 1972 it was his 3rd album in 20 months…and the first two had set the bar pretty high. The songs on Border Lord were mostly pedestrian fare with many aimed at some of his favorite topics…fallen women and dissolute men.
Not that it’s all throw-away. The title track is pretty good and the bluegrass offering “Stagger Mountain Tragedy” works with Tommy Jackson’s fiddle standing out.
I’m also surprised that no 70’s country artist grabbed up “Somebody Nobody Knows”…could have been a tearjerker in the Countrypolitan world.
Kristofferson and his band of rowdies including “Funky” Donnie Fritts, had been touring incessantly and and “Gettin By, High & Strange” tells you all about it.
It would seem that Monument records erred at forcing Kristofferson to hurry the writing process or else grab some older songs that didn’t make the cut on the first two records. That’s not a new story…it’s happened to many artists over the years. Patience is not a virture for record company execs…to their everlovin detriment
