Full Moon by Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge

In September of 1973, the country icon Kris Kristofferson released his first of three collaborative albums with Rita Coolidge titled Full Moon. Kristofferson blew up in 1970 with the release of his hit-packed breakthrough album featuring nine of his most recognizable songs. Kristofferson was adjacent to the countercultural revolution, and one of his first published songs was “Taking Vietnam Blues,” released in 1965 after Kris left his job as a teacher for the United States Military Academy. His songs Me and Bobby McGee and Sunday Morning Coming Down both became countercultural staples. Rita Coolidge was discovered by Delany & Bonnie of Eric Clapton fame. She sang with all the greats: Clapton, Dylan, Leon Russel, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and even Hendrix.

The two had just married, and the album opens with a mournful number with Coolidge singing, "It's so hard to be friends when it was so easy to be lovers." This star-crossed lover's theme presents itself throughout the album. Still, the album is full of positive messages that structure spaces to turn inwards. My exposure to Kristofersson came as a youth when my dad said, "Do you want to see a living legend?". This wasn't the first time I would be seeing a living legend live. I saw Bob Dylan at 11, and Bob Weir at 15, and at 17, I saw Kris Kristofferson. I had seen the folk god, the rock god, and now the country god. I remember him tearing through his new double CD catalog of greatest hits and being enthralled with the stripped-down, weathered renditions of these classic songs that I had come to love in the past few months binging in preparation for the show.

The Coolidge Collab wasn't on my radar yet, but when I found the vinyl in my parent's collection, it soon found itself on the record table often. The harmonies are fantastic, the lyrics are touching and thoughtful, and the melodies are intricately arranged, transporting a 21st-century listener to a simpler time filled with less digital distraction. The man is 87 and still going after all the gigs and his time spent in Hollywood. You rock Kris.

No Vinyl Vin Monday Night, we have special dinner plans with Emily’s boss. Come on out on Saturday @ 1:30.

Peace,

Will