Inflammable Material - First Records That Impressed Me Much # 9

It was back in 1972 when I watched a movie in German Television very late at night. I had nothing to do and wasn't tired enough to go to sleep so I decided to try out this movie. 'Cisco Pike' was the first movie Kris Kristofferson was the main actor. The drama stars him as a musician fallen on hard luck who turns into dealing marijuana as a means of income. This film was not a widely embraced by audience on its initial release but has become a cult movie because of the appearance of Kris Kristofferson and his soundtrack. But it also carries a cult status because of it takes on the subject of drugs, dealers and the lifestyle they lead. For me I was fascinated in the story and the music he played. I couldn't get his voice and his songs out of my mind so I went to my local record shop to get me his first records.

This records could be a best of compilation of his early works and many songs were covered by other artist in the upcoming years or became standards in the country music scene. Me I was impressed how he could sing in his deep dark voice about all the drop-outs, hanging around in bars searching for the things they have lost in their life. If his first record is great his second is marvelous. On his first record he gave us classic songs like 'Sunday Morning Coming Down', 'For The Good Times' and 'Help Me Make It Trough The Night' to give us with his second one his completest one. No song is a filler and I should post them all. It's one of those records that accompanied me during the last 40 years and I listened to it hundreds of times.

Kris Kristofferson - Help me make it through the night
Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee
Kris Kristofferson - Blame it on the stones
Kris Kristofferson - The silver tongued devil and I
Kris Kristofferson - Jodie and the kid
Kris Kristofferson - Billy Dee
Kris Kristofferson - The Taker
Kris Kristofferson - The Pilgrim - Chapter 33

A few years later a phrase of 'The Pilgrim' appeared on the movie 'Taxi Driver' when Betsy compares Travis as a ' a prophet and a pusher, a walking contradiction, partly true and partly fiction'.

And a song from Cisco Pike which is not on the record.

In the late 1970s a German singer/songwriter covered Kris' second album an sung it in my native language. It was not too bad and transported the meanings of the songs absolutely correct.