| Border Lord | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1972 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 33:27 | |||
| Label | Monument | |||
| Producer | Fred Foster | |||
| Kris Kristofferson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed) [2] |
Border Lord is the third album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records.
After enjoying enormous success as a songwriter in 1970 and 1971, including Song of the Year awards from both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music, Kristofferson’s second album, The Silver Tongued Devil and I, established him as a recording artist in his own right. However, after having the luxury of honing his compositions over a period of years, he had just a matter of months to write songs for Border Lord. As noted by AllMusic's William Ruhlmann:
…he was afforded precious little time to craft his next work. Border Lord, which, like its predecessors, was an album of all-original compositions, was in record stores only seven months after The Silver Tongued Devil and I, and it was his third such collection in 20 months. He continued to draw upon the dwindling store of songs in his trunk, using the 1967 copyright "Burden of Freedom," as well as "Somebody Nobody Knows," published in 1968, while two others, "Smokey Put the Sweat on Me" and "When She's Wrong," were published by his first publisher, Buckhorn Music, suggesting that they may have been written well before their 1972 copyright dates.
A dominant theme in the songs on Border Lord is the ill treatment of women, with six tunes, including “Josie” and “Little Girl Lost,” concerning females who had become debased in some way, for which the narrator seems to feel some vicarious or personal guilt. [3] The image of the Devil, already prominent in previous compositions like “The Silver Tongued Devil and I” and “To Beat the Devil,” reappears in five of the songs, giving the collection a desperate, despairing mood overall. Now in demand as a touring performer, two songs, “Getting’ By, High and Strange” and the title track reflected his current circumstances on the road.
Two songs, “Josie,” and “Burden of Freedom,” mined similar territory thematically as “Me and Bobby McGee,” but when "Josie" was released as the album’s lone single it only struggled into the lower reaches of the pop charts. Record World said of "Josie" that it's "a typical 'Kristoffersong — well-written, well-put country-pop." [4]
In 2019, Sheryl Crow released her own version of the title track featuring Kristofferson on her album Threads .
Border Lord was released in February 1972 but failed to achieve the success its predecessors had. At the time of its release, Ben Gerson of Rolling Stone was unkind, charging that Kristofferson was “a fast-livin’, hard lovin’ dude who has just enough time between ballin’ and brawlin’ to jot down a tune or two. He’s a cracker-barrel philosopher…Kris’ celebrations of machismo are his most patently stupid observations.” Biographer Stephen Miller opines “While Kris produced some of his affecting poetry with characteristic cleverness, the melodies were unremarkable and with his limited vocal range, a number of the songs suffered from a dirgeful quality.” [3] AllMusic lamented the rushed gestation of the songs, remarking “No doubt Kristofferson and Monument would have been better advised to have waited until he had a collection of songs to match his early hits; instead, he quickly began work on yet another album, Jesus Was a Capricorn, which was out before the end of the year.” Writer Michael Streissguth praises the album, maintaining it offered lyrical themes that remained “strongly individualistic and never failed to challenge Nashville’s sensibilities.” [5] In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview with Neil Strauss, Kristofferson said he was pleasantly surprised with the box set of his work The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection, particularly Border Lord, admitting, "I can remember at the time being so disappointed at the reception it got."
All songs by Kris Kristofferson except as noted
We put a lot of road between this album and the last one, back and forth across the U.S. of A. and Canada, hitting most of the high spots and all of the lows. Cruising pretty close to crazy, but somehow keeping it together enough to keep from crossing that border. We made some friends and left some enemies along the way, and I guess we'll continue to. It all adds up to miles and memories, and, like Satchel Paige said, "Don't look back; something might be gaining on you."
—Kris Kristofferson
In the video game Battlefield: Bad Company, upon facing a difficult situation one of the player character's squad members asks if "Is this as bad as Kris Kristofferson's third album?" upon which another squad member replies affirmatively, referring to Border Lord. The exact quote: Sweetwater: "This is bad, Hags. Whatever you've done, it's worse." Haggard: "Worse than Kris Kristofferson's third album?" Sweetwater: "Bad, worse!" Haggard: "No WAY!"
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [6] | 41 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [7] | 6 |
The Silver Tongued Devil and I is the second studio album recorded by singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. It was produced by Fred Foster, released in July 1971 on Monument Records and followed his critically acclaimed debut Kristofferson.
Kristofferson is the debut album of singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, which was produced by Fred Foster and released in June 1970 by Monument Records. After working a series of temporary jobs, Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot for oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico. While he worked, he wrote songs and pitched them to singers around Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee during his free time. Kristofferson's songs were recorded by country singers Roy Drusky, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roger Miller and later he persuaded Johnny Cash to try his material. Cash invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the Newport Folk Festival, after which Fred Foster signed Kristofferson to Monument Records as a songwriter and recording artist.
Jesus Was a Capricorn is the fourth album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records. The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge. "Why Me" reached #1 on the Country singles charts.
This Old Road is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 2006 on New West Records. The underlying theme of the record is a retrospective and reflective look at what Kristofferson deems to have been important elements of his life.
The Austin Sessions is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released on Atlantic Records in 1999. It features stripped-down versions of Kristofferson's most famous material, including "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Several well-known artists contributed vocals to the album, including Steve Earle, Jackson Browne, Matraca Berg, Vince Gill, Marc Cohn, Alison Krauss, Catie Curtis and Mark Knopfler.
A Moment of Forever is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released on Justice Records, an independent record label, in 1995. His first studio album of original material since the relatively unsuccessful political record Third World Warrior (1990), it features several well-known studio musicians, including Jim Keltner and Benmont Tench. The album retained the recurring theme of freedom from oppression, but to a lesser extent than his previous two politically charged records - the aforementioned Third World Warrior and Repossessed (1986). The song "Johnny Lobo" is about the Indian activist John Trudell.
Live at the Philharmonic is a live album by Kris Kristofferson, released on Monument Records in 1992. Performed at Philharmonic Hall in New York City on December 2, 1972, the concert followed the release of Kristofferson's successful Jesus Was a Capricorn. Aside from several songs from the latter, the singer performed a number of new pieces, as well as a few of his well-known hits such as "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Me and Bobby McGee". Guest artists included Willie Nelson, who was a little-known personality in country music at the time, Rita Coolidge, Kristofferson's future wife, and Larry Gatlin, whose career was in its starting phases.
Spooky Lady's Sideshow is the fifth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1974 on Monument Records. It was preceded and followed by duet albums with his wife, Rita Coolidge. It was recorded shortly after Kristofferson's appearance in the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The album mostly consists of songs about decline due to alcohol and drug abuse. That theme of decline proved to be (unintentionally) prophetic as this was Kristofferson's first album that failed to see commercial success on a large scale.
Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame is the sixth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1975 on Monument Records. Its title track is quoted in the Johnny Cash song "The Man Comes Around" from the 2002 album of the same name. The song "Stranger" was covered as a duet by Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke, and their version reached #4 on the U.S. country chart in 1976.
Surreal Thing is the seventh solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1976 on Monument Records. "Killing Time" and "The Golden Idol" are re-recordings of songs that were originally released as a single in 1967.
Easter Island is the eighth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1978 on Monument.
Repossessed is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released on Mercury Records in 1986. It was Kristofferson's first full-length solo album since 1981's To the Bone, although the singer did collaborate with other artists in the meantime, most notably on Highwayman with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
Full Moon is a duet album by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, released in September 1973 on A&M Records. It is the first of three duet albums by the couple, who married weeks before the album's release, and arguably the best. Unlike Kristofferson solo albums, it features several covers.
Natural Act is the third and final duet album by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, released in 1978 on A&M Records. The couple would divorce the following year. The album was released while Coolidge's career was at a peak; her recent albums Anytime...Anywhere and Love Me Again had seen much commercial success. Natural Act is Kristofferson's only album to chart in the United Kingdom.
Shake Hands with the Devil is the ninth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1979 on Monument Records. Several of the songs on the album were written by Kristofferson years before its release.
To the Bone is the tenth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1981, his last for Monument Records. It is his first album after his divorce from Rita Coolidge, and many of its songs deal with relationship decline. "Nobody Loves Anybody Anymore" became a minor hit.
Music from Songwriter is a soundtrack album by Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, released on Columbia Records in 1984. It is the soundtrack to Songwriter, a film starring the two performers. Two of the songs on the record are duets, five are sung by Nelson and four by Kristofferson. "How Do You Feel About Foolin' Around" was released as a single and reached the country charts, and the album itself was nominated for an Academy Award, losing to Purple Rain. The album has been released on CD on 10 January 2011 on Wounded Bird Records.
Last of the Breed is a two-disc album by American country music artists Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price, released in 2007. It debuted at number 64 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 13,000 copies in its first week. The album has 100,000 copies in the U.S. as of May 2015. The album was ranked number 33 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
Heroes & Friends is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released on August 31, 1990 by Warner Records. Except for the title track, every song on this album is a duet with another recording artist. "A Few Ole Country Boys" and the title track were both released as singles from this album, peaking at numbers 8 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1990.
"Lovin' Her Was Easier " is a song written, composed, first recorded, and first released by Kris Kristofferson. It was also recorded and released by Roger Miller, who included it on his album The Best of Roger Miller and released it as a single in July 1971. Ten years later, it was recorded by Tompall & the Glaser Brothers for the album Lovin' Her Was Easier.
