Maps of Music

The Silver Tongued Devil and I (1971)

Where the lyrics of The Silver Tongued Devil and I take you, and where it was really made.

The songs were recorded the morning after the writer received Janis Joplin's unreleased album Pearl in the mail.

Key places

Nashville, where the songs were recorded (1971)

Recording site Nashville — The songs were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the morning after the singer received Janis Joplin's unreleased Pearl by mail. The marker is placed at city-center level, not at a studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Silver Tongued Devil and I: second studio album by Kris Kristofferson
• Produced by Fred Foster; released in July 1971 on Monument Records
• Followed his critically acclaimed debut album Kristofferson
• Mostly made up of songs Kristofferson wrote himself
• Met critical success on release and, unlike its predecessor, commercial success

Background

• In 1969 Kristofferson signed with producer Fred Foster and joined Monument Records and its publishing house Combine Music
• His debut album was a critical success but sold poorly
• Same year he started an eighteen-month tour and suffered walking pneumonia, worsened by his drinking
• Performed on The Johnny Cash Show during the tour
• In California he met and became friends with singer Janis Joplin
• Back in Nashville in early 1971, he received Joplin's posthumous album Pearl at Combine Music; it was still unreleased then and included her cover of his song Me and Bobby McGee

Recording

• The next morning he returned to the studio and recorded the songs for this second release
• Production introduced violins and a horn section into his music

Cover

• Kristofferson stands front and center on the cover
• To his left is his own faded figure, meant to represent The Silver Tongued Devil
• The picture was taken by Baron Wolman

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• American musician, songwriter and actor, born June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas; died September 28, 2024 in Hana, Hawaii, aged 88.
• A pioneer of the 1970s outlaw country movement, moving away from the polished Nashville sound toward a rawer, introspective style.
• Signed to Monument Records in 1969 after one single for Epic Records; recorded ten albums for Monument.
• Songs such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" became hits for other artists.
• "Why Me" and "Highwayman" reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1973 and 1985.
• Member of the supergroup the Highwaymen (with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash) from 1985 to 1995.
• Acting career in films including A Star Is Born (1976, Golden Globe for Best Actor), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Heaven's Gate (1980) and the Blade trilogy.
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014; three Grammy wins from 13 nominations.
• Announced retirement from performing in January 2021; final performance at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Dave Hickey in Country Music praised Kristofferson's sense of metrics and wrote that there had never been, and probably never would be, a better songwriter album
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a C−, criticized Kristofferson's songwriting approach, and called his contributions ungainly, if not dishonest
• Billboard praised his consummate skill at natural, sincere simple country songs and said his untrained bass voice interpreted the songs even better than artists who had covered his work
• Stereo Review gave a favorable review, calling the album better than his debut and the singer much more assured
• Audio described Kristofferson as a writer filled with pathos and compassion and said the release benefits from his husky, sorrowful voice

Reappraisal

• William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said the album contains several excellent songs but could not live up to its predecessor
• Ruhlmann said the antiestablishment tone and much of the wry humor were gone, replaced by morbidity and sentimentality

Records

• Peaked at number 21 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart
• Peaked at number 4 on the Hot Country LPs chart
• Single Lovin' Her Was Easier released 21 August 1971, backed with Epitaph
• Single reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Easy Listening chart
• Certified gold by the RIAA by 1973

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album is featured in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film Taxi Driver, where a character later buys the record
• The title track is set in Tally-Ho Tavern, a Music Row bar where Kristofferson had worked as a bartender
• Epitaph (Black and Blue) was written in one night after Kristofferson listened repeatedly to Janis Joplin's Pearl; session musician Donnie Fritts helped with the keyboard part
• Good Christian Soldier was written by Billy Joe Shaver, and Bobby Bare later renamed the song and gave himself a co-writing credit, which displeased Shaver
• Lovin' Her Was Easier was written in 1969 while Kristofferson accompanied Dennis Hopper during the production of The Last Movie

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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