Natural Act: Difference between revisions

Natural Act
Natural Act
Studio album by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge
Released	December 1978
Recorded	Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
Genre	Country
Length	36:41
Label	A&M
Producer	David Anderle
Kris Kristofferson chronology
Rita Coolidge chronology

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Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Village Voice	B^[2]

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.^[3]

Background

When the couple recorded their first duet album Full Moon in 1973, Kristofferson was the bigger recording star, having won several awards for his songwriting and scoring a massive hit with “Why Me” from his gold selling LP Jesus Was a Capricorn, while Coolidge was still developing as an artist. By 1978, however, Coolidge hit number 6 on the Billboard 100 with the platinum selling Anytime…Anywhere, an album that spawned three Top 20 hits. Although he was now an established film star, Kristofferson’s previous album, Easter Island, was a commercial disappointment. The couple’s marriage was floundering by this time - in the A&E episode of Biography about his life, Kristofferson admits to having a steamy love affair with costar Sarah Miles on the set of 1976's The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea - and Natural Act would be their final studio album together.

Recording and composition

Natural Act was recorded at Sunset Sound and was produced by David Anderle, who had produced their first duet album and several solo albums since. Musically, the album leaned more to pop than rock and featured relaxed southern boogie, nostalgic pop ballads and country-tinged numbers alongside more unusual choices such as a reworking of "I Fought the Law," a hit for The Bobby Fuller Four in 1966, which found them sounding like The Everly Brothers.^[4]

With the couple's marriage disintegrating, several cuts carry a wistful poignancy, such as "Love Don’t Live Here Anymore" and the two older Kristofferson compositions, "Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends", which had been a hit for Ray Price, and the regretful "Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)", which Willie Nelson covered the following year on his Sings Kristofferson LP. The dour tone of these songs was reflected on the album cover; photographed by Annie Leibovitz, gone were the carefree unkempt lovers pictured on the first two album sleeves and in their place were two separate individuals wearing smart clothes and strained faces.^[4]

Reception

Natural Act was not a commercial success, failing to crack the Billboard 100 and or the country Top 20. AllMusic: “…unlike the first two albums, Kristofferson didn't seem to be making much of an effort as a vocalist, while Coolidge just seemed listless. Natural Act sounded like a contractual obligation record from a musical act that had lost the chemistry that fueled it early on, just as the marriage apparently had.” Kristofferson biographer Stephen Miller is more positive, calling the songs “reasonably strong” and adding that the collection “could hold its own against much of the lighter pop material in the charts in the late Seventies.”^[4]

Track listing

"Blue as I Do" (Stephen Bruton) – 2:53
"Not Everyone Knows" (Robert "Rob Dog" Morrison, Billy Swan) – 3:08
"I Fought the Law" (Sonny Curtis) – 2:27
"Number One" (Sonny Curtis, Billy Swan) – 2:35
"You're Gonna Love Yourself (In the Morning)" (Donnie Fritts) – 2:54
"Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" (Kristofferson) – 4:09
"Back in My Baby's Arms" (T Bone Burnett) – 2:59
"Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" (Kristofferson) – 2:23
"Hoola Hoop" (T Bone Burnett, John Fleming, Roscoe West) – 3:51
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Kristofferson) – 3:47
"Silver Mantis" (T Bone Burnett) – 5:35

Personnel

Kris Kristoffersen – vocals
Rita Coolidge – vocals
Stephen Bruton – guitar, background vocals
Jerry McGee – guitar
Dennis Belfield – bass
Donnie Fritts – keyboards
Michael Utley – keyboards, background vocals
Billy Swan – background vocals
Sammy Creason – drums
Horns arranged by Mike Utley and Darrell Leonard
Strings arranged by Gene Page
Saxophone solo on "Number One" by Jerry Jumonville

Production^[5]

Produced by: David Anderle
Recorded and mixed by: Kent Nebergall
Assistant engineer: Peggy McCreary
Recorded at: Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles
Mastered at: The Mastering Lab by Mike Reese
Production assistant: Ellen Vogt
Album art direction: Roland Young
Album design: Junie Osaki
Photography: Francesco Scavullo & Annie Leibovitz
Direction: Bert Block Management, Ridgefield, Conn.

Charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Australian (Kent Music Report)^[6]	87
UK Albums (OCC)^[7]	35
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[8]	24
US Billboard 200^[9]	106

References

^ Ruhlmann, William. Natural Act at AllMusic
^ Christgau, Robert (April 2, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
^ "Kris Kristofferson". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Miller, Stephen (2009). Kristofferson: The Wild American. Omnibus Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 9780857121097.
^ Original album insert notes
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 74. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Rita Coolidge | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
^ "Rita Coolidge Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
^ "Rita Coolidge Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2020.

[1] Ruhlmann, William. Natural Act at AllMusic

[Christgau-2] Christgau, Robert (April 2, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.

[3] "Kris Kristofferson". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 May 2017.

[miller-4] Miller, Stephen (2009). Kristofferson: The Wild American. Omnibus Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 9780857121097.

[5] Original album insert notes

[aus-6] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 74. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[ac_UK_Rita_Coolidge-7] "Rita Coolidge | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2020.

[ac_BillboardCountry_Rita_Coolidge-8] "Rita Coolidge Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

[ac_Billboard200_Rita_Coolidge-9] "Rita Coolidge Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox album
-{{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
-| Name        = Natural Act
+| name       = Natural Act
-| Type        = [[Album]]
+| type       = [[Album]]
-| Artist      = [[Kris Kristofferson]] and [[Rita Coolidge]]
+| artist     = [[Kris Kristofferson]] and [[Rita Coolidge]]
-| Cover       = KristoffersonRitaCoolidgeNaturalAct.jpg
+| cover      = KristoffersonRitaCoolidgeNaturalAct.jpg
-| Released    = December 1978
+| alt        =
-| Recorded    =
+| released   = December 1978
-| Genre       = [[country music|Country]]
+| recorded   = [[Sunset Sound]], [[Los Angeles]]
-| Length      =
+| venue      =
-| Label       = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
+| studio     =
-| Producer    = [[David Anderle]]
+| genre      = [[country music|Country]]
+| length     =36:41
-| Chronology  = [[Kris Kristofferson]]
+| label      = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
-| Last album  = ''[[Easter Island (album)|Easter Island]]''<br />(1978)
+| producer   = [[David Anderle]]
-| This album  = '''''Natural Act'''''<br />(1978)
+| chronology = [[Kris Kristofferson]]
-| Next album  = ''[[Shake Hands with the Devil (album)|Shake Hands with the Devil]]''<br />(1979)
+| prev_title = [[Easter Island (album)|Easter Island]]
-{{Extra chronology
+| prev_year  = 1978
-| Artist     = [[Rita Coolidge]]
+| next_title = [[Shake Hands with the Devil (album)|Shake Hands with the Devil]]
-| Type       = studio
+| next_year  = 1979
-| Last album  = ''[[Love Me Again (Rita Coolidge album)|Love Me Again]]''<br />(1978)
+| misc       = {{Extra chronology
-| This album  = '''''Natural Act'''''<br />(1978)
-| Next album  = ''[[Satisfied (Rita Coolidge album)|Satisfied]]''<br />(1979)
+ | artist     = [[Rita Coolidge]]
+ | type       = studio
+ | prev_title = [[Love Me Again (Rita Coolidge album)|Love Me Again]]
+ | prev_year  = 1978
+ | title      = Natural Act
+ | year       = 1978
+ | next_title = [[Satisfied (Rita Coolidge album)|Satisfied]]
+ | next_year  = 1979
 }}
 }}
 {{Album ratings
-| rev1      = [[Allmusic]]
+| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
-| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}} <ref>{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r107446|first=William|last=Ruhlmann}}</ref>
+| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r107446|first=William|last=Ruhlmann}}</ref>
 | rev2      = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
-| rev2Score = B<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=April 2, 1979|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv4-79.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=April 14, 2013}}</ref>
+| rev2Score = B<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=April 2, 1979|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv4-79.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=April 14, 2013}}</ref>
 }}
-'''''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 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3072/kris%20kristofferson%20and%20rita%20coolidge/|title=Kris Kristofferson|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=24 May 2017}}</ref>
+==Background==
+When the couple recorded their first duet album ''Full Moon'' in 1973, Kristofferson was the bigger recording star, having won several awards for his songwriting and scoring a massive hit with “[[Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song)|Why Me]]” from his gold selling LP ''Jesus Was a Capricorn'', while Coolidge was still developing as an artist.  By 1978, however, Coolidge hit number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 100 with the platinum selling ''Anytime…Anywhere'', an album that spawned three Top 20 hits.  Although he was now an established film star, Kristofferson’s previous album, ''Easter Island'', was a commercial disappointment.  The couple’s marriage was floundering by this time - in the A&E episode of ''Biography'' about his life, Kristofferson admits to having a steamy love affair with costar [[Sarah Miles]] on the set of 1976's [[The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (film)|The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea]] - and ''Natural Act'' would be their final studio album together.
+==Recording and composition==
+''Natural Act'' was recorded at [[Sunset Sound]] and was produced by [[David Anderle]], who had produced their first duet album and several solo albums since.  Musically, the album leaned more to pop than rock and featured relaxed southern boogie, nostalgic pop ballads and country-tinged numbers alongside more unusual choices such as a reworking of "[[I Fought the Law]]," a hit for [[The Bobby Fuller Four]] in 1966, which found them sounding like [[The Everly Brothers]].<ref name=miller>{{Cite book|title = Kristofferson: The Wild American|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FILwohIvXCMC |publisher = Omnibus Press| year = 2009|isbn = 9780857121097|first = Stephen|last = Miller |pages=160–161}}</ref>
+With the couple's marriage disintegrating, several cuts carry a wistful poignancy, such as "Love Don’t Live Here Anymore" and the two older Kristofferson compositions, "Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends", which had been a hit for [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], and the regretful "Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)", which [[Willie Nelson]] covered the following year on his ''Sings Kristofferson'' LP. The dour tone of these songs was reflected on the album cover; photographed by [[Annie Leibovitz]], gone were the carefree unkempt lovers pictured on the first two album sleeves and in their place were two separate individuals wearing smart clothes and strained faces.<ref name=miller/>
+==Reception==
+''Natural Act'' was not a commercial success, failing to crack the ''Billboard'' 100 and or the country Top 20.  [[AllMusic]]: “…unlike the first two albums, Kristofferson didn't seem to be making much of an effort as a vocalist, while Coolidge just seemed listless. ''Natural Act'' sounded like a contractual obligation record from a musical act that had lost the chemistry that fueled it early on, just as the marriage apparently had.”  Kristofferson biographer Stephen Miller is more positive, calling the songs “reasonably strong” and adding that the collection “could hold its own against much of the lighter pop material in the charts in the late Seventies.”<ref name=miller/>
 ==Track listing==
@@ Line 36: / Line 54: @@
 #"Number One" (Sonny Curtis, Billy Swan) – 2:35
 #"You're Gonna Love Yourself (In the Morning)" ([[Donnie Fritts]]) – 2:54
-#"Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" (Kristofferson) – 4:09
+#"[[Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)|Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)]]" (Kristofferson) – 4:09
-#"Back in My Baby's Arms" ([[T-Bone Burnett]]) – 2:59
+#"Back in My Baby's Arms" ([[T Bone Burnett]]) – 2:59
 #"Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" (Kristofferson) – 2:23
-#"Hoola Hoop" (T-Bone Burnett, John Fleming, Roscoe West) – 3:51
+#"Hoola Hoop" (T Bone Burnett, John Fleming, Roscoe West) – 3:51
 #"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Kristofferson) – 3:47
-#"Silver Mantis" (T-Bone Burnett) – 5:35
+#"Silver Mantis" (T Bone Burnett) – 5:35
 ==Personnel==
-*Kris Kristoffersen - vocals
+* Kris Kristoffersen – vocals
-*Rita Coolidge - vocals
+* Rita Coolidge – vocals
-*[[Billy Swan]] - background vocals
+* [[Stephen Bruton]] – guitar, background vocals
+* Jerry McGee – guitar
-*[[Mike Utley]] - keyboards, background vocals
+* Dennis Belfield – bass
-*[[Sammy Creason]] - drums
+* [[Donnie Fritts]] – keyboards
-*[[Stephen Bruton]] - guitar, background vocals
+* [[Michael Utley]] – keyboards, background vocals
-*Jerry McGee - guitar
+* [[Billy Swan]] – background vocals
-*Dennis Belfield - bass
-*[[Donnie Fritts]] - keyboards
+* [[Sammy Creason]] – drums
+* Horns arranged by Mike Utley and Darrell Leonard
 * Strings arranged by [[Gene Page]]
+* Saxophone solo on "Number One" by [[Jerry Jumonville]]
-*Horns arranged by Mike Utley and Darrell Leonard
-*Saxophone solo on "Number One" by Jerry Jumonville
 ==Production<ref>Original album insert notes</ref>==
@@ Line 66: / Line 84: @@
 *Album art direction: Roland Young
 *Album design: Junie Osaki
-*Photography: Francesco Scavullo & Annie Liebovitz
+*Photography: Francesco Scavullo & [[Annie Leibovitz]]
 *Direction: Bert Block Management, Ridgefield, Conn.
+==Charts==
+{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
+!scope="col"|Chart (1978)
+!scope="col"|Peak<br>position
+|-
+!scope="row"|Australian ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=74}}</ref>
+|align="center"|87
+|-
+{{album chart|UK|35|artist=Rita Coolidge|accessdate=January 12, 2020|rowheader=true}}
+|-
+{{album chart|BillboardCountry|24|artist=Rita Coolidge|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 10, 2017}}
+|-
+{{album chart|Billboard200|106|artist=Rita Coolidge|accessdate=January 12, 2020|rowheader=true}}
+|-
+|}
 ==References==
@@ Line 74: / Line 108: @@
 {{Kris Kristofferson}}
 {{Rita Coolidge}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:1978 albums]]
 [[Category:Kris Kristofferson albums]]
 [[Category:Rita Coolidge albums]]
-[[Category:albums arranged by Gene Page]]
+[[Category:Albums arranged by Gene Page]]
-[[Category:Vocal duet albums]]
+[[Category:Albums produced by David Anderle]]
+[[Category:Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders]]
 [[Category:A&M Records albums]]
+[[Category:Vocal duet albums]]
-{{1970s-country-album-stub}}

v t e Kris Kristofferson
Discography Filmography
Albums	Kristofferson The Silver Tongued Devil and I Border Lord Jesus Was a Capricorn Spooky Lady's Sideshow Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame Surreal Thing A Star Is Born Easter Island Shake Hands with the Devil To the Bone The Winning Hand Music from Songwriter Repossessed Third World Warrior A Moment of Forever The Austin Sessions This Old Road Closer to the Bone The Cedar Creek Sessions
With Rita Coolidge	Full Moon Breakaway Natural Act
Live	Live at the Philharmonic Broken Freedom Song: Live from San Francisco
Compilation albums	Songs of Kristofferson The Essential Kris Kristofferson Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing Demos The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection
Songs	"For the Good Times" "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" "Why Me" "Me and Bobby McGee" "Help Me Make It Through the Night" "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" "Nobody Wins" "Loving Arms" "Lover Please" "They Killed Him" "The Heart" "One Day at a Time"
See also	The Highwaymen Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson

v t e Rita Coolidge
Studio albums	Rita Coolidge Nice Feelin' The Lady's Not for Sale Fall into Spring It's Only Love Anytime...Anywhere Love Me Again Satisfied Heartbreak Radio Never Let You Go Inside the Fire Dancing with an Angel
Duet albums	Full Moon Breakaway Natural Act
Soundtrack albums	Lake Freeze – The Raccoons Songtrack
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits
Singles	"Fever" "Loving Arms" "Lover Please" "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" "We're All Alone" "The Way You Do the Things You Do" "Words" "You" "One Fine Day" "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" "The Closer You Get" "All Time High" "Only You"
Related topics	Delaney & Bonnie Kris Kristofferson Walela