There will be much to write and to explore about the superb Jessi
Colter, including imminent work on her bio for this particular website, but priority must be given to some excellent recent news regarding the pioneering "outlaw" singer-songwriter.
Namely, Australia-based Raven Records has just released a "2-for-1"reissue of Jessi's classic Capitol albums
I'm Jessi Colter and
Diamond in the Rough on one audio CD! Both albums are featured in their entirety, along with three bonus tracks from
Colter's underrated 1978 Capitol offering,
That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls. Available now at
Amazon. com, the 23-song collection marks the most comprehensive (and extensive) collection of Jessi
Colter's back-catalogue
ever, for a number of reasons. No solo Jessi
Colter album* has ever been remastered and reissued for official sale heretofore, and this effort by Raven Records provides fans (old and new) with the opportunity to revel in the glory to two pristine, complete collections. It is a pleasure to note that the record has been selling well at Amazon, hovering in the Top 1000 throughout the first two weeks of its release. That's not bad at all for an import that is not receiving any significant press or publicity, but for those who know anything about Jessi
Colter's career, the brisk sales are not necessarily a surprise.
I'm Jessi Colter was unquestionably a landmark album in what has since become known as country music's "outlaw" movement, but the enduring success of this record actually transcended a number of genres following its release in Spring 1975.
Having been signed to Capitol's pop division in Hollywood within the framework of Ken Mansfield's Hometown Productions in 1974,
Colter hit the studio with 10 completely self-written tunes and the rest, as they say, is history. With former Beatles manager Mansfield at the board and a stellar assemblage of musicians from Nashville, Los Angeles and beyond,
Colter crafted a studio masterpiece that sounds as if it was recorded in the funkiest, most welcoming, most
fun swampland honky-
tonk the world has ever known. Weaving a seamless tapestry of roots, spiritual, blues, pop, rock, and country influences on the loom of her authoritative and gorgeously bittersweet voice,
Colter unfurled a powerful set of tracks that explored a woman's journey through love, loss, heartbreak, unbridled freedom, and hope.
Perhaps wisely (and perhaps not; more about that on another day), execs at Capitol decided to launch the haunting lead single,
I'm Not Lisa, through their country music division in hope that it might "cross over". Though the record definitely had some ideal country flourishes (thanks mostly to the yearning slide-guitar of the late, great Ralph Mooney), the song (and indeed the entire album) was really
uncategorizable;
Colter was a stunning original, perhaps best described as some kind of deep-in-the-west, swampy "earth-mother-in-heels" counterpart to Carly Simon or Bobbie Gentry, but without the wry Hollywood affectations of Simon or the barefooted, Mississippi angst of Gentry. Soulful, sensual, and eminently poetic,
Colter came across as a world-wise
tour de force songwriter and stylist; Capitol's cross-over dreams were not to be dashed.
I'm Not Lisa became one of the biggest success-stories on the 1970s musical landscape -- an almost instant multi-format smash, million-seller, and unforgettable American classic. Shooting to the No. 1 spot on the country charts and to No. 4 on the pop lists, the aching-but-irresistible ballad captivated the nation and made
Colter an overnight superstar. It also secured an enormous audience for her extraordinary album.
I'm Jessi Colter blasted its way to the No. 4 spot on the country chart and into the Pop Top 50 -- the latter an amazing and rare
achievement for an artist who had been launched primarily through country markets. Moreover, the quality of the record guaranteed regular spins for the entire collection on
MOR and Album Rock stations.
It is a credit to
Colter's talent and to the uniform superiority of the album's material that
I'm Jessi Colter exhibited considerable staying-power -- remaining on the charts for over a year and easily pushing past the 500,000 "gold" sales mark. Reviewers from Rolling Stone to Billboard lauded the strength of the disc, enamored of everything from the radiant talent exhibited in each song to the now-legendary cover artwork by photographer Roy
Kohara. Another big country and Billboard Top 100 hit followed in summer 1975 as
What's Happened to Blue Eyes stormed the charts, but any of the 10 tracks on this winner could have been a single:
For the First Time, I Hear a Song, Come On In, Storms Never Last, Who Walks Thru Your Memory (Billy Jo), etc. In fact,
Storms Never Last was covered with some success that year by artists as diverse as Dr. Hook and
Dottsy, but Capitol missed the boat on that count, because
Colter's original (the album's closing track) was a knockout and would have easily been another million-seller.
A boatload of Grammy and
CMA nominations ensued for
Colter after her magic year, along with endless placements on year-end "Best Of" lists and awards as "Best New Artist of 1975" from both Billboard and
Cashbox. Today, the album has been given new life by Raven Records and is available in all of its shimmering, jaunty, rollicking splendor for memories to be rediscovered ... and new memories to be made.
No less significant regarding this reissue is the inclusion of
Colter's late 1976 album,
Diamond in the Rough, also produced by Mansfield and his Hometown team, along with
Colter's husband, a certain gent named Waylon Jennings. While
Diamond in the Rough came perhaps a bit too swiftly on the heels of
Colter's seemingly unstoppable momentum following her 1976 masterpiece follow-up album,
Jessi, and her participation in the earth-shattering
Wanted: The Outlaws collection with Jennings, Willie Nelson, and
Tompall Glaser, the tracks on
Diamond stand strong and remain stylistically distinctive, representing authentic "
Colter" in the midst of her heady career peak. Sultry, more playful, and perhaps more introspective, the lady shines as wonderfully as the gem noted in the title track. It is little surprise that
Diamond in the Rough also broke into the Top 5 country albums list and vaulted high onto the Billboard pop albums chart as well -- yet another big-seller for Capitol's mystique-enshrouded "Miss Jessi".
Both albums and their respective histories will be reviewed and discussed in even greater detail on this site in the coming weeks, but for now it is most important to note that two classics from an incomparable artist have been resurrected for the pleasure of the public! Sound quality (as far as the remastering) is lovely and the liner notes well-written and detailed (save for a few scattered errors).
I'm Jessi Colter, in particular, holds up astonishingly well almost 40 years after its initial release. Fans of
Colter, the "outlaw" movement, alt-country, Americana, 1970s pop, or roots rock would be well-advised to make a beeline to
Amazon and purchase this long overdue, nicely priced, and exceedingly welcomed reissue.
Get 'em while they last, friends. Get 'em while they last. In the meantime, stay tuned for more news and views, including the aforementioned, upcoming, full
Colter bio.
*Colter's work has appeared on countless compilation albums (country and pop) since the '70s, most notably the fine "best of" collection, An Outlaw ... A Lady on Capitol.
It only took a little digging, and it seems a tad strange, but two sets of significant Jessi Colter classic album reissues are indeed at our fingertips. The Raven Records "twofer" release of Jessi's I'm Jessi Colter and Diamond in the Rough albums is already out there, but totally beating them/competing with them (and we'd have to say probably "winning") is the Bgo/Ka label's "three-fer" reissue of Jessi's first three Capitol albums (on two audio CDs) on September 27. Have a looky-loo over at Amazon and pre-order.
