Johnny Cash

[shamustwin]

During an era of "us against them" in music, culture and politics, Johnny Cash was a visionary.

There's a DVD/CD package of musical numbers from his TV show (1969-1971). Many classic country artists, but Dylan, Derek and the Dominoes (Clapton), Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Ray Charles (though he had won a Grammy for best Country Album years before) and others not normally embraced by the Country Music establishment of the time also perform.

Sound quality is not perfect, but it is very very interesting. If only for Clapton's Shag haircut!

[phlemmy]

I saw a bunch of excerpts of this show on PBS last week. George Jones, Waylon, Merle...it was so friggin incredible.

[shamustwin]

I forgot Neil Young doing Needle And The Damage Done in prime time.

[winston]

Johhny was a special talent. My first introduction to the man in black was in 1965 in Southampton England when my bass player purchased the latest "Cash" album. He had bought it from "The States". Needless to say he was a huge fan and he was mesmerized by the mans talent.

I sat and listened to his album and I recall thinking that I had never heard anything quite like him before. He was uniquely different and a great songwriter. His deep distinctive gravely voice is so unique that even if you don't like his music you instantly know who's singing.

I have not viewed the DVD that you are discussing but something tells me it is very good. That would be a Cash hallmark.

[charlyg]

I'm ordering it RIGHT now! What a blast!

[kenposurf]

The second Lp I ever bought was a Johnny Cash release on Sun.(The Songs That Made Him Famous)...boy he had the voice, style and was my introduction to story telling via the recorded song.

[peewee]

The second Lp I ever bought was a Johnny Cash release on Sun.(The Songs That Made Him Famous)...boy he had the voice, style and was my introduction to story telling via the recorded song.

George, I have that same LP and was bought in Memphis at Sun Studio in 1990; it's dead mint! It was the last release by Cash on the Sun label and marked the end of an era.

I remember watching The Johnny Cash Show as a kid. IIRC, CS&N debuted "Marrakesh Express" on that program. There were some great musical performances on that show but the thing that did it for me was seeing Carl Perkins!

[kenposurf]

The second Lp I ever bought was a Johnny Cash release on Sun.(The Songs That Made Him Famous)...boy he had the voice, style and was my introduction to story telling via the recorded song.

George, I have that same LP and was bought in Memphis at Sun Studio in 1990; it's dead mint! It was the last release by Cash on the Sun label and marked the end of an era.

I remember watching The Johnny Cash Show as a kid. IIRC, CS&N debuted "Marrakesh Express" on that program. There were some great musical performances on that show but the thing that did it for me was seeing Carl Perkins!

I've got a couple of copies of it but both are re-channeled stereo,,so been watching for a mono copy..great Lp..Walk The Line, Ballad of A Teenage Queen, Big River (my favorite) and so on..not a bad cut on the disc..

[apollo11]

Johnny Cash is one of my all-time idols. He was the first concert I ever saw, as an 8 year-old. That summer of '74 was a big one---I saw Johnny Cash and then Elvis a few weeks later. Both were thrills I'll never forget. I still have the ticket stubs for each.

Years later, around the time of his 1st American Recordings release, my brother and I were two of about 10 people allowed (due to time constraints…and connections at the local venue!) to meet him in his dressing room during the intermission of one his concerts. It was a phenomenal moment for both of us, as we had spent so many years listening to his music. He was extremely humble in person when meeting him. He was soft-spoken and very gentle. He graciously signed a couple albums for my brother and me, and posed for pictures as well. After the show, he stood outside of his bus and signed for about 100 people who had gathered after the concert. He stayed until the very last request was filled. I'd never seen anything like it.

As for the music, Johnny Cash was at his best live. His live albums, particularly At Folsom Prison & San Quentin, are at least as good as the Who's classic Live At Leeds, IMO. Even the more recently released Madison Square Garden recording is fantastic---it was recorded shortly after the two prison recordings but not released until just a few years ago. He is still in the prime of his live career for this album. He was really in his element when performing in front of an audience. The crowd was in their element, too, just listening to him. He was such a strong presence on stage, and it really shines through on those live albums. I consider his live releases the same as I'd consider another band's studio releases. They are that good, and not secondary to his studio catalog, as the majority of live releases are.

For studio albums, though, I love his narrative, Americana-style releases, such as Tales of the True West, Ride This Train, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and America. These are albums that I can listen to over and over again, and never get tired of them. His last 5 albums, all on the American Recordings label and produced by Rick Rubin, are all fantastic. He returned to his past glories with these final releases, even winning a few Grammy awards, and died one of the biggest current stars in the world. Such a comback was quite a feat to accomplish.

Greatest hits packages do not do him justice at all, IMO. They seem to always stick the same 15 or so songs on them. To get the most out of him, you’ve got to listen to his songs in the format they were intended---in the context of an album.

[kenposurf]

"The Songs That Made Him Famous" is a greatest hits package but imo did justice to the man in black as every track is killer...this Lp was a late 1950's release.

[peewee]

"The Songs That Made Him Famous" is a greatest hits package but imo did justice to the man in black as every track is killer...this Lp was a late 1950's release.

I agree with you, George. Those early Sun sides with the Tennessee Two are raw and energetic and his writing was unlike anything else that was being recorded at that time - a true innovator. My copy of "TSTMHF" sits in a frame and hasn't been played in probably 15 years. It proudly hangs next to my framed original Columbia recording of Thelonius Monk's "Criss Cross" from 1963 that is as fresh as the day it left the pressing plant! I got the Monk LP from a former girlfriend's parents who were going to throw it away because they weren't Jazz fans...thing was in a pile of Christmas records by the Chipmunks, The King Family, Andy Williams and Babs Streisand!

Those two live LPs - Folsom Prison and San Quentin - are recordings for the ages. We had both in my house as a kid along with scads of old C&W and Honky Tonk music by Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Merle Haggard and such. I turned my wife on to "Live at Folsom Prision" while we were still dating and she played that disc non-stop for 3 solid weeks; a testament on just how great a recording it truly is.....she grew up as a huge Cure and U2 fan. They ain't making them like JC anymore, that's for sure.

[shamustwin]

FWIW, I bought my JC DVD/CD set at Starbucks, no need to wait or pay shipping. Just suffer the embararasment of overpaying for burnt coffee.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Here's my own tribute to the Man in Black:

I Wrote This Song for Cash

[kenposurf]

Here's my own tribute to the Man in Black:

I Wrote This Song for Cash

Way cool Mark

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Featuring a 1972 4001, of course.

Thanks George. One of these days I will record a proper demo without all the muddiness of this one...but I kinda like that about it.