Johnny Cash

I can't stand today's country at all! Everything on the radio is repetitive with lyrics written by a redneck 10 year old and the singing is ear-cringing and with an exaggerated Southern drawl. But back in the day, country was The Man and Black, who had some pretty deep lyrics and a booming, deep voice.

The collection itself has a lot of variety, from some of his early stuff to some gospel to some newer stuff, including a U2 song he did. The reason why I don't give this product 5 stars is because of the unnecessary censorship in 'A Boy Named Sue." The line 'I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you Sue' is 'I'm the (BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP) that named you Sue.' Very annoying, indeed.

But despite that, Johnny Cash is worth checking out, even if you don't like country,

If this guy is so good, how come I never see any of his music videos on CMT? How come he is never on any country music stations? I mean, I listened to his music, and it sounds awful. He does not have the redneck Southern voice all male country singers have, and I don't like it!

For some GOOD country, get Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, or Billy Ray Cyrus.

This is a double CD, and what I wanted. Initially the order form was not quite clear to me, as I believed the price was for the double CD.

Further on when doing the actual order, I "read" that the price was for each CD, and not the "double."

I ended up ordering two double s. In S A with our exchange rate, this turned out to be rather expensive! It was not worth the cost of returning the secound un-opened CD.

A possible help would be more explanation regarding double CD s.

This CD arrived very quickly and was just as described. It contains a great selection of classic Cash songs and is a great addition to anyone's country CD collection. All in all, a great buying experience.

When I was a little girl my grandmother used to listen to Johnny Cash, and it is great to have a piece of her back through this CD.

Johnny "The Man In Black" Cash Never disappoints. This is a Must have for any true Cash Fan. Good Music. One of the Best of his Genre. Highly Recommended. And It's LIVE!

My father listened to Johnny Cash back in the early 70s. I couldn't possibly appreciate the music in my early years... what a shame. This is timeless music. It's a no-brainer for JC fans, but if you're a budding JC fan - this is a must-add. It's really a true classic. 25 Minutes to Go, Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog, John Henry's Hammer... the whole album is just amazingly entertaining. If you don't tap your foot, laugh out loud, and truly appreciate the working man, you can contact me for a refund.

only purchased for dad who is a fan, he said it's really old songs haven't heard in a while. got free for pepsi points probably wouldn't have paid actual money for it

I can remember singing along with the album when I was quite young. My Dad had an extensive Johnny Cash collection and this is the one I played more than any of the others. When I was younger though, I didn't understand the fact that this was live inside a prison. He played to the crowd masterfully, something very few performers of this day could pull off. I play it several times a week right now, and it seems to get better with every listen. Anyone that is a Johnny Cash fan should own this!

Of all the country artists out there, few have been able to seep into other genres as influencially as Johnny Cash, and this album makes the best case for it.

At Folsom Prison finds Johnny Cash at a new phase in both his personal and his musical carreer. Having been on a hiatus after the burdens of touring got the best of him, Johhny Cash sobered up, married June Carter, and stormed into the record comanies with the idea of recording a live album at Folsom.

At a time when country music took a lengthy backseat to the sights and sounds of the psychadelic sixties, Johhny Cash broke down the barriers and made what is perhaps one of the ten most important live recordings of all time.

Included with the package are two tracks that were previously unreleased on the vinyl edition of the album. Cash is both amusing and poignant, using humor in between and during the performances of the songs, and even performing a tune that was written by one of Folsom's captives ("Greystone Chapel"). The sheer magic of the backing vocals of the Statler Brothers on "Green Grass of Home" brings a delight to the ears (or the speakers).

Though he has now gone on to the immortal realm of musical immortality, Johnny Cash remains as fresh and powerful as the day he first cut "Folsom Prison Blues". I can say little more about this album except for the next few words I pass onto you who are reading this review:

Buy this album. You won't regret it.

Wow, good stuff. Like many other reviewers, I do not consider myself a country music fan, but I've heard enough about Johnny Cash to be curious. I recently took a business trip to the Nashville area and checked out the live music scene. I had a blast. Also, as I was listening to the radio (I think it was the Grand Ole Opry station?) in my rental car a song came on called "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash. What a great song! I immediately wanted to hear it again. As soon as I got back home I went to look for a "greatest hits" CD and found The Legend of Johnny Cash which contained this song plus many others. In addition to songs I already knew (Burning Ring of Fire, Walk the Line, The Man in Black, etc), other great songs are Hey Porter, Big River, Delia's Gone, and Give My Love to Rose. I also thoroughly enjoyed Johnny Cash's cover of Soundgarden's Rusty Cage.

This an awesome album , it has all of his best known songs from 1955-2002 , which unlike the (essential johnny cash) this features his hits with american recordings , this is by far the best cd to buy. Highly recommended.

This CD arrived very quickly and was just as described. It contains a great selection of classic Cash songs and is a great addition to anyone's country CD collection. All in all, a great buying experience.

This is an amazing compliation of all of Johnny Cash's work. I would hightly recommend this CD over many of the other compliations as this is all emcompassing compared to some of the others!

This is my favorite and most career covering Johnny Cash compilation out there. If you're needing an introduction to THE Legend that is Cash get this CD or if you're an old fan needing a good group of Cashs songs for a road trip or kegger get it. The choice of songs on the cd range from his early material (Cry,Cry, Cry and Hey Porter to later releases such as Rusty Cage -a Soundgarden cover, and Hurt- a Nine Inch Nails Cover) That is why I feel this CD is great for both old and new fans of Johnny Cash. There's old and new on there for you to listen to. A very vital CD for anyones collection.

I love Johnny was and was very excited to see that you have a used copy of "When the man comes around" by Johnny Cash for a decent price. Keep up the good work!

Why review this music when all the appropriate praise has already been offered? Because it is just that good. Because silence would be wrong. Because those who have given it anything less than five stars need to be outnumbered. Perhaps even sought out and questioned: what were you listening to? This is American music at its zenith. Simply presented. Pure emotion. Authentic. It is as good as it gets in this time, in this country.

Very impressive album; I won't say that all songs impressed me equally, but Hurt and We'll meet again would be enough to merit 5 stars. And then there's "The Man comes Around", one of the most powerful religious songs I have ever heard, equal to the most profound performances by Mahalia Jackson...

Cash sounds deep, wise and full of pain and these impressions will haunt you and make you want to repeat this CD over and over again (and make you repeat some of its moments in your head).... It hurts at times to listen American IV, but it is a noble sensation.

One of the best Cash albums I wanted at a great price! I will enjoy listening to this album on road trips and lesure time! My favorite songs on this album are when the man comes around,sam hall,hurt and personal jesus! If you love Cash check this one out!

WOW!!! What a cd. Most cover CDs struggle for the artist to bring their own style to the music. This is not the case with Mr. Cash, each song is sung as though he owns it. It gives me chills to listen to his interpertation of some great songs. This is truly a work of art and I just wish there was a volume two to look forward to.

This final CD by Johnny will stroke your heart strings as you feel his acceptance of his impending death and as he reviews his life through the cherished songs. Be prepared to let a few tears flow, and I promise that you will feel good! Donna P. Savage, Author of The Man and The Shark: A Modern Day Fable of Awakening and Rebirth

I'd heard a song on the radio from this album & I loved it. I tried to
find the album locally & was unable to, so I ordered it from Amazon.com &
when it arrived, I immediately went to my car, inserted the CD & enjoyed
an amazing, fabulous rendition of Johnny Cash numbers that really brought
out his feelings. It is absolutely wonderful. I'm thinking of buying
the series, one at a time until I have them all. He was & will remain a
favorite of mine.

There are people out there with MP3 players loaded with hundreds of songs that don't say as much combined as Johnny Cash does here. I'm just glad this stuff is out there, and I think the only appropriate response to this music is to shut up and listen. And, maybe tweak a few things about your life before it's over.

This is a collection of cover and original songs and definitely can he Johnny Cash soul.

This series is Johnny Cash's best work. A bit dark, maybe because he knew these were his last cd's. BUY THEM ALL.

Great collection, a must for any Cash fan. I love his stuff and this makes a great addition.

This is awesome. I recommend this product. My step-father is 75 years old and he loves Johnny Cash. He nearly cried when I gave it to him; he was so grateful. He played the music and it captured Johnny Cash's earlier days and also later. I enjoyed it also.

great choice wonderful music and totally the best if u love johnny cash one the best and all time greatest .a must have for all collections

The Johnny Cash Album, The Legend, is of excellent quality and delivered on time. I am very satisfied with Amazon's service!

He had something that alot of musicians lack today, heart. All of his songs reflect a journey filled with pain and sorrow and looking for hope. But, he knew his need for God. A great, great collection for the price.

This CD was exactly what my dad wanted! It arrived within the stated time line and we're more than satisfied!!
Thanks!

I bought myself this CD at a local mall right before Christmas, as well as the similar Elvis CD. I liked them so much, that I decided to give them out as Christmas gifts to many of my friends and family. When I went to Amazon, I was pleasantly surprised that the price was half of what I paid at the mall. I am about to wear them out!

Heard some of the cd before. Loved it. It will make a wonderful Christmas gift for my husband.

Excellent CD. The old traditional hymns really hit home. Definitely worth listening to such inspiring music. It is unfortunate that the old time hymns have been forgotten, and so this recording by Johnny Cash reminds one that there was once good Christian oriented music. By contrast, the new contemporary Christian music panders to modern "pop culture" and sounds is if it was sung by some washed up Vegas lounge lizard.

It's almost unbelievable that these tracks were recorded over a timespan of 34 years, from 1957 to 1981, since the music forms such a cohesive, seamless whole. The songs include traditionals, his own compositions and the work of others like Carl Perkins. The album opens with Here Was A Man, a spoken introduction about the life and influence of Messiah Yeshua.

The next, The Preacher Said, is a type of duet with statements by evangelist Billy Graham. The following seven songs all date from the late 1950s, and my personal favorites include Belshazzar (1957), It Was Jesus with its unidentified black gospel backing vocals, Swing Low Sweet Chariot (1959) and The Great Speckle Bird from the same year.

Two of the previously unreleased tracks, How Great Thou Art and It Is No Secret from 1981, are amongst the highlights. The legendary Carter Family provide backing vocals on amongst others: Peace In The Valley (1963), Angel Band (1979) and on Children Go Where I Send Thee (1979) together with the 21st Century Singers, whilst Far Side Banks Of Jordan is a duet with June Carter.

Other great hymns worthy of special mention are In The Sweet By And By and Amazing Grace (both 1974) and Were You There (1962) with Maybelle Carter on autoharp and the family on backing vocals. The full spectrum of the spiritual experience is covered by these beautiful, timeless songs: sombre reflection, joy, melancholy, awe, comfort, devotion and gripping story-telling.

This is my first album of the music of Johnny Cash and I'm hooked! His beautiful baritone is impressive on its own, but even more amazing when framed by the devotional backing vocals. The CD booklet contains one sepia and four black and white pics, information like recording dates and musicians for every song, plus a short bio written by Sylvie Simmons.

This superb album, constituting Johnny's amazing career comeback, sounds much better on vinyl than CD. The word that springs to mind is organic. Don't hesitate in buying it. I'm listening to it as I'm typing this out. It's superbly pressed, better than most "audiophile" releases. This is the way to listen to CASH.

Johnny Cash R.I.P.

just dim the lights open a bottle of wine sit back and just listen, let the music take you over. this album is simply one of his best every track is great with 'the beast in me' being my personal favourite. fantastic value for money. i recommend the american recordings to all johnny cash fans and as an introduction to newcomers just to show you how good the man in black was.

This is an amazing collectino of songs and shows the reason why everyone loves Cash.

When a new producer began to work with Johnny Cash toward the end of his career, the result was a wonderful new dimension for an older, established artist. This particular CD is a blend of old JC songs (Delia's Gone) and carefully selected music from other writers ("Bird on a Wire" has a whole dimension beyound the original Leonard Cohen recording of that song as does Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord?"). The songs rang from the dark (Bird on a Wire) to the very light and fun ("Tennessee Stud"). I have several in the series of American Recordings. This is the first and one of the best.

I suppose there is no need to write another review for a disc originally released over 13 years ago. Considering there have been over 90 reviews of this, the first American Recordings collaboration between Rubin and Cash, it seems a waste of time to write another.

With this in mind, much like the minimalist approach to this album, I will do the same with this review. This is simply among the very best albums of any genre, any era since the birth of rock and roll. Nowhere can you find a combination of haunting lyrics with a voice to match and a producer willing to keep his fingers off the controls.

It doesn't matter if you are a punk, emo, stoner, hippie, country fan, metalhead, death metal freak or a soccer mom. This is one of the few pieces of American music that can stand the test of time and truly reach any audience. Get this record!!!

. . . but I am a fan of this. I sought this out after hearing the Johnny Cash version of "Solitary Man" on "Stargate Atlantis" and after hearing Johnny perform "The Wanderer" on one of my U2 albums. I've never owned a Johnny Cash album or a country music album other than Glen Campbell's Greatest Hits, but old Johnny does a fabulous job with all the songs here. Granted, I'm not a fan of all the songs, but you can give this album a listen without constantly wanting to skip ahead. "The Mercy Seat" is a fine song about a guy who ultimately goes to the electric chair. It's a new favorite of mine. I might even seek out some more Cashola after this pleasant experience.

Johnny Cash was one of those musical giants who transcended the genre into which he was pigeonholed by the recording industry. Yeah, he was country but he was so much more than that and on American III: Solitary Man he proves it for the umpteenth time.
I bought this CD back around the time it was issued, dutifully listened to and enjoyed it, then put it on the shelf to be somewhat forgotten as I had so many other CDs coming in that demanded my attention. But recently I have been pulling such CDs out to rediscover the pleasure they once gave me. In so doing I came to appreciate not just the bleak expression of Cash's muse but also his droll humor.
My favorites here are the renditions of Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down; a despairing take on Neil Diamond's Solitary Man; a standout cover of U2's One; a chilling cover of Nick Cave's The Mercy Seat; and a sadly hopeful spiritual standard Wayfaring Stranger. I also like the humor of Nobody, Country Trash, and I'm Leavin' Now.
There are many people around who can't stand commercial country music yet they love Johnny Cash. I think that is because the honest emotion in Johnny Cash's voice draws the listener in regardless of what else he/she listens to. I own the entire "American" series recorded by Cash in his waning years and think that its close to being the best of them. If you have not heard this yet, you owe it to yourself to add it to your collection.

Not being an expert on country music or on Johnny Cash, I must say this album is moving and very very suggestive; with simple but clever arrangements, beautiful songs and amazing vocal...
Obviously more than merely touched by age and various ailments, mr. Johnny Cash performes with great passion and suggests wisdom no young singer can convey (or even come close to conveying)...

I like it very much!

Of the 5 American Series Cash released during his last years, this album is my 2nd favorite, very close to being IMHO as good as my favorite, A Man Comes Around IV. The main difference is that IV includes a few out of this world tracks that give it the edge over this one.

That is not to say that no stand out tracks are included on this set. No less practically half of the album reaches the status of being exceptional. Tom Petty sings along with Cash on the opening two tracks, the first being a Petty cover, I Won't Back Down. Petty's version is good but somewhat dated (Jeff Lynn produced it), Cash's version is more straight forward and much better. A similar analogy can be made of the next track, Solitary Man, a very straight forward version with a silent despair.

U2's One is another track which Cash does much much better (I am a huge U2 fan and think that their version is great). The text shines in this version and actually adds a different dimension to the song itself. After a solid and powerful start the set slows down somewhat with I See Darkness and The Mercy Seat. The latter track is a Nick Cave cover in which Cash interprets the anguish someone feels being on death row and about to be electrocuted; very powerful song and the end where the admission of guilt is followed by bar room piano playing in a macabre fashion is not to be missed.

Mary of the Wild Moor and Wayfaring Stranger are the main tracks at the latter half of this album. Although most of those tracks are not as good as the first tracks of the album, none of them have any filler feel to them.

Although I prefer IV, this album is also a must purchase for any Cash fan and those who would like to add some Cash to their collection should not let this album pass them by. Of the American Series, this may even be the most even album and probably has the most direct straight forward production, brimful of guitars and solid tracks.

Who would imagine that an ageing Johnny Cash could reach out and cover dark and strange songs like these? OK, it's uneven, with one or two cuts actually sub-par, but "I see a darkness" is perfect, "One"--who could believe anyone could turn this into such a great song? And then, there is the utterly savage version of "Mercy Seat." Far better than any Nick Cave version, Johnny does it straight and without the histrionics. It is totally gripping--I was never an anti-death penalty person, or even particularly anti-death, but this song just blows you away. It's not the killing part that is so powerful, it's the mere fact of death itself, and the consciousness of walking to that chair like a mouse gingerly pushing down the bar on a trap while knowing what is about to happen....

And yet the song is unsentimental. The most important part, and the real hook, is the protagonist going from his "tough guy" persona in which he sticks by his story, damn your eyes, to, only at the last minute, admitting that he did lie, and that he is guilty. I find this the most powerful part of the song (and the barroom piano really brings it out in the coda). I think if it hadn't been for this song, I would have never had the courage to admit, even to myself, that I too had tried to ride on a lie all the way through the judicial system. All that time I was playing the innocent victim, I wasn't. I don't know if I deserved what I got, any more than the protagonist deserved to have his brain melted, but the first thing is to start with honesty.

That and his version of Wayfaring Stranger--a little bit strained--really spoke to me. But even the ones that didn't have a personal meaning were generally excellent ("Lucky Old Sun," "Won't Back Down"). A stunning depth and delivery. Even if you don't like his other stuff, you've got to listen to this. He can make Neil Diamond (a great song writer but not a tornado of energy as a singer) seem tremendous. [38]

Absolutely the best Cash album ever made. This thing will move you to tears, make you sing, and make you listen and appreciate the man. Without question, this is wonderful stuff and has to be in my top 10 albums of all time . I never tire of hearing these discs.

This is a moving and wonderful collection of songs, the last work of such a fine talent. I've played this umpteen times and it's worth every penny. Sensational recordings, and if you liked the American sessions with Rick Rubin, you'll love this.

Fantastic. Worth buying just to hear "The L&M Don't Stop Here Anymore."

One thing you need to do is buy this box-set and the next thing you need to do is listen to it and be absolutely astound with the lyrics and just how great this collection this is. You will NOT be disappointed. I guarantee it!

i personally believe that you should have everything that johnny cash recorded with rick rubin. together they made stunning americana music that is a pinnacle of the genre. this box set is very, very wonderful. i would suggest that you first get the 5 individual volumes of mr cash's "american recordings," then pick this up as icing on the cake. the only reason that i don't think this to be quite 5 star worthy is that disc 4 is an all gospel set titled "my mother's hymn book," which, while still a very good listen, is not quite up to par with the other cash/rubin work. also, disc 5 is simply a collection of tracks from the previous american recordings releases and is completely pointless here, as all true cash fans will already have these. anyway, the voice of mr cash is an amazing instrument to hear, truly spine-tingling on many of the songs collected here, and i highly, highly recommend that you pick this massive gathering of performances up.

I received the boxed CD set quickly and in great condition. I'm very satisfied with this purchase.