Disco de Johnny Cash: “Essential Johnny Cash [Limited Edition 3.0]”

Johnny Cash was an American music icon known to the world as the "Man in Black." His booming deep bass voice is surely one of the most recognizable in country music history. While his vocal range was fairly limited, it was incredibly effective at conveying the plight of the common man. As befits a legend, there are several Cash collections available. This double disc is my favorite because it captures nearly all of the highlights of Cash's recording career between 1955 and 1993 (since then he put out four excellent albums on American Records as well).

This chronological collection begins with eights hits from his tenure at Sun Records (1955-1958). Each of these great recordings, such as his double-sided hit debut "Cry, Cry, Cry"/"Hey Porter," "I Guess Things Happen That Way," "I Walk The Line," and his biggest chart hit "Ballad Of A Teenage Queen" (ten weeks at number one!) features a "boom-chicka-boom" rhythm and sparse instrumental backing by Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant (also known as the Tennessee Two). If you are looking for more music from this period, I suggest Varese's double-disc, forty track Complete Sun Singles.

Cash left Sun in late 1958 and signed with Columbia in hopes of occasionally recording his first love, gospel music, which Sun owner Sam Phillips would not allow. Cash's productive Columbia tenure (which ended in 1986) makes up 26 of the remaining 28 recordings. The remainder of disc one takes us through 1965 and shows Cash branching out far beyond rockabilly, with the old west cautionary tale "Don't Take Your Guns To Town," the yearn-filled ballad "I Still Miss Someone," the mariachi-flavored "Ring Of Fire" (June Carter's composition detailing her then turbulent relationship with Cash), the folky "Ballad Of Ira Hayes," the bluegrass toetapper "Orange Blossom Special," and fittingly, a stark, religious number for the closer, "Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)."

The first half of disc two highlights Cash's work in the mid-to-late '60s, leading off with hit collaborations with wife to be June Carter ("It Ain't Me Babe," "Jackson," "If I Were A Carpenter") as well as megahits from his successful live prison albums ("Folsom Prison Blues," "A Boy Named Sue"). Interspersed is the less known acoustic "Girl From The North Country" duet with Bob Dylan (not a hit, but a superfine recording by two legendary artists) as well as the gospel-oriented "Daddy Sang Bass" which prominently features June Carter and the Statler Brothers (both members of Cash's late '60s/early '70s stage show, which was one of the best of its time).

As the '70s began, Cash was still making a strong impact with the weary Kristofferson ode "Sunday Morning Coming Down," the matter of fact "Flesh And Blood," and the biographical ditty "Man In Black." As the decade wore on, though, big hits became harder to come by, limited to humorous chart-topper "One Piece At A Time" and haunting chestnut "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" (both found here) as well as "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" (unfortunately omitted). This Essential collection concludes with four diverse collaborations: "Song Of The Patriot" with Marty Robbins (1980), "Highwayman" with Kristofferson, Nelson, and Jennings (1985 - Cash's last number one single), the reflective "Night Hank Williams Came To Town" with Jennings (1987, from his otherwise unmemorable two-album Mercury Records stint), and "The Wanderer" with U2 (1993, from U2's Zooropa album, a hint of the adventurous material Cash would explore on his American Records albums, such as his recent reworking of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt").

For more material, you can go with the three-disc box set (confusingly, also titled Essential Johnny Cash), but track for track, this set is the more enjoyable listen.

Though there have been several anthologies summarizing the better known material from Cash's nearly fifty-year recording career, the bulk of his work has been unavailable on domestic CD. Columbia's year-long reissue program, celebrating Cash's seventieth birthday, kicks off with this double-disc, thirty-six track overview that abbreviates 1992's seventy-five song, triple-disc box, "The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983," and adds a few choice alternate selections.

Like its big-brother, the new set spans Cash's late '50s recordings for Sun and his '60s-70s work for Columbia, and also adds a few tracks from his time at Mercury. Alternate picks from the box set include duets with Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, and June Carter Cash, the mid-60s novelty, "The One on the Right is on the Left," a pair of patriotic tunes ("Ragged Old Flag" and "Song of the Patriot"), and a 1993 collaboration with U2. Missing (and certainly more essential than the U2 cut) are tracks from Cash's late-90s work with producer Rick Ruben.

What's here is certainly essential, and its scope fills a niche between single-disc greatest hits and the more expansive 1992 box. It trods compilation ground that's been well mapped on earlier releases, yet serves nicely as both a value-priced entry to Cash's work, and a primer to the on-going reissue campaign.

4-1/2 stars, if Amazon allowed fractional ratings.

Johnny Cash is the people's preacher, his craggy voice calling down raw truths from the mountain top, and his songs are riveting sermons nobody sleeps through. He has grappled hard with demons that have scarred and nearly defeated him, martyring himself time and again to make music that is as honest and timeless as dirt. Johnny Cash looks like any one of us, just a regular Joe, and he speaks for all of us in the voice we wish we had and the words we wish we knew. That is the genius of Johnny Cash.

Personally, I'd pay good money to listen to Johnny recite the alphabet, but this collection, an eclectic and affordable Cash primer, is money more wisely spent. Released in 2002 to coincide with The Man in Black's 70th birthday, 'Essential' contains a booklet full of hosannas from his famous admirers and does a nice job of portraying Cash as the musical chameleon of uncompromising integrity that he's always been. Every phase of Cash's career is represented, from his rocking sides for Sun Records in the mid-Fifties to those nothing-left-to-prove 'vocal events' with his heavyweight Outlaw buddies in the Eighties. In between, you witness the transformation of Johnny Cash from rockabilly to poet, from hellion to repentant sinner, and from Star to Legend. It's a helluva fascinating journey.

On Disc One, eavesdrop as the Tennessee Two polish Cash's signature syncopated sound on stark and intimate Sun cuts like 'I Walk the Line,' which still inspires chills. Then, follow Cash to Columbia for his coming of age on classics penned by himself ('Five Feet High and Rising,' 'Don't Take Your Guns to Town') and others ('Ring of Fire,' a smitten June Carter's oblique declaration of love for her future husband). My favorite song from this era - and my favorite Johnny Cash song, period, since I was a kid - is 'Tennessee Flat-top Box,' a clever metaphor for Cash's rise to fame with a killer Tex-Mex guitar riff that took this middling guitarist twenty years to figure out. Cash's rebel take on 'Orange Blossom Special' - he sounds positively gassed - has always knocked me out, too.

Disc Two showcases Cash's mastery in concert and his willingness to share the spotlight with musicians he admires, with somewhat mixed results. Cash's duets with June Carter, especially the red-hot 'Jackson,' are magical, like the beatific communion of soul mates. On the other hand, the rough-hewn curio 'Girl from the North Country' finds Cash and country dabbler Bob Dylan just getting in each other's way. Two of Cash's best live prison performances are here: the incendiary 'Folsom Prison Blues' and his boisterous, off-the-cuff rendition of 'A Boy Named Sue' for an equally pumped San Quentin crowd. 'One Piece at a Time,' a funny tune from 1976, brings Cash full circle with a faithful recreation of his old Sun sound. Finally, Cash reinvents himself yet again as an Elder Statesman/Guru ministering to adoring disciples on 1993's 'The Wanderer,' a surprisingly moving electronica/gospel collaboration with U2.

An artist as prolific and important as Johnny Cash can't be boiled down to just two CDs, but this is a great place to start an appreciation that, I promise you, will enrich your life.

After 40 years or so of listening to John, this is a wonderful compilation of some of his best works from early days to more recent cuts, all presented in the order of the release date.

The sound quality of songs such as "Guess Things Happen that Way" are quite amazing, showing how much information was really being recorded in those early days, far surpassing the playback equipment of the day.

From the rousing "Five feet high and Rising", "Johnny Yuma" with the incredible imaging of the individual voices of the Carter Family on the side, the Trumpets (and again the Carter Family) on a very clean "Ring of Fire" through the haunting and gritty "Ballad of Ira Hayes".

John's guitar work on "The One on the Right..." is truly amazing and crisp and genuinely shows his imense talent!

When listening to "Flesh and Blood", "Man in Black" and the auditorium sound of "Ragged Old Flag" you feel as if big John's right there with you!

"The Wanderer" with U2 was a pleasant surprize, as I'd never heard this before. This album is also a favourite of our daughter, who learned to count with "Five feet High and Rising" and who has enjoyed the "Folsom Prison" and "San Quentin" albums for the last year. This shows the incredibly wide audience John has been playing to!

He will be sorely missed!!

I'll admit, I jumped on the Johnny Cash bandwagon after seeing the movie "Walk the Line" Mr. Cash's music had always been a favorite of mine I just never purchased any until I saw the movie. This Cd is one of my best purchases from this site to date. I have been playing it non-stop since I popped it in my disc player. I find-comfort- I would say, in many of his lyrics, not pretentious, or over sang just simply Johnny Cash.