Arkansas Rockpile/Mojo Man - Ronnie Hawkins

Advantages: 104 songs means great value for money, plus, a book!
Disadvantages: Not a chance of getting this on your CD shelf, it is a tall book too!

...American musician, and songwriter. Cash was known for his deep, distinctive, bass-baritone voice, the "boom-chicka-boom" country sound that his band, The Tennessee Three produced, and his dark clothing, demeanor, and somber tone, which earned him the nickname from his fans as, "The Man in Black". He was also extremely well known for simply starting all of his concerts with the words, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash". Cash was born and raised in Arkansas, America, and by the age of five he was working in the cotton fields with his family. The family farm was flooded on at least one occasion, which later inspired him to write the song "Five Feet High And Rising", which is on disc 2 of this box set. Cash began drinking heavily in the 1960's, as he became more famous, and became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates. In 1965, he was arrested... Read review

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Advantages: Consistently high quality throughout album
Disadvantages: Not one for when you need cheering up!

...It's probably worth starting this review by saying that I am in no way a Johnny Cash fan, and that this is the only album of his that I own.(In a collection that tends to steer well clear of anything that could be labelled 'country' music.) I'll come on to the reasons for my owning this album later, but first, a little about the man himself. JC Born in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash sold over 90 million (90!) albums in a music career that spanned 6 decades. It's safe to say that his music, particularly later in his career, was largely downbeat, focusing on sorrow and moral issues. Cash was nicknamed the 'Man in Black', not because of a resemblance to Will Smith, but because he chose to wear dark clothing that became synonymous with his act. Notable records include the legendary 'Ring of Fire', and Cash famously played inside San... Read review

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Advantages: Great travelogue in music of the Old West
Disadvantages: None

..., whose murderous life is described with sincerity. Then we meet another westerner, a saddle tramp who rides an old horse. His life is nearly over, he misses his daughters and his wife, but he tries to keep on singing. Track 3 - Lumberjack(3.03) Johnny next takes us still further west to Oregon into lumberjack country and outlines a young man's first day as a high-climber(which I think is self-explanatory). Among the lessons he learns is "don't cut timber on a windy day!" Track 4 - Dorraine of Ponchartrain(4.47) Now the train takes us south and east to the swamps and forests of Louisiana. Johnny sings a tragic ballad of "Dorraine of Ponchartrain" the black-eyed beauty who was lost in a boat on the lake. Track 5 - Going to Memphis(4.22) The train now goes northward to Mississippi and its levees and the constant fight against... Read review

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