Love God Murder Life - Johnny Cash

Advantages: Totaly Definitive Album
Disadvantages: None Whasoever Buy It and Make your life Better

...For definitive albums you don't get much more definitive than this one. Johnny Cash backed by the Tennassee three and others, playing to 2000 inmates and armed guards at Folsam Prison. The album kicks off in fine style with "Folsam Prison Blues" with the tennassee three Boom-chicka-Booming in fine style and goes down a storm with the crowd. There is also a good selection of songs paying "tribute" to Johnny's toubled past, such as "Cocaine Blues" and the gallows humor of "25 Minutes to Go". Cash's bas baritone is also in fine form throughout the recording which is especially good on the very soulful rendition of "The Green Green Grass Of Home" The album covers pretty much the whole of Johnnys repotire filled to the brim with songs about Murder, Crime, Drinking, Drugs, Love, Spirituality and Twisted Humor. This album is pretty much... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Classic , fresh , raw , entertaining , a little piece of history .
Disadvantages: May be too dated for some .

...?Hello, I?m Johnny Cash?. It is classic early Cash. Track Two - I still miss someone.* ?It?s good to be with Ya-I?m glad to see you again? states Cash along with his easy guitar. This is a gentle offering with a love theme. Track Three - Wreck of the old 97 This is a racing fast track with the beat of a train and the accompanying train whistle. Track Four - I walk the Line A bit more chat from Cash about how good it is to see them. Granada?s recoding gets a mention here and the restrictions that have been put in place. He states he is there for the prisoners and asks what they want to hear. As one, I Walk the Line, is noisily requested. I love the many versions of this track which Cash has done over the years. Quite simply it states that his love for June Carter, his wife, is what keeps him on the straight and narrow, having had... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Play - When you're weary and feeling small...
Disadvantages: Don't Play - When you're with your skater buddies.

...This fabulous album was robbed of being the last throw by the late, great Johnny Cash by the dodgy decision to release American V, a wholly lesser album. So If you have no other Cash recording in your collection you must get this one. It's the voice of a reformed hell-raiser, drug addict and truly God-fearing man on the brink of final personal oblivion. It's difficult to tell when the tremble in his voice is emotion and when it's simple frailty. I like to believe it's the one caused by the other. Stand-out tracks - The monumental "Hurt" is the show-stopper here, made more emotional by the realisation that Cash is singing with first-hand experience of the subject matter. The cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" is a close second for track of the album. Succinct and direct acoustic guitar backing pushes the song along nicely... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful