Orange Blossom Special - 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 .

...Background Johnny Cash had been recording and playing for quite a while before I came across him properly as an artiste. In the early seventies my brother bought "Johnny Cash live at St Quentin" and it was a real eye opener, or should I say ear opener to me. Previously to this I had sort of heard him in passing but not taken that much notice. As a flighty teenager he had seemed far too old and straight to appeal to me. It took my advancing years to truly get a feel for the man and his music. However "San Quentin" was one of the first rungs on the ladder. My boyfriend at the time, and Husband to this day, bought the L.P before I knew him and so, among our differing tastes in music, this was one firm favourite. He has bought Cash?s music over the years right up to his final offerings and for me the music matured well along... 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