...
Track 2 - Slow Rider(4.10)
The train then moves westward onto the prairies where we meet the outlaw John Wesley Hardin, 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 ... Read review
A review by Abbigail43 on Ride This Train - Johnny Cash September 28th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Originality
Groundbreaking
Lyrics
Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Great travelogue in music of the Old West
Disadvantages:
None
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
This is a fascinating album presenting Johnny Cash as a singer and a narrator. Each track is preceded by the haunting sound in the background of a steam locomotive and its whistle while Johnny tells a story of the song he is about to sing.
Track 1 - Loading Coal (4mins.59secs.)
The travelogue begins with a recital of place-names of America and continues with the thundering names of the indian tribes who lived here first. Then Johnny boards the train, stopping first at a small town in the mining country of Kentucky. He presents a brief character sketch of a boy whose father is a miner. "Loading Coal" tells the story of a miner who never expects to get rich but still follows the tradition of his family.
Track 2 - Slow Rider(4.10)
The train then moves westward onto the prairies where we meet the outlaw John Wesley Hardin, 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 flood waters. In this sequence Johnny sings a striking song of the convict work-gangs.
Track 6 - When Papa Played The Dobro(2.54)
Eastward now to South Carolina. Here Johnny sketches the delights of going to a country fair in a buckboard and the pleasure of a child listening to the dance music. The Dobro is an old-fashioned metal-stringed instrument similar to a guitar.
Track 7 - Boss Jack(3.56)
Arkansas is the next stop on the journey. Johnny describes the cotton land, particularly the old days of tall cotton, through the eyes of an enlightened slave-owner, and sings a worksong about a good boss and his kindness to the people who worked for him.
Track 8 - Old Doc Brown(4.10)
Once more the train rumbles across America stopping at last in Iowa, where the influx of Irish immigrants is noted. The story of "Old Doc Brown"is a moving account of the local doctor, recited by Johnny. You'll need a handkerchief for this one!
Summary
Johnny Cash's brilliant performance on this album is yet another indication of this man's huge talent. A must for all Johnny Cash fans.
This album also contains 4 bonus tracks which are typical Johnny Cash country ballads. They are:
The Fable of Willie Brown(1.54)
Second Honeymoon(1.54)
The Ballad of The Harpweaver(3.47)
Smiling Bill McCall(2.05)
All tracks were recorded in December 1959 and February 1960.
I first bought this album on vinyl in the 60's. I was over the moon when I saw that it was available on CD.
Label / Distributor: Columbia / Sony Music/Arvato Services
Pieces in Set: 1
Studio / Live: Studio
Stereo: Stereo
Format: Performer
EAN: 5099750637326
Catalogue Number: 5063732
Additional notes
Album Notes: Personnel: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); Luther Perkins, Johnny Western (guitar); Harold B. "Shot" Jackson (steel guitar, dobro); Gordon N. Terry (fiddle); Floyd Cramer (piano); Marshall Grant (bass); Murray M. "Buddy" Harman Jr., (drums). Includes liner notes by Arthur Levy. Digitally remastered by Mark Wilder and Seth Foster (Song Music Studios, New York, New York). The artistic freedom Johnny Cash gained when he left Sun Records for Columbia at the end of the '50s was first exemplified by 1959's HYMNS album, but the following year's RIDE THIS TRAIN took Cash's conceptual explorations into previously unimagined realms. A full-blown concept album featuring sound effects and lengthy narratives would never have happened on Sun founder Sam Philips's watch, but the newly unfettered Cash reveled in the opportunity to make this striking, distinctive record. The album was billed as a "travelogue of America," and Cash neatly combines his passions for American history, storytelling, and the magic of trains to present portraits of the country he loved. Each track on RIDE THIS TRAIN begins with Cash delivering a monologue over train sounds, taking the roles of characters from different walks and eras of American life, followed by a song further illustrating the tale. This album represented not only a structural/conceptual innovation for Cash, but a stylistic one as well. Most of the tunes are led by acoustic guitar, and the American musical idioms explore include not only country, but folk, country blues, and worksongs. The four bonus tracks included on this reissue don't fall into the format of the rest of the album, but are nevertheless welcome, making good use of the tasteful addition of drums to Cash's tried-and-true Tennessee Two guitars-and-bass approach.
Album Reviews: Q (6/02, p.131) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A colourful song cycle placing [Cash] firmly in Woody Guthrie's camp..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Loading Coal
2.: Slow Rider
3.: Lumberjack
4.: Dorraine Of Ponchartrain
5.: Going To Memphis
6.: When Papa Played The Dobro
7.: Boss Jack
8.: Old Doc Brown
9.: Fable Of Willie Brown
10.: Second Honeymoon
11.: Ballad Of The Harpweaver
12.: Smiling Bill McCall
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Listed on Ciao since : 15/08/2005
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