I am married with 1 daughter aged 28. I live in Broadstairs in Kent. Currently an unemployed Sales M...
I am married with 1 daughter aged 28. I live in Broadstairs in Kent. Currently an unemployed Sales Manager.Gis a job someone! As a hobby I paint watercolours and do commissions to earn some extra cash.
Member since:22.09.2005
Reviews:4
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.
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.
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