I'm excited about this album. It's due to release on Feb. 23 (Lost Highway). It's the end of the American Recording's series, for obvious enough reasons.

I've heard a good number of the tracks and my humble opinion is that we lost an amazing artist in the prime of his writing, recording career. I know that may seem strange to read for some of you...but if you have the opportunity to go through the whole American Recordings catalog from start to finish, you may have to agree that this is his strongest, most thoughtful work.

I love this series of albums. Some of the best records of his entire career for sure.

I like them, but sometimes it all seems uncharacteristic. Why is the man who sag, "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart," so humorless and unilaterally grave on these recordings?

It might just be his temperament in the last years changed. I don't know, but I prefer San Quentin.
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"Americans, with the exception of JCR, should never be allowed to talk" -Nomio

I actually like the mortality of the American series, but I wouldn't say it was humorless, just somber.

Tenessee Stud is a fun song that stands out to me.

So is the 'Let the Train Blow the whisle when I go' song which includes the line "tell the girls down at The Ritz I said 'hello'"

But then again, there is something about that sweaty, pensive energy on the Folsom and San Quentin records. I like them more than any of his other early recordings.

The joyful-ish songs are ones he'd already sung years before, for the most part.

Don't hold me to that; I'm not getting into an argument here. I'm just stating an opinion that the American recordings are too grave.

You're right about San Quentin and Folsom Prison. There's plenty of gravitas there, but also silliness. There's even gospel! He straddled so many ideals so well early on.
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"Americans, with the exception of JCR, should never be allowed to talk" -Nomio

No argument, just discussion.

I would have liked to have been a "fly on the wall" throughout his life. Get the real goods on what brought him to write the songs he wrote, the way he wrote them.

You look at his career and see the gospel and the ballads....the hard as nails cowboy shit...and you kind of get the feeling that Mr. Cash was one tormented, bi-polar motherfucker. At least I do.

I like Walk The Line.

Excellent movie.

Listened to "Bitter Tears" while driving through the SW this fall... love that album, and most everything else he did.

The Heartbreaker's are his backing band for a lot of those American Recordings...
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"Life is an intricate mixture of composition and improvisation..."

[a href="www.sacredprofanities.com"[/a]

Can't wait for this album.

I love the AR series, there's something so focused about the records and his voice on so many of the tracks just floors me.

It's not a very popular thing to say but Hundred Highways is honestly my favourite Cash record. I'm a massive Cash fan and obviously SQ, Folsom, Orange Blossom Special are incredible records but for me personally Hundred Highways has a beauty that lifts it above eveything else. To me it's the sound of a man literally singing for his life.


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Nights like these make me sleep all day - Ben Nichols
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Too grave?

Man... that's like saying Dylan is too wordy... or Robert Johnson's music is too haunting.

I love those American Recordings albums... all of them, including the box set! There's songs on all those albums I can take or leave, but on a whole, it's one of the most incredible "revivals" ever! Him and Dylan... great twilight of their lives music.

's all,
peas,
Baffy

"And her Baffy’s got arch
And her flipflop's all right"

What does the gospel album sound like? My Mother's Hymn Book or something like that. I want it but I keep hesitating to buy it.

It sounds nothing like Bon Jovi for a start.

I love it, but I can see how someone might think it's depressing. If you want to send me a mail, I'd be more than willing to send you a tester or two: jvdbuk@gmail.com

's all,
peas,
Baffy

"And her Baffy’s got arch
And her flipflop's all right"

are they sure this time that it is going to be the last of the ARs....?
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"keef i remember you wear the first person i got in a fight with on the internet" - tim crimson

Your Friend,
Keef Riffhard - intolerant hypocrite



-Bea Arthur Whirlwind-

Would that make a difference?

's all,
peas,
Baffy

"And her Baffy’s got arch
And her flipflop's all right"

I only have Folsom and San Quentin... but they are really great.

Anybody have Personal File? It's a compilation of a bunch of his unreleased stuff that he recorded in his own studio. It's pretty cool. He tells the stories behind the songs, etc. Very cool for Cash fans (Johnny, not Willie...).
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10/9/08 - The RAA Infiltration - "We will never forget."

email sent

The title track is streaming on the Lost Highway website.

"There aint' no grave can hold my body down"

Love this!

smarten up NOW or I get pro-Active! on your cyber ass! do you understand?! - Stumbling

Remove the things Ive said in your profile now. - Candace

i cant get that stupid player to play...
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"keef i remember you wear the first person i got in a fight with on the internet" - tim crimson

Your Friend,
Keef Riffhard - intolerant hypocrite



-Bea Arthur Whirlwind-

This has leaked.

http://www.bolachas.org/?p=5166
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My Music Blog *Updated Feb. 8th

Pretty sure The Avett Brothers played on at least a few of the tracks.... Of course, in a studio post-mortem.

I have that Personal File one. It is good to listen to on long road trips or something, but I don't listen to it often. Some interesting songs from his youth and humorous stuff.

Yeah, it's definitely not a hit record by any means, but it's interesting to listen to.
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10/9/08 - The RAA Infiltration - "We will never forget."

This is a premature review.

But last night I listened to it in bed with headphones on and I have to say the production is outstanding. Very simplistic but much different from previous albums. Something tells me Rick recorded the backing tracks recently (like in the last 2 years) because the instrumentation has a modern sound to it. This record sounds slightly different from the others in the series.

After first listen I would hesitate to say this is the best album in the American Recordings Series.

Love it.

there is too much mortality on this album for me..... i cant see myself really wanting to listen to it a lot..
**********************************
"keef i remember you wear the first person i got in a fight with on the internet" - tim crimson

Your Friend,
Keef Riffhard - intolerant hypocrite



-Bea Arthur Whirlwind-

I have no love for The Avett Brothers, but they did good on the first track, beautiful song.

I like this album. Not something I'll listen to a lot, but it's highly fitting. And I'm with joost. The Avett Brothers did that song well even if they don't do a lot of other things to my liking.

Here's Brother Claude Ely doing "Ain't No Grave" if anyone's interested. I love just about any version of this song.


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"Are you got for me?" - Gringo

"I am so proud to be American. Thank you. Gosh. Thank you. Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan." - Sarah Palin

Got this, but not sure I'll listen to it. To be honest, the last one was VERY hard to get into and I didn't listen to it but 2 times, if that. I'm a huge Cash fan since I was a wee lad but the man just sounded so sick and frail on that record. Sounds like this one is more of the same. Sure some of you folks will think it "brave" and "classic" and that's fine. God bless.

From the desk of DSS.

Johny Cash American XXIV: Please just leave me alone

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"You to mr703.......You are exactly the fuckd who have run many off this board. - gringo"

It's about to get to that, isn't it?

Actually, what I was thinking when I spun the last Cash record was about the album of outtakes I DL'd a couple of years ago. That, along with that great box set they released a fw years ago makes me think they have probably HUNDREDs of songs we haven't heard, from the sessions where Cash still had all his powers. By his own admission, in an interview I read when the first record was released, he said that he and Rubin recorded "hundreds" of songs. So, even with the box, we haven't heard everything. I'd love to hear more of that stuff unreleased.

From the desk of DSS.

I'm a huge Cash fan since I was a wee lad but the man just sounded so sick and frail on that record.

I agree. I had the CD where he covered U2's "One" and it was just like every verse he uttered was taxing his lungs. It was sad to listen to. "I see a Darkness" with BPB was amazing though.
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Is this a memorable thread?

I like how frail he sounds. It adds a weird gravitas to a lot of the covers. It is even more excruciating hearing a dying 71 year old sing "And I've got to say that I just don't get it..I don't know where we went wrong" as opposed to a spry 32 year old Gordon Lightfoot sing it. The thought of a 71 year old man still 'not getting it' guts me. By the time I am dying, I'd hope I made amends with all of my regrets over women/confused young boys.

I love the covers. It takes songs about relationships ending and makes this about his own mortality. Songs about leaving girls suddenly seem to sound like songs about leaving everyone. These lyrics take on a total different meaning when you consider that they are sung by someone on his deathbed.

Four strong winds that blow lonely

Seven seas that run high

All those things that don't change come what may.

If the good times are all gone

Then I'm bound for movin' on

I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way.

I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way.