Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 88/500!

Johnny Cash’s five-decade musical career was loaded with bigger-than-life landmark moments. None were more memorable than the Man in Black’s historic concerts at Folsom Prison and San Quentin State Prison, and the beloved albums that documented those shows. Cash’s passion for prison reform and rehabilitation inspired him to perform a series of concerts for inmate audiences, and two of these unique events were documented on Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Johnny Cash at San Quentin. These albums, originally released in 1968 and 1969 respectively, remain among Cash’s best-selling and best-loved recordings. At the time of their original release, they revitalized his career, and played a crucial role in his crossover from the country music world to the mainstream pop charts.

"By the late sixties, Cash was ignored by country radio and struggling for a comeback. At Folsom Prison was a million-seller that reignited his career. A year later, he was writing liner notes for Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and logging four weeks at Number One with his second prison album, At San Quentin. But At Folsom Prison is essential Cash. Backed by a tough touring band, including fellow Sun Records alum Carl Perkins on guitar, Cash guffaws his way through "Cocaine Blues," "25 Minutes to Go" (a countdown to an execution), "I Got Stripes" and "Folsom Prison Blues." The 2,000 inmates roar their approval." - www.rollingstone.com

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison fully captures Cash’s gritty intensity and hard-headed humanity, capturing a high-energy set performed for an equally spirited audience. With a set list tailored for the occasion, Cash focuses on songs dealing with crime and imprisonment, balancing dark subject matter with wry, playful humor. The album opens, appropriately enough, with the venerable “Folsom Prison Blues,” and continues with such outlaw anthems as “Cocaine Blues,” “25 Minutes to Go, “The Wall” and “I Got Stripes,” alongside such Cash classics as “I Still Miss Someone,” “Orange Blossom Special” and “Jackson,” with the latter track featuring Cash’s wife and frequent duet partner June Carter. The album closes on an inspirational note with “Greystone Chapel,” a song written by convict Glen Shirley, which Cash and his band learned especially for this show.

Features:
• 180g Vinyl - Double LP

Selections:
1. Folsom Prison Blues
2. Orange Blossom Special
3. The Long Black Veil
4. Jackson (with June Carter)
5. Green, Green Grass of Home
6. I Got Stripes
7. Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog
8. The Wall
9. 25 Minutes To Go
10. Dark As the Dungeon
11. I Still Miss Someone
12. Cocaine Blues
13. Send a Picture of Mother
14. Give My Love To Rose (with June Carter)
15. Flushed From the Bathroom Of Your Heart
16. Greystone Chapel