[IronLion]

Well, I've decided its way past due for me to get some Johnny Cash CD's, of which I currently have none.  What redbook albums do you think would be the place to start, especially if I'm not very familiar with his music?  Well-recorded albums, as always, are a big plus.  Thanks. 

[mcullinan]

At Folsom Prison! A must must buy.
Mike

[ecramer]

As much as i like Johnny's older stuff (which i have a lot of) my favorite stuff is the newer cd's produced by RicK Rubin. They are J Cash at his best

Unchained
American Recordings
Solitary Man
the man comes around
a hundred highways

[soundbitten1]

His Sun Recordings

[miklorsmith]

At Folsom Prison! A must must buy.

Word - this is a phenomenal recording.  The fact they did it in basically a concrete bunker is unbelievable.

[IronLion]

Thanks for all the recommendations.  I've heard much about the Folsom Prison album; I think thats the first one I'm going to get. 

[ctviggen]

Any of the ones done with Rick Rubin, although the first one is the hardest for me to listen to.

[linkweewee]

At Folsom Prison! A must must buy.
Mike

Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds
I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down
I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' 44 beneath my head

Got up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun
Took a shot of cocaine and away I run
Made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtook me down in Juarez Mexico

[Tirade]

The Essential Cash

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Johnny-Cash-1955-1983/dp/B000007QCM

[ecramer]

Check This out
Hurt video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9dbmJ_2zU

[EDS_]

Additive to some of the above; I'd start with Johnny Cash/Unchained and the Sun Recordings.

 


I use Unchained when listening to dealer gear and I take it to friends for listening sessions.  People are amazed.

[Rob Babcock]

The Essential Cash

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Johnny-Cash-1955-1983/dp/B000007QCM

I'd absolutely second this recommendation!   Three CDs and a pretty neat booklet.  The collection includes some of his big hits with lots of older & lesser known stuff.  I ripped them all to my HD (legally!) and burned an 80 minute CD-R of my favorites that I travel with.

I'd recommend The Man Comes Around, too.  While I have several of his works spanning decades of his life I honestly think this one was among his all-time best.

[IronLion]

Well, I picked up Live at Folsom and Unchained the other day and have been listening to them basically non-stop since; such great, addictive music.  Thanks to everyone for the recommendations, I will get more Cash in the near future for sure. 

One thing about Live at Folsom; the instruments all sound great, but some songs, especially the one with June Carter in it, the mic sounds like it distorts or clips on loud lyrics? 

[Kevin Haskins]

Yeah.... my recommendation is to buy them all.    There is something about that gravely voice.     My dad liked to listen to Johnny and I remember driving the truck to town listening to Johnny Cash on the radio with him.  My dad was a big Johnny Cash fan.

If you would have told me when I was a teenager that I'd listen to Johnny Cash when I got older I would have scoffed at you though... 

[Russell Dawkins]

One thing about Live at Folsom; the instruments all sound great, but some songs, especially the one with June Carter in it, the mic sounds like it distorts or clips on loud lyrics? 

probably the tape being pushed too hard - they used to play with that threshold a lot in those days, in an effort to get a better signal to noise ratio. They would drive it into the red to get away from tape hiss. Occasionally, they would go too far and you'd hear it. It could be the record head amps clipping, possibly the mic preamp clipping. The mic itself is probably not the source for gross distortion, at least on voice, since it was probably a Shure SM 58 or equivalent, and they could handle pretty well anything thrown at them in the way of voice - not that there wasn't a kind of distortion to everything they did, but it wasn't gross, like clipping.

[ctviggen]

While you're on CDs, also try this DVD:

http://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Cash-Show-Best-1969-1971/dp/B000TLMWMY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8186641-0250864?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1193516788&sr=1-1

[Lyndon]

All of the above are great!
Also:
Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin (Legacy Edition)


2 CD's and a DvD of Britain's Granada TV documentary shot.

Johnny Cash, as well as Ry Cooder's version of 'Get Rhythm' --one of my favorite songs-not on the above cd, but like the man in black said, "ALL my stuff is good!"

Little shoeshine boy never gets low down
But he’s got the dirtiest job in town
Bendin’ low at the peoples’ feet
On the windy corner of the dirty street
Well, I asked him while he shined my shoes
How’d he keep from gettin’ the blues
He grinned as he shook his little head
Popped a shoeshine rag and then he said

Get rhythm when you get the blues
Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
It only costs a dime, just a nickel a shoe
Does a million dollars worth of good for you
Get rhythm when you get the blues

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBLdk3McbVs