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Post by Allen Wiener on Feb 19, 2010 20:14:07 GMT -5
I'm just working my way through the 5 albums Cash cut with Rick Rubin on American toward the end of his life. Volume 6, the final CD, is due out in a few days and I've got it on pre-order. There's also a boxed set called "Unearthed" that has 4 CDs of unreleased material from those sessions that I have gone through.
This is a truly amazing and often riveting body of work. Cash runs the gamut of musical genres, with original material and covers ranging from Neil Diamond to Hank Snow. I've always liked Cash, but this long swan song may be the best he ever did.
Allen
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Post by TRK on Feb 19, 2010 21:37:37 GMT -5
You've got that right, Allen, about a truly amazing body of work. It's great that Cash went out on top of his game. The take he did on Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat" is pure genius. Lots of this late-period, Rick Rubin-produced material was pretty dark, but no more so than classic Cash from the 1960s.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Feb 19, 2010 22:10:38 GMT -5
Yeah Tom; a lot of dark stuff. And "The Mercy Seat" just jumped right out at me. It actually reminded me of a song called "Sniper" by Harry Chapin. He's another guy I always liked, both musically and personally.
I think there was always an edge to Cash's work and always a dark side. Not every song, obviously, but it was always there. It was fitting that he became the man in black. On this stuff, you often get the feeling Cash knew he was coming to the end of the line and whatever feelings were going on in him were pouring out in this music. There's as much emotion in these songs as he ever showed in his music and so many of them just grab you. He really did go out in style.
Allen
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Feb 19, 2010 23:56:35 GMT -5
Cash was an American treasure. Some old timers, like my dad, only remember him for the drinking and drug problems -- I've heard stories of him showing up late for shows at an old place called The Lone Star Ranch in New Hampshire back in the early and mid-1960s, and where he could hardly stand. I recall that period, too, but saw past that to the great talent he was. All these years later and I still like to play songs like "I Still Miss Someone". His sound with the Tennessee Three was quite simple but almost revolutionary and edgy in its sound.
While stationed in Berlin (1969-1973), Johnny Cash brought the entire group from his then-popular tv show on tour through Europe. His Berlin appearance was at Deutchlandhalle, which also was used for huge rock concerts by the Who and others. I think it could seat about 18,000. The place was packed! The Statler Brothers, the Carter Family with Ma Mabel and June, and Carl Perkins were all there. It was quite a concert, and he was already "the Man in Black" at that time.
Johnny Cash remained true to himself right up until his death. Certainly, he was the real deal.
Paul
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