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| Gazza |
Back in Black
A new Johnny Cash box set reveals a rock star in a cowboy hat and with a working man’s soul.
By TOM GEDDIE
Serving almost as a bridge between the old, rural society and the new, urban, faceless economy in which we all now live, Johnny Cash was as populist as they come. Since his 2003 death at the age of 71 is far enough in the rear-view mirror, we can begin to define — with clear eyes — what he meant to people who feel just a little left of center, even as the “center” continues being pushed further toward the money-hungry right.
Well, the jury’s in: Despite the considerable financial wealth he earned, he always sided with the common man over people in power.
The evidence is as plain as day in the four-c.d. box set, Cash: The Legend, slated to be released in August by Columbia/Legacy. While Discs 1 and 2 contain a handful of Cash’s 130 country charts and 48 pop hits, Discs 3 and 4 are where his soul can be found. Disc 3 is a collection of traditional songs that are slowly disappearing from the American landscape, and Disc 4, the set’s most intriguing work, is a bounty of duets with family members and friends.
The son of sharecroppers, Cash became a performer in the 1950s and climbed to the top like a slow-moving but steady train. During his patient ascension, society began to change dramatically — partially as a result of the mega-industrialization spurred by World War II, a period of time when heads of companies started becoming more friendly with their accountants than with their employees.
In response, Cash recorded two gems. Both appear on The Legend — Merle Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon,” about the hazards of coal mining, and Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting for a Train,” about the plight of the poor man. “I can remember very well how it is to pick cotton 10 hours a day, or to plow, or how to cut wood,” Cash said. “I remember it so well because I don’t intend to ever try to do it again.”
Beginning in the late 1980s, when commercial radio began trying to ignore Cash, he embraced the youth movement. His most memorable impression, however, probably isn’t a song but a full-page ad that appeared in the March 14, 1998, issue of Billboard. The image is of Cash extending the middle finger of his left hand above the words: “American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support.”
Rick Rubin, Cash’s producer, paid the $20,000 for the ad to protest the fact that great albums had been released in the 1990s by country legends like George Jones and Merle Haggard and none of their music had reached mainstream commercial country radio. While it hasn’t improved much since then, the recently created alt-country format is viable, thanks in no small measure to the persona of Johnny Cash.
Like many bohemian geniuses, Cash explored both sides of the burning candle. He turned his real-life battles with addiction and depression into song. Said U2’s Bono: “Not since John The Baptist has there been a voice like that crying in the wilderness.”
Cash’s voice is at its best on Disc 4. In haunting duets with Anita Carter, Cash sings “Peace in the Valley,” “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord),” and the mostly a cappella “Another Man Done Gone,” about a lynching.
One unusual omission from the box set is any sort of reference to Cash’s latter-day forays into contemporary heavy metal. His dark, spare, Cash-ified versions of rockers such as Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” and Soundgarden’s “Rusty Chain” not only constitute a block of some of his finest work but also speak directly to his common-man ethos, a sensibility he wore like his trademark black.
“When I first heard [‘Hurt’],” Cash said. “I thought, ‘That’s something I might have written in the ’60s — you know, if I had been that good a writer.”
In 1969, one of every 20 albums sold in the United States was by Cash. But if the hits represented the entirety of his legacy, he’d be remembered as just another incredibly popular country singer. He was more than that. He was a restlessly creative spirit whose unwillingness to compromise his often-conflicted vision transformed him into what he really was at heart — a freedom fighter.
Fort Worth Weekly
www.fwweekly.com
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| winter |
Awesome - thanks for posting - Love this guy.
On an unrelated topic, Nellcote, sorry I missed your B-day - hope it was a good one.
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| Jumacfly |
folsom prison blues is an amazing record!! I love it! |
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| Larry Dallas |
Thanks for the heads up. I'll be first in line for this one. Maybe the writer of the article, though, will listen to Cash's "Rusty CAGE" song and not "Rusty CHAIN." |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
What can one say about Johnny Cash that hasn't been already said? I think I'll get this record and try to pass it down to my grandchildren....and hopefully further.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
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| Child of the Moon |
Thanks for posting! Looks like a great set! |
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