At San Quentin: 1969 (Remastered / Expanded) [Live, Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

 

 

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I have to say I always *hated* country music with a passion, but I guess I was just listening to the wrong brand of country music--the "new" stuff they play on the radio these days. Well, I just heard Johnny Cash and I can't say that I dislike country anymore.

Johnny Cash is like noone else I've heard in country. He brings a rough and tough edge to many of his songs that is nonexistent in most country where they just sing about their pickup trucks or how their "daddy" taught them some lesson. Half the time they're just crying about some lost love. Maybe Cash does a little bit of this, but not much. He really makes all the other male country artists sound like a bunch of pansys. San Quentin, I Walk the Line, Folsum Prison Blues, Wanted Man, and The Man Comes Around are my favorites.

"If the guards are still talking to me, can I get a glass of water?" asks Johnny Cash after singing the song "San Quentin," which was basically the exact type of song the warden and guards did NOT want him to sing that night.

The Man In Black was a rebel, but his music extended beyond the ubiquitous "F--- the government" movement of the late 60's. He had a lot more to say; this is something I realize after only listening to my first Cash album, "At San Quentin." Sometimes (for me anyway), when I listen to an artist or album that's considered great/classic, it takes about two or three listens to sink in. But this one got to me right away. It could be the novelty of singing in front of hundreds of inmates in one of the toughest prisons in the country. It could be Johnny wasn't there to cater to the whims of the powers that be. It could be Johnny wasn't afraid to bring his wife out to sing with him in front of those sex-starved convicts. It could be many things. Basically, the reason I love this album is because it was just a ballsy performance by Cash on all fronts. He fired on a lot of cylinders and pulled no punches.

Johnny Cash is one of my new favorite artists. I'm not exactly the biggest country fan in the world, but his music goes beyond the genre (like early Dylan went beyond the constraints of folk to make some really angry and powerful music). And Cash is, quite simply, a classic "cool guy." The funny thing is, this was an outstanding live concert that I'm glad I WASN'T there to attend (heheh).

Those who have heard Johnny Cash's clasic album, At Folsom Prison, have, probably, been possessed of the seemingly contradictory feelings of both loving the album and wanting to hear something else in the same vein, and realizing that its novelty and sheer power could never be repeated. Enter Cash's second live prison album, At San Quentin: here, indeed, the novelty of hearing Cash deliver prison ballads to an outrageously active prison audience is not as endearing as it was the first time around. Thankfully, Cash does not try to repeat that concert; consequently, it does not dimish the impact and enjoyment level of this album, even if it as not as atmospherically exciting this time around. This time, instead of using a setlist that consisted almost entirely of songs relating to prisons, Cash gives a more well-rounded and varied show, similar to the sets he was playing at other, more traditional, venues at that time. To be sure, he includes a generous helping of those songs in the set -- San Quentin, which the inmates demand he sing twice; the off-the-cuff Starkville City Jail; and, of course, Folsom Prison Blues -- all of which garner extremely enthusiastic responses from the prison crowd. In additon to this, Cash also delivers versions of some of his then-recent hits: Big River, Daddy Sang Bass, Wanted Man (an oft-forgotten Bob Dylan composition prefaced by Cash's ringing endorsement of Dylan), and Ring of Fire. He also plays some older and more traditional songs, among them Wreck of The Old 97 and the best version of I Still Miss Someone that I have ever heard. He also played a short set of gospel songs, which were well-performed and sincere, and which the crowd seemed to truly appreciate. One thing Cash did not do, as he did at Folsom Prison, was play a short set of more humorous, light-hearted pieces. That is a good thing, as that section of said album was the most anemic, if well-intentioned, part of its running list. Cash does manage to elicit some laughter from the crowd, though, with the aforementioned Starkville City Jail and, of course, Shel Silverstein's unlikely composition, A Boy Named Sue, performed here for the first time, which became a smash hit. The performance of the latter tune sounds very spontaneous -- Cash himself was singing the song for the first time, having to read the lyrics off of a piece of paper, as he had not yet memorized them -- and yet sincere. In the hand of a lesser performer, this song could have easily come off as contrived and too silly and cute. Not so Cash: the song comes off well in the hands of the master. The musical troupe backing Cash also had a lot to do with the difference between this concert and San Quentin. Gone was long-time Cash guitarist Luther Perkins, the purveyor of Cash's signature "boom-chicka-boom" style of music. New guitarist, Oklahoman Bob Wooton, freed Cash from this time-honored constraint, and he sounds positively wild and enthusiastic about his new-found musical freedom. Also backing Cash are not one, not even two, but three other famous acts: The Carter Family, Carl Perkins, and The Statler Brothers. They all add another dimension and level to Cash's show, particularly on the gospel songs that come near the end of the concert, on which they all perform, and the closing medley in which they take turns singing bits of Cash's songs. Cash seems genuinely proud of this band of musicians, as well he should be, giving them lavish introductions and enticing the crowd to cheer for them. Of course, the main attraction of this album is how Cash plays to the audience, both with his song selection and his endearing, frequently funny, and occasionally rambling between-song banter. One is consistently aware that this kind of atmosphere would never exist anywhere but in a prison, and that is what makes the album so attractive and unique to the listener. If you loved Cash's Folsom Prison album, then pick up this inimitable follow-up, a classic in its own right, that remains Cash's best album in the eyes of many fans and critics.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Johnny Cash over 40 years ago.
This is the original recording at San Quentin that was recorded live at the prison in 1969 and has been re- issued with additional sosgs. Read more

Published 17 months ago by J. Guild

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need is Cash...
Johnny Cash is almost suprisingly categorized as "country" - maybe the term "country" meant something very different in the 1960s than it does today, but... Read more

Published on Jan 30 2004 by ewomack

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best live albums ever
What can you say about this one? Read the other reviews for more in depth commentary. I'm just saying you need to own this one.

Published on Dec 15 2003 by Brian

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
This full-lenght reissue of Johnny Cash's 1969 concert at San Quentin is one of the very few country records I own. Read more

Published on Nov 29 2003 by Docendo Discimus

5.0 out of 5 stars An Early Masterpiece by an American Roots Music Master
I'll give this 7 stars for content and performance and 3 for sound quality, which averages out to 5. Read more

Published on Nov 5 2003 by Mad Dog

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnny Cash was a rebel
This was Johnny Cash's second live album. Like his first one, this one was recorded in a prison. This is one of the great live albums of county music. Read more

Published on Oct 26 2003 by Johnny Heering

4.0 out of 5 stars jonnies the man
Jonny cash is the originator of country music. I fyou don't like this cd then you don't like jonny. His songs are from his heart and you can feel what he feels just by listening... Read more

Published on Oct 8 2003 by nicolas Deleo

5.0 out of 5 stars A legendary album is now twice as great with bonus tracks
The 1969 live album "At San Quentin" is unquestionably the definitive recording of Johnny Cash during his "wild" years, although I have to admit a personal... Read more

Published on Sep 16 2003 by Lawrance M. Bernabo

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodbye Man in Black
I bought this on the day we lost a legend. It's a monument to the man and the music. The songs are wonderful and the between song banter gives you insight into the personality... Read more

Published on Sep 12 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnny is the Greatest!
This album is simply amazing! I grew up on Johnny Cash, I must have worn out my parents Orange Blossom special record playing over and over. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2003 by T. Thompson

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