Advantages: He is Johnny Cash
Disadvantages: I am not Johnny Cash

...The fact that Johnny Cash does not yet have his own category on Ciao is shameful and they should hang their heads in shame until they rectify this. One of my ambitions as a Kid was to walk on a stage and say “Hello I’m Johnny Cash”; I fulfilled this ambition but, as a I launched into a unique Karaoke Version of A Boy Named Sue. The bloke doing the Karaoke told me later that he had never quite witnessed anything like my quite performance. It was at this point I realised that I would never be Johnny Cash. Bono out of U2 once said that “Every man knows that they are a sissy compared to Johnny Cash” this is true, but it is also true that Bono is a pretentious twonk, who makes uninspiring music. Johnny Cash on the other hand made totally inspiring music, I always imagined that god sounds a bit like Johnny Cash, but god speaks in Hebrew... Read review

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Advantages: It's Johnny Cash Man
Disadvantages: None, It's Johnny Cash Man

...In 1994 Johnny Cash made a triumphant comeback and stuck two fingers firmly up at Nashville. His recording contract with Columbia had ended and the folks in Nashville thought that vaudeville acts like the loathsome Garth brooks and downright awful Billy Ray Cyrus were considered to be the future of country music. Johnny was considered a has-been. Thank the lord that he met up with Rick Rubin, who would go on to produce his last four albums. The partnership with Rubin and his label American recordings was two fingers firmly stuck up at Nashville, and had a significant effect on the future of country music. The idea Rick had was to record just Johnny and his guitar, with no session musicians. This is just what you get Johnny's soothing baritone, his guitar, and the songs. Absolutely beautiful music well done with no frills... Read review

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Advantages: Great travelogue in music of the Old West
Disadvantages: None

...This is a fascinating album presenting Johnny Cash as a singer and a narrator. Each track is preceded by the haunting sound in the background of a steam locomotive and its whistle while Johnny tells a story of the song he is about to sing. Track 1 - Loading Coal (4mins.59secs.) The travelogue begins with a recital of place-names of America and continues with the thundering names of the indian tribes who lived here first. Then Johnny boards the train, stopping first at a small town in the mining country of Kentucky. He presents a brief character sketch of a boy whose father is a miner. "Loading Coal" tells the story of a miner who never expects to get rich but still follows the tradition of his family. Track 2 - Slow Rider(4.10) The train then moves westward onto the prairies where we meet the outlaw John Wesley Hardin, whose... Read review

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Advantages: 104 songs means great value for money, plus, a book!
Disadvantages: Not a chance of getting this on your CD shelf, it is a tall book too!

...I couldn't believe my eyes when I realised that a review hadn't been written on this great box set. Mainly because it is Johnny Cash, and hence, a legend (as the title of the product suggests)! I shall start straight away with mentioning that you won't get a huge description about every song on the album, as you would with my normal reviews. "Why, Alastair, WHYYYYY?!!!" I hear you cry... well, frankly, because there are 104 songs on the album, and if I did, I'd be here for a year....and so would you! :o) This product is, in my opinion, the definitive box set from Mr. Johnny "The Man In Black" Cash. The box set celebrates the 50th anniversary of Johnny Cash's recordings between 1955-2005. It consists of 104 recordings from 1955 through to 2002, the year before he sadly died. The set also includes 7 tracks that were previously unreleased... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Look it is JOHNNY CASH MAN
Disadvantages: none with John at all

...Solitary man was the third in the series of American recordings Johnny did with Rick Rubin at the helm producing and overseeing matters. This partnership produced 4 albums worth of material which were arguably the best in his career. The final album is almost un-listenable not because of the quality of the material but because of the general subject matter, and that you can hear that Johnny knows that his end is coming. This album however is another matter altogether whilst a somber tone takes over most of the album it is more of a celebration of his life rather than a album looking towards life's final journey. The musicians collaborating on the album is awesome with members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers , Sheryl Crow, the legend that is Merle Haggard, and his wife June Carter Cash all contributing to proceedings. Like all albums... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful