Newly found Johnny Cash recordings to be released March 25th as "Out Among The Stars"

A preview track, teh title track, was released today: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/johnny-cashs-lost-love-song-20140113

At first glance it is interesting that they chose to replace the Sherrill music with something that still isn't Cash's boom-chicka-boom sound, which was the general complaint about his music during that timeframe anyway.

Still looking forward to hearing the whole album, though.

 

There's not much boom-chicka-boom on the American albums either. Based on the preview track, that does seem to be the sound/feel they are going for. And the album cover is black and white a la the American records, too. Doubt they would have used a b&w shot if it had been released in the early 80s.

 

Oh, it's definitely going to be marketed to the fans of the American recordings, no question.

But Cash had a few black and white covers throughout his Columbia days, including the cover for his 1980 gospel album. OK, well it was actually Black and gold faux leather, but I think that counts

 

What about the 1988 unreleased duet " Man We Was Lonely " with McCartney ?

 

That sounds about right.

Johnny Cash's sales may have shriveled-up in the late-70's and 80's and he was bouncing from producer to producer, but I've grown to like his albums from this period. I don't necessarily want an update of his classic sound... he did that often enough.

I'm looking forward to buying this release.

 

A couple of b+w LP sleeves on Columbia. Gone Girl was photographed by the estimable Norman Seeff.

 

He was on Mercury/Polygram at that time, so I'm not sure when they'll get around to any unreleased stuff from those, though there are a few. I'm not familiar with tht one though.

Guy E - That Gone Girl cover is one of my favorites.

 

Just saw this post -- of course I had the name of the series wrong and should have known since I own three of the sets! And I see why the new release doesn't belong in the series.

 

Oh yeah, I know he had some B&W album covers on Columbia. But it was only like 3 or 4 records out of the 60-some albums total he released on the label. Given that, I do think it's pretty unlikely they would have put this material out with a B&W cover if they'd released it in 1984. By contrast, every single one of his albums on American sports a B&W image, so I think it's fair to say they are trying to evoke the American albums with the use of B&W here. And there's nothing wrong with that. They are doing what they think will attract the most attention for this release, and that's fine. I have to say that I'm more excited to hear this stuff in remixed/re-recorded form than I would be if they'd just left it as it was.

 

We're own the same page there.

I've talked to the gentleman who wrote the liner notes for this set and he said no one would have wanted to hear the original set.

 

It will be out on vinyl
http://www.amazon.com/Out-Among-Stars-Johnny-Cash/dp/B00H5D52WQ/ref=tmm_vnl_title_0

 

Really, I have copies of the original mixes and they are pretty great as was. He is wrong.

 

It actually was going to be a personal File series, then I guessed they scrapped it. Then Personal File was re-released as part of The Bootleg Series.

 

I did not know about that, but I can see how it makes sense.

 

The only reason I knew is I had personal file then a couple years later someone gave me Bootleg Vol 1 for Christmas with a slightly different cover. I opened it before I realized I had it already!

 

Now that's something I'd like to hear!

 

The original tapes do have a "Billy Sherrill" feel to them, though when we interviewed Marty Stuart for the project, he doesn't recall Billy being at many of the sessions. Anyway, it is not a secret that Johnny was not a fan of Billy or his work. No one is really sure why this never came out, maybe because Columbia had other fish to fry or maybe because Johnny was not happy with the production.
The songs and performances are excellent, I think everyone will be pleased. The Johnny/June duet of Baby Ride Easy is a gas.

 

It seems that a lot of Cash fans forget (or maybe never realized) that the Sherrill-produced The Baron was Cash's highest charting solo album of the 1980s.

Was the story Sherrill tells about leaving the studio and passing Cash in the hall and then Cash busting the door of the studio down to listen to the mixes around this time?

 

No question, the American Recordings CASH albums were packaged and marketed with great skill.

 

Not sure when that was.

 

First song released. Cash's version of David Alan Coe's "She Used To Love Me a lot". Cash recorded this version first, but unreleased. Marty Stuart on mandolin.

http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/review-johnny-cashs-she-used-to-love-me-a-lot

 

Indeed, and the title song was his last top ten country single. Sherrill definitely knew what was commercial and appealed to country radio at the time. And he did make some really great records with other artists. But he wasn't a good match for Cash artistically, and in my opinion the album is not very good. Though I have to admit I do like "Chicken in Black."

 

I don't mind this era of Cash, though I understand some of the concerns about the material.

 

Another little article about the release says that there are more of these releases planned (no real surprise there!)

 

Duet of Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" with Waylon released. Great cover:

http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/johnny-cash-waylon-jennings-duet-on-im-movin-on