Just found this today on the Cash YouTube channel. A full set from Vegas in 1979. I’ll share One Piece at a Time because, despite being a big hit, doesn’t seem to have lasted in Cash’s sets through the 80s. Also note Marshall’s cool aluminum necked bass!
The Adventures of Johnny Cash Studio album by Johnny Cash Released September 6, 1982 Recorded January 1981 – February 1982 Studio Jack Clement's home studio, Nashville, Tennessee Genre Country Length 30:07 Label Columbia Producer Jack Clement The Adventures of Johnny Cash is the 68th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1982 (see 1982 in music). "Georgia on a Fast Train" and "We Must Believe in Magic" were both released as singles with minor chart success: "Georgia on a Fast Train" got as high as #55 C&W while the latter peaked at a lowly #84 C&W. Track listing No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Georgia on a Fast Train" Billy Joe Shaver 2:34 2. "John's" Joseph Allen 3:33 3. "Fair Weather Friends" Joseph Allen, Johnny Cash 2:51 4. "Paradise" John Prine 3:10 5. "We Must Believe in Magic" Bob McDill, Allen Reynolds 2:28 6. "Only Love" Roger Cook, Sandy Mason, John Prine 3:18 7. "Good Old American Guest" Merle Haggard 3:20 8. "I'll Cross Over Jordan" Peck Chandler 2:47 9. "Sing a Song" Tommy Cisco 2:51 10. "Ain't Gonna Hobo No More" Don Devaney 3:15 The Adventures of Johnny Cash - Wikipedia ~~~~~ Wasn't till the chorus until I remembered I'd heard this Billy Joe Shaver opening track before, I think performed by its songwriter. A fun opening with Cash paying tribute to Jimmie Rodgers. More Cash and the Cowboy here, of course, with great mandolin pickin' from Marty Stuart. Also, a guest appearance on banjo and fiddle from "Gentle On My Mind" songwriter John Hartford. Johnny's second and third takes on a John Prine composition are also here; the first being on 1980's Rockabilly Blues. Last item of note; the folsomprisonblues.com discography site indicates another single was released from this album; not mentioned on the Wikipedia page for the album but confirmed via discogs: This single did not chart. Overall, I like this album. Solid performances, the band is tight. I can see why the sessions with Cowboy Jack Clement are highly regarded. Next: Johnny in 83.
RIDE THIS TRAIN: The Johnny Cash Album-by-Album thread INDEX The 1950s: Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! - October 14, 1957 The Fabulous Johnny Cash - November 3, 1958 Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous - December 1, 1958 SUN COMPILATION Hymns by Johnny Cash - March 2, 1959 Songs of Our Soil - July 6, 1959 Greatest! - October 19, 1959 SUN COMPILATION 1960 - 1964: Now, There Was a Song! - May 2, 1960 Ride This Train - August 1, 1960 Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams - September 5, 1960 SUN COMPILATION Hymns from the Heart - April 2, 1962 The Sound of Johnny Cash - June 4, 1962 Now Here's Johnny Cash - June 26, 1961 SUN COMPILATION All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash - December 3, 1962 SUN COMPILATION Blood, Sweat and Tears - January 7, 1963 Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash - July 8, 1963 COMPILATION "Tall Men" SINGLE / "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" SINGLE The Christmas Spirit - November 11, 1963 Keep on the Sunny Side - April 6, 1964 I Walk the Line - June 22, 1964 Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian - October 26, 1964 The Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash - November 23, 1964 SUN COMPILATION 1965-1969: Orange Blossom Special - February 22, 1965 Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West - August 2, 1965 / Mean as Hell - March 1966 Everybody Loves a Nut - May 2, 1966 Happiness Is You - October 10, 1966 Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits Volume 1 - 1967 Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter - August 7, 1967 From Sea to Shining Sea - January 15, 1968 At Folsom Prison - May 6, 1968 LIVE Old Golden Throat - June 1968 COMPILATION The Heart of Johnny Cash - 1968 COMPILATION The Holy Land - January 6, 1969 At San Quentin - June 16, 1969 LIVE More of Old Golden Throat - July 1969 COMPILATION 1970-1974: Hello, I'm Johnny Cash - January 26, 1970 / "What Is Truth" SINGLE The Johnny Cash Show - October 19, 1970 LIVE I Walk the Line - November 23, 1970 / Little Fauss and Big Halsy - November 23, 1970 SOUNDTRACKS Man in Black - May 31, 1971 A Thing Called Love - April 3, 1972 America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song - August 7, 1972 International Superstar - November 1972 COMPILATION The Johnny Cash Family Christmas - December 4, 1972 Any Old Wind That Blows - January 15, 1973 På Österåker - January 1973 LIVE The Gospel Road - April 2, 1973 SOUNDTRACK Johnny Cash and His Woman - September 3, 1973 "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup" SINGLE / "Pick the Wildwood Flower" SINGLE Ragged Old Flag - May 6, 1974 The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me - September 23, 1974 1975-1979: The Johnny Cash Children's Album - January, 1975 Johnny Cash Sings Precious Memories - January, 1975 John R. Cash - April 28, 1975 Look at Them Beans - September 29, 1975 Destination Victoria Station - 1975 COMPILATION Strawberry Cake - March 1976 LIVE One Piece at a Time - May 17, 1976 The Last Gunfighter Ballad - January 1977 The Rambler - June 27, 1977 I Would Like to See You Again - April 10, 1978 Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 - October 1978 COMPILATION Gone Girl - November 13, 1978 Silver - August 13, 1979 A Believer Sings the Truth - October 1979 Sings with the BC Goodpasture Christian School - 1979 1980-1984: Rockabilly Blues - September 22, 1980 Classic Christmas - November 3, 1980 The Baron - June 1, 1981 Encore - 1981 COMPILATION The Survivors - April 1982 LIVE The Adventures of Johnny Cash - September 6, 1982 ~~~~~ Sites used to compile this thread: Johnny Cash albums discography - Wikipedia Johnny Cash singles discography - Wikipedia Music | Johnny Cash Official Site Johnny Cash | Discography | Discogs Other reference sites: Johnny Cash – Raise My Glass to the B-Side - @jalexander's wonderful review site! Be sure to read between my posts in this thread for J's additional posts calling out contemporary singles and performances alongside the albums we're discussing. Home - Folsom Prison Blues - The Johnny Cash Discography, including a session-based discography listing recordings and performers by date.
I think Adventures is a very comfortable Cash album, which is logical given it was produced by Cowboy. The downside is that in a catalogue as big as Cash’s, and in a market that had moved on past Cash, it was never going to stand out either with established fans or the radio hit makers. A few notes: The highlight is Prine’s Paradise - although it’s not as good as the version in the Jesse Hallam movie recorded a few months earlier There are two hobo songs Marty gets a few shining moments. Notably his mandolin on I’ll Cross Over Jordan Someday, and the amazing guitar solo on Ain’t Gonna Hobo No More Love the Canadian references on Hobo Another album with no June duets I’m a fan of Only Love - a really delicate vocal on that one We Must Believe In Magic - what is this song? I’m assuming some generic age of Aquarius type message? The original version of this song is great, but Cash can’t deliver the goods here and the background vocals are my least favourite of any Cash song (magic!) My longer review: Album Review: Johnny Cash – The Adventures of Johnny Cash
I posted the Pride of Jesse Hallam upthread - that film was the genesis of these sessions. He also appeared on the Muppet Show in this era:
Here’s Ain’t Gonna Hobo No More with the great guitar solo at 1:27. Sounds like classic Marty b-bender riffs to me. Then followed by an Earl piano solo. As I mentioned before, this era can get pretty lacking in the personality department... you’d hardly know that Bob Wooten is on there. And where someone shines, it’s usually Marty and Earl. However, as this song, exemplifies, it’s all so politely mixed that you’re prone to miss these little gems. I’d love if someone like Dave Cobb could get his hands on the master tapes and remix... or even re-record some of the better tunes to give them some proper life.
@Rick Bartlett shared the first two songs recorded for Marty’s Busy Bee Cafe album. Johnny would help out with one more around the Adventures era, the excellent gospel number Get In Line Brother:
@BeatleJWOL - what album are we covering next? The next released album is Johnny 99, but a heads up that the next recorded album was Johnny Cash - Gospel Singer, resequenced and released in 1986 as Believe in Him.
Good morning world. Technically. Travelling tomorrow so making Wednesday's post early. (Except for anyone down under following along: Good afternoon!) Johnny 99 Studio album by Johnny Cash Released August 29, 1983 Recorded April 1983 Genre Country country rock Length 35:05 Label Columbia Producer Brian Ahern Johnny 99 is the 69th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1983. It is notable for including two covers of Bruce Springsteen songs, "Highway Patrolman" and "Johnny 99". "I'm Ragged But I'm Right," a George Jones song, was a minor hit, reaching No. 75. Johnny 99 is generally regarded as a strong release at a point in Cash's career which is considered to be the least successful; it was also the second-to-last solo album released by Cash on Columbia, prior to his move to Mercury Records. Hoyt Axton sings background on "Highway Patrolman" and "Joshua Gone Barbados". "New Cut Road" had been a relatively successful single for Bobby Bare in 1981; Paul Kennerley's "Brand New Dance" would go on to be covered, among others, by Emmylou Harris on her 1990 album of the same name. Several of the songs on Johnny 99 contain political or social themes and commentary: the title track tells the story of a disgruntled former automobile plant employee who turns to crime after encountering serious financial difficulties; "God Bless Robert E. Lee" praises the Confederacy's most famous general for managing to prevent unnecessary loss of human life in the war-torn South by surrendering to the Union at Appomattox Court House; "Joshua Gone Barbados" deals with a sugarcane-cutters' strike on Saint Vincent turned violent; "Highway Patrolman", in turn, discusses a troubled relationship between the title character and his alcoholic, violent brother. Track listing No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Highway Patrolman" Bruce Springsteen 5:17 2. "That's the Truth" Paul Kennerley 2:41 3. "God Bless Robert E. Lee" Bobby Borchers, Mack Vickery 3:40 4. "New Cut Road" Guy Clark 3:30 5. "Johnny 99" Bruce Springsteen 3:33 6. "Ballad of the Ark" Steven Rhymer 2:52 7. "Joshua Gone Barbados" Eric Von Schmidt 5:04 8. "Girl from the Canyon" Carolina Casperson, Jonathan Edwards 2:35 9. "Brand New Dance" (with June Carter Cash) Paul Kennerley 3:21 10. "I'm Ragged But I'm Right" George Jones 2:32 Johnny 99 - Wikipedia ~~~~~ Great band on this record! James Burton on guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass, Glen Hardin on keys, Hal Blaine on drums (I guess Ronnie Tutt was booked elsewhere that month). Definitely has a cleaner sound than the last album, with those phased guitars that would become common to 1980s country; Alabama comes to mind. Still, this album has some groove to it. Something about Cash singing Springteen, as heard on the opening and closing tracks of side 1, just seems right, too. One working man singing the songs of another. It just fits. Closes out nice with a George Jones cover. Next: Prague.
Kind of a strange album this one, even with the straight faced Johnny album cover. I'm not sure what kind of vibe he's going for and if it fits the album. It's not bad, but it's just a bit 'what's going on here?' to me. I've probably played it only a handful of times to be honest, and apart from the marvelous opener 'Highway Patrolman', none of the other tracks stand out as memorable. Obviously I need to give it a fresh spin... I wonder how well it sold? I've never seen it on vinyl ever in 25-30 years of flicking through record bins.
An album with James Burton and Marty Stuart and there’s no telecaster showdown? What a missed opportunity! A few songs have that chicken pickin’ sound, but not many and it’s all very polite. Me neither. I did see the CD in the new bins in the early 2000s, but didn’t get this one until the complete set came along. I don’t know about this album: Brian Ahern returns but it lacks the certain something that was there on Silver. Highway Patrolman is definitely the highlight Johnny had just recorded a gospel album with Marty Stuart that got shelved and there are no Cash originals here, so I’m guessing he wasn’t very engaged. He was also on the verge of going to rehab so wasn’t in good shape. Two Paul Kennerley songs here - I quite like the June duet Brand New Dance Otherwise there a lot of generic stuff here my full review: Album Review: Johnny Cash – Johnny 99
I missed out on Johnny 99 at the time of its release, only learning of it three years later, when the 1958–1986 compilation was released. When I finally heard it, I was annoyed at myself for having ignored Cash for so long. In addition to the stunning "Highway Patrolman", I considered "God Bless Robert E. Lee" and his cover version of the old Riley Puckett tune "Ragged but Right" (best known from George Jones' cover version) top-tier. All three are in my 9-CD "Best of" collection.
Robert E Lee is a good one. It’s also an example of who Cash is... a republican evangelical from the rural south who is a charitable, empathetic human being, something most of us could probably learn from in these divisive times.
I've never been a big concert-goer like my buddy @RSteven, but I did manage to see Johnny Cash one time, and we've come to that point in the chronology: August 1983, at the Clark County Fair in Washington, when Cash was out promoting Johnny 99. Unfortunately this wasn't really the best time to see Cash, either for me or him. I was sixteen, and although I still had fond memories of listening to my mom's Johnny Cash records as a child, at this point my main listening time was given over to The Kinks, The Byrds, and The Who... I was still a good ten years away from rediscovering and reconnecting with the country music of my childhood. And Johnny, as we've discussed, was at an extended low point in his career. Case in point being the fact that the fair grandstand (which held probably a few hundred people tops) was only half full at the show. At the time, the fair put on two types of shows... those that were free to get into with the purchase of fair admission, and those that required an additional fee on top of the fair admission cost. Cash was in the latter category, and he clearly didn't have the drawing power expected at that point. Though I hadn't been following Cash for years, I actually was aware he had a new album out, since I'd seen a positive review of it syndicated in my local newspaper. At the time, the Springsteen connection garnered a little extra attention, and the record was promoted as something of a comeback for him. My memories of the show are vague. Though I didn't really have perspective to compare, my sense is that he put on a competent but uninspired show, which would make sense given the circumstances. I recall he did Highway Patrolman (which I hated... more on that later) and I'm Ragged But I'm Right (which he introduced as his latest single). I'm pretty sure he did I Walk The Line, City of New Orleans, and A Boy Named Sue. I know he didn't do The One On The Right Is On The Left, because it was an old favorite and I remember harboring vain hopes he'd pull it out. Strangely, my most vivid memory of the show is that he dragged 13-year-old John Carter out there and had him sing a cover of George Strait's "Swingin'" which made it abundantly, painfully clear he was not going to be following in the footsteps of his half-sisters Roseanne and Carlene. So there's my Johnny Cash show story. I've never been a Springsteen fan. His work strikes me as okay, but what I've heard from him has never inspired me to want to make the effort to hear more. When I first heard Highway Patrolman at this show the lyrics really rubbed me the wrong way, and still do. To my way of thinking it would have been a more compelling story if the patrolman had made the difficult choice and arrested his brother. I think a law enforcement official who turns his back on his responsibility "ain't no good" and I think Springsteen's (apparent) sympathy with that position is misplaced. I'm probably overthinking it (I've been known to do that). But I still dislike that song.
Oh, and unless I missed it, we skipped over this song: A self-produced track co-written by Cash which appeared on the 1982 Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack album. This is notable for being Cash's final solo appearance in the country top 40, making it to #26 (no doubt on the strength of the TV show's fans moreso than the song itself).
What a great and interesting post. I love to hear from people who actually have seen these legends perform, especially from a fan as objective and astute as yourself. There is a very special and very select amount of artists that I never got around to seeing that I really regret to this day. Elvis Presley being at the top of the list, though we came so darn close in 1975, when we saw Charlie Rich's closing night performance at the Las Vegas Hilton, which was suppose to be followed by Elvis on opening night the very next evening. I have told that sad story before on another Elvis thread, so I won't go into that heartbreaker again, Lol. My list of artists that I really wish I would have seen perform in concert before they died; Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, Bobby Darin, and John Gary. Of course there are some that died when I was very young that I would come to appreciate later that I would have loved to have seen in person, like Nat King Cole and Patsy Cline. I was really thrilled when I finally got around to seeing George Jones and Merle Haggard in concert before they passed away. George put on a particularly fantastic show late into his career when I saw him at a casino concert around 2004 or 2005, IIRC. He was well known as "No Show Jones" for many years, but he had cleaned up his act pretty well and put on a very good show on the night we saw him. It just sent chills down my spine to hear him sing He Stopped Loving Her Today and The Grand Tour in person.
Good catch - I missed this one on my blog, but do have it on my monster playlist. It was first recorded with Jack Clement in Sept 82, alongside Adventures material, and then Cash produced the final session in October. Kind of a sad way to end his time on the charts, but I loved that show when I was a kid. John will go on to record a song with one of the Duke brothers.
Thanks for the great story! I’ve always wondered if he played some of this material live. Even though I do like Highway Patrolman, I can’t imagine it as great material for a fair show. That’s the venue for a greatest hits set. Sadly, this was Cash’s prime touring circuit by then, and it’s interesting to hear that he wasn’t even selling in that context. My only comparison is seeing Kim Mitchell at a local. Canadian fair in the early 90s. He’s a Canadian icon but was badly out of step with grunge. I saw him in a football stadium with not more than a couple hundred people watching. So sad to see that happen to artists. As for Highway Patrolman, I’ve never made it through a Springsteen album myself, but what I like about the song is the moral ambiguity. I agree with @czeskleba that the right thing to do is turn the brother in, but it’s hard to do the right thing with that man you’ve known since you were boys. That chorus about dancing with Maria while the band played the Night of the Johnstown Flood, is a beautifully evocative and nostalgic image. It’s those family memories that can cause us to ignore logic and conscience which is exactly what happens.
