I have the recently released Mercury CD box set thanks to my nephew, but I have not had time to listen to it yet. My young nephew is a huge Johnny Cash fan as well and he bought us both a copy of the box set for Christmas.
I got the Mercury set as well, so that's the only reason I have either version. Coincidentally, I just listened to the Early Mixes version yesterday. Can't really say too much about it. It's just what it is.
All of the Mercury set bonus content is on the Cash YouTube channel. I’ve made a playlist of it all including the early mixes of Classic Cash: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaM13yQDhPcdLhj852f3_ihyjBFt6VVyN
Thanks for doing that! It also stems the reason I didn't and have not pursued the set. On the playlist, I listened for about 30 seconds before hitting the next one. If I had bought the set, no doubt I would have played it through, but it would have mostly been a one time listen, then ended up on the shelf collecting dust. The same reason why I didn't fork out on the 'American' vinyl collection. I have the CD's, and all the individual vinyl that I bought as they were released. But the box and presentation looks nice.... I'm at that point where I'm past buying for the sake of buying and space is a problem as well... Think the last time I got excited for a Cash project, was the last 'Bootleg' release.... The early mixes on this Mercury set don't really seem interesting enough to even warrant a release. Maybe I'm not a big enough fan after all.
I’m very much in the same boat. A few years ago, Mystery of Life was hard to find, so used copies were about $30USD. I assumed a Mercury set would come eventually so I held off on those silly prices. I can remember seeing it in the discount bins when I was gathering up prime era Columbia reissues in the early 2000s, too. As luck would have it, I finally found it at Rasputins on a trip to Sam Francisco about three years ago. $5.95!!! Of course I immediately snatched it up... and then found it for $3.95 a few doors down at Amoeba. With that rarity now out of my way, I haven’t been able to justify the spend on the Mercury set. Apart from the early mixes, there are only two songs I don’t have (which I’ll highlight in a week or so). I can live with those on YouTube. I’m just about done a blog entry on the set in which I highlight what could have been... more on that later, but I think the prime value offering of the set is gathering up these albums in a somewhat affordable fashion, although far more per disc than the Columbia set. The early mixes are pretty low value imo.
Well said. I've been thinking.... At the same time, I'm impressed with the above video of the guy who has fond memories of it and his grandmother, which still makes it all so 'worthwhile'. I feel like I'm one of those silly newspaper reviewer's at times that judge by this or that, and in a way we all do anyway as listener's.... This guy can see beyond all the stuff we analyze, and that is something we all should remember when it comes to music. To see him so excited about it, it's the nostalgia and the memories and this particular record that has made a difference to his life. I think that's something important. It was good timing to post that video and show another perspective and give it some depth of the power of the music.
The best thing I can say about Classic Cash is it's inoffensive. I don't love it but I can tolerate it. It's an obvious CASH in.
A rarity from Coming to Town... Johnny’s sister Joanne Cash Yates began working at House of Cash studios in 1971, then began itinerant ministry with her husband. She self-released the Amazing Grace gospel album in 1987 and got her big brother to sing on the title track. She followed that up with a live album in 1988 that has a few more duets with Johnny which I’ve never heard. I believe around this time she and her husband started Nashville’s Cowboy Church which they still run today: Nashville Cowboy Church Photo Gallery These albums are naturally hard to find. Used cassettes run around $50 when you find them on eBay. Here’s her version of Amazing Grace:
This is also about the time when Johnny recorded three still unreleased songs for the film Illegally Yours.
And I missed this one in 1985! Probably my first exposure to Johnny Cash when one of Canada’s largest banks was introducing ATM’s, they named them after Johnny. I remember a life size cut out of him at my neighborhood bank:
I did my banking at Canada Trust as well and the life size cutout was also at my Branch in Oakville, Ontario. I wish I had asked the bank manager if I could have it once they were done with it!!
Here's really looking forward to what you guys have to say about the next 4 or 5 albums because these albums are how I got into the Man's music back in my teens.
The Lure Of The Grand Canyon album was notable in that it was one of the first instances (in the text relating to Mr. Cash) of a relatively new font called Helvetica being used. (Trade Gothic Bold Condensed was used for Mr. Kostelanetz, and Bookman Italic for the middle text about the story of the Grand Canyon Suite.)
Isn't that the album that would be the namesake for a popular jazz/rock band that would have their best successes at Columbia?
It was a measure of just how bad a shape Cash was physically from the drugs in 1966 that both his studio albums from this year (this, and Everybody Loves A Nut) had drawings of him rather than new photos. Alas, the next year . . .
Not only hear what a mess he was, but on the original cover see what a mess. So much so, three years later they updated the cover with them performing in concert - and Johnny more filled out (apologies if this had been put up before):
"Daddy Sang Bass," however, had Jan Howard singing the "Mama sang tenor" line, so she was also thrown in there.
And by the time of this later clip, Johnny was a reported 250 lbs. - less than twice his weight when he appeared on Rainbow Quest.
Carl apparently was the lead guitarist on "A Boy Named Sue." If so, it figures; you can hear that "Blue Suede Shoes" lick all over the place.
That typesetting signified a pressing by the MCA/Decca plant in Pinckneyville, IL - owned by the label that recorded many country mainstays from Ernest Tubb to Webb Pierce to Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty . . .
The Gospel Road earned a nomination for "Worst Portrayal of Jesus Christ" in the Medved brothers' The Golden Turkey Awards. That's all I'll put in about that.
From what I recall, Don Davis' connections weren't with Motown but with Stax (most famously with Johnnie Taylor). He did work in Detroit, though.
The irony is that for a couple years, Lowe looked almost like June's first husband - country singer Carl Smith.
