At San Quentin/at Folsom Prison

Import only two-disc set features the complete recordings At San Quentin and at Folsom Prison. Johnny Cash had been breaking new ground for a decade when At Folsom Prison suddenly made the world at large take notice. The interaction of a volatile prison population starved for entertainment and a desperately on-form Johnny Cash was electrifying. His somber machismo finally found a home. The songs, which included every prison song Cash knew ('I Got Stripes', 'The Wall', '25 Minutes to Go', 'Cocaine Blues', plus his own 'Folsom Prison Blues') were tailored to galvanize the crowd. As with Folsom, the San Quentin LP had to be edited due to space limitations. Now, 31 years after the fact, the show can at last be heard in true perspective. All the original performances hold up, including the album's hit single: Shel Silverstein's 'A Boy Named Sue'. 37-tracks in all. BMG. 2006.

Johnny Cash had been breaking new ground for a decade when At Folsom Prison suddenly made the world at large take notice. The interaction of a volatile prison population starved for entertainment and a desperately on-form Johnny Cash was electrifying. His somber machismo finally found a home. The songs, which included every prison song Cash knew ("I Got Stripes," "The Wall," "25 Minutes to Go," "Cocaine Blues," plus his own "Folsom Prison Blues") were tailored to galvanize the crowd. This set is all about atmosphere. Live at the Grand Ole Opry this ain't. The current version has been coupled with its de facto sequel, recorded three years later at San Quentin and nearly Folsom's match. --Colin Escott