johnny cash - american recordings

A recent chance encounter with Johnny Cash’s amazing version of Trent Reznor’s "Hurt" prompted me to download more of the American Recordings that Cash made in the last few years of his life. I was aware of his earlier stuff (though I didn't have any) – songs like "Ring Of Fire" and "I Walk The Line", but hadn’t heard the material he recorded with Rick Rubin.

Rubin basically resurrected Cash’s career in 1995 with the first American Recordings album, in which Cash’s distinctive voice was given a wonderfully sparse but compelling backing. The second Rubin production married Cash with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and featured much more upbeat material. Then Cash got sick and installments 3 and 4 were recorded in quick succession as Johnny Cash stared death in the face. So strong was the Man In Black that Death actually retreated for a while...

But Johnny's baritone was reduced somewhat, to a much more emotional and at times fragile tone. However, this only adds to the drama of the songs. As with volumes 1 and 2 the songs are still a mixture of Cash originals, some re-recordings of classic Johnny Cash songs from the 50s & 60s and some choice covers. Here is where you find U2’s "One" cut down to it’s bare bones, and it is stunning. An astonishing take on "Personal Jesus" (yes the Depeche Mode song) is just brilliant, and the aforementioned "Hurt" which is devastatingly raw. I'm not so enamoured with Cash’s take on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or some of the standards such as "Danny Boy", though the Beatles’ "In My Life" suits him well.

All four of these albums are well worth hearing, and for me I reckon the second two ones are better, just because they are less obviously ‘country’.

Volume 5 was completed from recordings made just weeks before he died, using Johnny’s vocals and adding the backing musicians afterwards. Here we have my favourite of all these songs. Well, perhaps favourite isn’t the right word because "If You Could Read My Mind" is quite possibly the most affecting, most emotional, and saddest song I’ve ever heard. The first time I heard this I found myself playing it over and over, and I actually cried. Cash’s voice cracks and falters and he genuinely sounds on the verge of tears, but he manages to invest the song which such quiet beauty and utter sadness that it is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. The music is gorgeous too, simple but absolutely perfect. But it’s the vocal that gets me. Amazingly well recorded, on headphones he sounds like he’s sitting next to you.

Volume 6 picks up songs that didn’t make it onto previous albums, and isn’t so essential, suggesting that the right choices had already been made.