The Legend [box]

Personnel include: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); Waylon Jennings, Elvis Costello, Billy Joe Shaver, Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar); Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Ray Charles (vocals); Bob Johnson (guitar, mandocello); Dave Edmunds, Doc Watson, Jack Clement, Jerry Hensley, Jerry Reed, Marty Stewart, Merle Watson, Randy Scruggs, Ray Edenton, Billy Lee Riley, Billy Sanford, Luther Perkins, Bob Wootton, Carl Perkins (guitar); Don Helms, Pete Drake (steel guitar); Norman Blake (dobro);Maybelle Carter (autoharp); Rufus Long (flute); Charlie McCoy (harmonica); Jo-ElSonnier (accordion); Floyd Cramer, Ben Tench, Bill Pursell (piano); Hargus "Pig"Robbins, Larry Butler (keyboards); BrianEno (synthesizer); Nick Lowe (bass guitar); Kenny Malone, Buddy Harman (drums); Flood (loops). Recording information:Nashville, Tennessee; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Hollywood, California; Dublin, Ireland; Memphis, Tennessee (1955 - 2004). Few artists in any genre can rivalthe recorded legacy of Johnny Cash, so it's impressive that Columbia took on thedaunting task of compiling a box set that spans his career from 1955 to 2002. While this collection doesn't feature tracks from any of Cash's acclaimed albums for the American label, it does present afew songs recorded during that '90s/early-'00s era, offering listeners selections that touch upon each decade of the country superstar's studio output. With its thematically arranged CDs, THE LEGEND revisits a number of Cash's finest Sunsingles, showcasing his unmistakable deep voice and signature "boom-chicka-boom"sound on classics such as "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues. " The bulk of the songs here, however, come from Cash's extensive Columbia '58-'86 run, most notably the passionate "Ring of Fire" (co-penned by his future wife, June Carter) and "A Boy Named Sue, " his tongue-in-cheek narrative hit. The fourth disc focuses on Cash's many collaborations, presenting the Man in Black paired with everyone from the Carter Family to Bob Dylan to U2. While longtime Cash fans may own many of these recordings, this set is ideal for aficionados of his latter-day American albums who want an excellent overview of his truly legendary history. Reviews: Rolling Stone (No. 985, p. 82) - 4. 5 out of 5 stars - ". . . even without his astonishing final chapter, this is a feast of Cash. "Spin (p. 107) - "[T]his four-disc box has all the great old stuff, plusa sprinkling from his Rick Rubin-produced renaissance. "Uncut (p. 132) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Prolific, restless, ambitious and contradictory, Cash became a genre unto himself, swerving from rockabilly to gospel, drug-addled outlawry to staunch moralism, homespun folk to grand Nashville productions. "

Track Listing

• Disc 1
• • 1 i walk the line
  • 2 there you go
  • 3 home of the blues
  • 4 ballad of a teenage queen
  • 5 guess things happen that way
  • 6 ways of a woman in love, the
  • 7 don't take your guns to town
  • 8 ring of fire
  • 9 matador, the
  • 10 understand your man
  • 11 ballad of ira hayes, the
  • 12 orange blossom special
  • 13 one on the right is on the left, the
  • 14 rosanna's going wild
  • 15 folsom prison blues
  • 16 daddy sang bass
  • 17 boy named sue, a
  • 18 what is truth
  • 19 sunday morning coming down
  • 20 flesh and blood
  • 21 man in black
  • 22 thing called love, a
  • 23 kate
  • 24 oney
  • 25 any old wind that blows
  • 26 one piece at a time
  • 27 ghost riders in the sky
• Disc 2
• • 1 hey porter
  • 2 cry cry cry
  • 3 luther played the boogie
  • 4 get rhythm
  • 5 give my love to rose
  • 6 i was there when it happened
  • 7 big river
  • 8 i still miss someone
  • 9 pickin' time
  • 10 man on the hill, the
  • 11 five feet high and rising
  • 12 tennessee flat top box
  • 13 i got stripes
  • 14 troublesome waters
  • 15 long black veil, the
  • 16 dark as a dungeon
  • 17 wall, the
  • 18 25 minutes to go
  • 19 cocaine blues
  • 20 doin' my time
  • 21 i will rock and roll with you
  • 22 without love
  • 23 big light, the
  • 24 highway patrolman
  • 25 i'm never gonna roam again
  • 26 when i'm gray
  • 27 forever young
• Disc 3
• • 1 wreck of the old 97, the
  • 2 rock island line
  • 3 goodnight irene
  • 4 goodbye little darling
  • 5 born to lose
  • 6 walkin' the blues
  • 7 frankie's man, johnny
  • 8 delia's gone
  • 9 in the jailhouse now
  • 10 waiting for a train
  • 11 casey jones
  • 12 legend of john henry's hammer, the
  • 13 i've been working on the railroad
  • 14 sweet betsy from pike
  • 15 streets of laredo, the
  • 16 bury me not on the lone prarie
  • 17 down in the valley
  • 18 wabash cannonball
  • 19 great speckled bird, the
  • 20 wildwood flower
  • 21 cotton fields
  • 22 pick a bale o'cotton
  • 23 old shep
  • 24 i'll be all smiles tonight
  • 25 i'm so lonesome i could cry
  • 26 time changes everything
• Disc 4
• • 1 keep on the sunny side - (with the carte
  • 2 diamonds in the rough - (with the carter
  • 3 peace in the valley, (there'll be) - (wi
  • 4 were you there when they crucified my lo
  • 5 another man done gone - (with anita cart
  • 6 pick the wildwood flower - (with mother
  • 7 jackson - (with june carter)
  • 8 if i were a carpenter - (with june carte
  • 9 girl from the north country - (with bob
  • 10 one more ride - (with marty staurt)
  • 11 you can't beat jesus christ - (with bill
  • 12 there ain't no good chain gang - (with w
  • 13 we ought to be ashamed - (with elvis cos
  • 14 crazy old soldier - (with ray charles)
  • 15 silver haired daddy of mine - (with tomm
  • 16 who's gene autry - (with john carter cas
  • 17 night hank williams came to town, the -
  • 18 i walk the line revisited - (with rodney
  • 19 highwayman - (with waylon jennings/willi
  • 20 wanderer, the - (with u2)
  • 21 september when it comes - (with rosanne
  • 22 tears in the holston river - (with nitty
  • 23 far side banks of jordan - (with june ca
  • 24 it takes one to know me - (with june car