The Legend [columbia]

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 the ways of a woman in love
  • 7 don't take your guns to town
  • 8 ring of fire
  • 9 the matador
  • 10 understand your man
  • 11 the ballad of ira hayes
  • 12 orange blossom special
  • 13 the one on the right is on the left
  • 14 rosanna's going wild
  • 15 folsom prison blues
  • 16 daddy sang blues
  • 17 a boy named sue
  • 18 what is truth
  • 19 sunday mornin' comin' down
  • 20 flesh and blood
  • 21 man in black
  • 22 a thing called love
  • 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 the man on the hill
  • 11 five feet high and rising
  • 12 tennessee flat-top box
  • 13 i got stripes
  • 14 troublesome waters
  • 15 the long black veil
  • 16 dark as a dungeon
  • 17 the wall
  • 18 25 minutes to go
  • 19 cocaine blues
  • 20 doin' my time [previously unreleased]
  • 21 i will rock and roll with you
  • 22 without love
  • 23 the big light
  • 24 highway patrolman
  • 25 i'm never gonna roam again [previously u
  • 26 when i'm gray [previously unreleased]
  • 27 forever young
• Disc 3
• • 1 the wreck of the old 97
  • 2 rock island line
  • 3 goodnight irene
  • 4 goodbye, little darlin'
  • 5 born to lose
  • 6 walking 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 the legend of john henry's hammer
  • 13 i've been working on the railroad [previ
  • 14 sweet betsy from pike
  • 15 the streets of laredo
  • 16 bury me not on the lone prairie
  • 17 down in the valley [previously unrelease
  • 18 wabash cannonball
  • 19 the great speckle bird
  • 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
  • 2 diamonds in the rough
  • 3 (there'll be) peace in the valley
  • 4 were you there (when they crucified my l
  • 5 another man done gone
  • 6 pick the wildwood flower
  • 7 jackson
  • 8 if i were a carpenter
  • 9 girl from the north country
  • 10 one more ride
  • 11 you can't beat jesus christ [previously
  • 12 there ain't no good chain gang
  • 13 we oughta be ashamed
  • 14 crazy old soldier
  • 15 silver haired daddy of mine
  • 16 who's gone autry?
  • 17 the night hank williams came to town
  • 18 i walk the line (revisited)
  • 19 highwayman
  • 20 the wanderer
  • 21 september when it comes
  • 22 tears in the holston river
  • 23 far side banks of jordan
  • 24 it takes one to know me [previously unre