Johnny Cash - Strawberry Cake (Out of Print and Rare 1976 live album)

While this may not be the best Johnny Cash live album (that distinction goes to either Folsom or San Quentin depending on who you ask and on what day), it's certainly the most interesting. Interspersed with stories and dialouge and pure interaction with the audience. This album makes you realize that Johnny Cash's career did not suddenly end in 1970 and pick back up in 1994 as some would like to believe. No, The 70's were a fruitful time for the Man In Black, while certainly not as classic and legendary as his 50's and late 60's performances and albums, he was certainly at the top of his game as a performer.

This album is a testament to that, and it's a wonder in this day and age how an album like this remains out of print. If you are looking for Johnny Cash singing the hits, look elsewhere, no Folsom Prison Blues performed at this show (could this be the only Johnny Cash live album to NOT have Folsom on it?). Only hits to speak of are Big River and possibly I Got Stripes (with the band yelling out between verses). Includes an amazing rendition of Rock Island Line which he plays for Lonnie Donegan (who had a hit in the UK with Rock Island Line) who is in the crowd.

The most interesting part of the show however is when June starts to sing Church In The Wildwood but is interrupted as the theater (the London Palladium) must be evacuated for an IRA bomb threat.

MP3 @ 192

Johnny Cash - Strawberry Cake

Johnny Cash Tribute - Austin City Limits Festival 9-20-03

Well like I said in my guest post over at High Noon Saloon, this year seems to be the year for tribute and cover albums.....so what better time to post this Johnny Cash Tribute from just a week after his death back in 2003 (damn, has it been that long :( ). I've actually been sitting on this one for a while, but I had no information on it, and it was one long track. I'm not even sure where or when I got it, but it seems to me like I've had it since about late 2003 sometime. After some detective work I was finally able to figure out the venue, then the correct artists, even found a nice little review of the show. It's not the best recording, but I think it's significant enough to matter. I mean where else are you going to get a version of Mike Cooley singing "Give My Love To Rose" (my personal highlight of this set), or DBT and Old 97's on the same show for that matter?

MP3

Johnny Cash Tribute

Johnny Cash - The Beast In Me (Austin 12-8-94)

If you know your Johnny Cash, you know that 1994 was the year of Johnny Cash's 3rd rebirth. Hot on the heels of now classic "American Recordings" this was the hottest gig in town at the University of Texas on this cool December night. Apparently this is a pretty famous gig too....maybe the first gig he did after "American Recordings"....I could be wrong on that one. Some guy remastered this and did a killer job. Made the artwork too, as cliched as it is, it's still pretty killer artwork. Good sound on this one, Cash had gotten hungry again and it shows....there may not be as much electricity in the air as was at folsom or san quentin, but there is definitely something in the air.

MP3

Johnny Cash - The Beast In Me

The Fabulous Johnny Cash Show - Houston, TX 3-14-61

Talk about a rare treat, this one's for you old time country fans. This is a fantastic recording of a Johnny Cash Show concert in it's entirety from 1961. Featuring George Jones, and Roger Miller before they became household names, and also features old time country songbird Rose Maddox. The sound of this is incredible considering it's a bootleg from 1961. Sure there are some hiccups here and there, but overall it's great. John R. was in fine form this night too, as his set is just how you would imagine a 1961 Johnny Cash concert to sound. This is a must download for any country music fan.
Sorry folk, but I didn't make a back cover for this, 'cause I wanted to hurry up and just get it up here for you.

Disc 1
01 Johnny Western “When the Grass Turns Green”
02 Johnny Western “It Only Hurts for a Little While”
03 Johnny Western “Ballad of Paladin”
04 Roger Miller “Footprints in the Snow”
05 Roger Miller “Invitation to the Blues”
06 Roger Miller “That’s the Way that I Feel”
07 Roger Miller “Half a Mind”
08 Roger Miller “Tall Tall Trees”
09 Roger Miller “Billy Bayou\Home”
10 Roger Miller “In the Summertime”
11 Roger Miller “Where Your Arms Used to Be”
12 Gordon Terry “Wild Honey”
13 Gordon Terry “Almost Alone”
14 Gordon Terry “Orange Blossom Special”
15 Gordon Terry “The Mule” (clip)
16 (clip) Claude Gray “Start Draggin’ the River for Me”
17 Claude Gray “I Just Want to be Alone”
18 Claude Gray “Family Bible”
19 Claude Gray “I’ll Just Have a Cup of Coffee, Then I’ll Go”
20 Claude Gray “My Son Calls Another Man Daddy” (?)
21 George Jones “Ragged but Right”
22 George Jones “Accidentally on Purpose” (breaks up, not good quality)
23 George Jones & Roger Miller “Ways of the Word, Ways of a Woman”
24 George Jones & Roger Miller “Long Time to Forget”

Disc 2
01 George Jones “White Lightnin’”
02 George Jones “Window Up Above”
03 George Jones “Treasure of Love”
04 Rose Maddox “Down Down Down”
05 Rose Maddox “Kissing My Pillow”
06 Rose Maddox “I Want to Live Again”
07 Rose Maddox “North to Alaska”
08 Rose Maddox “Tramp on the Street”
09 Rose Maddox “Gotta Travel On”
10 Rose Maddox “Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down”
11 Rose Maddox “Philadelphia Lawyer”
12 Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three “Big River”
13 Johnny Cash “I Guess Things Happen That Way”
14 Johnny Cash “Rock Island Line”
15 Johnny Cash “Instumental” (?)
16 Johnny Cash “Five Feet High and Rising”
17 Johnny Cash “I Got Stripes”
18 Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues”
19 Johnny Cash “I Walk the Line”
20 Johnny Cash “Lead Me Father”
21 Johnny Cash“Ballad of Harp Weaver”
22 Johnny Cash“The Rebel Johnny-Yuma”, spoofs of Ernest Tubb, Eddy Arnold,
and Elvis, gunshots!
23 Johnny Cash “Luther’s Boogie”
24 Johnny Cash “Goodbye Little Darling”

MP3

Dead Link

Johnny Cash gets funky with Tony Joe White

I love this clip right here, can't wait till they start releasing DVD's of the Johnny Cash Show from the archives....until they do, thank God for Youtube.

Johnny Cash - Louisiana Hayride Recordings (1955-1962)

Continuing on with our classic country weekend, and in defiance of some of the events that unfolded last night.....I present to you some early Johnny Cash radio performances.



Recorded on the Louisiana Hayride radio show between the years of 1955 thru 1962, these recordings capture John R. at his earliest and most raw. Standout tracks include a rare performance of "It Ain't Me Babe" with June Carter (with some great cutting up at the beginning), a rare perfomance of "Luther Played the Boogie" and well pretty much all of them......and hearing Johnny Cash talk about donuts is a novelty in and of itself.

1. Ballad of a Teenage Queen
2. Big River
3. Busted
4. Five Feet High and Rising
5. Donut Commercial/Give My Love To Rose
6. Goodbye Little Darlin'
7. I Guess Things Happen That Way
8. Hey Porter
9. I Walk The Line
10. It Ain't Me Babe (with June Carter)
11. Luther Played The Boogie
12. Orange Blossom Special
13. The Rebel, Johnny Yuma
14. Rock Island Line
15. So Doggone Lonesome

There is a newer version of this that was released a few years ago and is a little more comprehensive but it is also out of print. Here's to hoping that a definitive version of these recordings make their way out of the Johnny Cash archives.

JC

Torrent