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
Posts
>The 70's were a fruitful time for the Man
ReplyDelete>In Black
I am very partial to most of Cash's 1970s recordings -- probably because that's when I started listening to him. And something you wrote really strikes home...
>it's a wonder in this day and age how an
>album like this remains out of print
...You got that right. I don't get why most of Cash's Columbia albums remain unreleased -- with copyright-holder Sony prefering repackaging after repackaging with the same songs. ("Ring of Fire" and "Highwayman" must appear on at least a dozen Cash complilations.) They've even re-re-released the prison albums, while equally important records like "Hello I'm.." and "Man in Black" remain lost to time. At this point, even if Sony didn't want to go to the bother of printing and distributing CDs, they could release material to iTunes. Instead, I'm sure, we'll get the umpteenth variation of "The Best of Legend of the Esssential Johnny Cash's Biggest Hits."
Back to this album, which you've resurrected:
At the time this came out, I eagerly gobbled up any new Cash album. I wasn't -- and still am not -- overly impressed by this one. In fact my reaction was the opposite of yours: I thought Cash covered too much previously issued material here (Big River, I Still Miss Someone, Rock Island Line, I Got Stripes), skimping on original songs. By contrast, most -- though not all -- of the songs on the original Folsom and San Quentin LPs were songs that hadn't been previously issued on album.
On this one, there only three -- Strawberry Cake, Navajo and Desintation Victoria Station (the latter written as a promo for a restaurant chain with the same name). I think that may be a reflection of the ridiculous rate at which Cash (and other country artists of the era) released albums. This came out in 1976. In 1975 and 1976, Cash released seven albums of original material. Along with his relentless touring, it's small wonder this album lacked creative spark...
Great find! Thanks for sharing this & everything else you do to spread great music. I've discovered a lot of artists from this site & seen some great concerts I might have otherwise passed up!
ReplyDeleteAre you really spreading official releases here?
ReplyDeleteNot a great idea.........
^showtaper,
ReplyDeleteNo I don't share official releases. This album happens to be out of print and unavailable, as a matter of fact it is a vinyl rip. Album does not even appear on Amazon as ever having existed, it was never released on CD, and probably never released on Cassette either. If it ever does happen to get an official release then I will of course remove the DL link, but I serious doubt that's going to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy.
TS
I bought this album on an 8-track when I was stationed in Germany in 1977 and have a very wow and flutter copy on my PC. Thanks - I'm going to DL it later tonight. And you're right - it's never going to be re-released.
ReplyDeleteI've been collecting Johnny Cash albums for many years--pretty easy to do, with the numbers of units he sold. But this is one of the few Columbia LPs I don't have, and have never heard. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for puttin' this up there...love it!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, having worked at CBS/Columbia in Nashville at the time when this and other Cash albums were being released almost every 6-9 months, STRAWBERRY CAKE was intended to honor Cash's 20th anniversary in music. The original project that CBS/Columbia intended for release to promote his 20 year mark was a package of Cash's most popular recordings re-recorded in 1975 which never saw the light of day for one reason or another - though at least a dozen or so recordings were already "in the can." The label also revisted the project in 1979 for his 25th year but settled for Cash's album SILVER instead. The selections on STRAWBERRY CAKE were made using numerous taped performance material from his two complete shows at the London Palladium from September 1975. Having heard ALL the complete tapes from both shows many years ago, both Cash and producer Charlie Bragg felt that these "live" performances best captured what the Cash shows sounded like at the time. This was originally intended to be a double "live" album with far more material used than what was eventually released, whichagain never came to be. Also, it should be pointed out that at the time there were no "live" releases of Cash doing ROCK ISLAND LINE, BIG RIVER, or DOIN' MY TIME on any official album release, so only I STILL MISS SOMEONE and I GOT STRIPES were ever heard "live" by Cash by way of his original prison albums. Hopefully one day Sony or Bear Family will find reason to release these complete 1975 Palladium shows - this time without some of the overdubbing that was added. Cash fans will be amazed to hear what was not released from either of the London Palladium shows because they were as good or better than the selections that were released on the STRAWBERY CAKE album.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the former CBS/Columbia employee for the insight. I bought this record when it was released and continue to pick up a new one each time I find one still sealed. I saw Johnny for the first time in 1975 at the Dallas State Fair and this record captured that energy when he was I think in the best voice during this career. I'm sure Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line, RIng of Fire, and the other hits are included in the master tapes if only Bear Family or Sony would release the entire concert(s). Alas, even Bear Family has hesitated to release any material from the 70s, stating at one time that his material was less interesting past 1969-1970. Thank goodness Readers Digest is releasing a box set in the first part of 2010 that includes the following original albums on CD for the first time: Hello, I'm Johnny Cash, Man In Black, Any Old Wind That Blows, A Thing Called Love, One Piece At A Time, and The Johnny Cash Show, along with a CD of previously released songs (I suppose from the sessions that produced those original albums). I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE RE-RECORDINGS released from the 20th anniversary album (a handful I think were used for the Victoria Station Restaurants LP - Hey Porter, Wreck Of The Old 97, etc.) as well as a "missing album" from around 1984 - original title "In Living Color"
ReplyDelete