Unearthed

by

Johnny Cash

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I cannot give enough praise to the performances on this collection of (mostly) unreleased material. Cash is astounding. I found many of these songs to be more diverse and impressive than much of what was found on the last two American Recordings releases. I can think of no more fitting farewell from (and for) the Man In Black than this. How much of it didn't end up on an album is beyond my comprehension.

The Re-Recordings:

There are quite a few legendary Cash gems given new life and intensity in this set. Among them is the classic mourner "Long Black Veil," the endearing "Flesh And Blood," and twin mining/coal town songs of "Dark As Dungeon" and "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore." There are others and, honestly, each one is as good (if not more straight-forward and hard-hitting) as the originals.

The Covers:

While I felt that American Recordings IV: When The Man Comes Around contained too many covers of uber-popular songs ("In My Life," "Desperado," etc.), here we find a few numbers from songwriters like Kris Kristofferson ("Just The Other Side Of Nowhere" and "Casey's Last Ride"), Neil Young ("Pocahontas" and "Heart of Gold"), Jimmie Rodgers ("'T' For Texas" and "Waiting For a Train")...and the list goes on and on. Again, I'm left wondering why hadn't some of these made the cut before?

The Duets:

Why "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" was chosen over the charming "Cindy" (both with gloom-crooner Nick Cave) for American IV I'll never know. While I love Hank Williams, Sr. this traditional track is simply perfect. The same for the Fiona Apple duet of Cat Steven's "Father And Son." A vast improvement over "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" where Miss Apple's voice seems to interfere more than harmonize. But hands down the best duets are with veteran rockabilly king, Carl Perkins ("Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"), and the late Joe Strummer of The Clash ("Redemption Song").

The Hymns:

While I love many of Cash's own Christian inspired songs I found that many of the traditional hymns lacked, pardon the expression, spirit. They were faithful renderings, but seemed to lack the interpretation that Cash usually lends to any song. Or perhaps it was just my impression. Regardless, I won't say that these songs aren't good...they certainly are...they just don't all quite match the glory of the rest of the set.

The Best of the Rest:

I still cannot grasp any reason why Unearthed included a "Best of..." disc, except for the sole purpose of upping the price of this boxed set. I would have to guess that most of the folks willing to shell out $65.00 for a Cash boxed set are probably going to have most, if not all, of the American Recordings albums previously released. But this doesn't bother me so much in the long run. They could have charged the same price for four discs if they'd wanted...I'd still have took the bait.

Packaging:

I've heard many folks bemoan the agreeably fragile packaging. I've seen folks complain oblivious to the fact that the upside down flag is the long-standing emblem of American Records and can be found on all the albums on their label. I can only offer one suggestion to those who worry about the cardboard sheaths damaging the cds. If you have a CD recorder...make copies. Use those copies and leave the packaging on a shelf somewhere as something to take down and thumb through from time to time. It's supposedly a Limited Edition...treat it like one and it'll last.

Liner Notes:

Last but not least we have the personal reflections of Cash, producer Rick Rubin, and various other friends, family members, and bandmates that contributed to the creation of this collection. I found myself wishing that we had such intimate accounts of all the songs on the original American Recordings...and thankful that we could be given such insight into such a fruitful and inspiring time in Johnny Cash's career. For those who hadn't gotten a sense of the man from his music...they certainly couldn't miss what a genuine, thoughtful, intriguing, and inspirational individual Cash was...and always will be. Thanks to American Recordings and Rick Rubin for allowing a legend to make a magnificent final stand.

The Final Tally:

Music: *****

Packaging: ****

Liner Notes: *****

PS: The live, orchestral version of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" is simply one of the finest pieces of music I've ever heard. If there were more songs from this live performance I'd certainly be willing to pay to hear it. It's glorious. Enjoy.

Come on people, just because you like a disk does not mean it merits 5 stars. Really. 5 stars implies near perfection, Unearthed doesn't qualify.

Don't get me wrong, I love Johnny Cash and like this set a great deal, but will admit its flaws.

I would say that this set is pretty much for Cash collectors and not for a casual interest. I recommend it highly for the former, hardly for the latter. It captures a stage in a performer's life that rarely gets attention - the twilight years - and for that alone it is valuable, but the 4 standard American CD's do this as well.

First, the good points:

1) Tremendous liner notes.

2) There are perhaps 20 songs that you have to wonder how they were excluded from the regular releases. These include: Just The Other Side, Singer of Songs, Pocohontas, Hard Times, Caretaker

Then, the bad:

1) The 5th disk is superfluous and serves only to raise the cost.

2) Alternate versions are inferior versions - almost always. There is a reason the released version was used; see Bird On A Wire.

3) Some tracks are just bad and were better left in the can: He Stopped Loving Her, Walk Alone, Salty Dog

4) For some songs, better versions already exist in Cash's catalog: Flesh and Blood, L&N (on Silver)

5) The 4th disk is really for a limited audience; mostly moldy old gospel songs. Maybe 4 of these grab my attention, the others just morph into one another.

6) Some songs we just don't need another version of: Long Black Veil, T for Texas.

7) The cardboard sleeves suck! You can't get the disks out of the sleeves without fingerprints and friction.

The bottom line is that this would have made a great 2 CD set, but for a Cash collector some of the less good material is also interesting. The 4th (Hymns) disk should have been issued separately for anyone with that interest; the 5th shouldn't be there at all. If you listen carefully, you can hear the bottom of the barrel being scraped.