Johnny Cash had been without a record deal for several years when rap/rock producer Rick Rubin revived his career by focusing the spotlight solely on Cash’s minimal guitar accompaniment and his commanding, chiseled-in-granite vocals. Rubin and Cash also cherry-picked an astonishing range of material from such unlikely sources as Glenn Danzig (“Thirteen”), Tom Waits (“Down There By The Train”), Leonard Cohen (“Bird On A Wire”), Loudon Wainwright III (“The Man Who Wouldn’t Cry”) and Nick Lowe (“The Beast In Me”), all of which rest comfortably alongside a fistful of Cash originals and traditional tunes. With subjects stretching from horses (“Tennessee Stud”) and travel (“Let The Train Blow The Whistle”), to God (“Redemption” and “Oh Bury Me Not”) and murder (“Delia’s Gone”), this album is as timeless as a Matthew Brady photograph from the Civil War.
Tracklisting
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| American Recordings | |
| A1 | Delia’s Gone |
| A2 | Let The Train Blow The Whistle |
| A3 | The Beast In Me |
| A4 | Drive On |
| A5 | Why Me Lord |
| A6 | Thirteen |
| A7 | Oh, Bury Me Not (Includes the Introduction to Cowboy’s Prayer) |
| B1 | Bird On A Wire |
| B2 | Tennessee Stud (Live) |
| B3 | Down There By The Train |
| B4 | Redemption |
| B5 | Like A Soldier |
| B6 | The Man Who Couldn’t Cry (Live) |
| American Il: Unchained | |
| C1 | Rowboat |
| C2 | Sea Of Heartbreak |
| C3 | Rusty Cage |
| C4 | The One Rose |
| C5 | Country Boy |
| C6 | Memories Are Made Of This |
| C7 | Spiritual |
| D1 | The Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea |
| D2 | Southern Accents |
| D3 | Mean Eyed Cat |
| D4 | Meet Me In Heaven |
| D5 | I Never Picked Cotton |
| D6 | Unchained |
| D7 | I’ve Been Everywhere |
| American III: Solitary Man | |
| E1 | I Won’t Back Down |
| E2 | Solitary Man |
| E3 | That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) |
| E4 | One |
| E5 | Nobody |
| E6 | I See A Darkness |
| E7 | The Mercy Seat |
| F1 | Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone) |
| F2 | Field Of Diamonds |
| F3 | Before My Time |
| F4 | Country Trash |
| F5 | Mary Of The Wild Moor |
| F6 | I’m Leavin’ Now |
| F7 | Wayfaring Stranger |
| American IV: The Man Comes Around | |
| G1 | The Man Comes Around |
| G2 | Hurt |
| G3 | Give My Love To Rose |
| H1 | Bridge Over Troubled Water |
| H2 | I Hung My Head |
| H3 | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face |
| H4 | Personal Jesus |
| I1 | In My Life |
| I2 | Sam Hall |
| I3 | Danny Boy |
| I4 | Desperado |
| J1 | I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry |
| J2 | Tear Stained Letter |
| J3 | Streets of Laredo |
| J4 | We’ll Meet Again |
| American V: A Hundred Highways | |
| K1 | Help Me |
| K2 | God’s Gonna Cut You Down |
| K3 | Like The 309 |
| K4 | If You Could Read My Mind |
| K5 | Further On Up The Road |
| K6 | On The Evening Train |
| L1 | I Came To Believe |
| L2 | Love’s Been Good To Me |
| L3 | A Legend In My Time |
| L4 | Rose Of My Heart |
| L5 | Four Strong Winds |
| L6 | I’m Free From The Chain Gang Now |
| American VI: Ain’t No Grave | |
| M1 | Ain’t No Grave |
| M2 | Redemption Day |
| M3 | For The Good Times |
| M4 | I Corinthians 15:55 |
| M5 | Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound |
| N1 | A Satisfied Mind |
| N2 | I Don’t Hurt Anymore |
| N3 | Cool Water |
| N4 | Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream |
| N5 | Aloha Oe |
Apple Music
Release Images
Release Information
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | 7× Vinyl (180 Gram) LP |
| Label | American Recordings |
| Catalog Number | 060254721702 |
| Notes | 7 LP Box Set Contains Audiophile 180g Vinyl Reissues Of All Six Of Cash’s American Recordings Albums Repackaging these 2014 ‘Back To Black’ re-issues in one box set: [r=5516812] (1994) [r=5516845] (1996) [r=5516860] (2000) [r=5516887] (2002) [r=5516900] (2006) [r=5516904] (2010) The only difference: there’s one coupon for mp3 downloads in the box set instead of a coupon with each separate album. |
| Discogs URL | Johnny Cash - American Recordings I - VI |