Unearthed

Product Information

Father and Son" was previously recorded by Cash as "Father and Daughter" for his 1974 album The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me. Over the course of five mesmerising CDs, Unearthed shows us just how Johnny Cash's now-legendary handful of recordings for American Records came to be.

But this just means that the likes of ''A Singer Of Songs'' and ''Hard Times'' become almost unbearably poignant. The pages housing the vinyls are think heavy cardboard, the whole box is cloth bound, as is the huge hardcover book. In other Cash news, and at the other end of his career, Charly have recently reissue a vinyl edition of The Sun Records Years Greatest Hits. I don't know, maybe for lack of space, legal stuff (the duet with Joe Strummer on Marley's "Redemption Song" is out of this world), whatever, but even the weakest track is a good one; I like them a lot, all have that touch that only Cash is capable to imprint in them. Redemption Songs is largely acoustic, and features duets with Joe Strummer, Fiona Apple, Nick Cave and Glen Campbell.Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" was previously recorded by Cash for his 1962 album Hymns from the Heart. Für mich ist es jedenfalls schwieriger (vor allem wenn es um vertonte Geschichten aus der alten Bibel geht, das pack ich fast nicht), die Songs alle zu mögen. Particularly on the first CD, starting with a powerful performance of ''Long Black Veil'' this feels like a one man journey through the history of American song. Unearthed is divided into five thematic sections (it was a five-CD set) with Who’s Gonna Cry focusing on acoustic solo recordings, Trouble In Mind slanted towards electric performances (this section features some guest performances from the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Carl Perkins) and Redemption Songs another acoustic collection, with duets with Joe Strummer, Fiona Apple, Nick Cave and Glen Campbell. Through their inconsistencies and quirks (and, more often than not, brilliance), they shed light on how Cash's final records were shaped, edited and produced.

My Mother's Hymn Book is a collection of Christian spiritual songs and hymns that Cash originally learned from his mother while growing up. I also love the fact that this set contains a different version of the Danzig penned tune "thirteen" than the original American Recording does. Unearthed was originally released as a CD box set by producer Rick Rubin’s American Recordings in November 2003, two months after the country superstar’s passing. If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven" was previously recorded by Cash for his 1962 album Hymns from the Heart.

John enjoyed a much deserved critical renaissance in latter years being courted by the likes of Bono and Nick Cave, and this fusion of modern songwriting influences and the true Country story-teller roots of JC's work make this a five star box set. The set was originally planned to celebrate Cash and Rubin's decade of recording together, and the final mixes had been sent to Cash, but he passed away before receiving them. Those who bought the recent vinyl box set of American I-VI have every right to be upset that Unearthed wasn't included. In terms of the set itself my only complaint is the unnecessary 5th disc featuring previously released tracks from the first 4 American CDs (except for "Thirteen" which is actually a longer alternate take or edit than the version previously released). Not for allowing a musical icon to end his career and life by recording some of the best music ever, but because there are so many excellent recordings here that should have been released during Cash's lifetime.

Flesh and Blood" is a newer version of the original that was written for I Walk the Line (Soundtrack).You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. This mammoth five CD box of seventy nine tracks from his American Recording sessions will only enhance his legend.

This set claims to have all unreleased recordings when Rubin took Cash under his wing (except disc 5 which is a compilation of the most known tracks from the A. Dark as a Dungeon" was previously recorded by Cash as the B-side to his 1964 single "Understand Your Man". There's a live version of ''Bird On A Wire'' with gorgeous strings which is better than the original. The fourth disc, My Mother's Hymn Book, features gospel songs Cash first learned from his mother as a child and was later reissued as a standalone album in 2004. Cinque stelle, anche se nel complesso il cofanetto è inferiore ai precedenti 6 LP (o cd) American Recordings dai quali trae un po' di materiale.

Comes with a very handy, entertaining and interesting little book; quite informative and full of cool facts from that era. For example, there's an incredible version of The Devil's Right Hand, a song recorded by the Highwaymen in the mid-90s, but Cash's sparse version, accompanied only by an electric guitar, is by far the superior performance. One book holds the nine LPs, while the other is a gorgeous 60-page coffee table book that incorporates Sylvie Simmons' extensive liner notes, drawn from five days of interviews at Cash's home in Tennessee, as well as Cash and Rubin's comments on every song on the set, plus a copious selection of photographs from the recording sessions, including some of the last photos ever taken of Cash. But even if I had also purchased My Mother's Hymn Book as a standalone, the three other CDs are more than worth the money.