The most compelling album I’ve heard in a long time was recorded in a prison.
For those familiar with it, that description should be a dead giveaway.
I’m talking about Johnny Cash’s live album, At Fulsom Prison.
A friend just sent me a copy of it. I’m not very familiar with Johnny
Cash, I don’t know a whole lot about him–except he tends towards dark
stuff, and I love him for covering not only Soundgarden, but also Nick
Cave.
Of course we’ve all heard about the movie coming out about his life,
and I’m pretty ambivalent towards it–I don’t trust Hollywood to get it
right, but I don’t know enough about him to know if they did. And I’m
not sold on Joaquin Phoenix playing him, or Reese Witherspoon playing
June Carter.
But I don’t want to talk about the movie (feel free to in comments, though)–I want to talk about this
incredible album. I wish I had time to write up a decent review. I’m
hoping someone more familiar with Cash can chime in and fill in some
details (Clark?).
The songs he sings are all about things the prisoners can identify with–such as being in prison. And it’s really kind of eerie to hear them break into cheers when he sings the line, "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die." The whole album has an intensity to it that is really compelling. His banter between songs with the inmates, the announcements you hear between songs and after the show is over–"Please hold your seats until released by the officer, and then go out by the side door." And his rendition of a song written by an inmate at the prison, "Send a Picture of Mother," is really something. The crowd, normally pretty raucous throughout the show, is completely silent for all of it.
There’s a sense throughout the whole recording of, "Yes. He gets it. He gets us. He understands! He’s telling our stories." And the stories are bleak, dark, angry, sad, lonely…and funny. Often it’s a black humor, but it’s funny.
I guess he also did a sequel album, recorded live in San Quentin. I’ve got to pick it up.
I’ll post a couple songs to the radio.blog.
Susan, you inspired me to stop by the record store on my way home today. Both prison albums were on sale for cheap, so I got them both. After once through each, I’d say the San Quentin one is even better. Even more energy from and interplay with the audience, and the songs are stronger.
(Of course, I might just be saying that about songs because I don’t know much Cash and it has the few I do know, like “Walk the Line”, “Ring of Fire”, and “Boy Named Sue”. Good, good stuff.)
Comment by Logan — November 18, 2005 @ 6:06 pm
My wife doesn’t understand why I’m so crazy about Johnny Cash. She even taught my daughter to say, “I don’t like Johnny Cash.” Not cool.
But for one thing, in addition to what Susan points out here I can’t think of another artist who so embodies what he sings about. I mean look at his craggy face. He looked fifty when he was twenty-five. Plus, Cash really sings about God, redemption, forgiveness, etc. in a nearly scriptural way, with a sense of authority. He had his demons, but he also was deeply religious and all this comes across in his music.
The title track to his very last album The Man Comes Around is great. In the liner notes he talks about how he read and re-read the book of Revelation to come up with the lyrics and they show a scriptural influence.
I’m actually really excited about the movie and am probably going to see it tonight. Maybe I’ll post a review.
Comment by Brian G — November 18, 2005 @ 7:28 pm
Awesome, Logan. I’ve got to get my hands on the second one. I kinda like that the first doesn’t have many of his hits.
Brian I hope you will write a review. I won’t go see it in the theater (assuming it’s rated R) but I’d like to hear about it. I’ll wait till it comes on tv to see it.
Comment by Susan M — November 18, 2005 @ 8:42 pm
The movie was severly lacking. One of the big problems is that it is, in fact, not rated-R.
The movie is, basically, the story of Cash and June Carter’s courtship. What should make the story interesting is that it’s Johnny Cash–but yet, the filmmakers instead made a fairly generic love story.
The performances are amazing. The music is amazing. But that’s about it.
Comment by Pris — November 19, 2005 @ 4:01 pm
It’s interesting, Pris, because I felt the exact opposite. I felt that the movie’s strength is in the fact that if it was not a story about June and Johnny, and about two fictional characters, it would still have been compelling, at least to me.
Amazing performances and amazing music is a lot more than most movies deliver; I felt like it was a fine piece of filmmaking.
Comment by Brian G — November 19, 2005 @ 4:17 pm
So Joaquin is convincing? I’m worried the whole time I’ll just be seeing Joaquin and Reese, rather than Johnny and June.
Comment by Susan M — November 19, 2005 @ 6:30 pm
On CMT just now they shouwed the performance at San Quentin. I remember seeing it when I was very young. I was so fascinated that he would be allowed to go into a prison and entertain the prisoners was curious to me. He looked very slick back then all the FOP in his hair and mr tough guy look on him. His way he always qorked the new testament into his act was amazing. But then again, it was about the scriptures back then. Hardly a C&W star didn’t sing about knowing Jesus and his miracles. It’s an excellent piece, very well done, it intermingles his songs with stories of prisoners and guards and the gas chamber and all. Worthy of a view if you see it on sometime. It’s funny to see Johhny, Carl Perkins and the other band memebers looking oh so young.
Comment by chronicler — November 19, 2005 @ 11:03 pm
Susan,
This is funny - I was just listening to Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin an hour ago. Logan is right - of his two live prison albums, the San Quentin one is better, for all the reasons you like the one at Folsom. The intensity and sadness come through so transparently.
Comment by Mark IV — November 21, 2005 @ 10:29 am
Logan mentioned the raw energy and interplay with the inmates. I think The Wreck of the Old 97 from the San Quentin album is the best example.
Johnny Cash was a man of deep faith. Sunday Morning Comin’ Down conveys his sense of loss and desire and need for redemption.
Jesus said “I was in prison, and ye visited me.” Whenever I read that, I think about Johnny Cash. Hokey, I know, but still. . .
Comment by Mark IV — November 21, 2005 @ 10:41 am
Wow, so there’s video of the San Quentin concert. I kept wishing I could see the concert when listening to Fulsom Prison.
It really does get you thinking about a lot of things (I thought of that scripture too). It sounds like he played in prisons more than for these two live recordings (he mentions being at Fulsome previously). How often did he do that, does anyone know?
Comment by Susan M — November 21, 2005 @ 10:47 am
Susan, the performance that resulted in the Folsom Prison Live album was his fifth performance at that prison. I don’t know how many other penitentiaries he used for concert venues.
Comment by Mark IV — November 21, 2005 @ 11:38 am
I just looked on Netflix and there is also a concert DVD from the Tenessee State Penitentiary.
Comment by Tom — November 21, 2005 @ 12:09 pm
That is so cool. Thanks guys.
Comment by Susan M — November 21, 2005 @ 1:42 pm
I read a story online from christian times or something like that, that said Johnny did prisons a lot during his drug years. Once he got cleaned up he found God and married June his message of redemption ramped up quite a bit. They then planned the full on prison revival scenarios. It worked extremely well and his message was well received by the inmates because Cash was one of them.
Comment by chronicler — November 21, 2005 @ 3:44 pm
The San Quentin prison album is fantastic. I really love his last few albums though which are mainly covers. Fantastic and an odd combination. It’s interesting that an 80 year old guy who got his start with Elvis would have such a huge hit covering Nine Inch Nails. But it really does work.
Comment by Clark Goble — November 25, 2005 @ 4:49 pm
Chronicler, Cash was actually never in prison. He jokes about this a lot. He was in county jail for being drunk and disorderly quite a few times. But never anything to do serious time for.
Comment by Clark Goble — November 25, 2005 @ 11:52 pm
The San Quentin album is one of my earliest music memories, and should be a part of any good music collection.
I think the Trent Reznor song was written for Johnny Cash, even if Trent didn’t relize it when he penned it. Really amazing recording, not even considering where he was at in his life, and if you do consider where his life was at, it makes it unspeakably beautiful.
Also, word is Joaquin and Reese did all their own singing for the movie, if that matters. I can’t wait to see it.
Comment by Tracy M — November 26, 2005 @ 3:41 pm
Thanks for clearing that up Clark. Actually when I said he did prisons a lot, I meant that he played prisons a lot prior to the Folsom (and other) gigs. He was actually sought out after by prisons because he was so well received. It wasn’t until they turned it into a big marketing thing that people really took note that he sang in prisons.
Comment by chronicler — November 28, 2005 @ 11:02 am
Oh and the “he was one of them” means that he had done a bit of jail time and could relate to the guys in prison well, he established repore and was well received.
Comment by chronicler — November 28, 2005 @ 11:04 am
susan, how’d you know i love cash?
i agree that san quentin is probably the better album, but that’s kind of like saying a rubio’s fish burrito is better than their fish taco.
i was hoping that the movie was more a biography of cash, rather than a love story. i heard that there are some crazy stories from the early part of his career, when he and merle haggard (i believe) lived together in nashville.
Comment by mike — December 2, 2005 @ 11:00 pm
The fish burrito is better? What? I’ve been eating the tacos this whole time convinced that they are the best thing at the place!
Comment by Random John — December 9, 2005 @ 10:25 am
I’ve never gotten past the fish burrito to try the taco. I love their fish burritos.
Comment by Susan M — December 9, 2005 @ 11:42 am