The Essential Johnny Cash (2002 album)
The Essential Johnny Cash | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | February 2002 | |||
Recorded | September 1954 – May 1993 at Sun Studios | |||
Genre | Country, rock and roll, rockabilly, gospel | |||
Length | 1:43:53 | |||
Label | Legacy/Columbia | |||
Producer | Sam Phillips Jack Clement Don Law Frank Jones Bob Johnston Johnny Cash Charlie Bragg Brian Ahern Earl Ball Flood Brian Eno The Edge | |||
Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tom Hull | A[2] |
The Essential Johnny Cash is a double-compact disc compilation by Johnny Cash released as part of Sony BMG's Essential series. It was compiled to commemorate Cash's 70th birthday. It is not to be confused with the three-CD box set of the same name released by Columbia Records in 1992.
The double album concentrates mainly on Cash's first 15 years as a recording artist with Sun Records and Columbia, contains only eight post-1970 selections, and no selections from Cash's work with Rick Rubin for American Recordings: Cash's final hit single, a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", was released ten months later. The album was certified gold and platinum on February 5, 2005 and was certified 3× platinum on March 3, 2016 for sales of 1,500,000 copies by the RIAA.[3][4] It has sold 1,845,400 copies in the US as of October 2019.[5]
Amongst the 36 tracks on the compilation are two songs that feature Cash prominently but never appeared on any of his albums: "Girl from the North Country" from Bob Dylan's 1969 album Nashville Skyline, and "The Wanderer" from U2's 1993 album Zooropa.
As a testimony to Cash's wide sphere of influence on country, rock, and other modern musics and his wide fan base, the liner notes feature testimonials and 70th birthday greetings from a wide array of artists – from friends and collaborators like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Petty, ex-stepson-in-law Nick Lowe, and wife June Carter Cash, and also from Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan of Slipknot, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and Henry Rollins.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Hey Porter" | Johnny Cash | 2:13 |
2. | "Cry! Cry! Cry!" | Johnny Cash | 2:23 |
3. | "I Walk the Line" | Johnny Cash | 2:43 |
4. | "Get Rhythm" | Johnny Cash | 2:13 |
5. | "There You Go" | Johnny Cash | 2:17 |
6. | "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" | Jack Clement | 2:11 |
7. | "Big River" | Johnny Cash | 2:31 |
8. | "Guess Things Happen That Way" | Jack Clement | 1:49 |
9. | "All Over Again" | Johnny Cash | 2:12 |
10. | "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" | Johnny Cash | 3:02 |
11. | "Five Feet High and Rising" | Johnny Cash | 1:46 |
12. | "The Rebel – Johnny Yuma" | Richard Markowitz/Andrew Fenady | 1:52 |
13. | "Tennessee Flat Top Box" | Johnny Cash | 2:58 |
14. | "I Still Miss Someone" | Johnny Cash/Roy Cash Jr. | 2:34 |
15. | "Ring of Fire" | June Carter/Merle Kilgore | 2:35 |
16. | "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" | Peter LaFarge | 4:07 |
17. | "Orange Blossom Special" | E.T. Rouse | 3:06 |
18. | "Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" (with The Carter Family) | traditional, arranged by Johnny Cash | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "What Do I Care" (album version) | Johnny Cash | 2:09 |
2. | "I Got Stripes" | Johnny Cash | 2:05 |
3. | "Understand Your Man" | Johnny Cash | 2:44 |
4. | "What Is Truth" | Johnny Cash | 2:39 |
5. | "Oney" | Jerry Chesnut | 3:06 |
6. | "Any Old Wind That Blows" | D. Feller | 2:47 |
7. | "A Thing Called Love" | Jerry Hubbard | 2:34 |
8. | "Without Love" | Nick Lowe | 2:29 |
Testimonals
- The following people provided testimonials and/or 70th birthday greetings for the CD's liner notes (in this order):
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Chart performance
Chart (2002) | Peak position |
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Australian Country Albums Chart | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 16 |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 35 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[3] | 3× Platinum | 1,845,400[5] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ The Essential Johnny Cash at AllMusic
- ^ Hull, Tom (November 2013). "Recycled Goods (#114)". A Consumer Guide to the Trailing Edge. Tom Hull. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Johnny Cash – The Essential Johnny Cash". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Paul Grein (August 7, 2013). "Week Ending Aug. 4, 2013. Albums: Robin Thicke, Call Katy Perry". Yahoo Chart Watch.
- ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved October 15, 2019.