Love, God, Murder

Box set
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Rolling Stone	link

Love, God, Murder is a Johnny Cash compilation box set (and 84th overall release) released in 2000. It features three themed CDs of songs Cash chose from his catalog. Love features relationship songs, mostly written for June Carter Cash. God is a collection of Gospel and spiritual songs. Murder features another recurring topic of Cash's career, and perhaps his favorite subject, but one that he encouraged people "not to go out and do". Each album was also released separately on the same day. In 2004 Life, a fourth compilation was released.

Although the albums within the box set are compilations, they demonstrate Cash's lifelong affection for releasing concept albums. Examples of previous Cash theme albums include Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian (1964), Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965), America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song (1972) and The Rambler (1977).

Each of the three discs contains liner notes by a celebrity. Love has liner notes by Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, U2's frontman Bono contributes liner notes for God, and Murder's liner notes are by film director Quentin Tarantino.

Love

*Love*
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Walk the Line"	Cash	2:46
2.	"Oh, What a Dream"	Cash	2:03
3.	"All Over Again"	Cash	2:07
4.	"Little at a Time"	Cash, Terry	1:57
5.	"My Old Faded Rose"	Cash, Cash	2:53
6.	"Happiness Is You"	Cash, Cash	2:57
7.	"Flesh and Blood"	Cash	2:40
8.	"I Tremble for You"	Cash, DeWitt	2:15
9.	"I Feel Better All Over"	Rogers, Smith	2:04
10.	"Cause I Love You"	Cash	1:47
11.	"Ballad of Barbara"	Cash	3:49
12.	"Ring of Fire"	Carter, Kilgore	2:39
13.	"My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You"	Ross, Wills	2:26
14.	"While I've Got It on My Mind"	Cash	2:21
15.	"I Still Miss Someone"	Cash, Cash	2:35
16.	"The One Rose (That's Left in My Heart)"	Lyon, McIntire	2:27

Release credits

Johnny Cash – Arranger, Liner Notes, Adaptation, Compilation Producer
June Carter Cash – Liner Notes
John Jackson – Project Director
Steven Berkowitz – Producer
Chris Athens – Engineer
Mark Wilder – Engineer
Darcy Proper – Mastering
Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
Don Hunstein – Photography

God

*God*
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Another feature of Cash's career is his affinity for another theme: gospel. God pulls from a vast catalog of spiritual songs that includes the albums Hymns by Johnny Cash (1959), Songs of Our Soil (1959), Hymns from the Heart (1962), Sings Precious Memories (1975), Believe in Him (1986) and My Mother's Hymn Book (2004).

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What on Earth Will You Do (For Heaven's Sake)"	Cash	2:09
2.	"My God is Real"	Morris	2:01
3.	"It Was Jesus"	Cash	2:06
4.	"Why Me Lord?"	Kristofferson	2:22
5.	"The Greatest Cowboy of Them All"	Cash	3:58
6.	"Redemption"	Cash	3:04
7.	"Great Speckled Bird"	Carter, Smith	2:11
8.	"The Old Account"	Traditional	2:25
9.	"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"	Traditional	1:53
10.	"When He Comes"	Cash	3:33
11.	"The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea"	Carter, Carter, Carter, Cash	2:33
12.	"Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)"	Traditional	3:54
13.	"Man in White"	Cash	5:33
14.	"Belshazzar"	Cash	2:26
15.	"Oh, Bury Me Not (Introduction: A Cowboy's Prayer)"	Lomax, Lomax, Rogers, Spencer	3:55
16.	"Oh Come, Angel Band"	Cash	2:44

Release credits

Johnny Cash – Arranger, Liner Notes, Adaptation, Compilation Producer
Bono – Liner Notes
John Jackson – Project Director
Steven Berkowitz – Producer
Chris Athens – Engineer
Mark Wilder – Engineer
Darcy Proper – Mastering
Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
Don Hunstein – Photography

Murder

Untitled

*Murder*
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Folsom Prison Blues"	Cash	2:52
2.	"Delia's Gone"	Silbersdorf, Toops	2:18
3.	"Mr. Garfield"	Elliott	4:39
4.	"Orleans Parish Prison"	Feller	2:30
5.	"When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)"	Franks, Horton	2:40
6.	"The Sound of Laughter"	Howard	2:38
7.	"Cocaine Blues"	Arnall	2:50
8.	"Hardin Wouldn't Run"	Cash	4:22
9.	"Long Black Veil"	Dill, Wilkin	3:07
10.	"Austin Prison"	Cash	2:10
11.	"Joe Bean"	Freeman, Pober	3:09
12.	"Going to Memphis"	Cash, Dew, Lomax	4:22
13.	"Don't Take Your Guns to Town"	Cash	3:05
14.	"Highway Patrolman"	Bruce Springsteen	5:22
15.	"Jacob Green"	Cash	3:06
16.	"The Wall"	Howard	2:10

Release credits

Johnny Cash – Producer, Liner Notes, Compilation Producer
Quentin Tarantino – Liner Notes
John Jackson – Project Director
Steven Berkowitz – Producer
Chris Athens – Engineer
Mark Wilder – Engineer
Darcy Proper – Mastering
Mike Cimicata – Packaging Manager
Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
Don Hunstein – Photography
Patti Matheny – A&R
Tim Smith – A&R

Life

Untitled

*Life*
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

As a result of the success of the first three collections, in 2004, a fourth volume, Life, was released (his 90th overall release). It mostly features songs about social and economic struggle.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Suppertime"	Ira Stanphill	2:51
2.	"Country Trash"	Johnny Cash	2:25
3.	"The Night Hank Williams Came to Town"	Braddock, Williams	3:22
4.	"Time Changes Everything"	Duncan	1:51
5.	"I Talk to Jesus Every Day"	Tubb	2:04
6.	"You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven"	Atkins, Cash, Johnson	2:40
7.	"I'm Ragged But I'm Right"	George Jones	2:37
8.	"These Are My People"	Johnny Cash	2:38
9.	"The Ballad of Ira Hayes"	Peter LaFarge	4:09
10.	"Oney"	Chestnut	3:08
11.	"Man in Black"	Johnny Cash	2:53
12.	"I'm Alright Now"	Hensley	2:41
13.	"Ragged Old Flag"	Johnny Cash	3:08
14.	"I Wish I Was Crazy Again"	McDill	2:44
15.	"Where Did We Go Right"	Loggins, Schlitz	2:58
16.	"Wanted Man" (live)	Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan	2:59
17.	"I Can't Go on That Way" (outtake from The Rambler [1976])	Johnny Cash	2:33
18.	"Lead Me Gently Home"	Thompson	1:59

Release credits

Johnny Cash – Producer, Compilation Producer, Selection
John Carter Cash – Executive Producer
Lou Robin – Executive Producer
Steven Berkowitz – Producer
Andy Manganello – Mixing
Joseph M. Palmaccio – Mastering
Geoffrey Rice – Mixing Assistant
Triana DOrazio – Packaging Manager
Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
David Gahr – Photography
Don Hunstein – Cover Photo

Chart performance

Chart (2000)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	67