The song "El Paso" alone went to #1 on the country chart... and also on the pop chart. That one day's work paid for his whole life, and probably is still supporting his grandkids. It's one of the few dozen songs I can sing from memory, and do, much to the annoyance of everyone but my wife who finds it charming.
Johnny Cash did an experimental 'true West' album too, but it wasn't nearly as successful. Fortunately, he had other songs that did well. I've always liked this piece from it, though.
Also this one, even more, about the old "Wilderness Road." "Boone recommended three essentials for a pioneer: 'A good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.'"
And this one, which I quote from time to time. "I saw him one day, but I ain't seen him since."
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There is an in-between period on Cash I just can't relate to. He just sounds hokey. Earlier on, he was a rockabilly rebel and he fit that. Later, he was the old warhorse who could cover anything better than the original singer. In between was everything together - country, folk, gospel, popular, but all of them "almosts." Very little that wasn't any good - which is notable when an artist cuts that many albums, because you expect stinkers here and there - but not much that jumped out. On this album "My Name is Sam Hall" actually did jump out for me. I couldn't tell you why.
Well, a whole lot of people didn't like that album. It was experimental, as billed. Some of it worked, and some of it didn't. (I think the "Shifting, Whispering Sands" works pretty well in addition, but several parts of it were good for me.)
On the other hand, Cash had real issues with drugs in the middle part of his career, and it may be that his 'experimentation' diminished the quality of his work. The diminished star of late 50's Rockabilly may have pushed him somewhat, as what was easy suddenly became hard. Kris Kristoferson wrote "To Beat the Devil" in 1970, at which point he said that Cash had been near death recently and inspired the lyrics, but was now clean. In fact he continued to work towards getting completely clean through the decade.
For my money, though, his best album ever was At San Quentin in 1969. He recorded at Folsom Prison the year earlier, and that one has its moments too. The struggles gave him a genuine sympathy for those guys, and a sense that he could be one of them easily -- probably would have been already, if it hadn't been for his fame. That gives the era a high moral quality of humane sympathy that shines through for me.
At age ten, a Winchester, a horse, and some open range to ride was about as close an idea of Heaven as could be imagined. And it don't sound too bad today, either.
@ Grim - yeah, that At San Quentin does shine out from that period.
Nashville both tamed him , then rescued him. Later in his career he broke free of them.
That particular Marty Robbins album was one of my Dad's (and now my) all time favorites. It was always the first record on the spindle - followed by Jim Reeves, Charlie Pride, Teresa Brewer and Elvis - when the Saturday house cleaning commenced. To this day, that album (yes, I do have it....both my Dad's original album and the cd) triggers a Pavlovian urge to clean the house.
O>;~}
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