Random cassette reviews #1, Johnny Cash – The Johnny Cash Collection (1983)

Several years back I found a couple of bags of tapes in the recycling bin behind my old place. About half were pre-recorded, and the other half mixtapes. So I thought recently I could review some, at random! This is the first one!

Side one

A few well-known Johnny Cash tunes, and a few lesser known. In my brief bit of research, I could not find any info on this exact edition, likely never released on CD. It even censors “son-of-a-bitch” from “A Boy Named Sue”, which was taken from At San Quentin. While “Folsom Prison Blues” was taken from At Folsom Prison.

Side two

Two classics are present starting side two, “I Walk the Line” and “Ring of Fire”. “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” is a quite good version of the Stan Rogers penned song from 1948.

“Don’t Take Your Guns to Town” has a little “I’ve Been Everywhere” in it (the way Johnny sings the song title), rather, perhaps the other way around as “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town” is a Johnny Cash single from 1958, and “I’ve Been Everywhere” was written in 1959. Although Johnny Cash’s version was from 1996s Unchained.

All in all, a good tape to have to throw on (assuming one still has a tape deck), but very short at only 9 songs. Of course there are plenty of other Johnny Cash best of albums out there, as this one is probably nowhere to be found aside from perhaps used or in old-time mom and pop record stores!