Various: At San Quentin (Legacy Edition Disc 1) CD Track Listing

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Various At San Quentin (Legacy Edition Disc 1) (2006)
At San Quentin (Legacy Edition) - Disc 1 of 2\n2006 Columbia/Legacy\n\nOriginaly Recorded live at San Quentin Prison, San Quentin, California on February 24, 1969. \nLP Originally Released 1969\nAt Folsom Prison And San Quentin CD Edition Released December 19, 1989\nAt San Quentin (The Complete 1969 Concert) CD Released July 4, 2000 \nLegacy 2CD+DVD Edition Released November 14, 2006\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: (2CD+DVD Edition) At San Quentin was released as a single-disc expanded edition in 2000 bearing the subtitle "The Complete Concert," so the appearance of the triple-disc Legacy Edition of the album a mere six years later brings up one simple question: if the 2000 edition was complete at a single disc, how is this set more complete? The answer is both complicated and simple. First, one disc of this three-disc set is a DVD containing the hour-long documentary about this concert shot for Granada TV in the U.K. and originally aired in 1969. Second, the 2000 CD more or less contained the entirety of Johnny Cash's portion of the concert, but this contains the entire concert, which means that it has performances from the other three acts on the tour: Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and the Carter Family. This, along with some extended audience chatter, accounts for the great majority of the previously unreleased material on these two discs: nine of the 13 previously unreleased cuts fall into this category, leaving only four Johnny Cash tracks that didn't show up on the previous reissue. All four songs are at the same level of excellence as the previously released At San Quentin music: there's a seamless medley of "The Long Black Veil" and "Give My Love to Rose," a rampaging "Orange Blossom Special," an excellent duet between Johnny and June Carter on "Jackson," and the very funny, very quick bawdy "Blistered." But Cash wasn't the only act on fire at San Quentin that night; his touring partners all turned in great moments, as they functioned as opening acts, intermissions, and support for Cash. The Carter Family sings both traditional ("Wildwood Flower") and new ("Break My Mind") tunes, the Statler Brothers serve up their hit "Flowers on the Wall" and Glen Campbell's "Less of Me" with equal aplomb, and Carl Perkins is in prime form, tearing up "Restless" and the instrumental "The Outside Looking In" with some wild, ragged guitar.It's all great music, but in this incarnation, At San Quentin doesn't have the pace of a record album, the way that both the original ten-track 1969 album and the 2000 CD did. With all this additional material -- including a bunch of stage patter -- this version of At San Quentin does feel like a re-creation of the original concert, so it ebbs and flows in its momentum as musicians circle on and off the stage, and it isn't quite as grabbing as the judiciously edited albums, which cut out the filler this CD purposely puts back. It makes for an interesting historical document; it's easy to forget that Cash toured with this kind of revue and it's a bit of a revelation to hear him as a ringmaster to this revolving-door country music carnival, and his offhand, sometimes off-color jokes about the water, the prison, and his backstage stash of pills are all welcome reminders of his sense of humor, something that can be overshadowed by the mythos of the Man in Black. But this At San Quentin, like the two previous At San Quentin albums, illustrates just what a complex, dynamic personality Johnny Cash was, while being a hell of a lot of fun. The 2000 CD is still the choice for those who just want the best of Cash himself, but for listeners who want to immerse themselves within the total experience of the concert -- from reliving it via the CDs or through the documentary -- this is certainly worth buying again. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nIn 2000, Sony Legacy issued an expanded CD version of this landmark 1969 live Cash LP, which included "A Boy Named Sue," the Shel Silverstein novelty number that became one of Cash's biggest hits. The original LP contained ten songs from Cash's show, which actually ran far longer; the CD release added eight additional Cash performances. That, of course, happened before his death and the unexpected success of the Walk the Line. Now, this 2-CD set presents the entire concert, start to finish. Still grippingly intense after 37 years, it not only assembles all Cash's performances, but those by the other members of his stage show: June Carter, her mother and sisters (performing as the Carter Family), Cash's buddy Carl Perkins of "Blue Suede Shoes" (and "Daddy Sang Bass") fame, and the Statler Brothers, known then for their 1965 hit "Flowers on the Wall." Cash's performances remain beyond criticism, but Perkins, the Carters, and the Statlers smoke nearly as much. Among the high points is their unreleased, spine-chilling gospel medley of "He Turned the Water into Wine," "Daddy Sang Bass," and "The Old Account." The accompanying DVD comprises a documentary shot at the show by Britain's Granada TV, in which the Cash performances act mainly as a leitmotif to its focus on San Quentin and its inmates. --Rich Kienzle \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nI had doubts, but this is superb., November 22, 2006\nReviewer: Dan Plankton (Somerville, MA)\nI'm a longtime Cash fan who has owned every edition of this album. I held off on this one, perhaps in part due to resentment at Sony for releasing the falsely advertised "Complete San Quentin Concert" only six years ago. But after watching the DVD of the original Granada TV (UK) program, I recommend this set without reservation. Despite some comments I read, the DVD has plenty of performance footage (it's 54 minutes long and about two-thirds onstage footage and one-third San Quentin documentary, and that one-third is also quite interesting to watch). You see the complete performance of A Boy Named Sue and several songs that weren't on the original album and CD issues, like Orange Blossom Special (great to watch Johnny playing the "harmonic-i") and Jackson. It appears that the video and sound have not been enhanced at all--there's lots of grain, and the mono sound distorted slightly at high volume. I got used to it and still thoroughly enjoyed viewing it. \n\nOne interesting note: Watching the video, it appears that June Carter's vocal on Darling Companion must have been overdubbed in-studio for the original album. Her vocal is different in the live footage -- and still good, so I don't know why they overdubbed. I didn't spot any other differences between the live footage and the album recording. \n\nMy one minor complaint: At this price Sony could have included a disc of the original 10-song "Johnny Cash at San Quentin" album, for historical interest and for times when you want to listen to a classic 40-minute Cash album instead of a full 100-minute concert.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFinally, the whole San Quentin show!, November 15, 2006\nReviewer: redtunictroll (Earth, USA)\nThe 2-CD Legacy Edition releases have taken a number of approaches to expanding classic releases, but none has been so holistically inviting as this deluxe reissue of Cash's classic live album. Columbia's 2000 CD reissue (subtitled "The Complete 1969 Concert") added eight Cash performances that had been shaved off the original vinyl release, but left four more sitting in the vault. This latest edition not only restores the four missing Cash performances, but adds the solo performances from Cash's troupe - Carl Perkins, The Statler Brothers, and The Carter Family - presenting the entire show from start to finish. \n\nThe restored material serves several purposes. First, the missing Cash tracks (both solo and with wife June) are as good as those originally released. Second, each of the three supporting acts was strong enough to have topped the bill, and so their individual tracks are welcome on purely musical grounds. Finally, presenting it all in sequence gives listeners the you-are-there experience, starting with the warm-up, Cash's arrival on stage, and the choreography with which the four acts intertwine their histories and catalogs. \n\nAs you play through the two discs it's clear that Cash was not only a gifted singer, songwriter and performer, but a talented showman, skillfully weaving himself into the exchanges with his troupe. Though he's clearly the focal point, he gives his fellow performers plenty of limelight. He sings seven songs on his own, a pair of duets with June, and then trades solo spots with the Carters, Perkins and the Statlers. Cash joins the Carters for June's "Ring of Fire," and brings the Statlers and Perkins up for a trio of songs. The show closes with a rousing medley of "Folsom Prison Blues" "I Walk the Line" "Ring of Fire" and "The Rebel - Johnny Yuma." \n\nAs on the 2000 reissue, many of the concert's best moments are Cash's dialog with the audience. Though not a prisoner, he clearly identifies with their confinement and rebel spirit, noting that the British film crew had tried to influence his song list, and he was having none of it. The comfort with which he holds the stage is reflected in the ease through which his songs and adlibs tumble forth. Surrounded by friends, family and his longtime backing band (W.S. Holland, Marshall Grant and then-new guitarist Bob Wooten), Cash's performance is as natural as his breathing. \n\nNew to this release are tracks from Cash ("The Long Black Veil/Give My Love to Rose," "Orange Blossom Special," "Blistered," and a duet with June Carter on "Jackson"), Carl Perkins ("Blue Suede Shoes," his then-current single, "Restless" and the instrumental "The Outside Looking In"), The Statler Brothers ("Flowers on the Wall" and a cover of Glen Campbell's "Less of Me") and The Carter Family ("The Last Thing on My Mind" "Wildwood Flower" and "Break My Mind"), all superb. \n\nThe CDs are augmented by a DVD that includes an hour-long 1969 documentary produced in the UK by Granada Television. The transfer's a bit dull (and the audio is mono), with some scratches and jumps, but overall it's quite watchable. The program intercuts performance footage with prisoner and guard interviews. And though this is more a documentary about San Quentin and prison life than a concert film, it still provides visual evidence of Cash's comfort with his captive audience. Not only does he seem at ease, but he shares the feeling with his fellow performers. June Carter - perhaps the only woman in San Quentin at that moment - seems surprisingly happy (though perhaps not completely relaxed) during their duet performances. \n\nThe original edited release of this concert still provides a wonderfully visceral anthology of Johnny Cash, but this documentary form of the original adds another dimension. The extra performances are all worth hearing, and the restoration of the show's original pacing and interplay between the acts are critical to reproducing the show's original emotional tenor. This is a true essential among the vast riches of the Cash catalog. [

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