At Folsom Prison

I want to go to prison

I guess I mistakenly thought I knew Johnny Cash, mostly through the radio and general consciousness, and I was not prepared for how incredible and just fuckin metal this album is. This dude is up there singing about murdering dudes to applause from murderers. if your black metal isn't this black, go the fuck home.

One of the few live albums I've heard where the audience is just as much a part of the performance. The songs are great, Johnny's performance is charmingly flawed, but it's all about the atmosphere created by the little details: the inmate's reactions, Johnny's asides, and the warden's announcements.

johnny cash performs in a prison sings about doing cocaine and shooting his wife the crowd cheers unfathomably based

"This show is being recorded for an album release on Columbia Records, and you can't say 'hell' or 'shit' or anything like that." "How does that grab you, Bob?"

Look: even if the music wasn't great (which it is), the man sang about taking cocaine and shooting a bad bitch down to a group of cheering convicts, so this may as well get five mics on principle. The concept alone is novel and raw as hell, but once you throw in Cash's devil-may-care stage presence, the atmosphere set by the wardens' announcements over the PA and the more-than-receptive crowd (I'll spare you a line about a "captive audience" because I'm sure plenty of rock critics thought they were the first to come up with that gem), plus the impeccable choice in songs, you end up with one of the most entertaining records I've ever heard. Key Tracks: Cocaine Blues, Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart, Greystone Chapel

Amazing album! Amazing that it was performed live and the flaws and asides and prison chatter add to the overall vibe, rather than detract. I'm normally not as much a fan of live music, but this was great all the way through.

(Listened to Before) One of the most genuine and authentic albums I’ve ever heard. I love it when he breaks mid-song to tell a joke or a laugh slips, especially when it’s in contrast to some soul-crushingly melancholy lyrics. I don’t really think there’s a bad track in the bunch. I love this album and the special place it takes me to every time I revisit it. Favorite Tracks: 25 Minutes to Go, Orange Blossom Special, The Long Black Veil, Dirty Old Egg-Suckin’ Dog, Jackson, Greystone Chapel Least Favorite Tracks: I Still Miss Someone

Fucking visceral. “I shot a man in Reno just to see him die” & they cheer… Best live album ever.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like Johnny Cash, and this is him at his best. I love how it's a live album but he sounds about the same as in the studio, it's authentic as. 5/5.

We've had the greatest live album ever from Nirvana but this is bang there with it. Cash is at his best live. And when he combines that with doing this sorta outlaw country stuff he's peerless. Its fucking brilliant and I'm gonna have to bring out the 5 again. A superstar at the top of his game. 5/5

Cash proves he is every measure the legend on this record. Even though the vast majority is covers, his crowd work is great and you can hear a pin drop on The Long Black Veil. Jackson is a cool duet. booing the warden on the last track is great

i don't believe there's much to be said here. it's johnny fucking cash at folsom fucking prison, with june fucking carter. to whom, if my chronology isn't way off, he was not yet married - so we witnessed it all, very raw, and very real. i also particularly loved that they didn't cut out the warden's(?) announcements, and what i believe was them slapping johnny in cuffs at the end.

I needed this so bad today. This dudes the fucking King. I need more stars...raw, authentic, fuck you. Yes!

Never listened to the album before though know a good few of the songs. It's bloody good. The context - what he's singing about IN A PRISON - is just great, really adds something

not bad, but too samey and I lost focus on this one

This was a great listen. I've been aware of this album for a long time and it's place in legend and lore. What little I know about Johnny Cash (nope, haven't seen the well-known documentaries or the super-famous biopic, but I would like to one day), I really like him as a person. As a musician, his appeal is easy to see. He makes it seem all so familiar and casual, but with his own signature sound, style, and of course, voice. I have heard his music in various settings over the years and I like it. It's not something I gravitate strongly towards on a regular basis. I have a feeling if I had ever seen him play live, I'd have been a lifelong huge fan. Seems like that kind of performer and person.

Solid live album, especially considering the location and difficulties to make it happen. Some great gems throughout the set list, although there are a few songs that just kind of pass into the background. Clearly groundbreaking, but not quite a 5-star for me.

Not bad but actually somewhat boring. Slow pace, similar style of all the songs, just not memorable

Ace

Johnny Cash is so badass. Dude had just come off of a hard fought battle with addiction and is looking to return to the music industry. Mind you, he had been out of the limelight for years. So he does the sensible thing and… makes a live album? From a prison? Hell yes. The audience noise and commentary makes you feel like you’re actually at the show. He’s singing about doing cocaine and shooting people and the crowd is loving it. Amazing record.

Really excellent

Really good stuff. I might just go and get obsessed with Johnny Cash now

I mean Johnny fucking nails this performance for a number of reasons, but to me one of the standout moments is with June on Jackson, as she surprises me with her power and what it adds to the record. Instant classic.

The best live album ever recorded. Bar none.

Pretty good record

So this album is great. Obviously. And, taken by itself, it's a masterpiece live album against which other live albums should be measured which is why it's earned a 5-star review from me. That said, I'm unclear as to why this list contains both "At Folsom Prison" and "At San Quentin" since they're essentially the same album. The amount of deja vu that I experienced listening to this after having listened to the other was uncomfortable. Sure the tracks (barring one, "Folsom Prison Blues", which is on both albums) are all different but the banter, lyrical content, and delivery is so similar that you'd be hard pressed, if the tracks were mixed up, to tell which song went on which album.

An enjoyable listen with a strong social (prison) reform message.

I feel like I’m sitting right there in the prison with the guys watching the show—the most heartfelt, candid show I’ve ever heard. Not only is Cash an unparalleled storyteller, he’s really got a heart for the prisoners he’s playing for. I really like how the guys applaud, letting me know exactly what lyrics or licks best tickle the imprisoned listeners. The music rollicks along, but there are quite chilling moments, too, like when the voice announces normal prison business over the PA. Whenever I finish listening to this album, I have mixed feelings: I go on with my life, but those guys all go back to their cells.

I loved this. The music, the banter, the announcements with inmate numbers, the laughing mid track, the lyrics, just all of it. I’ve somehow never listened to this despite always liking Johnny Cash, and it is such a great record. The recording it incredibly good for being recorded in what I assume is a prison cafeteria or auditorium. The singing comes through beautifully but none of the instruments are overshadowed. I rest can’t think of a bad thing about this. Really great.

Really entertaining - one of the best live album atmospheres I've heard captured on record. Started off thinking it might make a interesting listen but nothing more, and ended up being the fastest I've bought an album from this list. Great stuff [edit: "Hot Rats" currently holds the instant classic title, but this is still 2nd]

makes you wanna take a shot of cocaine and shoot a man in reno

Möglicherweise das Beste Live-Album als Live-Album. Die Interaktion zwischen Cash und den Insassen, der Jubel bei »just to watch him die«, die währenddessen ununterbrochenen Abläufe des Gefängnisses – einfach unglaublich.

I suppose my detailed comments on the San Quentin review apply here. I have loads of respect for Johnny doing these prison shows. Giving something to people who have nothing deserves our respect. As was the case at San Quentin, he performs a song written by a prisoner in the audience and gives him credit and a piece of the royalties. The song is Greystone Chapel which is a bible thumpin song. Normally not my thing but Johnny used religion to help him get off drugs and booze so it's understandable that this made him a tad evangelical about his religion. I'll leave my different opinion on religion at the door. Highlights from the first 5 songs (I stopped the list after that): Folsum Prison Blues( one of his best songs ever) Cocaine BLues, 25 Min to go Since I gave San Quentin a 5 I can't give another 5 to Johnny.

What a legend, what an album, what a venue, what a performance!

GOAT

Dit is zoveel meer dan gewoon een album, zoveel meer dan gewoon een optreden. uitblinkers zijn sowieso: - folsom prison blues: gewoon top - flushed from the bathroom of your heart - greystone chapel: het verhaal hierachter is echt top, zeker achter de schrijver (zijn versie is ook goed)

Classic

An outstanding classic.

Brilliant album, one of my dad's favourite artists. Folsom prison blues, give my love to rose, the hilarious flushed from the bathroom of your heart, and, of course, Jackson are awesome songs that I just keep coming back to

Un classique qui mérite amplement ça note. 5

I love Johnny Cash and liked most of this album a lot. The songs about executions (the long black veil, 25 minutes to go) are pretty disturbing to me though, and I skip through them. Fun to hear the prison crowd and songs they liked. Struggling between a 4 and 5 on this one. Going 5, cuz it’s The Man in Black.

Not all of my favorite Cash tunes, but some real greats, and the story and legacy of playing for prisoners at prisons and just how cool this and Cash is brings a 4 of an album up to a 5.

ICONISCH, Johny met prachtige verhalen in zijn nummers en dat in een gevangenis lets goo Cocaine blues is next level, deze gaat meer opgezet worden!

Pretty good, lively

Wonderful piece! The setlist, the energy, and the way how Johnny and his audience interacts make this album perfect. It’s like a modern ritual. Even the cover shows some type of intimacy: Johnny looking at you from above with his sweat dripping. I love it

Brilliant album - real, honest & fun.

O melhor dele fora da série de versões dos American. A concepção de álbum e do show é fantástica.

An amazing live experience. Loved it.

Despite being a live album, this s*** rocks! This kind of feels like hip-hop humble beginings. Melodies and rhymes are pretty darn good. 4.5/5

I think it's safe to say that anyone on 1001 has a passion for music and a shared disgust for the marketing machine. The industry that controls access, dictates what we should listen to and often steals from artists is abhorrent and easy to hate. Truth be told tho, I wouldn't have given Johnny Cash any attention without the marketing machine in the 90's. When Rick Rubin started working with Cash, a movie was developed and suddenly Cash, a relic of the past, was cool, relevant and wow, a badass. "Mistakes are beautiful," my daughter often reminds me. Cash's direct address to the crowd, the hooting and hollering, the cheers, the missteps and imperfections are refreshing. Cash's live prison recordings are remarkable because of how personal, simple and real they are. This music seems as far from the machine as you can get.

Stonking album

Yeee haaaaa

A perfect album. No skips. What an opening track! This album has it all—great songs, energy, sound, and the audience participation! The way JC interacts with the audience, his band mates… all that, and he was committed to playing for inmates.

A true legend, a phenomenal performance. The stars aligned perfectly to make this perfect album, a snapshot in time of an artist's career unlike any other.

Excellent live album, love the asides and the total bizarreness of it all

You already fuckin kno. A quintessential bop all the way through.

Quando uma pessoa com um talento real consegue transmitir a verdade dele, com todas as incongruências, defeitos e qualidades, um álbum como esse é o resultado.

Listened!

Enjoyed heavily

Just brilliant

Such a good album! Love Johnny Cash!

Such a cool concert, the connection between Cash and the audience is great to hear. And the songs fit with the atmosphere so well.

Exquisite! I am truly impressed that he was able to do this and that it didn't incite a riot. Great energy in the performance and the song selection is dynamite.

The Godfather of live prison albums, which in my book, means that it pales a bit to The Godfather Part II of live prison albums. But the original Godfather is one of the best movies ever made, just as this is one of the best live albums ever released. The best moment - oh hell, there are a lot of best moments - comes after Cash sings "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" when a Folsom inmate punctuates the line with a triumphant cheer. It's a vocal cheer that says that guy knew exactly what Johnny Cash was singing about. An excited "been there/done that" affirmation. That recorded moment alone puts this baby at a 5. And I'm pretty sure that same inmate is the one getting a little too excited during certain parts of Cocaine Blues.

A deeply emotional and entertaining performance. The energy from the audience & Cash make for an incredible live album.

Live, in una prigione e comincia proprio con 'Folsom Prison Blues' che parla di un assassino: brividi! Poi un live che non sia in uno stadio mantiene sempre una certa qualità, ma include comunque il pubblico e i commenti dell'artista che gli danno fascino. Le prime 5 sono una più bella dell'altra. Comunque tutto lo stile blues in accordo con la caldissima voce di Johnny Cash è fantastico. Jackson con June Carter <3

Cool story behind this album. Great music, love Johnny singing the blues

So much character. Incredible country music recorded pretty well all things considered. Johnny Cash Highlights: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16.

Wow, it was was something very different - for album 2, for name +1, for idea +2, so in total 5 due to a good idea where to play and record.

NO SKIPS. ALL FUN. great album tho fr

One word: Atmosphere

Such a good album. Brings a smile to my face.

what a wild, brilliant work.

Having heard of this famous album, I never realized how it really was live at a prison. The small interluded comments about guards and prisoners were wild.

GET THIS MAN A GLASS OF WATER!!! wat zou ik graag met deze man één wiskey’tje drinken. Het album is mooi en genieten. Ik ben echt fan van zen rustige nummers. Niet te veel honky tonky shit, dat verwacht ik niet van hem. Maar zeker de listen waard

one of my faves

Well, what an album. What a performer. Some gritty themes that increasingly... don't so much offend as carry no value for my ear and listening time. The harmony is Jackson is second to none. Two voices, dancing the eternal dance. Give My Love to Rose is another favorite, which I first listened to from the American Recording production (when Johnny was a few years from death). His voice at Folsom prison is younger, obviously. I'd never noticed Greystone Chapel before, written by an inmate at Folsom.

New to me, but what a perfect album! This one is ironically upbeat in a good way. Great concept executed just right. He had the voice/style/personality to pull it off. I wouldn't listen to it over and over, but I like it for what it is.

Classic live performance. Feels like you're really in the audience.

Legendary performance from one of the all time greats

Great live album

Classic

Classic live, music does magic anywhere

Love this

What a legendary album. I just love his interactions with the inmates, it makes the music even more powerful. I don't remember hearing the announcements and chit chat at the end, I like that they didn't cut that off.

Fuck yeah.

Alto rock and roll de guitarra acustica.

I've known about this album for years but never actually listened to it. I loved it from start to finish. The whole performance is spectacular. All the little mistakes and jokes and bits just add to its charm. And there's something about prisoners cheering so loudly to songs about prison that makes you smile. Very special album. 25 minutes to go is my fave.

For et fantastisk live-album! Følelsene til publikum er så tydelige at man blir transportert til en overfylt kafeteria i et skittent amerikansk fengsel. Cash var nok aldri kriminell, men han spiller rollen perfekt med tøffe kommentarer og bokstavelig talt galge-humor. Folsom Prison Blues er nok høydepunktet, men stemninga holder hele veien, og blir løfta litt ekstra av en kvinnelig vokalist mot slutten.

One of the greatest live albums of all time. Fact. BT: Folsom Prison Blues, I Still Miss Someone, Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart

I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

You can’t go wrong with Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash is the real deal. This is one of the coolest albums I've ever listened to. I love the crowd work, and you can tell he was playing for each individual in that room. Great great great work!

I don't like live albums UNLESS they bring something to the table, and this one does exactly that.

I cried

Alles Super. Musik. Setting.

Yes. Yes. Yes. All the yes.

Very good

100 stars. As iconic an album as exists.