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.

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

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.

"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

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

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

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.

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

CAN I GET A GLASS OF WATER

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

10/10 If you’re not into Country music and don’t understand the subject matter and setting of this record, it may be easy to misunderstand it as being exploitative or just not care about the mythos of this record in general. But let it be known, you need to listen to this album if you want to be knowledgeable at all about American music. America loves its damned, even if they deny it, even if they’re hypocritical in their love, even if we severely punish them in denial. The “Anti-Hero” is the fundamental archetype to American folklore, from the six shooters in the old west, to the New Hollywood vigilantes, to the Gangsta Rap icons of today, we have an innate addiction to morally complex characters, more so than we do morally righteous ones. We watch these characters through their Odysseys, we don’t necessarily yearn for them to win, but you can’t help but feel good about their victories, and hurt when we see these characters fall victim to the punishments that they likely warranted. We understand these moral complexities, we understand their mistakes, their horrible environments, their upbringings, their dilemmas, their irrationalities, and we seek a sort of redemption for them in spite of their wrongdoings. That is, until we talk about real life, one under a growing reactionary worldview, where we legally recognize slavery if it’s under incarceration, where we beg for harsher sentences, severe penalties for minor crimes, more law enforcement on the streets, and capital punishment. At Folsom Prison is our cling to humanity, for decades Johnny Cash would perform at many different prisons over the country unpaid because of a mere letter from inmates, he would campaign for prison reform, and would continue to write music that fought against this authority. The live album itself is a collection of songs about the very inmates he was performing to, he was telling their stories, these same stories that made Johnny Cash and several hundreds of songwriters, storytellers, and artists who they are. “My mama always told me, son always be a good boy, but I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” As soon as Cash sings these words with his striking and deep brassy vocal cords, his wonderful guitar playing and phenomenal performances from the backing band bouncing off lifeless concrete walls, we hear the inmates whistle and cheer loudly. How do you feel knowing these same stories you love are being cheered on by men who have possibly committed these same heinous acts? Do you feel reprehensible? Hypocritical? Or do you view yourself in being in the same position as them? Its these prison walls that echo these complications gloriously, you’re subject to listening to some of the best Country songs ever written and performed, and in the audience made up of any subject matter of a Johnny Cash song, or a Scorsese movie, or any number of tall tales. https://youtu.be/6v1qNVZmofI?si=gpQ5lM_4fnFHdPNX

listening to convicted criminals giggle over a song about killing your wife under cocaine is an amazing experience. liked not so much the album as the reactions of the prisoners, little Johny Cashs' inserts...literally and indescribable atmosphere

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.

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

the bones are their money.. so are the worms…

if this album is the result of the carceral state, maybe I'm not an abolitionist after all (ACAB)

i love this album!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️ i would go to prison for you jobnb ty

If any live album should make this list it's this one. Everything I liked about the other one but even better

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

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.

Like “At San Quentin”, I appreciate the concept of this record, but musically I find it kind of boring. The songs all kind of sound the same and they’re repetitive in a very uninteresting way for me. I don’t really get the appeal of his music and I know I’m outside of the mainstream with that opinion. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the song “Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart”, which, had it not been written by Cash, would’ve made a perfect pastiche song for Weird Al to take on Cash’s style with.

Yes.

This is the classic live album! “I shot a man in Reno just to see him die” & they cheer… Amazing! 5⭐️

Hear the cheers of prisoners as Cash emulates their plight. It is beautiful and soul-crushing to hear that last note ring out before it’s back to prison business. Still, Cash left his mark with one of the greatest albums to ever be recorded.

Is this punk? Absolutely!

An astonishing album. The fact that it was even made amazes me. I'd be surprised if anything like this is ever done again. Added that it's one of the all-time heroes of music, this is a 5-star album.

Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison is a classic album. For those new to country music or seeking to delve deeper into the genre, this album serves as an excellent introduction. Its cultural impact was profound, as performing for inmates was unheard of at the time.

It's really good. Songs about prison, crime, dying, and retribution.

Well, it's pretty darn good.

just perfect. Johnny Cash did more for incarcerated rights than any celebrity has, and he did it by seeing them as people who deserved to hear some live music. it’s not a revolutionary idea, but still feels monumental. this album is so silly and goofy and funny but also heartbreaking and deeply sad. Johnny Cash always blended those two moods together so well, and for it to come across in this live recording.. art!

Really excellent

Ace

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

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.

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.

The best live album ever recorded. Bar none.

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.

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.

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

Pretty good record

If you think about it, Johnny Cash is like the Original Gangster. He's just casually singing arguably the most depressing and off-putting prison songs to a literal bunch of prisoners in a prison. Stuff like cocaine and killing people, he's doing this shit before rap, he was just casually telling life stories like that, and yknow, that's insanely respectful, he's just that guy, yknow? 8/10

Very good classic album

A fun listen to an artist that captured a snapshot of a time and place. They don’t make musicians like this anymore and they certainly don’t have concerts like this anymore.

One of the most badass albums ever recorded.

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.

I loved the last song, dude just got his dream come true. However I'm not amused by the countless whistling while mentioning random violent crimes against women.

In the 2000s, visiting friends who had emigrated to London from Northern Ireland meant learning that my jokes didn’t travel. In Belfast, you could trade black jokes about bombings and kneecappings across the Protestant–Catholic divide and find yourself, oddly enough, closer to your opposite number. In London, the onlookers would respond to our ironic exchanges with polite horror. What was to us the hiss of air escaping from a pressure cooker sounded to them like we were tapping the cooker with a hammer. Gallows humour is a form of intimacy, and intimacy can be terrifying to the uninitiated. That, for me, is the shock of Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. The songs land with the jarring force of jokes overheard at the wrong table. 25 Minutes to Go turns the countdown to the gallows into a comedy routine. The Wall leaves its protagonist in a heap of suicide and barbed wire, with applause in its wake. Cocaine Blues is less a morality tale than a barfly’s boast, like something an oul fella might roll out at the Felons, knowing he’ll be indulged. What we hear is not a series of moral lessons, but the jokes prisoners tell each other about the things they’ve already seen, already done, or already survived. And when I listen in, I don’t know whether to laugh, flinch, or call a meeting. There is certainly some gross about it. The effect is not unlike the “Ooh Ah Up the Ra!” chorus at the Féile an Phobail. Politicians clutch their pearls, commentators scribble furiously, but the singers are not holding a seminar on constitutional politics. They’re singing a song they half-mean and half-don’t, and the power lies in the ambiguity. Cash’s prison record anticipates the same dynamic that later scandalised America with gangsta rap: the pantomime of menace, grotesque bluff dressed as authenticity. The audience knows it isn’t entirely sincere, but neither is it entirely insincere. That’s the point. It’s not sociology; it’s supposed to be a good time. For someone, anyway. Of course, not everything fits neatly under the banner of gallows humour. When Cash drops the word “bitch”, it doesn’t sound like black comedy at all. It sounds like my Uncle Francie, who unfailingly referred to his ex-wife as “The Bitch” and meant it with the sort of commitment you could only envy if you were in a particularly bad marriage yourself. There’s nothing survivalist about it, no wink of complicity - just plain nastiness. I didn’t like it when he was alive and I don’t much care for it now. The performance of nastiness easily becomes the performing of nasty acts: the tit-for-tat murders of the East Coast/West Coast feud are testament to that. One suspects, though, that the in-group, whether prisoners in Folsom, festival-goers in the Falls Park, or gang members in Compton, aren’t terribly bothered about the out-group’s opinion. They’ve already seen enough to treat disapproval as background noise. That leaves the listener - or me at least - adrift. How do I engage with the problematic elements of the performance? One way is to treat them as pantomime, to recognise the performance as performance, bounded by humour, held within the magic space of art. So, is Johnny Cash, then, exploiting his audience - the authentic prison response - to heighten his outlaw persona? Or is he humanising those men, letting us hear their laughter and their recognition? Perhaps both. By singing Greystone Chapel, a song written by an inmate, he cedes the microphone for a moment, allowing that inner world to speak. Yet, at this remove, far from California in 1967, and – for me – far, too, from God, the song’s appeal to redemption can sound unconvincing. And yet, for all the gallows gags and criminal boasts, the loudest cheer on the album comes not for the blood or the bluster but for Jackson, the hit duet. Maybe that’s wishful listening on my part, but I swear I can hear it. Marital squabbles, thwarted egos, love that doubles as war… suddenly the private jokes of prisoners become the shared joke of everyone: not universal, perhaps, but less insular, less bound to the survival rituals of a closed world. In that moment, the salt circle opens up (yet will be unbroken). Everyone knows what it is to argue, to boast, to love. Indeed, for my money, Cash gets better as he gets older and ages away from the outlaw Man in Black performance and becomes the husband and widower of June. A kinder partner than my Uncle Francie. Perhaps he achieved the redemption of Greystone Chapel himself. 2 Prisons are like holiday camps these days. Books, paints, games consoles. We need another Johnny Cash to step up and remind these crims that it’s a punishment. 1/5

Bit conflicted about the premise. Some songs were nice.

The lyrics and context haven’t aged welll

Just not for me

El verdadero rey punk

Of course

10/10 - what an album, to have the courage to record in Folsom prison and with bangin lyrics, the bassist is so good on this. Shout out to Joaquin Phoenix for nailing the voice in walk the line too

Perfect country album. Never a dull moment.

I love live albums, and this is one of the greatest. Brilliant sound and a truly incredible concert experience. Really torn on whether it gets a 4 or a 5. It's a critical piece of music history and really is an album you should hear before you die, so I'll go 5. When Cash walks out and announces his presence, that's aura.

One of the greatest live albums ever. This is why live albums exist.

Great music, an interesting historical artifact, and just a lot of fun. What's not to love?

Cool. Didn’t realize how many years were between the writing of the song and this live recording.

Love Johnny Cash

nice

Just an amazing live set.

Doing it like no one else

surprised.

10/10 elsker den skiva her.

Musikk, tekster, backstory/kontekst.. Soleklar 5’er her.

Faktisk den første plata jeg fikk på denne reisen, og har hørt den flere ganger siden. Sykt bra!

Classic - love the stage banter/background noise

The uncut version with the prison announcements is worth it. Amazing piece of history.

At Folsom Prison was one of the first albums I truly fell in love with. My parents bought it for me the summer I turned nine, and I played it every chance I got. It’s a miracle the vinyl didn't wear out, but 58 years later, I still have that original copy—and it’s still just as incredible today.

I already knew this classic album well. Johnny Cash singing jailhouse blues, with dollops of country and gospel, to prisoners in a prison. It’s wonderful. A special treat is hearing the easy rapport Cash has with his audience. The songs are great too, lots of dark jailhouse laments. Fabulous.

A classic

absolutely hilarious location for this album. Love the reactions of the crowd. Unfortunately, so cool that i cannot give but 5 stars.

Oh yeah. The laughing during the songs, the banter in between, Cash is a hell of a performer. And then we can talk about the tunes, they're all great and then there's Jackson, hot damn, what a hell of a voice Joan Carter Cash had. When she comes barreling into a few of those lines, just amazing. In addition to the performance itself, this record also does a great job of not letting you forget that Cash is singing to.men in prison, and I think that's important. The inclusion of the prisoner being called to reception, the inclusion of Cash asking for water, the men booing the warden. For me this is a masterpiece. This might be my favorite live album that I'm glad I wasn't in the audience for. Heh.

I Shot A Man In Reno 1001 Albums Generator 207 (1/16/2025) At Folsom Prison is one of the most iconic live performances of all time, and for good reason. Of course the music is fantastic, with classics like Folsom Prison Blues and Cocaine Blues, but what really sets this album apart is everything outside the music. Johnny Cash's demeanor and banter, the raucous crowd, the warden announcements, it's like an immersive experience of really being there. Johnny Cash is quite funny, and you can tell that he really has respect for the men he is performing for. Outside the classics, there are a lot of great tunes here. I love the story of 25 Minutes To Go, outlining the interior monologue of a man sentenced to death during the 25 minutes before he is hung. Jackson is an amazing duet between Johnny and his wife June. Honestly, her raspy voice kind of steals the show here. The only moments I don't really like are the real short songs, which I find blend together quite a bit. Greystone Chapel, written by inmate Glen Shirley, is a highlight, and a beautiful bit of Christian country, performed very well by Johnny and his band. At Folsom Prison is a triumph in live recording and country music in general, with only a couple of weaker, forgettable tracks. 4.5/5, rounded up to 5. Favs: Folsom Prison Blues Cocaine Blues Jackson Least Fav: Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog

bluesey and politcal

With a bold set list and instant rapport built with the inmates, Cash delivers a night to remember

Lowkey defiant.

My dad has been a huge Johnny Cash fan for as long as I've been alive, so I know quite a lot of his songs. However, looking at this album's tracklist the only names I recognise are Folsom Prison Blues (obviously), 25 Minutes to Go Jackson, though I'm sure I'll know some of the other songs when they start. • You'd be hard pressed to find a more iconic way to start a performance than "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" • Cocaine Blues is another song I know really well. I love how much the inmates love this song, they're as much a part of the performance as Johnny himself. It's funny that you can hear a Johnny has a frog in his throat during the song, repeatedly trying to clear it during breaks in the vocals. • 25 Minutes to Go is such a poignant choice for the performance. I love how it ramps up in intensity throughout • The Long-Black Veil, Send a Picture of Mother and The Wall is a very nice run of songs. Each has such a melancholy topic, and the crowd mostly quiets down for them. Following these with Dirty Old Egg Suckin Dog provides such a nice bit of levity • Jackson is another all-time classic. June Carter and Johnny Cash sound so good together • The album closing with the warden speaking to resounding boos from the audience is hilarious. This is an absolutely phenomenal album, and it's really gotten me in the mood to listen to more Johnny Cash. It's such a unique live album for obvious reasons, and letting the album play until the inmates themselves are leaving, rather than Johnny Cash and his band, really highlights how large a part of the album they were. Performing songs about murder, drugs, penance and suicide to a group of people who know the topics better than anybody else is genius, and providing an evening of release to a crowd who never get to experience live music was a great move by Johnny Cash. Favourite song: Cocaine Blues

Who knew Johnny Cash was so funny! What an amusing live recording. I already knew he was a legend, but this is probably the first album I’ve listened to all the way through - I enjoyed every minute! What an interesting performance it must have been with crowd involvement and a fitting setlist. I enjoyed reading more about this album and listened to it several times throughout my day.

An excellent live album. Authentic, lively...

This listening experience is a testament to an album as a complete work of art. Come for the music, stay for the banter. Cash sings songs of made-up death, sadness, and general prison woes while commenting on his lost set list “idiot sheet” and falling in and out of giggle-fits recounting the dark dank world of coal mining and the deep sadness of a widow at the gravesite of her dishonest dead husband. He pleads for water before introducing love ballads about the bathroom of his ex-lover’s heart and that egg-sucking dog of his that won’t stop killing his chickens. All of this occurs as the listener experiences, first-hand, the operations of the prison with interruptions for inmates to report to reception. Cash receives a gift from the prison presented by an assistant warden; the booing as he makes his way on stage is immortalized in the final moment of this legendary performance. While misfortune led them there, the prisoners of Folsom Prison were blessed with two nights of dark, sardonic musical pleasure with Cash, through his lyrics and commentary, humanizing the whole, oddly hopeless experience.

All time classic live album

Perfection

I love this album. To me it’s a great example of how to do a live album the right way. Too many live albums, especially by more popular artists are compilations of live tracks. This is for the most part one show with the introduction/closing announcements, the banter with the crowd in between songs, and the audience reactions all intact. As such instead of listening to a list of the artists hits in an inferior quality you get a fuller, more accurate interpretation of their performance.

Johnny Cash is a legend for this one. A guy writes a bunch of songs about how he's an outlaw and a murderer even though he isn't really either thing (he had his share of drug problems, sure, but that was some time after he was already writing outlaw songs), and then goes into a prison to sing those songs to guys who actually did all the things he's singing about. And he's so charismatic that nobody even cares that he's just cosplaying the whole time. That probably sounds snarky or harsh, but I mean it the opposite way; it shows real star power to do something like this successfully. He had these guys eating out of his palm, man, and soon America would be too. This record kickstarted Johnny's career after years of personal and professional struggles and set the stage for his second act. Incredible concept, incredible show, incredible album. If you only listen to one Johnny Cash record in your life, make it this one. Honorary mention to "Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart". There's no evidence that my Grandpa owned this record or ever heard this song but I imagine he would have loved the clever wordplay.

Classic album, one of the absolute bests

I am no longer a person who claims to dislike all country music. Congratulations, 1001 Albums, you did it! You got me past my prejudice!

Great

Great album - Johnny Cash is just something special

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