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.

(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

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.

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

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

CAN I GET A GLASS OF WATER

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…

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Almost as good as BBNO$. Based album. 5/5 for being good and important.

This album is great. The location, the prison crowd really bring something to this. Especially how prison life just continues with interruptions in the show for things. I really like when they boo the guard and the one in charge is like “ok settle down”. It’s prison but one of the better days there for some.

lsitened

Ein Klassiker, und was für einer!

Claasic

Imagine waking up in your cell one day and getting to see Johnny fucking Cash, what kind of “punishment” is that supposed to be

I had always known about this album and its history but this is the first time I listened to it and I was blown away! Not just musically, of course, but I love the ad libbing, the background noise, certain inmates being called over the intercom…it really places you in that setting, in that period of time. Excellent!

This was an amazing live album - probably the best I can think of.

Perfection!

This album makes me want to travel back in time, get into a bar fight and get thrown in jail in California just so i could watch this show. Johnny Cash does not screw around, mince words or waste time.

This is the album that got me into Johnny Cash. I really wish I could have seen him before he passed. What a missed opportunity. This is an epic live album. The mood is so intense. You can hear how starved-for-entertainment these guys are; they're so happy to be having a good time, and their vibe is infectious. All the between-song banter is great, especially the bit about the cup of water. And then at the end they bring up the warden and everyone boos him, and the album then just kind of ends unceremoniously as everyone is dismissed to go back to their cells. It would've been great to be in the crowd for thi----actually, maybe not.

This is great, full stop. While I've heard this before, I'd forgotten about the banter between songs and announcements from prison officials peppered throughout. "Folsom Prison Blues" is an all-time classic, "I Still Miss Someone" is among Cash's best, and there's plenty else to like here. The mix of sentimentality, humor (gallows and otherwise), and Johnny Cash's authenticity makes it charming and real. What a legend.

Miglior disco live di sempre

Incredible stuff. Cocaine blues in particular. This whole album is fantastic.

An exercise in knowing your audience. Many of the songs are either about serving time, killing, doing drugs, or staring down your execution. Cash's voice starts cracking by the fourth song, he intermittently coughs from there and then finally asks for a glass of water by the seventh song. It fits perfectly with the panicked nature of Cocaine Blues and the helplessness of 25 Minutes to Go. Jackson, the duet with June Carter, is also a highlight. The inmates hang on every word and respond enthusiastically to every song and bit of banter. Cash cracks up multiple times throughout, whether at the reaction of the crowd, something said by someone in the crowd, or the lyrics he's singing. It is the platonic ideal of a live album, and reminds me of Sam Cooke's Harlem Square Club recording.

This is my second live Cash album. I gave San Quentin 5 stars, and this is somehow even better. With SQ I had no idea what I was going to hear, with this one I roughly knew what to expect but it's still just delivered so we'll. The songs are perfect for the environment. The announcements, the boos for the lieutenant, the side comments and jokes. It's brilliant.

Adding to my list of great live albums

Incredible performance with a legendary history. The crowd sounds and interspersed commentary really add to the overall atmosphere and the accompaniment by June Carter was a terrific surprise to a first time listener.

10/10 classic album for a reason. The concept is really fun.

Is this punk? Absolutely!

This album isn’t going to blow you away musically, but it is such a cool snapshot into music history. I love Johnny Cash, I love this record. So much energy and charisma. This record belongs in the pantheon of great American records.

Hot Dog those inmantes really loved the harmonica!

Undeniably great. Loved the little asides and interruptions from Johnny Cash. This album was just cool as hell.

Abolutely love it. Excellent vibes, everyone's having fun, the songs are short and to the point. Great!

Powerful

The definitive live album that sets the pace for the rest.

Love this album. Read Johnny’s autobiography and the story behind this. Great music. Great recording. Great story.

I was hanging off every word of this like it was a play. SO, SO GOOD.

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.

Damn good record. Felt like I was in the audience, between the jokes, the boos of the jailhouse staff, and the laughs where their should have been lyrics. What a fine time to be recorded. Fav track: greystone chapel.

There isn't many voices that are as good as Johnny Cash's a true one of a kind talent.

funny as hell and catchy

A real slice of history, the Man in Black belting it out live at Folsom Prison. What a voice, what a stage presence. Some great catchy tracks, Folsom Prison Blues and Jackson (ft June Carter) the standouts. Plenty of topical jailhouse material including a few songs penned by inmates, and lots of banter from the great man.

God damn, but I love me some Johnny Cash!

One of the most iconic recordings of all time, I could listen to this forever. The swagger, the focus on the underclass, the unleashed rebellion that is this album - just the very fact that it happened - incredible. This is a monument to how music should be.

Favs: Folsom Prison Blues; Cocaine Blues; Orange Blossom Special; Greystone Chapel

the best

Phenomenal. Easy 5 stars

Though country as a genre often feels dull and uninspired, Johnny Cash proved its true power with one of the most emotional, funny, and electrifying live albums ever recorded. At Folsom Prison isn’t just a performance; it’s a raw, honest conversation between an artist and his audience, stripped of pretense and full of soul. This was the first album I ever bought on vinyl, and I don’t regret it for a second. 9.5/10.

The Blues, good country album. Live Johnny Cash

Best start to this app for me - loved this version and the asides/interactions with the crowd included throught

I haven't listened to this for ages but what a weird concept and what a cool album. June Carter's voice on Jackson is really something else!

👍👍👍👍👍

I'm not a big fan of country music and I've barely listened to Johnny Cash's music before, but this was so fun. The idea of singing this particular selection of songs in a prison; the stage banter, the engagement of the audience especially during funny moments... this is a very special live album.

Feels incredibly American. The concept is powerful, and the sound (the reverb, the interruptions, the crowd noise, the banter) reinforces it at every step. I've heard a lot of these songs before, but listening all together nearly brought me to tears.