At San Quentin

I mean, if the songs don’t do it for you then there’s still an entire comedy act in between them all.

Well, that's just a damn good album. Cash can be hit and miss for me but this was 100% a hit. Every track perfect and powerful. Even more so knowing his audience for this one. Just damn good. His reputation is earned. Elvis be damned. Cash is King.

I have a T- shirt from this concert - a shirt with the photo of him giving the finger to the filming crew during the show since they were blocking the audience's view.  I have ultimate respect for Johnny doing the series of concerts at jails. He was likely the only person of substance who gave respect to inmates who he didn't know. Before "Don't Know Where I'm Bound"  Johnny says that an inmate wrote that song and gave it to him the day before. Johnny  played the song and gave the inmate songwriting credit. Respect. Zeppelin and others could learn from him. San Quentin is a powerful song about the problems with the prison system. Of course the inmates loved it. Johnny was able to give the hard message about the prison system while being careful not to blame the particular prison or disrespecting the guards.    It's hilarious how Johnny mentions to the crowd that he might play "Boy Named Sue" and gets no reaction. I guess this concert is when he first recorded it so the audience had no clue. Great idea to release the live version of this single since the audience reaction hearing it the first time  adds a special dimension. Johnny would know that the prison audience would relate more to this song than other audiences since a substantially higher portion of  prisoners are raised without their fathers.  Many headline artists get musicians who have independent careers to play with them on tour. Most, however, don't let them sing their own songs. Johnny not only had Carl Perkins, Statler Brothers  and Carter Family sing their own songs, but also left the stage so as not to distract the audience. Johnny still did this with his bandmates  when I saw him in the early 90s. When I saw him he also brought his reverend on stage and said anyone who was having problems with life could talk with him afterwards. He also introduced his reverend at San Quentin after "Outside Looking In".  The medley to end the show is amazing. Johnny lets the others on stage sing the final songs. June singing the first verse of Folsom is the highlight.  As much as I complain about drum solos, I quite like the quick solo in the medley. The show ends with Johnny giving a shout out to the prisoners who, probably for safety or disciplinary reasons, couldn't leave their cells to watch the show.  I give the album a 4 based on the music but  +1 for the respect he shows everyone (well, perhaps not the filming crew but to everyone else.)

There's no question that this album is powerful, and the fact that he played at a prison, and the interaction with the audience of prisoners is beyond remarkable. HOWEVER, Johnny Cash released 97 albums in his career, 3 of which are on this list. Did 2 of the 3 need to be live albums from prisons?

On the face of it, the music is quite rudimentary. The atmosphere, though, is absolutely electric, and Cash sounds like he's having the time of his life. Incredible, we won't hear anything like this again

Great album already liked Johnny Cash. I did not like the bleep sound they used. My distaste for censoring in songs aside, it's an awful sound

The TV recording is off the scale brilliant. https://youtu.be/PSLsfwTbo4Q

Been way too long since I listened to this; I just love how loose and joyful it is. Interesting to listen now as I've been thinking more about prison abolition, decriminalization, etc. over the past few years. Johnny Cash was pretty damn radical and badass.

Great albums transport you, this album transports you to a time and place like almost no other. Great tracks, great vibe, a true classic deserving of this list.

so cool — the cheer after “San Quentin, I hate you through and through”, JC singing “Peace in the Valley” to violent criminals, and the introduction of “A Boy Named Sue”.

Johnny Cash comes out swinging with a raucous album of outlaw country. Where ‘Live at Folsom Prison’ took a more contemplative tone, this album was high energy throughout. An absolutely exhilarating show

al principio me gustó, pero ya después me cansó

I get why this album is included and it's significance, but the only thing worse than a live album is a live album from prison.

77. At San Quentin - Johnny Cash 31 tracks. He might have needed a captive audience to listen all the way through this. I managed it, but only because it was on @1001_albums_gen It's just not for me. I generally don't like Country & especially don't like Johnny Cash. 2/5

i dont care for the US, like, at all

Second live 60's Johnny Cash. I can't do this anymore. Please, let this be the last Johnny Cash.

Such great energy in this performance. What makes it so special is how much care and consideration Cash put into catering to his audience to give them the best possible show they could hope for. The song choices tell a story that surely rang true to the people he was playing for and that positive energy was returned right back to the stage.

The second album in Cash's "prison albums". This concert may be slightly overshadowed by the great "At Folsom Prison", but it's still great nonetheless. Cash is such a natural performer, his rapport with the audience makes you feel like he was a prisoner himself. Oh, wait, he was! They don't call it "outlaw country" for nothing, eh? He puts on a damn good show. You'll hear mention of Cash speaking of the cameras from the UK telling him what to do. Those very cameras would capture the famous image of Cash giving us the middle finger. You can tell, in that little bit of trivia, that Cash is a performer of the people. He doesn't care about the cameras, he cares about the people in front of him. It's a great measure of showmanship. There are natural highlights on the album: I Walk The Line and A Boy Name Sue are some of his best performances of all time. Even the lowlights are worth hearing too, especially the audience banter. This leads him to play the song "San Quentin" twice in a row, which is awesome. Yeah, this is an all-timer.

I guess I was enjoying it more than the Folsom Prison album. But it was only about 34 minutes, he spent a lot of time taking, and played the same song twice in a row. So how much did I enjoy? Like 10 minutes? Also, did Johnny Cash not know how to tune a guitar?

Clearly quite a show, but the music is a bit too 'gee shucks I'm an outlaw' simple country for me

Straight up, this shouldn't be on this list, its more audio book than album, and the same song is played twice...

This Johnny Cash album was recorded live at the San Quentin State prison in California in February of 1969. This was his second album of a series of live albums recorded at prisons, and it was also his 31st album overall. This album has been certified triple platinum. At this live prison show, Johnny Cash performed 2 new songs - "San Quentin" (about the prison) and "A Boy Named Sue". The former song was performed twice as an encore and both appear on this album. The latter song became a staple of Johnny Cash's music, and it's amazing to learn he premiered it at a prison show. The original release of this album was alright, but the reissue with 9 extra tracks was much better. Johnny Cash was a great entertainer and it really shows on this live album, because the audience were all inmates that liked to heckle. If you're a fan of live albums then give this one a listen, but if you just want to listen to Johnny Cash's music then you may want to try a different album.

Country music in a prison is still country music. I knew some of the songs but I did not enjoy the songs. I have no need to revisit the album or really any of the songs again. It is better than some of the albums on the list. It is better than a one but not really a two. I will round down.

Wow! Super enjoyable. My favorite part is how real this feels. Crowd interaction is wild, Cash’s personality seems genuine and very “fuck you”, song selection is all suitable energy. I thought I would hate the same song twice (San Quentin), but it somehow worked? Amazed to say the least… and all in a 35 minute package makes this a 5 star country album to me

You could say it's CRIMINAL that this album is so short!

I mean, it’s Johnny Cash

Yeah, this album is fantastic. I like it even better than Folsom. The Legacy Edition is the way to go, with all the great bonus songs and performances by the Statler Brothers, Carter Family, Carl Perkins, etc. Johnny Cash was amazing as always. Cool and empathetic. And his band is so tight here. There are so many moments where they have to pivot based on Johnny's ad-libbing or to wait for the audience to laugh or cheer. Not easy stuff to pull off. One of the great live albums.

Overall, "At San Quentin" is a must-listen for fans of Johnny Cash and country music. It showcases Cash's talent as a performer and songwriter, and captures a moment in music history that is both powerful and moving.

The Godfather Part II of live prison albums. The Man In Black sings a few too many slow, depressing tunes in front of his captive Folsom audience. This album is more of a party. Be sure to listen to the Legacy Edition, which includes many more songs, since Johnny not only brought June Carter to San Quentin, but the freaking Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins as well. Johnny must have liked the inmates at San Quentin more than the ones stuck in Folsom Prison.

What are the odds our group would get this album the day after we listened to Cash Live at Folsom Prison!? I'm trying not to let the fact we just heard Cash live from a prison affect my rating. It feels strange to have two live albums from Cash here, but I think they represent different things. Live at Folsom helped revitalize his career, and Live at San Quentin feels like a continuation of that success as his fame grew - British TV filming him, Cash still actin' gruff and wanting to perform for locked up men. Also where his famous middle finger photo was from! || I'd say both Cash live albums deserve to be on this list, as strange as it seems, because of how different they are! This one in particular is great to hear the crowdwork chat and some of the other acts.

while not as good as folsom prison, johnny cash noodling with prisoners between songs is always a good time

The man in his pomp! Not entirely sure why we needed live in San Quentin and live in Folsom in the same list though!

Conceptually, I like the idea of this record. Musically, not as much. Not a Cash or country music fan. All of these songs sound the same to my ears. All I can picture when I hear these songs are those old time-y teeter-totter railroad car things. You know what I’m talking about? Two people stand on this small railroad “car” thing with a teeter totter bar and they take turns pushing the bar down to make the car move forward on the tracks…oompah, oompah, oompah…up and down, over and over. It can be quite maddening. If that’s your thing, more power to you…it ain’t for me. I’ll say this, though. Johnny Cash was pretty funny with his stage banter.

Classic Johnny Cash. Not as good as Folsom Prison?

Johnny Cash is fine but for me he’s just kind of boring. I like his deep singing voice but there’s nothing about him musically that blows me away.

boring

Not my favourite

not terrible, but also not my cup of tea.

Just another lame JC album. 1.5/5

Best Song: San Quentin. It was tough not to like it given how much the audience appreciated the song. Worst Song: Darlin' Companion. The song is just okay, and the prolonged talking goes on way too long. Overall: I understand times were different, but I cannot fathom why in 2022 I'm listening to hard, censored beeps over every bit of profanity. Were the originals lost? Regardless, the live setting here doesn't really help the overall presentation. It certainly feels like everyone at the show was having a great time, but the whole schtick of "they tried to tell Johnny Cash what to do but he don't listen to authority" just comes off as cheesy. The "casual" mentions to dope and song stealing also come off as pandering.

I personally wasn't that impressed by his songs. They were boring. Other people may be like the album, but not me.

we've already had johnny cash doing a gig in a prison. i don't get how both of them are essential listening.

BBC One- 8pm - Cash in the Attic. Johnny Cash hides in the attic of an unsuspecting celebrity, spying on their every move. This week Johnny observes Pat Sharp have an argument with a plumber and then maturbating furiously to a old polaroid photo of the Fun House twins.

pretty short kinda neat 2.5

the end couldn't have come sooner. his voice is v soothing but for some reason I don't like him. only liked 3 songs.

Most of the songs sound the same. I enjoy the hits, but even then he seems super low energy or perhaps he was on day 3 of a bender. Not his best.

Country music or rock n roll aren’t really my thing

He has always been great country singer. Not a big C fan but he is an American Icon. Boy named Sue was fun for such a serious guy! Definitely knows how to rhythm his words.

no soy americano

Disliking the live version 1.5/5

Not my forte. Didn’t finish 😢

own

Phenomenal. Love Johnny cash. At first I had trouble thinking why this album was picked instead of his many others. A Boy Named Sue was his top most hit in his career and that debuted on this album though (had to look that one up). The infamous Johnny Cash shooting a bird was from this show. I know that one because I had that poster in high school because I thought I was cool and my mom allowed it. Also - can you imagine the blowback if a musician tried to play in prisons today? Wild.

Crazy recording.

Johnny Cash is great. The problem is this music, it sounds like the music that MAGA people will listen to. Anyway, artistically it was very good.

Little ripper of an outlaw country live album. Great stuff.

Easy five. Zero zastanowienia. Nie słucham country, na co dzień nie lubię tego amerykańskiego akcentu, który ma Johnny Cash, zazwyczaj ciężko mi się też przebić przez tragiczne jakości nagrań występów na żywo z dawniejszych czasów. A jednak ten album wciągnął mnie od początku do końca. Piosenki są chwytliwe, a jednocześnie świetnie pasują do miejsca, w którym zostały wykonane. Cash jest zajmujący jako prowadzący, zabawny, /witty/. Świetnie czuje publiczność i zwyczajnie rezonuje z tymi mężczyznami. Wydaje mi się, że więźniowie, trochę jak dzieci, muszą być jedną z najtrudniejszych widowni. Z jednej strony taki występ to na pewno święto, zwłaszcza w latach siedemdziesiątych, ale z drugiej strony to ludzie, którzy na kilometr wyczują fałsz i strach. A Cash w sekundę burzy jakikolwiek mur. Jak w wielu przypadkach kontekst odgrywa kluczową rolę. Gdyby to był zwykły live to wciąż byłoby to mocne 4,5 - coś, co buja i czego chętnie posłucham jeszcze w przyszłości. Ale za same nagrania tej interakcji z publicznością i kontekst to jest mega pewne 5.

Exceptional!

Check out the Legacy Edition, it has the San Quentin concerts in full. Pretty magical stuff.

after the miserable failure of the previous day's live album, gosh, what a breath of fresh air this was! finally a live album that earns its right on this list. funny, energetic, effortless in that old timey country kinda way. it gave me goosebumps to hear the prisoners cheer. it also made me think about how despite having general cultural knowledge of johnny cash's prison concerts, i never considered how that might mean for his own personal views on criminal justice and prison abolition. what a guy. what an album! truly loved this one.

this album gave me severe whiplash (but in a good way??) since my previous one was the grateful dead's live/dead album. THIS is how a live album should be done. for one thing, johnny cash knows how to put on a show. he plays the hits, has some great comedic banter-y bits, and genuinely wants everyone to have a good time. these live prison recordings are pretty eye-opening and convey a lot about cash's ideals, since i don't know of any other musician doing things like he did back in the day. he seems like he was a good egg. favorites: basically everything. san quentin reprise and there'll be peace in the valley were the weakest imo, everything else was gold.

10/10

Awesome album. Better listened to in whole.

Walk the Line was my shit as a kid so it's really nice to hear the album from the man himself. To know the context behind the record and concert makes this a much more gratifying listen and this hits home as soon as it begins.

One of my all time favorites

First Time I heard this album it blew my mind. It is probably the best live album I have ever heard.

Short but exhilarating. Songs are pretty good but the scene is incredible. “I’d like to thank the warden and the guards for setting this up” (Crowd boos and jeers) “Awwww… you don’t really mean that”

favourite song - (there'll be) peace in the valley (ft. june carter cash) favourite lyric - at 8am, they let me out, i said "give me them things of mine" / they gave me a sneer and a guitar pick and a yellow dandelion / they're bound to get you cause they got a curfew / and you go to the starkville city jail / and you go to the starkville city jail cover - 1/10 what is that album overall - 5/5 actually really enjoyed it

I adore this. It means a lot to me that he would give a show to prisoners, and I love hearing him talk like a normal person between songs. I also love the songs. Clever lyrics, good instrumentation. I’m so glad I listened.

I don't pretend to know how the Randomizer works. I mean, yeah, to be completely literal, of course I do: it's RNG. But how it works in, like, a **cosmic** sense... **That's** what I'm completely in the dark about, 'coz I'm not sure why exactly my group would be given this album before AT FOLSOM PRISON. In fact, I'm not really sure why this album is here when FOLSOM PRISON is as well. Even looking at them from the outside, I couldn't really figure out the difference between them aside from the track listing and where they were recorded. I understand that's the appeal of its original release, at least from the label's perspective: "you liked the first time Johnny Cash played a prison, so here it is again!" As for this list, though, we already have AT FOLSOM PRISON for that, which also happens to be Cash's best **and** most famous album. His biopic ends with the album's recording, for goodness sake. So, what exactly does this bring to the table that the other one doesn't — again, aside from different songs? Not much. However, honestly, despite how much of a stink I made about it in the previous paragraph, I don't really care **that** much. It's still Cash playing to a prison audience, and it's incredibly clear how much he loves doing it. I mean, there's a reason there's **four** albums of Cash playing to prisons. And that's another defense of live albums being here, alongside all the others I made. Most live albums are here because they capture a sound that a band just can't replicate in the studio — The Who, Thin Lizzy, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and so on. But the ones where the artist has such a rapport with the audience... They're not as common — I can't even think of any others, besides B.B. King's own prison live album — but, oh, they're so great. I mean, I'unno who else would play the same song twice in a row just because the audience wanted them to. It's stuff I kinda didn't wanna talk about here, 'coz I still needa have some things to say about AT FOLSOM PRISON whenever my group gets it, but whatever. And, I mean, between those two albums, I'd still recommend you listen to that one first. You even get way more songs than this one does (only ten songs feels like the record company being like "Eh, they like the concept so much anyway, we don't hafta put too many on there"). Still, there's no reason why I wouldn't give this thing the same 5 I'd give AT FOLSOM PRISON. Johnny Cash never sounded better than when he was playing for inmates, and that's a fact.

While less known than the other Johnny Cash prison album, this is still a killer live record. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 5. This is my first of the Johnny Cash prison albums, and by a weird sort of extension, my first proper Johnny Cash album as well – the man simply exudes charisma, and this is the concert where the famous middle finger photo comes from. Just a fucking legend, really. This is a good setlist too – I haven’t heard most of these tracks, save for I Walk The Line. This is my first time hearing A Boy Named Sue. That’s a really fun song, and honestly, I feel like it’s aged well enough into today’s standards of LGBTQ+ related issues, gender equality, and how much more personal and attached names feel. There’s some fun stuff here, namely the story about him getting arrested for picking flowers and then writing a whole song about it. I haven’t heard the Folsom album; I know it’s more acclaimed, and I can’t wait to get there now, but I just really enjoyed this. I think Johnny Cash shines in an environment like this. Even if he seems “bored” at times, like some critics have written, he’s still engaged enough to put on a damn fine show. It’s a really tight 34 minutes, and the crowd brings a great energy that Johnny perfectly plays into. I’m being generous by not bumping it down to a 4 for the San Quentin reprise, but I can always just skip over it on a future relisten. I liked it a lot, and I think it’s worth giving a 5.

The best of a good bunch - a personal favourite album from a personally influential artist. Yeee-haw

I've never been a Country fan (I'm British, we don't do that kind of thing over here) ... but God damn, I like Johnny Cash.

100% absolutely deserves to be in this list. A classic and every track brilliant.

10

Absolutely amazing

Fantastic

Iconic is the best word I have to describe this album. This is such an awesome performance. The songs are great, the lineup featuring the Carter Family, Carl Perkins etc is fantastic. It’s obvious that Johnny Cash has a lot of empathy for the men stuck within the walls of San Quentin, and it’s on full display during this recording. Second best prison concert after The Lone Rangers.

I love Johnny Cash, but I'm a touch curious why it was this album and not At Folsom Prison. Though this has been a great listening experience. It's also great to hear his interactions with the prisoners.

Ordentliches Album von Johnny, das den Erfolg von Folsom wiederholt. Mit guten Performance von „I Walk The Line“ und „A Boy Named Sue“. Ordentlich zum Wiederhören aber nicht ganz die Originalität von Folsom. So hätte ich gewertet, wenn ich nicht die „Legacy Edition“ (Achtung anderer Amazon Link) gehört hätte. Diese lässt einen Eindruck in das gesamte Even zu, mit mehreren Countrystars seiner Zeit und unvergesslichen Live-Aufnahmen von z.B. „Ring of Fire“ … und diese Edition ist sensationell 😊.

Loved the music, loved the songs, loved the comedy.

Soooo gut

Short, simple, and to the point. Not really much to critique on this one. All you can say is, Johnny Cash

Johnny cash's best live album.

I feel Johnny Cash truly didn't have a care in the world, but the way he speaks to the hearts, thoughts and feelings of anyone he meets with an empathy and connection you'll rarely have. He manages to get that whole prison all riled up and laughing with his clever antics and adept lyrics.

This was even better than the other one

Fantastic record. Possibly only eclipsed by At Folsom Prison.

What a character. Loved it

Definitely in my top 5 live albums. The original LP is nowhere near as good as the Legacy version as it’s largely truncated and cuts out most of the interactions between Cash and his captive audience. The way he is able to hold them in the palm of his hand is incredible and their reaction when he has the audacity to play San Quentin again is brilliant. Old 97 is probably the best song about a train ever. I’ve listened to some of Cash’s studio albums and they don’t capture his energy and presence anything nearly as closely as his two live prison albums. Fantastic stuff.

Is it weird to like this more than At Folsom Prison? I don’t know how they’re ranked against each other. Anyway, I really loved this. Sort of surprisingly so. I don’t love live albums, but there’s great banter and great songs. Can’t ask for anything more.

I’ve actually never listened despite this being incredibly famous.

A legendary live album that captures the raw energy and emotional intensity of his performance at San Quentin. From the moment Cash steps on stage, the atmosphere is electric. The inmates’ reactions, ranging from enthusiastic applause to heartfelt laughter, add a unique layer of authenticity to the recording. Cash’s rapport with the audience is palpable, making the listener feel as if they are right there in the prison.

Helluva first album pick. I actually own this one on vinyl.

Very easy to listen to. Funny parts. Clean sounding. Good vibe with the inmates.

Realyl good moment of history almost, fun is Jonny

All time Classic!

Absolute classic of an album. A great snapshot into an iconic performance.

This list has made me a fan of Johnny Cash. I didn't feel too strongly about him one way or another beforehand. I like how I did get his first live prison album first and then his second one in order. But man these two albums are just so entertaining. Really enjoyed this. And again, I am not a fan of country music whatsoever. But this is just good stuff.

Probably Johnny Cash at his best. This does a great job at capturing Johnny Cash as a performer. Everything about this is chosen for the audiences enjoyment. Not just songs but the banter, the jokes and the stories he tells are all well chosen for his audience. 10/10 Pure showmanship