At San Quentin

Era o este disco o el de Folsom, la verdad son distintos, musicalmente creo que me gusta más Folsom pero no puedo negar que este concierto se siente mucho más cercano, crudo, real y quizá hasta en algunos puntos casi llegando a tocar la posibilidad de peligro. Toda la plática de Cash y sus comentarios, especialmente cuando se dirige a los custodios son maravillosos. Tocando muy bien como era lo normal, la grabación no es lo mejor pero ayuda quizá a la sensación de crudeza que uno quiere de un concierto en una prisión. A pesar de todo lo que me gusta tengo un par de puntos con el disco como tal, el primero es que hay un par de elecciones de canciones que no entiendo. Sobre todo tomando en cuenta el disco original que sacó, incluir DOS veces San Quentin creo no viene al caso y se come tiempo que podía usar en otra canción (entiendo el querer comunicar la emoción de los reos pidiendo un encore, pero la verdad creo es innecesario), también para nada siento viene al caso que cante Folsom Prison Blues... es como ir a cantar el himno del otro equipo al estadio. Eso es lo que lo detiene para mí de la quinta estrella, la versión original es tremendamente corta y tiene esos puntos que siento desaprovechados, ya cuando escucha uno la versión ultralarga remasterizada de dos horas no es un problema, pero la verdad no habría por qué verse obligado a escuchar esa versión tan larga y siento se tiene que tomar al disco como el album original que salió a la venta. A fin de cuentas es Johnny Cash y sigue siendo un excelente disco, ahí no hay pierde.

Great chapter of Johnny. Funny guy.

Yep

What a great time capsule. Talk about context. It would be hard to believe this was a real event if this didn’t exist. Still totally not music I’m interested in, but the package. Great package.

Enjoyed him speaking with the crowd and the set list was solid

Great mix of talent

Cool, raw Country Music. Nice gospel touch :)

Antes de comenzar un disclaimer: la versión que escuché de este disco fue la "Legacy Edition", de casi 1:50. Este disco es una joya, porque más que la música, me impresionó el tipo de concierto: dentro de una cárcel, y además televisado. Es como una pequeña cápsula de tiempo que refleja cómo eran ciertas cosas en esa época y lugar. Imagino que para los reos que estuvieron ahí ha de haber sido una experiencia única, y también un "break" de su rutina. Por último, me impresiona la entrega de "A boy named sue". Es una canción con un ritmo inusual y una letra que es más bien una pequeña fábula, y Johnny realiza una presentación impecable. Lo hace de una forma tan natural que pareciera que está contando una anécdota personal. Casi diría que me hubiera gustado estar ahí para verlo en persona, pero pensándolo bien, qué bueno que no :)

Tengo que ver ese DVD para ver todo lo que te transmite la grabación 'naked'. El tremendo respeto que le tienen los reos a Cash y su familia es algo que no cualquiera puede lograr. También tener los tamaños para ir a una prisión, escribir una canción sobre lo que sucede dentro y que no comience un motín ha de haber sido muy divertido. 'A boy named Sue' siempre es garantía.

Qué discazo se aventó Cash en San Quentin; de hecho el show está tan bueno que la versión extendida (con todo y Carl Perkins y las hermanas Carter) vale mucho la pena. Además, es un tipo que ya en el status de ícono musical (¡este es su dicso número 31!), se mete a una prisión a cantar para los reos incluyendo su rola acerca de lo mal que está la prisión.

Interested in the history of all these prison shows. Boy Named Sue is an all time classic

Some of the best songs of all time. Bummed I was never able to see him live.

Gute Liveaufnahmen

Odd to say, but a really "fun" album. He seems like such a nice guy. The music is entertaining.

Classic. Johnny Cash is so comforting and familiar. Reminds me of home.

I might have made a huge mistake partaking in this endeavor.

Interesant live-album, kunne faktisk ret godt lide det

4-4.5 stars

Such an experience. Love that Cash performed for inmates so often.

A darn good live album!

Not on the level of At Folsom, but I'll always dig Cash in front of inmates.

- Literal Jailhouse Rock

Песни, которые помогают не пасть духом

I mean, it’s Johnny cash. It’s good. He’s good at stuff. Buy named sue is funny.

Predobar live

Good album, great runtime, good crowd working, nice songs

Johnny is a legend. I’ve never heard of anyone else playing a prison let alone several. This isn’t Folsom but it’s great to hear him rile the inmates. This is the type of country I can get behind.

Live Show with June Carter and more

Johnny's got great banter in between songs, something missing from Folsom, if I remember right. He seems really at ease and funny. Songs are great too, but it's Cash; we knew that already. Favorite tracks: "Starkville County Jail", "Boy Named Sue", "Peace in the Valley"

Definitely a slow burn album. Some duds here and there, but it grew on me.

The performance here is clearly something magical. It's marred a bit by the artifice history made clear was there: Cash wasn't actually as close to the prisoners as he made himself out to be. But the bridging of the outside and inside worlds is important, as is the fact that he sang about tearing down the prison walls twice, back to back. The recording itself is marred by the short length, sequencing, and censorship. It's a testament to Cash and his prison concerts that the record is fine despite all that.

Pleasantly surprised.

AT SAN QUENTIN - Johnny Cash (1969) - 6/1001 I'm sorry, man, I just couldn't. Cash has so much better work (my mind immediately snaps to American 4 and Folsom Prison). Boy Named Sue can't save the album from being mid. I love Cash, but I really couldn't get into this one.

Parlant de surreprésentation... Je comprends pas le buzz avec Cash. J'ai ben de la misère avec le country dit plus classique. Mais bravo d'avoir enregistré devant des prisonniers et de maintenir une qualité sonore potable.

Prefer Folsom to this one. Felt weirdly disjointed and is known more for its vibe than the actual songs. A lot of crowd interaction that gets in the way of the songs. Didn’t listen to the legacy edition. Seems weird to include a legacy/expanded edition.

it was kinda cool, not a huge johnny cash fan but it was cool to see him go play in like a prison and stuff like that and some of the songs were pretty solid

This was fun, but I'm Johnny Cash-ed out, y'all.

Telling your venue to rot in hell is baller

If I didn’t know that “At Folsom Prison” existed, this might rate four stars for the idea. However, it really does pale in comparison to that album. It’s quite short in terms of running time, and also actual time playing songs, with a lot of time taken up by between-songs patter. And oddly, there is a repeat of the song “San Quentin” back to back. A full concert was done, so I am not sure why they couldn’t have plugged another track in there. Otherwise, there are a bunch of old country and one country gospel standards, and the surprise huge novelty hit “A Boy Named Sue”, apparently trotted out here for the first time. He apparently pulled out all the stops for this one, bringing along THE Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, the Carter Family, as well as wife June. So again, overall this is not bad, but given the number of glaring omissions from this list, we certainly did not need the inferior of the two Johnny Cash prison albums included on this list.

Normaal houd ik niet zo van live albums. Deze vond ik leuk. Grappige vent

Love the sound and songs - the chopped up performance / pacing seems a little odd. Keen to hear the extended version of the whole concert. Weird to be introduced to TVZ before this, a lot of the charm of this is very similar to the TVZ record I have. Super interesting from a politics perspective.

Just not for me.

I love that Johnny went around America to different underserved people and provided them with a musical performance. It really humanizes the Prison system and hopefully provided some positive experience to the incarcerated who saw him. Every song was ironic and on the nose. Recording quality wasn't great but it's good for sound equipment set up in a jail common room. I had a good time listening to it. 7/10

Aber sehr cool irgendwie

Несмотря на всю мою нелюбовь к кантри, я по какой-то непонятной причине не ненавижу этот жанр в исполнении Джони Кэша. Может быть дело в его голосе, может в харизме, что слышна в нем. Так или иначе меня не тянет к тому, чтобы скорее прекратить прослушивание кантри-альбома, когда это альбом Кэша

3/5

קאנטרי חביב לייב בכלא. סולידי 3/5

Really cool tbf

Yesterday I gave a-ha’s Hunting High and Low four stars. Today I am giving Johnny Cash’s At San Quentin three. This is why star ratings are not rankings of artists. Hunting High and Low is a funny little 1985 synthpop album made by three young Norwegians who had come to London with very little money and an enormous amount of ambition. It has mismatches, dated sounds and the odd throwaway, but it knows what it wants to be and, more often than not, achieves it beautifully. Johnny Cash is Johnny Cash. But At San Quentin has the particular misfortune of following one of the greatest live albums ever made. At Folsom Prison is, for me, the second-best live album ever recorded. It crackles with jeopardy. Cash, the Tennessee Three and the prisoners seem to be discovering the event together. The guitars are rough, the recording is rough, Cash scarcely appears to care whether his instrument is perfectly in tune, and the possibility that the whole thing might go somewhere unexpected is present almost constantly. Then it became enormously successful. Columbia had been nervous about the idea of recording Cash in a prison. He proved them wrong by making something extraordinary. The obvious lesson might have been: trust Johnny Cash. Instead, the lesson appears to have been: Johnny Cash albums recorded in prisons work. So sixteen months later we get San Quentin. Except now everyone knows what they are making. Columbia are recording it. Granada Television are filming a documentary. There are cameras and technicians around the stage. What had been an unlikely experiment is now an Event. And you can hear the difference. Cash sounds tired. Not insincere: that distinction matters enormously. His sympathy with prisoners feels genuine, as does his irritation with the television crew getting between him and his audience. But he sounds weary, and much more conscious of delivering a professional performance. The band has changed too. Luther Perkins had died the previous year, and his absence matters enormously. At Folsom his brutally simple guitar playing was almost part of the architecture: hard, repetitive, primitive in the best possible sense, leaving Cash all the room in the world. At San Quentin the band sounds more conventionally like a country touring band. At moments it edges towards the television-country world of Hee Haw: accomplished, entertaining and much less dangerous. “Wanted Man” never really catches fire. There is a guitar break where the snare doubles the lead figure which feels horribly over-emphatic. “I Walk the Line” sounds almost perfunctory. Cash stops to tune his guitar, which ought to be a completely meaningless observation except that Folsom felt like a place where stopping the momentum to worry about such things would have been inconceivable. Even the chatter works against it. This is an album barely longer than half an hour and yet somehow it rambles. Then “San Quentin” happens. Suddenly the electricity is there. Cash tells San Quentin that he hates every inch of it and the prisoners erupt. The sentiment itself is hardly revolutionary. Nobody imagines prisoners wandering around congratulating themselves on how enjoyable prison life is. What matters is the microphones. Everybody in that room knows the sentiment is leaving the room. Cash has taken something utterly commonplace inside the prison and said it into Columbia’s recording equipment and Granada’s television cameras. The prisoners’ roar of agreement is going to escape those walls and be heard by people outside. You cannot fake that response. Then Cash performs “San Quentin” again. This time the prisoners largely shut up and listen. They know the song now. They know they probably aren’t going to hear him perform it there again. The first performance is an explosion; the second feels almost like testimony. Keeping both on the album is probably its smartest decision. “A Boy Named Sue” has some of the same accidental vitality. Cash barely knows the song and Carl Perkins more or less jingles along underneath him while everyone discovers where it is going. I have never particularly loved the song — the censored profanity and comic violence have always struck me as danger with safety rails — but here there is at least genuine spontaneity. “Peace in the Valley” works beautifully in this particular room too. Its Protestant theology of redemption acquires enormous weight in a prison: society has judged these men, but human judgment is not necessarily the final judgment. Cash doesn’t have to pretend everyone there is innocent. The more interesting proposition is that guilt does not cancel humanity and grace is not reserved for respectable people. Then, inevitably, we finish with “Folsom Prison Blues”. Which is unfortunate, because it reminds you of At Folsom Prison. And underneath all of this is a queasier problem. I have little difficulty believing Cash’s motives. His concern for prisoners was real. The trouble lies with the machinery surrounding him. Columbia discovered that Johnny Cash + prison + prisoners responding to Johnny Cash made compelling and commercially successful entertainment. At Folsom they captured an extraordinary event. At San Quentin they attempted to reproduce it, enlarge it and document it from every angle. That creates a magnificent contradiction. The cameras and recording apparatus partly contribute to Cash sounding tired and irritated and make the whole enterprise feel less spontaneous. Yet precisely the same machinery allows the most authentic moment on the record — the prisoners erupting during “San Quentin” — to leave the prison. So yes, something can be authentic and exploitative at the same time. And an album can contain moments far greater than anything on Hunting High and Low while still deserving a lower rating. Because four stars does not mean “a-ha are better than Johnny Cash”. It means Hunting High and Low succeeds remarkably well at the peculiar thing it sets out to do. At San Quentin sets itself a much harder task. Whether Cash intended it or Columbia did, it inevitably asks us to believe that the extraordinary chemistry of Folsom can happen again. For most of these 36 minutes, it cannot. The setting has returned. The jeopardy hasn’t. That is why a-ha get four and Johnny Cash gets three. You can franchise the prison. You cannot franchise the lightning.

Historical album, can see the significance with crowd. Music is okay - dislike country

Not bad

Oh man, I’ll tell you I don’t like live albums, and then contradict it with exceptions. This is one of those. Johnny Cash is worth a deep dive into not only his music, but the man in black himself. This album is a reflection of who he was, in a time where playing a live concert in a notorious prison for the inmates would have shocked a lot of people, Cash strapped on his guitar and almost started a riot. So yes, a very big exception and can’t wait to deep dive into the man with you.

He's definitely got character. All the songs kind of sound the same just has a different story attached to each one.

the bleeps and live crowdwork really grinding my gears classic johnny cash though obligated to say fav song: walk the line

I gave At Folsom Prison a solid 4/5; set list was good, crowd wasn't too crazy, and it flowed well. That is not the case with this Cash prison album. The crowd was rowdy as fuck, but not in a good way (they kept interrupting nearly every song), Cash was pissed at the TV crew that the studio demanded be there (the famous middle finger photo of Cash comes from this performance; it was directed at the TV crew that was blocking his view of the audience), and the performance itself wasn't very crisp. I get why the album is on the list, it was an important music milestone for such a popular musical figure to play concerts for prisoners, but the Folsom Prison album is a much better listen. I really dig Cash and his championing of the common man and treating prisoners like human fucking beings, but this album was OK at best. 3/5

I generally dislike live albums and was initially disappointed that a live album would be on the 1001 albums. However, this live album very much makes sense. I'm not a Johnny Cash person, but I thought this was well done and I can respect the impact. 3.5

I like the tear down of San Quentin and the bigger message it gives about how he cared for prisoners.

something about prison inmates enjoying a live country music concert is kinda wholesome

⭐⭐⭐+ Den stora behållningen med det här albumet är inte i första hand låtarna utan konceptet att ge en konsert på ett fängelse samt energin mellan Cash och publiken. Det är skojfriskt och positivt och man blir glad att lyssna på det här albumet. Kul album som jag tycker och kommer komma tillbaka till men musikaliskt kanske inte så imponerande ger jag det en stark 3a. Bäst är Wrek of the old 97, I walk the line, San quentin, A boy named Sue

Another great Johnny cash album. His voice was distinct but not technically great, his playing was good but not out of this world, but his story telling and the ability to put it all together are fantastic and what makes him so iconic.

I keep saying this, but wow, I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I was not feeling positive and then he was so funny and irreverent throughout the whole thing. The crowd was on a knife's edge (pardon the pun) the entire time. I felt like they were fully with him, but could have turned on him just as quickly. What a performance!

Look, Johnny Cash will never be my cup of tea, but I have mad respect for him performing in jails and prisons.

Some foot stompers on this one. The final song where they sing one line from all the others goes to show how iconic Cash is as a songwriter. Also goes to show how similar each song is in instrumentation. No better place to preach to the crowd than a place where people can't leave.

Love the interactions with the prisoners. Not exactly hard-hitting, musically.

Not a fan of live albums in general but Johnny Cash is a legend.

Another Cash live prison album. Kind of pointless. Dull live versions, seems a pale rehash. 2.5 rounded up Heard before? Some Owned: No, 101/381 (26%) Will I get: No

i love johnny cash but this one didn’t grab me

I like some Johnny Cash. I know this is a classic album, but it's kinda boring. I think the same song, repeated twice in a row, adds to that. I get why it was done for the live audience, but it didn't work for me.

Grew up hearing lots of Johnny Cash, otherwise I would probably wouldn't like it.

Idk, not my style

Legendary outlaw country music. Amazing capture of the rousing prison audience. But this is not the type of country I put up daily. I also tried the extended edition but that did not really help. I totally understand the status but the music is bit too simple in my ears. I do love the American Recordings albums though ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great album

7/10

Folsom Prison was such a smash hit, they decided to just do it again but with a somewhat weaker setlist.

it's cool he played at prisons, but the "at folsom prison" album is far superior to this one. this album is primarily slower songs and banter. very interesting that of all his albums, two live ones make the cut (along with an "american" entry). if i had my druthers, i would remove this one and slot in "bitter tears: ballads of the american indian" - a collection of songs about the native american diaspora and addressing their harsh and unfair treatment by settlers. many radio stations refused to play it, controversial at the time.

Quite an absent listen from me so can't fully give a true opinion - very interesting album either way though! I wonder who of current music is most likely to record an album in prison...

I love Johnny Cash but I dont think this is his best prison album. "Boy Named Sue" will always be a classic, though, and I appreciate it on any album.

374/1089 this just really isn’t my music. i don’t relate to, or get particularly excited by, it. That said, it was a weirdly easy listen, his voice carries it HARD imo but the atmosphere was good enough for this to not be a drag 50/100

Not my favorite collection of Johnny Cash songs but I do love a live concert album and he really does have a one of a kind voice.

me apendejé y pensé que era el de folsom prison, que conozco bien y volví a escuchar para calificarlo, en vez de san quentin, que nunca he oido. no me deja dejarlo sin calificar ya habiéndolo calificado así que le dejo un 3 provisional en lo que lo escucho

Um dos maiores e mais influentes de todos os tempos.. Esse live é bem bacana, apesar de eu achar meio vazio avaliar discos ao vivo. Mesmo assim, que artista foi o Cash. A presença de palco, as interações divertidas com o público e a qualidade impecável.. Sinceramente? Melhor e maior que Elvis.

Interesting setting for live recording with background and talking between songs

At Folsom was way better

It's a vibe

This had a lot of the charm of the Folsom Prison album but it doesn't feel as essential. Again, he works the crowd in an appealing way and gives a good performance. I'm sure the prisoners enjoyed hearing San Quentin twice, but I'd have preferred some more variety. It's a pretty short record that feels inconsequential when compared with the original effort.

He plays into his folk hero mystique pretty well but the songs themselves are just ok

Nice, no other notes

Classic and almost timeless.

Haven’t listened to a country album in ages (not really my cup of tea), but I would say it was an interesting experience. The combination of country music played at a prison with the comedic breaks in between invokes a feeling of a more complete performance that feels quite authentic. Actually quite liked these segments. At first I didn’t feel the energy, but after the first half I started to get it more and more - but it was not as alluring as i thought it would be. However for me, the music itself didn’t really hit the nail on the head – seemed a little repetitive, and with the combination of the themes there was not one song that i liked fully. Still enjoyed it as a whole, was glad to listen to and experience it, but I wouldn’t say its something groundbreaking or something I would put on in my free time. Rating also +1 higher because of the history, certainly adds a whole another level to it.

good vibes in this, and added lore with it being performed in a prison

Meget snak. Folsom er bedre.

It unfortunately pales in comparison to ‘Folsom Prison’, but it’s enjoyable enough. Shorter and less intense than its predecessor. I did immediately put on ‘Folsom Prison’ when it ended to see if it was really as slight in comparison as I thought, and the difference had me bump this down to a three from a four. It’s hard to bottle lightning a second time. Cash is still funny between songs and the atmosphere is still fired up, but it simply suffers in the light of the *The* Prison Album.

Folsom Prison is better, but the band is on fire here.

Ist was fun listening to him talking and the songs were good to, but the sound of it was a little repetitive.

It's coo, this album is wayyyy before my time. I'm a gen z baby !

The songs were good, but I didn’t love all the talking in between. Made me feel like I was at the concert which was cool, but I wouldn’t add something like that to the playlist.

Another great live album. And a unique one at that. Enjoyed listening but Jonny cash’s music doesn’t do a lot for me.

did listen but like just three songs or less, not exactly my type of music

Country Nice ja Johnny cash e peak som vanligt

3. A fine record, nothing spectacular, but enjoyable throughout

^_____^

Never listened to a Johnny Cash record before, its a pretty fun introduction i think.

Curioso un directo en la cárcel. Buenos temitas, muy guay ver la interacción con el público, pero creo que es el primer disco de un directo que escucho, no me van mucho. Aún así ha sido un poco como viajar en el tiempo así que perfe.

Como show muy bueno, un concierto hecho a medida para su publico. Mucho carisma y mucho show. Pero yo no soy un preso de san quentin y no me hace falta que me repita la cancion improvisada 2 veces. Tampoco me hace falta 3 minutos de interludio con johnny cash afinando la guitarra como puede. Show bueno, disco no tanto. Habría que haberlo vivido en el momento.

In a vacuum I'd like this a lot but it's just an inferior version of At Folsom Prison. Same concept, same energy, worse set list, and worse execution.

The songs are nice enough but I do find myself enjoying the banter in-between even more. The duet was super nice. Favourites: I Walk The Line Darlin' Companion

Jakiś taki starszy gość skoczny taki miły do słuchania ale nie wysłuchuje sie w to co mówi to jest taki live show że słychać widownie w tle ranczo amerykańskie vibe 5/10

Right in between a 3 and 4. I wasn't really into it at the start of the album, but I felt like it ended strong with A Boy Named Sue and Folsom Prison Blues.

not a great fan of this type of music, although the lyrics were entertaining and made me smile. He certainly liked performing in prisons, maybe he liked a captive audience!

I could feel the energy at this concert just through the recording.

Classic Cash, solid record.

Ok ok not my vibe, songs also felt ok, can understand it being phenomenonal but not for me

Only knew Johnny Cash for Ring of Fire, but I was very interested in listening to more of his music. When I realised this album was performed live in a prison I was intrigued and decided to read more about him. Although I don't think the album was amazing, the back and forth between Cash and the audience was fun and it was piqued my interest about him and the rest of his catalogue.

3.5/5 Still not much my thing, but still better than I would've though it to be before starting this challenge. Not sad to be done with the Cash albums now, though.

5/10 I love Johnny Cash but I don't usually enjoy live performances unless I'm going out of my way to watch it. The songs he performs here are banger and I hope more Johnny Cash albums are in store for me.

It was fine.

Good

Pas hyper client, même avec une version live, sympatoche quand même

Not really my taste but the album felt like u were really at the concert

Favorite songs: Wreck of the Old 97, I Walk the Line, San Quentin, A Boy Named Sue, (There’ll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me), Folsom Prison Blues

(Sir, there are two Johnny Cash prison albums on the list.) About the same as At Folsom Prison, it's pretty short unless you listen to the complete concert version. Didn't need back to back San Quentins. Good version of Boy Named Sue.

Easy listen. Not necessarily a huge fan but a very listeneable and charming album. The fact that it’s live makes it more entertaining. 3/5

Not bad! Give it a three at least

I mean on concept alone this is exceptional. Johnny Cash?? Playing at a prison?? And he plays a song criticizing the prison?? And then he plays it a second time right afterwards?? I'm also a sucker for live albums where you can hear the audience getting super hype. Unfortunately none of the songs hit that hard for me outside of A Boy Named Sue.

This album existed. I had already heard Folsom prison blues and that’s great and this is more the same not in a bad way.

3⭐️/5 06.12.2026

I'm not a big fan of country music.

I think this album is ok but I don't really like country music and the sound so I'd give it 3 stars.

the individual songs didn't really stand out to me. they all kinda sounded the same but not bad! i liked it still. and an electric live performance to boot. it's a good time fave track: darlin' companion

This was the second Jonny Cash record live from a prison I found in this list. A bit redundant. Still, he is charming, reminiscent of simpler times when a big star as him could still be so close and personal with the fans during a live performance. The music is, of course, quite old. But the few words in between, the jokes, the feeling is what drove this live home to me.

Toto country sa celkom dá...

Loved the song about Starkville

Have in my collection. Not a regular on the table but nice to have.

Не знаю чи зайде, але цікаво. Мені не чужа його творчість. Трохи насторожує, що лайв, але розраджує що в тюрмі. Johnny молодець, вміє спілкуватися з зеками на расслабоні. Трохи дивно, що він притаскав до них свою жінку співати. Досить багато монологів, що цікаво для фенів, але тримати лайв на плеєрі не дуже, бо цілу дорогу з роботи додому можна слухати тільки його чьос. Плюс лайва: коли він співає "San Quetin I hate every inch of you..." публіка дуже задоволено вигукує і вибухає оплесками.

Not a fan of country but there are a couple of good tracks

Not my favorite Cash record. Just doesn't have the punch of Folsom Prison.

Cool as a cultural/ historical relic, but not much to write home about musically

7.5 / 10

This was okay. However, if you want to hear an awesome Johnny Cash live album get Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison. Outstanding!!!

Too much talking to listen to whilst working. Prefer other cash

Not for me

Quite enjoyed this for what it is. Must have been quite a n experience to play in the prisons. some classic Cash songs.

I usually don’t vibe well with country music, but this was a pretty decent album

I don't really like his music that much but I do respect the prison shows Will I listen to again: 2%

Country migth be my least favprite genre ever. Its either super boring or annoying. This album is the best country album Ive listened so far but im not a big fan. The little sketch were the best part. "A boy named sue" was funny as shit.

Oppfølgerne bruker som regel ikke å være like bra. Gjelder her også.

Blir litt underveldet da plata ikke er like bra som At Folsom. Cash har fått to femmere tidligere så her er jeg litt streng.

Is this the most extraordinary music ever? No. But boy, it's fun, and holy shit what an incredible environment. Once again, only Johnny "Big Dick" Cash could pull off a stunt like this. I don't think this hits quite as hard as Folsom, even though he's clearly more comfortable here with a little more practice. But regardless, he's effortlessly cool, pays respect to a lot of guys who never get it, and keeps it tight. Fave tracks: - Starkville City Jail - San Quentin - A Boy Named Sue (so not PC, but so fucking funny)

Muy guapo, pero no llega al 4

An interesting concept for the album but you probably had to be there….. or maybe not…..

3.5/5. Johnny Cash’s San Quentin performance is often overshadowed by its older sibling live-album “At Folsom Prison” and if you ask me, that’s because Folsom is the much better option of the two. That being said, the San Quentin performance is still a good record with a handful of great songs, whether that be “a boy named sue” or “Starkville city jail.” I also love how Cash opts to play the song San Quentin twice in a row, and how when he thanks the staff of the prison basically the entire audience boos.

Ett skönt album att lyssna på med bra musik och humor. Sen om man har vetskap om bakgrunden så blir det ännu bättre.

Hard to be critical of this album. In the 60s to play in a prison was both daring and reckless. Cash had the songs to back it up though. The only downside is the sound and for that reason alone it does not bear repeated listens

3.39

Beautiful voice of Johnny Cash. Good interaction with prison audience. I was impressed. However, songs sound all the same to me. I only want to highlight Ring of Fire, I knew this song already.

Not bad by any means, but compared to Folsom, it’s less of a fun and interesting album, but still a great performance and a decently enjoyable listen.

I'm not so sure you have to listen to more than one Johnny Cash at such and such a prison.

Where is Liza Maneli at Sing Sing?? What about Lionel Richie says HELLO to Attica?? Instead we have two live (from prison) albums by Johnny Cash. This sure isn't Godfather 2. This is the cash grab sequel that is bereft of the emotion that made the first record captivating. There is a bunch of catatonic rambling that sounds like it was recorded by 2009 Johnny rather than 1969. I don't know if there was a switch from uppers to downers, but the finished product suffered. This was mostly just horrible stand-up comedy, sprinkled with a collection of decent songs. If this was the one prison album, it would be a nice change of pace but alas, we have yet another confusing (and repetitive) stepping stone on our trek up music mountain. 2.5-3 HIGHLIGHTS: Johnny Cash is here again?? Jeez I think I'll head to the hole.

Was a good listen

I’m not quite sure why both live albums need to be on this list as I’m not sure what it offers above and beyond the Folsom prison album. It has the same vibe - the feeling of authenticity I get from Cash performing here, for the inmates, rather than the wider audience. ‘San Quentin’ here obviously has much more poignancy, reflecting on the futility of their incarceration and appeasement of the wider politics surrounding it. The banter between the songs is the most interesting bit about it I found.

удивительно, что в конце я даже влилась немного. тоже есть мысли переслушать. хорошо, что это именно лайв альбом, потому что джонни кэш явно очень многое вывозит на своей харизме и юморе. буду честна, над "the boy named sue" даже хихикнула пару раз

A nice country album, one the series of "in prison" concerts he did. I always wonder how do those happen. I really liked that he genuinly seems to enjoy its time there. Favorite songs: I walk to line ; San Quentin ; A boy named Sue ; Ring of Fire

Very easy listen. Only 30 minutes. Great southern style storytelling mixed with comedy targeted at the inmates. Unique album for sure.

Decent stand up routine. Found it jokes that a bunch of cons were losing their mind at a swear word. Think if if wasn't live I wouldn't have been that arsed though

Cash is great, and this album is good. Folsom Prison is better, but not by too much.

Ohhhh… looking forward to this. I love Johnny. Old and new. Well… I love the concept. I love Johnny’s attitude. But musically - this just isn’t that good an album. I can’t go higher than 3. Boolean rating: yes, yes I am glad I heard this before I died.

It started a bit slow, but picked right up after Darlin Companion. Not a whole lot to say, I was looking forward to it and seems I was right to do that. Had a good listen, got some evocative American frontier type stories and lyrics and it's over now. Thanks, Johnny Cash, see you in Folsam. High 3.

I really enjoyed Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, so listening to the follow up At Saint Quentin was a lot of fun. Cash’s fun banter and personality come through on this album as well, and I enjoyed the different setlist, but if comparing them I’d say At Folsom Prison is the better of the two.

Good listen. An icon.

Foolishly i listened to this back to back with At Folsom Prison, which is far superior (likely a 5 star if/when it crops up). There are some great versions of great songs, but it feels somehow lacking as a whole album.

Johnny Cash is always good. This is a very short album, and it has the same song repeated twice (San Quentin) which makes sense in terms of why they did it Live - but makes for a kind of strange listen. Not as good as Live at Folsom Prison but still a really solid live album.

It was nice. The album is made so you basically listen to the entire concert.

Raw live country built on twangy guitars, steady rhythms, and commanding, deep vocals unfolds with a rough, unfiltered edge. Listening feels like sitting in a loud hall where constant cheering and talking interrupt the flow of the songs. The performance is energetic and authentic, but the live atmosphere feels distracting and intrusive.

5 - AVERAGE

not a fan of country music. couldn’t finish listening to it. annoying cuz i didn’t find the original album.

Yaper final boss

Pretty sweet, can't imagine I'll go back but it's a good reminder of how good country can be despite current trends

Ok, I can understand this one could be close to the hearts of some of our fellow American friends, but let’s be honest - it has zero cultural significance outside the US. Nought, null, ноль, शून्य. And I’m not even sure about the US, it’s important only because “man performing prison songs at prison”; purely musically - is there anything outstanding? Still, can’t really say it’s a bad record per se. I mean, it’s ok.

Good but populist playing to his audience an anti establishment establishment figure.

Johnny Cash, inget att klaga på. Spännande med livekonsert från fängelser. Han spelade tydligen på Anstalten Österåker på 70-talet också. 3/5

Solid. Ekkert út á þetta að setja en ekkert framúrskarandi heldur.

It's the harsh reality of life in a capitalist society that puts some people in a position where they're forced to make choices that'll ultimately ruin their present and future. 1969 or 2026, you'll find plenty of people in similar situations. Some things never change. However, I find his whole fascination with prison aesthetics unsavory and honestly, he'd been way too empathetic to a group that deserves none. Murderers and other scum. You can be dying of thirst and hunger and still won't hurt a fellow human being. And as usual with those types, there's themes of religion and redemption... I don't believe in rehabilitation. They didn't give a chance to their victims, so why give them one? And to make songs about their "predicament"? As for the music itself, looking past the context of it all... I guess it's alright for a country album. His voice isn't jarring to the ears at lest.

I like it but for me it matters how I feel when I listen to music and I felt this wasn't what I needed for the mood I was in today, still, good rhythm and sound, I haven't heard much of Johnny Cash in a long time and it was great to listen to him again to remind me of music like this.

Not as good as Folsom Prison, but not bad in its own right.

***A good album

On 2026.04.04 - Samedi Saint Album authentique au sein de la prison, échanges avec les prisonniers entre les morceaux, résistance de Van Morison contre sa maison de disque. Audio très moyenne mais écoute rustique.

One of my early memories is listening to A Man Named Sue with my dad. He said, boy, aren’t you glad I didn’t name you Sue? I said, dad, that’s super unwoke of you.

a lot of live, okay

The stage banter is a lot of fun, but the performances really aren't anything to write home about. Also, apologies to Shel Silverstein, but "A Boy Named Sue" is fucking stupid.

My mans way feeling sassy on this one! Not nearly as good as Folsom, but just as entertaining. Listened to: shopping at target in downtown Denver. Favorite tracks: Wreck of the Old 97, San Quentin, A Boy Named Sue

i can imagine situations in which this slaps, however, i dont see myself in that situation at the moment. its generally not really my genre of music either, country, bur the show was fun and entertaining to listen to! so im giving a three!

Cool style

The clapping and reactions of the prisoners is so vivid. Im not crazy about the music but this is a beautiful album and the emotions are so clear.

Short and sweet, a lot of rambling between tracks

If I remember correctly Johnny Cash’s two prison albums – this and At Fulsom Prison – were the biggest selling country albums of all time until Garth Brooks turned up. Personally, I think Fulsom Prison is the better of the two, though San Quentin has plenty of fine moments. The first being the opening number, a version of Bob Dylan’s “Wanted Man” - which he’d only learnt from Dylan the previous week. It feels custom written for Cash, and it may well have been. The song written specifically for the show “San Quentin” is pretty good, though no “Fulsom Prison Blues”. The inmates are suitably enthusiastic and insist on an immediate repeat performance. In fact, several of the album’s highlights are Cash’s interactions with the audience, which, once the novelty wears of, doesn’t make for repeated spins. 7/10

I like the album, normally I’m not a fan of “live at” versions of songs when listening online; however I didn’t know much about Johnny Cash and so this felt good. Also the fact that it was performed at a prison felt kind of special. I like the music, not my favourite and not sure when I would really listen to this type of music again, maybe in the car. Overall wasn’t perfect but was good. 7/10.

Johnny Cash live albums are fun.

Standouts A Boy Named Sue

This is very charming and lively, but I never did get into live albums that much, even if it's an interesting locale.

not my style but it’s okay, it was interesting to hear

Jeg liker ideen og attituden. Men å faktisk høre på musikken? Det er helt greit. Har ingen sterke følelser for musikken til Cash. Litt slitsomt at censorene har skånet meg for stygge ord med en høy pipelyd slik at jeg ikke kan la være å registrere at Cash sa noe jeg ikke burde få høre.

It is the context and atmosphere that makes this album so poignant.

it was alright, nothing special, decent live album

Johnny hebben we door deze lijst al eerder in een gevangenis horen spelen. Dat vraagt om een vergelijking. De setting zorgt in beide gevallen voor een bijzondere sfeer. In dit geval wil je daar niet perse bij geweest zijn. Maar het werkt zelfs op een schijfje. Bij het optreden in San Quentin zat meneer iets meer op zijn praatstoel. Niet erg op locatie zo te horen. Het publiek waardeert het duidelijk. Op het schijfje pakt het optreden daardoor net iets minder dan het optreden in Folsom. De aanleiding voor Folsom bestond al. Voor San Quentin heeft Johnny snel een tekst op zijn standaard geluid uit zijn mouw geschut. Sterk natuurlijk, dat hij iets speciaals doet voor de plek waar hij optreedt. Toch ook een beetje lui. En dat blijkt ook als hij het nummer herhaalt. Niet aan het eind van de set om het nummer van de dag te benadrukken. Nee, echt direct achter elkaar. Ach, het is het ergste niet. Maar als je het gaat vergelijken, scoort At Folsom daarmee wel net iets beter.

The bones are the money

not my cup of tea

pretty good

Not my cup of tea.

It's a decent live outlaw country album. Cash's voice is a bit tired sounding in parts but it just adds to the overall live vibe of the record. The song selections are good but a couple I don't really care for. Folsom is a much better album, not sure this needed to be included in the 1001 list.

Cool, but we can definitely drop this if we have At Folsom Prison

6/10

As with a good portion of live albums, this one is lacking the visuals that generate the vibe of live performances. Hearing the audience helps this one a little.

Biisien puolesta en varmaankaan antaisi kahta tähteä enempää, mutta tällä livellä on niin käsinkoskesteltavan kova meno, että kyllä siitä irtoaa vielä yksi ylimääräkinenkin pinna.

Johnny Cash loved performing in prisons, despite never having served time. Cash's most iconic performance is considered to be his concert at Folsom Prison, released a year earlier. He hadn't originally planned to record this show, but an English crew filming a documentary about prison life came to film it. The label accepted the bonus, and they were right – thanks to the San Quentin concert, Cash was nominated for three Grammys, one of which he won. The cover photo of the artist became one of his signature images, but this album gave us (and the owners of bootleg merch stands) an even more iconic shot, where Johnny clearly expresses his feelings about the cameramen (https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SnapGalleries180311.jpg) blocking the prisoners' view of the stage. A fine record, one of the pillars of country music. But whether a list of essential albums really needs two Johnny Cash prison concerts is an open question.

BEEP yeah!

Loved Starkville City Jail, San Quentin, and A Boy Named Sue. the energy in this show is so enviable, I want to be there. Johnny was very funny and charming. from -4 to 4, I give a 2.

Pretty great! I like live at Folsom prison better but you cannot beat Johnny Cash live at a prison. It’s where he’s meant to perform.

Johnny Cash, inget att klaga på. Spännande med livekonsert från fängelser. Han spelade tydligen på Anstalten Österåker på 70-talet också.

Fun and easy to listen to, it shows Johnny's mastery and great character in this live album. Liked it!

Pretty good! not generally a fan of live albums but this one was nice. The parts where Cash was interacting with the crowd and the overall vibe of it made it a nice one-time listen

I didn't score this one individually, because it felt more like a complete piece from being live. Favourite song(s): Folsom Prison Blues, San Quentin (Reprise) Least favourite song(s): I Walk the Line (though still love it, but loved all the others more!) I loved that you really feel transported in this album. Mr Cash you are a legend :)

Extra point for the vibe and the personality. Not really my music

The talking annoyed me ngl lol

Not quite as good as Folsom Prison, but still a fun show.

I would have loved to see one of these prison concerts live, but also not be in prison.

entero choro juanito efectivo no me gusta el country, pero su agresividad lo hace más interesante me gustó el concepto y la movida de tocar en cárceles, no la conocía

maomeno no ma, not my cup of tea bolas gigantes por tocar en la carcel oesi

The Concert at Filsom Prison was an extraordinary album. Cash was coming off a drug addiction and the first attempt at a prison recording came to nothing because Cash was too "tired and emotional" to go on. The Folsom Concert had the atmosphere of one man at the end of his tether talking to an audience of men at the end of their tether. It was raw, it was emotional, it was intense. The recording revived his career and was a huge success. It's become legendary in the years since. This San Quentin album has the slight whiff of another trip to the well. It's all a bit showbiz: bringing on the guest stars; the engineered encore of "San Quentin"; bringing on a guard with a glass of water (a repeat of a Folsom Prison bit) so the audience can boo; the fact that it was being recorded for British television. It just seems a bit more commercial and contrived than Folsom. It's also not nearly as good. Folsom has the killer set list of: -Folsom Prison Blues (I shot a man in Reno, he sings and the crowd goes wild - Cocaine Blues, about a man who murders his girlfriend after taking cocaine - 25 Minutes to go, about a man going to the gallows - Long Black Veil, about a man who goes to the gallows to protect his lover's reputation - Send a Picture of Mother (I mean, to prisoners in jail) - Give my love to Rose - about a Manet out of prison who is killed before seeing his girlfriend - Green Green Grass of Home, about a man returning home after getting out of prison - Greystone Chapel, written by a prisoner sitting in the audience. It's more a shared communion than a Concert. San Quentin is entertainment. Even the song about Cash's arrest is presented as a comedy about picking flowers. And then there's the pretty execrable Boy Named Sue. It hasn't aged well. Folsom Prison literally changed lives - Not least amongst them Cash's own. San Quentin made a lot of money and landed Cash a network deal for his variety show. It's all right, but it's not his best.

Step below Live at Folsom Prison, but the live versions of San Quentin and A Boy Named Sue are all good. A lot of monologuing for a 30 minute album.

Good man or bad man he's definitely engaging. Heartf lt honky tonk with a wry smile.

Авторитет певца не позволяет поставить ему ниже 3, и всё же это достаточно одинаковые песни, скрашивают которые только длинные речи перед заключенными. Лучшая песня: (There`ll Be) Peace in the Valley

very clear sound for a live album. he did an extremely good job of catering for this specific audience. the atmosphere seemed so fun. I think bleeping swear words ruined parts of it and made it seem a little tacky. the songs were very simple country and yay America vibes which isn't my kind of music, but that aside it was fun. 7/10

Cool setting for a live performance. Not my usual listening so it was a nice change of pace. Enjoyed it and may listen again but wont be regular. 3/5

Ful kul k je live

The 99 minute Legacy album is better than the 33 minute vinyl release from 1969. You actually understand what they are talking about but the Legacy version is rambling, rehashes songs from the Folsom album, and is fine.

Another fun live recording from The Man in Black, though not as fresh feeling or as well recorded as Live in Folsom.

Probably a little more impactful for those (not me) with more context. But the songs are good!

Not my kind of music but loved the atmosphere. Highlight: Boy called Sue

Este va para mi amigo personal, Howard Cooper

"At San Quentin" — Johnny Cash, 1969 Для сайта Если "At Folsom Prison" был репетицией, то San Quentin — это уже настоящий взрыв. Кэш приехал в тюрьму Сан-Квентин второй раз, и атмосфера там была на грани бунта — буквально. Зал кипел так, что охранники нервничали, а Кэш подливал масла в огонь: он исполнил заглавный трек трижды подряд, потому что толпа требовала ещё. Это была не просто концертная запись — это был акт солидарности, где Человек в Чёрном смотрел в глаза системе и не моргал. Музыкально альбом сырее и злее Folsom'а. Bob Wootton на гитаре режет как бритва, June Carter Cash добавляет человеческое тепло в самые жёсткие моменты, а сам Джонни звучит как человек, которому нечего терять и именно поэтому можно говорить правду. "A Boy Named Sue" — написанная Шелом Сильверстайном буквально накануне концерта — стала неожиданным хитом и единственной песней Кэша, попавшей в топ-2 Billboard. Весь альбом — живое доказательство того, что настоящее искусство рождается не в студии с идеальной акустикой, а там, где что-то реально поставлено на кон.

70

Very fun album to listen too. Kinda feels like I'm immersed into the crowd in a way. They just sound like they're having such a great time

Aurally inoffensive.

No skips, every song is a classic. He's so charismatic and sassy. I love that he's performing in a prison, the crowd are off their nut and I don't blame them. There's the perfect amount of talking between songs and it adds so much to the set. He has beef with everyone at this show. This is the best way to listen to him, its raw and chaotic and you lose all that when its not live. It perfectly captures what made him so iconic. As an album this isn't going to be something i listen to a lot. It's more of a documented proof of character and the kind of thing you'd put on at an afters.

Jag gillar att albumet är live och publiken som skrattar åt vad han säger. Det verkar som om alla verkar ha en bra kväll och musiken är ganska bra och ger samma känsla som Elvis Presley och jag tycker att det är positivt. Det är också lungt och inte för skrikigt vilket är ett stort pluss. Älskar när han pratar och sedan går in på en låt!

So much character and charisma. Not something I would listen to all the time. But the man was a legend. Love that they kept all the banter in

It's cool to have this documented in full, historically interesting and great recording quality for an old live recording. Still not a big fan of country music, though. Too many songs sound soo similar to my ears. Fantastically performed, of course, a derserved entry in the list.

I love it, Johnny is such a great and funny person and the album is fantastic

It’s good, solid live Johnny Cash. Just what you’d expect.

Assuming At Folsom Prison is on this list, there is no reason to require one to listen to a fine, but secondary, Johnny Cash in prison record to fulfill this 1001 album sentence of life. Seek out the Freddy Fender at Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) where he actually did time or Buck Owens at the LBJ White House instead.

Can you imagine a recording artist, much less one as big as Johnny Cash, performing a concert in 2026 in a prison for the inmates and the folks watching (likely on YouTube or Netflix today) from the comforts of home? I’m sure this was a significant logistical feat in 1969; today the idea would be dead on arrival. Has our world-leading carceral system really grown that much worse since that time, or do we just look that much more dimly upon imprisoned convicts and their need for entertainment and other gestures of humanity? Anyway. This is a rollicking good time when the music plays and the inmates roar in appreciation, but man, there’s a lot of extended between-song filler, which makes it hard to get a feel for the set. And it’s weird that “San Quentin” is repeated back-to-back. Also, and maybe it’s a bad YouTube mix, but holy high-hats, Batman — those puppies are front and center in the mix on “Wreck of the Old 97.” Never heard them so prominent in a song.

Enjoyed it, not revelatory.

Good but too short.

I mean it was just live at folsom, I dunno which one was first

My kids pulled out one of my copies of this album the other day so I played it while it was out. Yes I own mul

Look, it's not something against Johnny Case, but I don't really see the point in this album. "At Folsom Prison" was so good and the set list this time around isn't as great. I'll say 2.5 rounded up to 3 for Johnny Cash, but this seems like an unnecessary live album.

I'm not the biggest live music as an album fan, but I definitely enjoyed that addition to this album. It felt less like a recorded live performance and more like a man in the back of a bar playing his heart out.

This album has great energy and you can feel the electricity of the prison crowd reacting to every line. Johnny Cash clearly commands the room, and the rebellious spirit of the performance is fun to hear. But since I’m not a big country fan, a lot of the songs just don’t do much for me musically even though I can appreciate the moment and the atmosphere.

Cash is great, live albums can be tough

First time I have listened. Very cool. The banter is very funny considering the audience.

очень спокойный такой вайбовый альбом мне оч понравилось но в плейлист не добавил бы

Ah, my final Johnny Cash album and my final album of the 1960’s. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve reviewed an album by The Man in Black, so I’m glad to see him today. Johnny Cash isn’t the type of music that I normally gravitate towards, but I appreciate his artistry and what his career did for music. I was talking to a friend of mine last night, discussing a documentary about the prison system in Alabama, so it’s apt that I would get this album today. Time for a trip down to San Quentin. I thought this live effort from Johnny Cash was fine. I’m picky about country music, and this album was a bit boring to me, but the live aspect of it was great. The sounds of the prisoners cheering created a really unique atmosphere for this album. I can't imagine what it would have been like to perform for a bunch of incarcerated men, and trying to give them an energetic performance without blowing the lid off the place and causing a riot. How crazy is it that the only choice these men were probably able to make that day was which song they wanted to hear Johnny Cash play? I liked Johnny’s gentle ribbing of the guards, and his banter made this performance really unique. Of particular interest to me was Johnny talking about how he didn’t like being told what to sing and where to stand. I think it goes to show that record executives and other people on the business side of music have been shit heads for quite a while, sticking their noses into decisions that should be left up to the artists. When it comes to the actual music on this album, I wasn’t blown away, but I didn’t hate it either. “I Walk the Line” and “A Boy Named Sue” are classics, and it was great to hear them in this live setting, especially as Johnny chuckled his way through “A Boy Named Sue.” The song that stood out to me the most though was “Wreck of the Old 97.” The guitar work was fantastic, and I loved how the percussion sounded like a train chugging along. I feel like the live aspect took away some of the emotional weight of the more serious songs on this album, but on “Wreck of the Old 97,” that weight was still there. While this album may not be up to my personal tastes, I think it’s an important piece of music and pop culture history. Johnny Cash has become like a folk figure of sorts, and this album shows just why that is.

Favourite Songs: Starkville City Jail San Quentin A Boy Named Sue

This is fine but I am just not a huge fan of a live album

vibes were immaculate and the audience were immaculate-er.

Strange to think that gigs like this used to be played in prisons. Can’t imagine it happening now.

Pretty cool very interesting

The booing at the guards got me

Live albums don't really do it for me in general but this one is fun I have to say.

i love a good live album! johnny cash is a silly guy... i don't know if it's just the version i listened to but the censor bleeps took me out of it LOL. johnny's music has never quite been my thing and he seems very tired and frustrated in this one which, like, fair. a couple nice ones here of course

I love Johnny Cash and can respect his playing shoes for inmates but I’m not crazy about the recording and set here.

Was pretty good. 3.5

Songs are great but not a fan of live albums.

This isn’t something that I would put on just to listen to, I mean it’s ok as a live album, but it really feels more like an important historical document. Totally understand why its on the list, glad to have listened to it,

Not as good as Folsom but worth a listen

Very nice, upbeat. Singer has a nice, slightly old, sense of humour. Country isn’t exactly my thing, though.

Saved 4/31. His voice is incredible and I love the concept but an entire album hearing applause was too much. It took me out of the songs.

"so what do you want to hear?" A critique of 1001 Albums as a whole: I understood the significance of a johnny cash prison album from the other one I heard two weeks ago. I did not need to listen to two before I died.

I like his voice and the themes of the songs. Censoring swearing is so corny

everything kind of sounded the same, but country's not bad!

This is the first time I've listened to this kind of old-fashioned music, and it's quite positive and interesting in places. The live performance itself is memorable for the interaction with the audience. Rate 5/10

Great with the crowd

Iconic performance! But - as always - I rate it down just because it is a live album. 2,5

Lots of fun! I love how Johnny's character comes through in the recordings.

Don't like this style of country particularly. Very samey. Much prefer Johnny Cash latter output. That being said, it's a unique album and interesting listen between songs.

This is alright, though I definitely feel like I didn't need two prison-based live albums from the same artist. Plenty of the songs are good. The raucous energy of the crowd adds something. But then it gets kind of annoying having all the cheers after every bad thing Cash sings about their prison in "San Quentin". The in-between banter is mildly fun at best, and cringe-worthy at worst. "Huh, the record producers want me to stand in a particular spot, but I do what I want man" seems like a cheap way to get a cheer from your (literally) captive audience. It's a good listen overall, but not more than that. 3*

Johnny Cash’s singing and lyrics are amazing - the guitar on this album was just very boring. Like taking a Casio and pressing the preset beat and doing a full album to it. He’s witty and fun and great - and all the songs probably sound twice as good when recorded in a studio. For some this version might be their favorite! But not as much for me.

That was wild! This is the Johnny Cash I think of when I hear his name. Not sure I've heard another live album or an actual live performance, for that matter, where the same song was played twice in succession! I guess if the inmates are yelling at you to play the song again, you play the song again?

lots of talking but the songs on their own are good cash was a funny guy

Johnny Cash was such a good performer! A good album, but I question why there needed to be two of his prison series on this list when the man had something like 70 albums Fav songs: I Walk the Line

Nice change, interesting concept of an musician performing at a jail. Don't think that happens any more

Another album I would never, ever have listened to, if not for undertaking this listen of the 1001 albums. I probably won't reach for it again, but it was really interesting to listen to. I enjoyed the stories and camaraderie.

The prisoners are the stars of the show.

Definitely a good glimpse into why Johnny Cash is so revered. The songs can be a little same-y but the performances and the rapport with the audience and band are great.

Johnny Cash is on fire in this album and is quick with a joke. The music sounds good and his voice as well. I just wish I was more into country as a genre, it’s not really my favourite. And to whatever producer or engineer that bleeped out his swearing: f*ck you

It was a really fun and simple album, i love his style of storytelling. Now its not an album with songs i’d listen to on the regular, but they are for sure great songs

This album is not my usual type of music, and thought I would not like it when I heard the beginning of the first song. However, I really enjoyed the first song, Wanted Man, which really changed my perception of the album as a whole. I disliked the second song, Wreck of the Old 97, but I think that’s because it’s a more fast paced song as compared to Wanted Man. The third song, I Walk the Line, was better than the second one, but because of the fast pace of the song, I again did not like it was much as the first. The fourth song, Darlin Companion, was a duet with his wife, and I really enjoyed it. The two voiced meshed together beautifully and I really liked the calmness of the song. The fifth song, Starkville City Jail, was very good as well. The little background story Johnny Cash told beforehand was funny. I did not like the sixth song, San Quentin, was much, but to me, it seemed more of a monologue to appeal to the audience, and less of a song, similarly with San Quentin (Reprise), the seventh song. The eight song, A Boy Named Sue, was again, not a song I enjoyed very much. Majority of the songs seemed to be used as storytelling devices, which is something I do not particularly enjoy, which is probably the main reason why this album is not up my ally. The ninth song, (There'll be) Peace in the Valley, was a song I did enjoy. It was more musical than the other songs that I did not like, and I really liked the beautiful background vocals. Finally, the last song, Folsom Prison Blues was upbeat and fast paced, but surprisingly, I enjoyed it. It was a good song to end the album with. Overall, the genre and style of music was not to my taste, but I was still able to appreciate the album, especially after learning about the backstory and creation of it.

its just ok

Fav: A boy named Sue Very entertaining and visual album, felt like you were in the jail stomping along with him

Groundbreaking and a good storyteller, but better albums exists