At San Quentin

***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.

It gets u pumpin in a 60s type of way. it like a Scottish dance in a circle at a pub. But its american lol. its like elvis i mean its 60s music. Wanted man was cute it was like a really slowed down mamma mia. Wreck of the old 97 is ironic cus this was released in 69 but i see a lot of ny references and this song give wild west. very cowboy not so much country. It like tom and jerry raising animation with their legs moving circular at super speed. This album is so interesting on spotify cus its him singing live but its like actual live like he seways into the new songs. and when those songs plays the song in spotify plays as well. like wreck of the old 97 sewayed to walk the line so perfectly. Its like the entire concert was recorded and cut pefectly when songs started idk how to explain it. Walk the line is a bit of a short song. so interesting how it just cuts perfectly. youd have to listen to it to understand. Darlin companion is the longest song 7 minutes but johnny has a lot of talking cus this is a live recording. Darlin companion also has a woman singing along with him. This song makes you wanna kick your feet. Its a song that plays when two youngsters in the 50s see each other in the street and cant stop looking at each other. when one walks fast the other they both look back. Idk how to feel about this album it really is a 60s album and its live i dont typically like live recorded albums. Most of darlin companion is him talking lol he makes a lot of jokes with the audience. Not only does spotify segway into his songs but he does too. Starkville City Jail is the next song. I really dont think ill remember this album lol. This song i like tho oooo. fun. it talks about a wild flower child bye, its a combination of singing and talking singing which i dont hate. This is interesting. This song might go into my vives playlist. San queuentin plays next. this is more like a song id listen too. its grooby it makes me wanna move in a good way. its like giving me like san quentin i hate every inch of u. ooo what a line crowd went crazy. idk who that is but ill take it as romantic. i like this song a lot. could be one of my favorites.San may you tot and burn in hell damn this man got something against his person. I REALLY like this song. the lyrics are so interesting and you can tell he means them. oh i searched it up its a prison. omg i think hes performing at the actual prison. no wonder it said prison in the song lol. interesting so the men shouting at san quentin rot in hell is about the prison theyre in. omg so the song Starkville city jail is about him. hes the child that went to prison from picking flowers. he spent nights there lol, bro hates the prison from just a few day damn. Maybe he wrote this album for the prisoners cus he realized the disgustingness they live in. He performs san quentin again btw and its called reprise so ig he performed it again cus the prisoners loved it. A boy named sue is a song about himself being names sue and he hated it, talks about hi being bullied. he grew up mean and was shameful. he wanted to kill his dad that gave him that awful name. idk if this is all johnny tho cus i mean his name is johnny. he saw his dad at a bar i think and he told him his name is sue and hes gonna die. he hit him. his dad cut off a piece of sues ear wtf. Alright so its not an actual story lol. good storytelling. This was a massive hit im pretty sure its cus of the lyrics it hit number 2 on billboard 100. I dont like it that much. peace in the valley has nice guitar oooooo i like it a lot. its like a church song i mean it kinda is. but the guitar is so nice its like cleaning your ears. i might add this to my playlist aswell. Its like a song you play while the casket in a funeral is being carried to its grave. Folsom prison blues plays last and its a seriously upbeat song. its like your ruining with the song. He says not everyone was able to get into the room where he was at in the prison i feel bad for those prisoners. This song talks about espcaing the prison i think. This is like a horse run that humans do. thats what the song feels like. lol i didnt stop the album and orange blossom special played. Why do i like that song more than this entire album haha. Imma add that one to my playlist. they shouldve recommended that album instead. oooo its a nice song the harmonica is pretty.

En redkih live albumov, k mi je smiselno, da so kle gor. Njegov banter vmes in pogovarjanje z zaporniki je top, izbira komadov je dbest (Odpre z "Wanted Man", ha! Omg, pozabila sem, da je June bla zraven! Sm glih pri "Darlin' Companion" + kok ma ona primeren glas za country!). "I Walk the Line" je bil itak amazing (prejšnji komad glih). Škoda edin, da mi cenzurira k Cash preklinja. (Ok, njegov banter je res top notch, the prisoners love it.) "A Boy Named Sue" je odličen. Pa zaključek s "Folsom Prison Blues", uh. I loved it.

Not really my style Feels like farm music and each song sounds the same

7/10

Day 6 I don’t listen to live records often enough, so At San Quentin by Johnny Cash has been on my list for a long time. I like Johnny Cash, but I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. It’s just fun. Cash is charming as hell and genuinely funny. I actually laughed out loud a few times, which I don’t think has ever happened to me while listening to music. The whole thing feels alive in a way studio albums sometimes don’t. I’d probably say 3.5, but I’ll round it up to 4 because Cash is just that charming. Wine pairing? Honestly, skip the wine. This calls for a whiskey. Something classic like a bourbon or Tennessee whiskey fits perfectly with the vibe. Food pairing? Icelandic lamb soup feels spot on. Vinyl? Yeah, I’d want this on vinyl. Overall 4 out of 5.

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

Country, 41 eme album =>1/5 Ouf, c’est le dernier album de J. Cash.

Top notch. No really

such a cool moment in history

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

Very good songs. Too much talking.

I've never listened to this album, but it is a fantastic album that has so much personality and humanity in it. I found my self smiling while listening to this on my drive to campus. The way Johnny Cash talks reminds me of how my grandpa talks and makes jokes. Truly a wonderful album that just makes you happy as you listen to it.

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!

This is very fun, I wouldve loved to be at this performance, it's how live performances should be. Lots of filler, but I liked the songs. nothing insane. If you dont like the music you can listen to the comedy show

Eh it was a once and done album, the balls of Johnny cash cannot be understated.

Cool style

Old Jonny Cash is amazing. old Johnny Cash and singing for and talking to convicts is another level. He knew his crowd, captive as it was, and played to them. Doing a song about getting arrested was great, but to follow it up with San Quintin IN San Quintin (twice!) is the stuff of legends. I recommend following this up with At Folsom Prison. Just as good if not better.

Great vibe, live performance adds to the feeling.

The whole album has a lively vibe to it! I mean, it takes you that era seamlessly.

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.

Really enjoyed the interaction with the audience and guards. Not a big fan of country - music was fine - but the way this album captured a moment in history is very cool

Dont like country music.

muy de epoca. muy radio aspen. no lo escucharia

Siento que el country no está diseñado para el oído habitual de un centroamericano/sudamericano. 3/10

Another great one. I prefer this over Folsom because it’s brighter. 3 5 stars in a row oh boy

the hobbit ch 6

Short and sweet, a lot of rambling between tracks

I'm usually not a country person but who could ever dislike Johnny Cash! Nobody does it like him anymore. He oozes charm and charisma on this live record.

First album I ever bought. Cash at his best.

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

Haven’t listened to this in a long time- but this reminds me of Dad! I love this more as a historical artifact, I love the crowd interactions and the bit where Johnny jokes about the tin cup of water. This also has some great classic songs on here- but I did find the song selection a bit depressing/low energy. Maybe that makes sense in the setting though.

Love it. Such a great album, and also just nostalgic since dad loved this (& the Folsom prison album). Listened to the longer version that included more songs and the Carter family. Such good crowd banter, hearing the crown reaction to the San Quentin song. Kinda nuts how many tracks he is like “I just wrote this yesterday”

clásico yankee, nice 👍🏽

Top stuff

Like my dad always said, “he can’t really sing, but he sure does have charisma!”

If you only own Cash record…

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.

No me gustan los álbumes grabados en vivo sjsjsjs 1/5

базированое кантри

A little old

Such a fun live album. Cash’s charisma and wit screams through onto the record and the atmosphere sounds electric. The performance is charming, energetic and upbeat, all the ingredients needed for Cash at his best.

Standouts A Boy Named Sue

Listened in the car. While I did enjoy this album quite a bit, there's only so much Johnny Cash I can handle at a time.

This website has 1 more chance before I give up I'm ngl. Too much garbage.

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

Classic live album...

Besondere Atmosphäre

esperaba mas

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

Mucha guitarra irritante

Really enjoyable album which isn't as good as "From Folsom Prison" in my opinion, that's why it only got 4 stars. Still a great album, if a little short

Great live album. Lots of classics.

Johnny Cash At San Quentin captures a country legend at the height of his powers, returning to a prison setting for another raw, electrifying live performance. Compared to At Folsom Prison, this album feels less stark and more reflective—offering a clearer window into where Cash stood personally and artistically at that moment in his life. The original release is a tight, 10-track set running just over 37 minutes—focused, impactful, and exactly how audiences first experienced it. If that’s all you have time for, it absolutely holds up on its own. But the Legacy Edition, stretching past an hour and a half, opens things up into something far more expansive. With opening sets from Carl Perkins, The Statler Brothers, and The Carter Family, it presents the full scope of the event—looser, less polished, but richer for it. If the original album feels like a perfectly framed photograph of Cash alone, the Legacy Edition is a wide, lived-in family portrait—full of texture, context, and life beyond the spotlight.

Delightful Cash album. I really enjoyed the back and forth with the audience as well as the music.

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.

"I'm here to do what you want me to and what I wanna do" Dette oppsummerer godt utstrålingen til At San Quentin. Man hører sjeldent så entusiastiske publikum som på fengselsplatene til Johnny Cash, og han gir virkelig alt. Dessuten er han utrolig vittig og har publikumet helt på sitt lag, og publikum vet jo at han er på deres lag også. Det er Johnny Cash sin peak som artist helt fram til American-skivene, men det er også et av tidenes konsertalbum. Jeg har hørt LEgacy-utgaven mange ganger og det er også opptredener av Carl Perkins, Statler Brothers og flere, og de er proffe og koser seg på scenen, men Johnny Cash utstråler en helt annen trygghet. Utvalget låter som er på originalalbumet, de 10 (hvor 2 av dem er "San Quentin) gir egentlig et ganske godt bilde av hvordan hele konserten var. Det går frysninger nedover ryggen på meg når riffet på "Wanted Man" starter, og igjen på "San Quentin" 1 og 2. Å spille så langt mot broa på gitaren er jeg ganske sikker på at jeg startet med pga denne plata. Det låter så mektig. Og energien på "Wreck of the Old 97" og "Folsom Prison Blues". Uansett hvor glad jeg er i John Sebastian og Lovin' Spoonful så er og blir "Darlin' Companion" en Johnny og June-låt. Cash har hele karrieren hatt en evne til å ta låter og gjøre de helt sine egne, akkurat som Elvis, og det helt fram til American-platene. Johnny Cash oppsummerte livsprosjektet sitt fint med låta "Man in Black": Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back Up front there ought to be a man in black Det står seg.

Denne skiva er nesten like mye prat som musikk, og godt er det! Johnny er kul ass

Powerful album. Him being in the prison is and talking to the prisoners is powerful stuff.

Super!

this music is so fascinating to me cus i cant believe people REALLY fw it heavy. i don’t even mean it in a bad way its just such a different world i’ve heard of i walk the line before but never listened to it so i was expecting it to be better than it is i dont hate this as much as ive hated the other albums but like its just. extremely boring and a nothingburger

Great live album. Singing witty songs to a roaring crowd in a prison is genius. The songs are really good, and some of the best country ever. While they do kind of sound the same, they're still great to listen to.

An awesome look into who Johnny Cash was as a person. A completely enthralling listen and if the tunes weren’t so dated today would be a 5.

Love the rawness. Some of the music is a little boring though for me personally. What saves it is his authenticity. 3.5🌟

Really enjoyed it. Like with At Folsom Prison, I really loved the energy and his interactions with the crowd. There's a bit where he stumbles over one of the lines because he's caught off guard by the response to the previous line - I think it's a great moment. Also just really like his voice and would like the songs on their own, but the energy of the crowd improves the experience. Fav song: San Quentin Least fav: Wreck of the Old 97

Pretty iconic with some good tunes in there. Like his crowd work. Better than Folsom prison where there is announcements halfway through. Specific rating - 4.3 Fav song - a boy named sue Least fav - San Quentin (reprise)

I read the director, Michael Darlow's, account of filming the documentary- said he traded front row seats to the prisons six biggest gang leaders in return for their guarantee that none of the film crew would be attacked. I love that San Quentin is on it twice- Darlow says Cash wanted to make sure there was a clear recording of it, both for the film and for the album, but I chose to believe the reaction was just so good that he had to play it again immediately. Favourite song: San Quentin (reprise) Least: Wreck of the Old '97

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

it was alright, nothing special, decent live album

This sounded very close to a SNL skit. Why can't he tune a guitar? Why does every song sound the same? I just don't get it. I do not want to listen to this again.

OK, dat andere album kwam eerder uit, maar dit is natuurlijk dé bajesplaat van Johnny Cash. Misschien is er in de hele popgeschiedenis geen ander album dat zó goed de sfeer van een live-optreden vastlegt. De losse spielerei van Cash (hij kondigt een nummer aan, en besluit dan toch wat anders te gaan spelen), het geïmproviseerde gekeuvel tussendoor, waarbij hij feilloos aanvoelt dat het bij deze zaal allemaal wel wat grover mag. En bij succes gewoon een nummer nóg een keer spelen, wat kan jou het ook spelen. Geniaal om een nummer over die gevangenis te maken natuurlijk. En de hilarische hit Boy named Sue, waarbij ze de tent helemaal afbreken. Geheel terzijde: Jan Rot heeft er een leuke vertaling van gemaakt, maar helemaal luisterwaardig is de versie van Kommil Foo ('Man genaamd Marianne'), waar ze aan het eind de clou nog een fantastische absurdistische twist hebben gegeven.

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.

We hebben al eerder een ander live-album gekregen van Johnny Cash en daar refereerde ik al aan dit album. Want dit album is iconisch. Het zijn stuk voor stuk bekende tracks. Maar dan wel met vrij veel geouwehoer tussendoor, waardoor het aandeel muziek op dit schijfje misschien een beetje karig is. Al komt in dit geval de wisselwerking van Johnny Cash met zijn publiek wel perfect tot uiting, wat voor een groot deel ook weer de charme is. Ik zou bijna willen zeggen dat het te snel voorbij is. Al is het als album an sich eigenlijk niet zo goed, door dat vele geouwehoer en 2x achter elkaar hetzelfde nummer, toch ga ik dit 4 sterren geven.

This has got to be one of the best love albums of all time. Better than Folsom imo

A rowdy and highly entertaining live record.

In fact, it all reminds me a lot of a balalaika player’s performance at a drunken village wedding. It’s completely baffling why anyone outside his village would find this master of three chords and corny jokes the least bit interesting.

First of all, the only way to listen to this is the Legacy Edition, because the original album is a travesty. When so many songs are left out of the original album, why put "San Quentin" on there twice? The album is also enhanced greatly by the missed material. The accompanying acts are terrific with Carl Perkins ripping through "Blue Suede Shows" and "Restless," the Statler Brothers with an engaging rendition of "Flowers on the Wall" and the Carter Family delivering lively versions of "The Last Thing On My Mind" and "Wildwood Flower," and June Carter telling the prisoners "this is as sexy as I'm going to get." The missing Johnny Cash material is also often better than what was on the original album. We get the full version of "Folsom Prison Blues," June Carter's presence livens up "Jackson" and the guest appearances later are a boost to Johnny, who was a bit worn down for this one. Getting the concert uninterrupted means we get more of Johnny's engagement with the audience, which adds just as much as the music. It is the lesser of the two "Johnny Cash at [...] Prison" albums, but the Legacy Edition turns a mediocre album into a full-fledged experience that is worth your time.

He keeps performing at prisons? A couple of songs might reach higher heights than Folsom. Is this gimmicky? Or awesome?

The bones are the money

not my cup of tea

hani vor me johr mol glost nochdemi s theater rigiblick über ihn gseh han. glaub nonie sone rowdy publikum gseh. uuultra geil. ersti zwei songs sind sehr ähnlich aber super geil d band folgt ihm afoch. walk the line halt riese banger. sini asproche sind au super er isch huere gern döt und singt für d insasse? ja san quentin isch de grund wiso dases das album git. wie er uf d criwd reaktion wartet sooo geil. well er will dass sie sin song ghöred woner für sie gschriebe het. soo geil. "if any of the guards are still speaking to me can i have a glass of water?" wie geil würkli. ich check nöd wo er politisch gstande isch. und d backgroundgsäng bi san quentin sind au huere cool. boy named sue au super song. er het so sass irgendwie. ich mues e füfi geh. wie er mit de crowd interagiert isch sooo cool. und d songs sind ultra cool d band reagiert konstant.

ommggg geiiiil und leider muss ich halt ah nickelback denke BRO HENDS GAD ZENSIERT ich hasse amis jöö wie alli freud hend wreck of the old 97 macht soo e gueti stimmig soooo en coole ES JSCH SOOO HERZIG starkville city jail isch soo funny woaaah d reaktion bi san quentin isch sooo cool und de song ah sich isch au sehr cool hahahaha boy named sue hueree funny peace in the valley isch auu schön!! au de hindergrundgsang hett das würkli nöd denkt aber ich glaub es isch es 5i. d lieder findi au sehr schön aber wär nur es 4i. abrr die ganzi atmosphäre und sis gschwätz und d reaktion vode lüt hend mi so berüehrt

Not the biggest JC fan, but this one was cool. Great stage banter.

Abolish All Prisons. Johnny you really managed to give them a show, and hell I was given a show too! This album is my first Johnny Cash album and although I know that this is his type of music, I found it very endearing to hear especially maybe because the crowd and audience is so palpable that the songs kinda take on this layered meaning for not just Johnny but all those imprisoned and me the one listening to this all almost sixty years later. Cash's songs are very much exposes about the society he finds around him, putting himself the shoes of boys named sue or a San Quentin prisoner, but he speaks to some sort of humility that is ultimately at the heart of country music. This is country music, this is music that is actually speaking for something, not for everyone of course as not everyone can relate or be in these same positions, but it is at least trying to relate to some sort of common occurrence of the law, government, business getting its legs up on the backs of people. These songs heard echoing then through a buildings who sole purpose is to subjugate, punish, and traumatize, is nothing more then what's right. The second playing of San Quentin has this tamper in Johnny Cash's playing where he's playing it for them, and he's playing it so they can wholeheartedly with their bodies and mind say this place is the deepest pits of hell, and we deserve nothing but scorn and hells wrath for creating this abomination. The songs are simple, but the impact lasts a lifetime.

I thought this prison recording was fine, but not that memorable. His banter with the audience was pretty annoying/tone deaf, there were a lot of hecklers, and he played the same uninteresting San Quentin song twice (which I see why but doesn't make sense as an album experience). When he thanked the warden and the guards at the end I feel like he showed his hand - playing for publicity and notoriety rather than to actually connect with the audience. Some of the songs were good but overall found this performance to be uninspired and fake. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Cool

Honestly some of the most plain southern music I’ve heard. His voice isn’t even that good and I frankly don’t understand why Johnny Cash was such a famous artist. His music sounds quite repetitive and uninspired. The lyrics are boring and nothing throughout was a song I’d want to listen to again. The instrumentals were alright and some were interesting but just not for me.

Solid album! Johnny Cash might be best live. I love that he played "San Quentin" (the song) twice, back to back, LOL.

Incredible.

Always happy to get a Johnny Cash prison album. I love the easy formality with the audience (aww you don't really mean that). Crazy to imagine this happening nowadays.

pretty good

Man. What a heavy hitter of an album. This one really proves that complexity doesn't make something better. The simplicity here isn't really anything bad. Cash kills it. The band kills it. Hell, even the audience kills it. Great atmosphere. Great sound. Great songs.

Kinda funny having so many live albums lately. This is a classic. I do kinda think that live albums are generally special cases -- they're sort of compilation records while also giving us an impression of the stage manners of the performer(s). Anyway, Johnny Cash spends a half-hour concert with a room full of inmates eating out of the palm of his hand. They boo the guards and the warden once or twice (who can blame them) but they cheer The Man In Black. I think it's worth taking two things away from this album: first, Cash sounds no different live or recorded. Sometimes that's not praise (some kinds of music ought to be better live and I'll die on that hill) but for such stripped-down work, there's no ornament or studio wizardry to fret about when live. His guitars snap a little better in the studio but there's not an ounce of trickery in his canon. The second thing is that he's funny -- a real showman. Cash's charms and talents are all on display in this one album, bleeps and all. It's a particularly good rendition of 'A Boy Named Sue'. Anyway, it's not revelatory but it's a great live cut and a good introduction to Johnny Cash. Also probably a good demonstration of why he hated Columbia's attempts to gussy up his recordings in the 70s and 80s, and how Rick Rubin had such a straightforward approach to his revival in the 90s. Get some players in a room, set up some mics and get out of The Man's way.

Not my cup of tea.

Incredible recording. The friction between Cash, the crowd and the wardens is palpable. Wanted Man is a great roaring opening and the cameo from June fabulous.

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

Not quite as iconic as at Folsom, but this has A Boy Named Sue. It's still excellent. 4 Stars.

Nää, inget fan av detta, nog till stor del pga livealbum. För dålig ljudkvalitet och för mycket mellansnack. Lite för amerikanskt och tråkigt också.

Mäktigt! Vilken närvaro. Kul att ha hört och blir en fyra även om jag nog inte kommer lyssna på det igen.

Bland det hårdaste som någonsin släppts. Första tagningen av ”San Quentin” kan vara ett av musikhistoriens absolut starkaste ögonblick. Vilken jävla stämning!

Mm mäktigt som fan! Undrar om hans snack gick hem lika mycket i Österåker.

epic

The man in black! Vilken laddning samtidigt som han låter extremt sliten. Det bidrar ju bara till närvaron. Rätt in i vebon

1

While Johnny Cash is one of the handful of country artists worth listening to, we do not need two prison concert albums on this list.

Such a cool performance. The back and forth with the inmates, filled with humor and empathy, adds to the greatness of the songs.

I wanted to take the time to listen to these stories carefully, so I marked this "did not listen" last night and picked it back up again today. And this is a great record. It's the emotional intensity of how much the inmates loved this concert, the sincerity and simplicity of the music itself, and how kind Johnny Cash sounds when addressing the audience. Absolutely marvelous. 5 stars

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

Fantastic- classic Johnny Cash “ San Quentin you’ve been living hell to me” what a great little album, with JC and June at the top of their game🙌

Is this the most ballsy country album of all time? Possibly, possibly.

6/10

Lots of great songs and it's really cool to hear the reaction of the crowd and his banter with them. It's hard to imagine anything like this happening these days it seems so unique to the time and to Johnny. He flawlessly performs these songs in front of what I would assume is a very critical crowd but with a few words lets them know that he is on their side and is there for them. It's really a great listen.

4/5

One of the great live albums of all time. However, you don't want this version. You need the whole concert that can be found on Spotify. Cash fulfills his role as the man in black and the persona is perfect. The band are tight, the lyrics are dark and Cash owns it all. I get goosebumps listening to this album. 100% needs to be on this list. Best Tracks: Wanted Man; San Quentin; A Boy Named Sue

Cash is King. This was brilliant and pretty darn funny too.

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.

The interactions with prisoners between songs really get me, even if the country music does not. Though there were definitely some songs on here that I could vibe with

"You're in the wrong place to bend over" within the first 5 min was wild LMAOOO I watched the TV Special of the concert so the setlist wasn't the exact same as the album tracklist, but it was moving in its own right. The testimonies of the inmates and guards between the songs really added a whole new layer to the album. I was in tears a whole lot. Hearing the prison abolition adjacent views/sentiments being expressed even at this time by those actively incarcerated was deeply interesting. I also appreciated the systemic failures that result in mass incarceration being so openly discussed by those most impacted. Like "Peace in the Valley" cut between the discussion of the death penalty?? I'm not even religious, but god. Overall, I fucking love Johnny Cash flaws and all! Top 3: 1) Boy Named Sue 2) San Quentin 3) Wanted Man

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

Unlike any live recording you're bound to hear. Sharper than hell. Johnny has such warmth not associated with him

I sorted wanted to give this a lower score because I had already given Folsom Prison a 5, but there is just no denying Johnny Cash.

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.

Enjoyable, a decent momentum and it felt like it flowed. Interludes made it feel authentic. Best : Walk the Line, Boy named Sue.

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.

Loved to hear another live JC album - great voice, funny jokes, and wonderful energy.

music is love

9/10

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!

неа не мой стиль ваще

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

Stunning performance from a legend of legends! The dude is so funny and his talk between songs was so well controlled. Good tunes too. Boy named Sue is brilliant.

Great working of the crowd.

The talking annoyed me ngl lol

Disco com a alma de Johnny Cash

Johnnu Cash At San Quentin foi uma surpresa por diferentes motivos. Eu achei uma performance ao vivo boa - os momentos de interação são bem interessantes também! entretanto, o álbum parece mais um audiobook do que qualquer coisa. sinto que não consigo avaliar como deveria porque não fui atrás do peso histórico desta performance, então, possivelmente, serei injusto na nota. preciso falar que passei a vida escutando I Walk The Line na voz da Halsey e achando que ela apenas fazia interpolação com o Johnny Cash, aí descubro que é a mesma letra hahahaha 2,5/5

Quando sair o livro eu leio. As musicas tao longe de serem ruins mas me irritei 1.5/5

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.

I really liked this. It has a great feel for being a live concert. I liked the songs, most of them I had not heard before. I would definitely own this album and would probably play it regularly

Nice unfiltered live performance.

Listen to the Legacy Edition

Very very good.

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

Did not expect this album to be so good! I really enjoyed it. Usually hate live albums but damn... also yay to my first Johnny Cash exposure? Man is hella witty.

Good

Wanted Man - 5/5 Wreck of the Old 97 - 4/5 I Walk the Line - 5/5 Darling Companion - 4/5 Starkville City Jail - 3/5 San Quentin - 4/5 San Quentin (reprise) - 4/5 A Boy Named Sue - 5/5 (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley - 3/5 Folsom Prison Blues - 5/5 Average score: 4.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i don't think i loved this more than At Folsom Prison, but it's still got just as much charm and entertainment to it. he's one of the few country artists from this list i actually like

This live album is incredible. The energy from the crowd, Cash's charm, equals a rule engaging listening experience as he goes through a mix of his catalog. Great stuff.

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.

Cash at his best

Amazing record, very good songs and Cash's interactions with the inmates are priceless. That being said, I still prefer At Folsom Prison by a margin

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.

Music giving power to the 'have-nots'

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

Great album. Good story telling and good music.

Sublime. An absolute delight. It's so lovely how much Johnny Cash really seems to value and care about these inmates. What a treat.

Can’t go wrong Johnny Cash

Its a five from me

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

One of the best live albums I've heard. Could tell he wanted to be there. The music was fun. It's Johnny Cash. Not much to it, but still worth listening to.

Klasični cash

Ful kul k je live

i love that he sings 'san quentin' twice. the editing on this one is kind of insane (not just the bleeps, but hard cuts left and right. this thing has been chopped and screwed every which way) but despite all that, it is a truly great live album.

excelente, me senti dentro del show. 9/10

More than one prison live album is one too many. Not a fan.

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.

It might not be the greatest Cash album, but even Cash on his very worst day is better than most on their very best. Not to say this is bad, its great! It just doesn't quite get to a 5 for me.

Feels like a time capsule. Great live recording, whatever happened during Folsom Prison Blues?

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

The guy had a serious presence to him. Great performance that made me laugh out loud.

Not a country fan but very much enjoy this record

Este va para mi amigo personal, Howard Cooper

Enjoyed the little monologuing in between songs, another one to revisit for sure

"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.

Don’t really understand why there’s a double up of pretty much the same “Johnny cash playing at a prison” on this list. It’s still good but I think two of the same album is a little bit lazy on Robert Dimery’s part, I don’t know I haven’t read the book, maybe the inclusion of this album is critical to the plot

70

34 minutes of Rebellion. In front of hundreds of prisoners, Johnny sang to them as if he were one of them, with deep understanding and street smarts. The album captures the essence of respect with which the audience treated Johnny and his band. A historic album.

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

All Johnny Cash songs sound the same but he made that style legendary. I enjoyed listening to the album and is interaction with the audience very old-timey in a good way.

This was a really cool listen. Hadn’t heard any of the songs before (I don’t think), or certainly not the live versions. The cheers and jeering of the audience completely adds to it.

I'm not normally a fan of live albums but this was GREAT. His little interjections with the audience are hilarious. I was actually laughing while listening it was super fun. The music itself is also great and the quality is perfect you can almost not tell its live.

I’m realizing live albums just might not be my thing… That said, I do find the topics he writes and sings about really interesting. You don’t usually hear those kinds of themes in music, so I definitely appreciate that. I also liked how he wove humour into both the songs and the performance.

Okay but not my cup of tea

Aurally inoffensive.

Don’t really understand the appeal of live Johnny Cash, or Johnny Cash in general, to be honest. I guess the banter he has with the crowd makes him stand out somewhat, but I don’t really care. His songs are mostly ballads, which is fine on its own, but they have almost no instrumental accompaniment. His songs are for people who want to hear stories, and for ones who want to hear music (like me), well, there’s barely any to speak of. Although I wasn’t bored listening to this per se, his music always leaves me thoroughly underwhelmed. 5/10

I really enjoyed listening to the legacy version with all the other musicians playing and the extra banter between songs. Wild to think in the US nowadays you could put on a show like this in a prison. Johnny sounded great, loved the banter, audio was pretty tidy and June's banter was of the chain

To be fair, I listened to the Legacy Edition of this, which is pretty much the whole concert. And what a concert! Self-assured and pro and recorded perfectly. Great snapshot of the era and what the Johnny Cash show was all about.

Fantastic stuff. A quintessential live album, Cash at his best both musically and bantering with the crowd. Must have been a hoot to watch on TV. Standouts: San Quentin, Darling Companion, A Boy Named Sue

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!

The vibe reminds me a bit of Elvis Presley it feels calming and nostalgic, like stepping into another era. The first song was strong and set a great tone, though the second felt a little boring. The third track stood out to me because it was upbeat, catchy, and fun to sing along to. I liked the romantic undertones throughout the album, even if they weren’t always very noticeable. The lyrics rhyme well and flow naturally, which makes them memorable. Since it’s a live album, the crowd noise sometimes caught me off guard, but it also adds a raw and authentic feeling. Overall, the songs have a similar vibe while still sounding different enough to stay interesting.

bland amiercan folklore, old timey taylor swift. cold garbage.

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.

Mfs used to walk into a prison and play 34 minutes of straight bangers

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.

johnny cash voice: now it aint any of my damn business if your.. gay or trans or goddang coyote...

-No alcancé a escucharlo completo- pero me gusta mucho la voz de johnny cash, y su cercanía con el público

Just not feeling any of Johnny Cash’s music…it’s all 2s for me. Next!

Really cool album with some Cash staples. I love hearing the interactions between Cash and the inmates.

Que locura pensar que este tipo dónde mejor se sentía haciendo lo suyo era en las cárceles, porque sabía que ahí era dónde mejor le entenderían Mucho respeto, muy buen álbum, directo al grano, diciendo lo que tenía que decir Joya infravalorada San Quentin mi favorita

Easy listening with lyrics worth analyzing. A little boring for me but I respect what Johnny Cash stood for or at least what I've been told he stood for. I am intrigued that this album seems to be a recording for a live performance at a State Prison. It's heartwarming that he shared a mournful and jovial musical performance with prisoners deemed to be beneath the rest of society. The songs align with what could be imagined to be the experience of the audience members. So far the most striking to me were A boy Named Sue and Peace in the Valley. Instead of ending on a mellow note, they pick up the pace for a goodbye with Folsom Prison Blues. San Quentin is now SQ Rehabilitation Center. So the name changed but "As of July 31, 2022, San Quentin was incarcerating people at 105% of its design capacity, with 3,239 occupants." "As of 2001, San Quentin's death row was described as "the largest in the Western Hemisphere" BB King also performed at SQ in 1990.

a live album where you can barely hear anything

I’m not a huge fan of live albums in general but I loved hearing Johnny riff off of the audience and the energy of the crowd.

Not normally a fan of live albums but Johnny Cash might just be the exception

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.

Interesting. Although the censorship wasn't really necessary and the Saab Quentin song didn't really need doing twice.

Johnny has a lot of well written songs but in many cases the album versions feel tame. But when The Man in Black steps inside those prison walls these song come alive. All the songs seem up tempo and Johnny is singing like the rent is due. Highlights for me are a blistering version of Walk the Line and arguably the best version of Boy Named Sue. Lastly, that cover art is iconic.

Ooh nice

Great Songs: I Walk the Line, San Quentin Good Songs: Wanted Man, Wreck of the Old '97, Darlin' Companion, Starkville City Jail, A Boy Named Sue, (There'll Be) Peace In the Valley (For Me), Folsom Prison Blues Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

What a great album, the fact it was recorded live really helps, given the genuine reactions from the audience. Would listen to the whole album again

This seems like something I wouldn't like, but the old country sound was really nice and there was an incredible amount of charisma that showed every time he talked to the crowd

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

With all due respect to Live at Folsom Prison, this shows so much more of who Johnny Cash was, while also just being excellent musically.

Det e så gøy (det e helt klart feil ord, men det e det eneste ordet æ har akkurat nu), men så e det så veldig for kort. Skulle ønske det va lengre, men alt som e der e gode greier.

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.

This is a good album no matter how you slice it up. The music, the concept all good stuff -- maybe a little repetitive since this was his second live album from a prison but hey ---

I've been meaning to give Johnny Cash a few listens I wanna get more into old country. He's a pretty iconic place to start I think. His vibe is impeccable I think. You tell em Cash. Maybe I will see that wanted man. You never know. I'll lyk if he's in Australia. Oh fuck yeah it's only 30 minutes I'm a big fan Mr. Cash. But also if this is a concert why are you playing for 30 minutes. But this was also the 60s so the tickets probably cost a dime. Fuck old people. I like how they're all telling stories it's a treat to listen to. Good speeding song ngl. The rover would love this. I like that it's live he has an amazing stage presence from what I can hear but I also don't gaf what he's yapping about on stage unfortunately. Me when I walk the line. I really like the way you can hear the audience. Big fan of what's going on. Oh I'm not the biggest fan of June Carter's voice. Bro has mad beef with this place. Justice for Sue lowkey. I know Folsom Prison Blues of course. Favourite: Wanted Man Least favourite: Darlin' Companion.

4 for the music + bonus point for performance.

I like him because i remember my mam!

One of country musics GOAT. Great voice, and music. His sound does and will span generations.

Classic live album great songs and very funny

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.

Absolutely amazing!

One of my all-time favorite Johnny Cash albums, easily a solid 5-star classic. That said, I'd skip the "Legacy Edition" entirely and go for the original vinyl (or standard release) instead. The bonus tracks featuring Carl Perkins, The Carter Family, and The Statler Brothers don't really add much value to the core experience.

This was a good time.

Really fantastic playing and a great atmosphere but a bit too much faff and a repeated song stop it getting full marks. Still a classic though!

One of the greatest live albums ever recorded. It’s impossible to listen to this and not feel how special this moment was to the men who were there.

Full disclosure, I am, and always will be a sucker for Cash, driving lonesome Southwestern highways in a car packed full of my family and pets listening to CDs of classic country punctuated my childhood at regular and memorable intervals. I have a particular penchant for his live albums, especially the great "At Folsom Prison". There is something about their exemplary status in showing the effect of music as a form of connection and communication, and in a prison with the purported dregs of society, an attempt by an artist very conscious of class to use it to reach and share a moment with those outcast, forgotten, and locked away from greater society. On "At San Quentin", recorded solely a year later, and missing a recently deceased member of Cash's band- guitarist Luther Perkins, Cash sounds older, more tired, and more disillusioned than on "Folsom". This isn't to knock the performance, as it's all still top notch, outside of a few small snafus vocally from Cash. It's really more of note to see how the outlaw country legend of Cash himself was formed- the infamous "middle finger" photo was taken at this set- and it's all the more iconic for it. A lean 35 minute album, with several tracks from the live performance omitted, and somewhat erroneously including both the first performance of and audience requested encore of "San Quentin", a two covers in "Wanted Man" and "Darlin' Companion", and some of his classics, the album stands out in its firsts of previewing newly written material - "San Quentin", "Starkville County Jail" and the first ever recording of the great "A Boy Named Sue"- with all the grit, beer suds, blood and brooding Cash is known for. An all-time great live country album, even if it pales in comparison to the kinetic social statement of "Folsom". Favorite Track: "A Boy Named Sue" Least Favorite Track: "San Quentin (Reprise)" - An unnecessary inclusion. "You put the screws on me, I'll screw right out from under ya... I'm tired of all that shit."

This may not be the best pure musical performance, even by Cash's standards, but the context elevates it to such an insane degree. Without getting on my soap box too much about how nice it is to hear outlaw country from a time when they were actually anti-establishment and not just a bunch of performative trope usage to familiar instrumentation and themes, the man brought his family band to perform in a prison. A lot of people cultivate or play up the outlaw image, but wouldn't be caught dead in a room with one of the thousand inmates Cash saw that day. A pretty limited track list and probably not the best acoustic environment (not to mention the mid-set re-tune), this isn't really the most outstanding and well executed album even in Cash's discography. But, the visceral human element is so absurdly gripping. From the famous middle finger picture to Cash's jokes with the crowd to a duet with his new wife June, it's just so much more than the music.

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.

I am of the belief that all music sounds better live and this is not an exception. It can’t be understated how much I usually do not enjoy country music, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. The songs were fine, though they were definitely not anything special. The saving grace of this album is the atmosphere it creates, how the crowd interacts with the songs and the interactions with the artist on stage. Additionally, Johnny cash’s charisma really shines here. With that being said, this is definitely a one time listen for me, it’s nice but it just doesn’t have that repeatability. Still, such a charming album, and by the end I found myself growing quite fond of it.

Highlights: I Walk The Line, Starkville City Jail, San Quentin, A Boy Named Sue, Folsom City Blues Lowlights: ---------------------------------- Johnny Cash showing humanity still exists in inhumane places. Great performance and banter.

Cash is great, live albums can be tough

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

Same as the previous one - raw, down-to-earth and wholesome experience, definitely a masterpiece ❣️

Love Johnny Cash!!!!!

The live prison albums by Johnny Cash are very unique and this one is really good. The banter between the crowd and Johnny Cash is pretty funny and I like outlaw country from that era, making this a very good album.

Amazing. What an absolute legend. Love, love, love the live element - chatting, joking with the inmates. His voice. His storytelling. It's all near perfection. Can't pick a favorite! I listened to this a few times back-to-back and it's now in my collection. Thank you, Mr. Cash for gracing us with your brilliance.

Very effective stunt, singing prison tunes to prisoners, didn’t think I’d jive with the stunt. But it works, it’s ramshackle, loose, loud, sad, funny, visceral.

the British documentary can be found on YouTube. worth watching.

Clearly this is one where the relationship with the audience is the point, more than the songs or the performance itself, and it is extremely moving. Hard to believe that Nixon invited him to play at the White House after this.

electric

Classic Johnny Cash. Good background listening music.

What a classic piece of history. A country star playing in prisons and recording it, all in the 1960s. What a fucking legend. The noises from the crowd and the dialogue in between is just so authentic and the old mics just give this record an incredible, nostalgic analogue warmth that can never be replicated.

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.

Maybe not his best performance but certainly an iconic one. We see Cash's audacious solidarity with the prisoners over and against the label and the guards while not alienating or othering anyone. And the reaction to Folsom Prison Blues, wch is of course about a different prison and comes after a song written for their prison, speaks to the way the universal shines through the particular.

Likes: Cash’s attitude, charisma, and banter; great shuffling rhythms; feedback loop and interplay with the crowd Dislikes: sound quality is rough; including both cuts of the song San Quentin if cool from the perspective of leaving the performance as it was, but isn’t necessary: shortened version of Folsom Prison Blues Overall, a great record that demonstrates Cash’s greatest talent - turning casual shuffles and talkative lyrics into definitive statements of truth that resonate with many different artists

I really liked this one

4.8

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

It’s seldom a good idea to draw from the same well twice, but damn if the man in black doesn’t make it work.

Raw, rowdy, and basically Folsom Prison: Part II. Cash sounds great, the inmates are loud, and the whole thing crackles with energy. But as good as it is, it’s hard not to feel like the 1001 list didn’t need both this and Folsom when they cover such similar territory. A strong live record—just not a revelation if you’ve already done the first one.

excellent album, often absurd and surrealist in the content

Meh. San Quentin was a funny song but I’m not a big Cash guy

ehh 2

# Album Name: At San Quentin # Artist: Cash # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Usual cash vibes Good live album Banger # Top Tunes: Walk the line / maybe sue / FPB # Would I listen to it again? Yes

4/5

4/5

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

Glad the list accommodates the occasional live album. This is another one that - like Sam Cooke's Live at the Harlem Square Club - feels like a fascinating little window into another moment.

Heard Before? I knew all the songs but not this recording. Notes: - started off with the original release, then thanks to Allmusic, heard the legacy edition. - the revue format of the show is exciting. stellar performances from all the supporting acts. - some of the rawest, most thrilling versions of any of these songs. - production suited the material perfectly, gritty and almost overdriven. - one of the only live albums where I was happy to hear the crowd noise. - even the stage banter has replay value. I was riveted. - June Carter blew me away. Verdict: Original album: ho hum redux of "at Folsom Prison". Legacy edition: essential. Easily one of my favorite country albums and one of my favorite live albums. How did I not hear this before? Listen Again? Yes yes yes.

What an album to start on! I’m a sucker for live albums and this might just be the best one I’ve heard. Cash is funny as hell, the crowd is lively, a guard gets booed! I haven’t listened to much Johnny Cash before this and I feel like I’ve been missing out. The music is so energetic, I can’t get enough of those drums and oo the guitar is to die for. I love this album so much.

Old Good Johnny

Great album, great live energy. Did not need “San Quentin” twice.

You know what, I actually really enjoyed listening to this album, I never normally like live albums but this one was quite good. Still think there doesn’t need to be as much cheering in the audio after songs but hey ho. Im sorry but Johnny Cash was that guy, I feel like he just was. I knew a few of his songs before today, walk the line being the only one I knew prior to listening to this album. However, I feel like I did enjoy listening to all the tracks, the overall performance was simple but very entertaining. A very charismatic performer, the songs make you feel like a cowboy roaming the wild west and who doesn’t want to be that. Standout songs ‘walk the line’, ‘a boy named sue’ and ‘San quentin’.

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

There was so much joy in this! Is this something I'd seek out on my own? No probably not. But am I glad I listened to it all? Yes, absolutely!

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

No demi estilo

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

Great live album. And Johnny Cash is awesome.

Very enjoyable. Would listen again.

No private session used for Spotify. Love his voice. Nice to hear these songs in a different recording. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is the point of live music. It's a classic for sure.

Mys pys. Lite insikt på nån konsert nån gång för länge sen

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