It's Johnny Cash, so it isn't bad. However, most of the recordings rely heavily on the novelty of the prison crowd. "Folsom Prison Blues" is the only song that's truly better here than in the studio recording. It's hard not to compare this to San Quentin which accomplishes basically the same thing but better.
Some serious bops on here! Loved the schoolroom concept that forms the foundation of the album, and the best songs tended to fully utilize it. The songs that didn't were a bit more forgettable to the point where the album could've been shorter, but none of them were bad.
Despite his cultural ubiquity, I'd never really listened to Bob Marley before. Just a lovely soundscape combined with hopeful political lyricism, what's not to love?
I've always wanted to be more into punk than I am, and this album kind of illustrates why. Some of sickest guitar solos you've ever heard are just too often paired with horrendous lyrics and vocals. It never gets that bad here, but it does hold it back from being a 5/5. Police & Thieves is worth a full star on its own too.
Pure cowboy kitsch in the absolute best way.
Definitely a cool track or two on here, but it's not something I would ever listen to again. Just not for me.
Impressive in its own way but just not what I'm looking for in rock music.
Fun illustration of glam rock rifts, but I did not find anything that remarkable outside of the guitar work.
Obviously, something is lost if you don't know French, but it's still a swinging vibe especially with the live audience element.
Packed with hits, and even some of the deep cuts are excellent!
I had never heard of this album or the band before listening, and I still feel like don’t understand either’s sound.
One of the times where quality instrumentals with lower key vocals actually really worked for me!
I was living for those live guitar riffs.
I didn’t hate it. It’s just that nothing stood out or was terribly memorable.
I liked a song or two on here, but overall it just was not terribly memorable.
I liked the horns when I noticed them, but none of the individual songs really stood out to me.
I appreciate this project for the breadth of music it exposes me to, but I just don’t like electronica. Every time I was beginning to enjoy a beat on this album, the vocals kicked in and absolutely ruined it for me.
Loved the tracks without vocals. Did not care for the track with vocals.
It's kind of a victim of its own success in the sense that it so defined the sound of 80's rock that it sounds almost like a parody of the same genre and period today. The guitar work was great enough to make up for the lackluster lyrics at least on some tracks.
