Johnny Cash at San Quentin

Haven’t listened to much Johnny Cash but this album shows he is the man. Wonderful short and sweet tracks that get their point across and don’t overstay their welcome. Cash is truly a showman and has great banter with the crowd. Songs are great, love the twang of the guitar throughout the album and Cash’s vocal performance is top tier

Wow the instrumental!!!

Johnny cash walks the line between honky tonk and novelty and comes out on the right side of the bars … just

Great live album that has a rawkus crowd and some good interplay

Not sure I’ll be as forgiving on the next album of his from a prison - which is a pity as it s probably the better album

Yeah, this is another live album where the tracks were rearranged from the original setlist, likely because of vinyl limitations at the time. This is especially noticeable with "Folsom Prison Blues" placed at the end of the album, where I can audibly hear the track cut short. It's also just as egregious that other hits like "Jackson" and "Ring of Fire" were not included. On top of that, we have censorship bleeps, which is very odd to hear on record, in some of Johnny Cash's banter between songs and especially with the "son of a bitch" line on "A Boy Named Sue". I know later releases of At San Quentin are uncensored and include more of the concert. But I wanted to evaluate the original release because that's the version that got all the acclaim and notoriety, and I wanted to assess the album for what it is, warts and all.

That said... yeah, this is still a good record. It's a Johnny Cash live-from-prison record; you really can't go wrong with that, even with its own quirks. Having "Walk the Line" and an abbreviated "Folsom Prison Blues" as the two songs people would have recognized beforehand is certainly a statement, if only to accentuate the well-done covers and new songs that Johnny Cash and others have brought to San Quentin State Prison. "Wanted Man", as written by Bob Dylan for him, is a good ol' fugitive song. "Wreck of the Old 97" is a raucous rendition of G. B. Greyson and Henry Whittler's ballad chronicling the Southern Railway mail train disaster. "Darling Companion" is a cool take on the Lovin' Spoonful song, done as a duet with his wife, June Carter Cash. Mahalia Jackson's gospel number "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley" is treated earnestly with backup from The Carter Family. "Starkville City Jail" was a fun, endearing recount of how Johnny got arrested in Mississippi for public drunkenness. Of course, the big highlights were the two songs that made At San Quentin truly unique: "San Quentin," which was intended as the big new song, hence why it got performed twice, and "A Boy Named Sue", an unexpected addition to the set that proved to be a timeless tale of damnation and later forgiveness over a father who abandoned his son. Along the way, the audience was really into the show, especially for "San Quentin". Plus, as the cherry on top, Johnny paid a heartfelt tribute to his longtime lead guitarist and Tennessee Two founder, Luther Perkins, who passed away months earlier.

So yeah, At San Quentin is a good record, even with its limitations. I certainly look forward to the other Johnny Cash live-from-prison record.

Live Aufnahme macht Spaß zu hören, ein gutes, entspanntes Album aber nicht wirklich mein Tea

I came to San Quentin before Folsom and preferred it for a long time. Love the medleys especially. I think any appraisal of these albums is as much about Johnny's social stance as it is about the music. I gave Folsom a 5 for that reason but will just give this one a 4 because he had done it already.

With the crowd work and the energy brought to the songs, probably one of the best live albums I’ve heard and the best Johnny Cash album.

I don’t think I’ll ever not enjoy Johnny cash but did we need 2 different live prison albums on the list?

Playing the title track a second time after asking the guards for a glass of water is pretty hilarious though

3.5

Really cool tbf

Typically not much of a fan of live albums. But this one is an exception. Johnny's charisma really shines through here. The series of live albums he did at prisons also just goes to show how cool of a person he was.

Johnny Cash really understood the saying "know your audience".

That was a really *bleep*ing good time!

Peak country, and the vibes of the live performance was really great.

This is a indeed a good album. However, I prefer the one at Folsom (which seems to be also included in this project). Favourite tracks here include "I Walk The Line" (obviously), "A Boy Named Sue", or "Folsom Prison Blues". Overall, this is a 4 star album for me.

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

Imagine if Ed Sheeran just strolled into a high security prison to play a show to the inmates.

Imagine he sang a new song he wrote literally the night before in front of tv cameras (then flipped the bird to the cameras).

Imagine that song was criticising the entire prison system and calling for reform.

Imagine the inmates cheered so much he played it again.

Ed Sheeran. He’s sure as shit no Johnny Cash.

For one night only San Quentin prison was the place to be. It’s remarkable that the performance ever happened and even more remarkable that it was captured for posterity with such clarity and candour. I love it when I hear a live performance which would have been the best moment of many of the audience member’s lives. I can’t think of another live album for which that is more true than this one.

Every song hits home but the song San Quentin has to be one of the all time greatest live performances, clearly better heard in this context than any other.

Johnny Cash just seems like the coolest guy ever.

it is currently 40 degrees celsius where i live, this shit is not funny i'm actually melting and y'all are giving me country 🫩🫩🫩

The songs themselves are fine, but the bantz are so entertaining