The Legend | ||||
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Box set by | ||||
Released | August 2, 2005 | |||
Recorded | 1955–2003 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:05:24 | |||
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Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork Media | 9.0/10 link |
Robert Christgau | A link |
Tom Hull | A [1] |
The Legend is a box set by country singer Johnny Cash, (his 91st overall release) released in 2005 (see 2005 in music) on Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It is one of the few multi-disc sets that contain songs recorded throughout Cash's entire career, from 1955 to 2003. Over four CDs, most of Cash's biggest hits are covered, in addition to numerous traditional compositions Cash recorded versions of, and several collaborations with other known artists, including Rosanne Cash, U2 and Bob Dylan. In keeping with Cash's persona as the Man in Black, the data surface of the discs is black. In 2006, the set won the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It was certified Gold on January 11, 2006, by the RIAA. [2]
The first disc includes many of Cash's biggest hits, as well as his more well-known material from the 1970s and 1980s. A few tracks appear however for the first time on CD.
The second disc was compiled in a similar fashion to the first, also including some of Cash's early hits, like "Hey Porter" and "Cry! Cry! Cry!", the first single he released for Sun Records. It also contains several previously unreleased tracks, a selection of his later work and a number of songs from At Folsom Prison .
The third disc is made up primarily of traditional American compositions that have been recorded by many artists.
The fourth disc includes collaborations with Cash's family members and well-known country musicians.
A limited edition of the boxset features a bonus CD of a 1955 radio performance, a bonus DVD of a March 12, 1980 CBS television special, and a 57-page lyric book.
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 31 |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 173 |
Rosanne Cash is the self-titled debut album of American country music artist Rosanne Cash, released on December 15, 1978. The album was never issued in the U.S. It was her only album for the German based Ariola Records, and the first to feature Rodney Crowell, who went on to produce Cash's other albums. After that album's release, Cash signed contracts with Columbia Records in 1979.
Red Hot + Country was the follow-up to No Alternative in the Red Hot Benefit series of compilation albums, a series produced to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV as well as other related health and social issues. This compilation featured music from the classic country and classic rock genres performed by an assortment of seasoned old and new country music artists.
Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town is the 73rd album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1987, and his first for Mercury Records. It was re-released in 2003, paired with Boom Chicka Boom on a single CD. "Sixteen Tons" was previously a hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford, "The Big Light" is an Elvis Costello song from his album King of America, released the previous year and "Let Him Roll" is from Guy Clark's debut, Old No. 1. The album reached #36 on the country charts, while the only released single, "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town", peaked at #43.
Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success, "Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman, though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.
Silver is the 25th anniversary studio album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1979. It peaked at #28 on the Billboard albums chart. "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" peaked at #2 on the singles chart; the two other singles, "Bull Rider" and "I'll Say It's True", had reached #66 and #42, respectively. Recordings of "Cocaine Blues" had previously appeared on At Folsom Prison and Now, There Was a Song!, under the title "Transfusion Blues" on the latter. The album was produced by Brian Ahern, who controversially introduced digital elements into the songs to the disapproval of some listeners. This is the last album that featured bassist Marshall Grant, longtime Cash collaborator in Tennessee Two. He departed from Cash's band the following year.
I Would Like to See You Again is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1978. The title track peaked at #12 on the singles chart, while "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" reached #2; the album itself peaked at #23. The album features a pair of duets with Waylon Jennings, one of which was the "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" single; it was one of Cash's first collaborations with Jennings, and the two recorded songs together throughout the 1980s, including a separate album entitled Heroes. Cash and Jennings would also work together as The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
The Johnny Cash Family Christmas is the 41st overall and second Christmas album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1972. It is his second Christmas album, the first one being the 1963 release entitled The Christmas Spirit. The album includes less original Cash material than its predecessor and contains narrations and dialogue featuring his family and friends, between tracks. In all, three songs were written or co-written by Cash, while two, "Christmas as I Knew It" and "Silent Night", had been featured on The Christmas Spirit. June Carter Cash, Marshall Grant, Tommy Cash, Harold Reid, Larry Butler, Maybelle Carter, Anita Carter, Carl Perkins and Lew DeWitt are among those featured on the album.
One Piece at a Time is the 54th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1976 on Columbia Records. "One Piece at a Time," which was a #1 hit, is a humorous tale of an auto worker on the Detroit assembly line who puts together a car out of parts he swipes from the plant. "Sold Out of Flag Poles" also charted as a single, reaching #29 on the country singles charts. "Committed to Parkview", a Cash original, would be re-recorded in 1985 by Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album, Highwayman; it is one of the few country songs sung from the perspective of a patient at a mental hospital.
Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame is the sixth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1975 on Monument Records. Its title track is quoted in the Johnny Cash song "The Man Comes Around" from the 2002 album of the same name. The song "Stranger" was covered as a duet by Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke, and their version reached #4 on the U.S. country chart in 1976.
Water from the Wells of Home is the 75th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Mercury Records in 1988. It features several collaborations with other artists, including "New Moon Over Jamaica" with Paul McCartney. Other guests include Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris and family members Rosanne Cash, John Carter Cash, June Carter Cash and members of the Carter Family. "Call Me the Breeze" is a J. J. Cale song that had been previously performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" is a new recording of a song that had appeared on Cash's Sun era album Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous. The album did not fare well on the charts, peaking at No. 48; the two singles, "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" and "That Old Wheel", reached No. 45 and No. 21, respectively. A 2003 re-release of the album contained a bonus track, consisting of Johnny Cash discussing various songs on the album.
D'lectrified is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Clint Black, released on September 28, 1999. It is also the first album in Black's career that he produced by himself.
Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1993 through the labels BMG and Ode 2 Kids. A concept album, it features Jennings singing compositions intended for children. All of the tracks on the record were written by the singer himself. The final song is dedicated to Jennings' son, Shooter. While a music video for "Cowboy Movies" was filmed, the album itself did not chart. The album was recorded by Rodney Good and produced by Cliff "Barny" Robertson, whose daughters, Becky, Emily and Joanna, sing backing vocals on it. In the mid-2000s, the daughters founded a group called Carter's Chord.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two is the nineteenth studio album by American country folk group Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released on May 1, 1989. The album follows the same concept as the band's 1972 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which featured guest performances from many notable country music stars.
Ain't Living Long Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It failed to enter the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Elvira", "Song for the Life" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" were released as singles but they all failed to chart within the top 40. Despite this, Ain't Living Long Like This is considered one of Crowell's best and most influential albums. Brett Hartenbach of Allmusic says it "not only showcases his songwriting prowess, but also his ability to deliver a song, whether it's one of his own or the work of another writer". Most of the songs on this album were later covered by other artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson. When the album was re-released in 2002 the font on the cover was enlarged to make it more legible.
Further Down the Old Plank Road is a 2003 album by The Chieftains. It is a collaboration between the Irish band and many top country music musicians including Rosanne Cash, Chet Atkins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ricky Skaggs, and Patty Loveless.
Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash is a 2003 compilation album, released by Northern Blues Music, of blues-oriented songs made popular by Johnny Cash, sung by various Canadian and American performers.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III is the 2002 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This album reached 18 on the US Country chart. Earlier albums in the series include Will the Circle Be Unbroken and Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume II.
Occupy This Album: 99 Songs for the 99 Percent is a four-disc compilation box set released in May 2012 through the record label Music for Occupy. The album concept, and initial production was initiated by Executive Producer Jason Samel. Jason Samel later recruited Producers Maegan Hayward, Alex Emanuel and Shirley Menard to assist with the project. The set consists of 99 songs inspired by or related to the Occupy movement. Proceeds from the album went "directly towards the needs of sustaining this growing movement."
Thin Line is the fourteenth studio album by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, and his second on own record label Blue Cadillac Music. It was released on September 9, 2016. The album peaked at #49 on the Country Charts.
The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family is a 2004 compilation album featuring various artists performing the work of country music pioneers The Carter Family.