Johnny Cash: Unearthed Boxset (9xVinyl)

During the final decade of Johnny Cash’s career, the legendary musician collaborated with famed producer Rick Rubin to record a series of raw, stripped-down albums. The resulting material was released posthumously in November 2003 as a box set entitled, Unearthed, with recordings ranging from stark balladry to punchy rockabilly to heartfelt gospel to classic covers. Now, the collection has received its first ever vinyl release, available November 3rd on Rubin’s American Recordings.

The expansive box set has 79 songs spread out over nine 180-gram vinyl LPs. It’s housed in a LP-sized black cloth slipcase containing a pair of cloth-bound books. The first book holds the nine LPs. The other is a 60-page coffee table book incorporating Sylvie Simmons’ extensive liner notes drawn from five days of interviews at Cash’s home in Tennessee. It also includes Cash and Rubin’s commentary on every song in the set, as well as some of the last photos ever taken of the singer from the recording sessions.

Unearthed is divided into five thematic sections. Who’s Gonna Cry focuses on acoustic solo recordings and revisits several classic songs from Cash’s extensive catalog. Trouble In Mind is oriented towards electric performances and features guest appearances by Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Carl Perkins, and members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as Cash’s wife and longtime duet partner, June Carter Cash. Redemption Songs is largely acoustic and features duets with Joe Strummer, Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, and Glen Campbell. My Mother’s Hymn Book demonstrates Cash’s lifelong affinity for gospel music by encompassing 15 time-honored gospel standards. Best of Cash On American offers a 15-song selection of highlights from Cash’s first four albums with Rubin.


Tracklist

Who’s Gonna Cry
Side A
01. Long Black Veil
02. Flesh And Blood
03. Just The Other Side Of Nowhere
04. If I Give My Soul
05. Understand Your Man

Side B
01. Banks Of The Ohio
02. Two Timin’ Woman
03. The Caretaker
04. Old Chunk Of Coal
05. I’m Going To Memphis

Side C
01. Breaking Bread
02. Waiting For A Train
03. Casey’s Last Ride
04. No Earthly Good

Side D
01. The Fourth Man In The Fire
02. Dark As A Dungeon
03. Book Review
04. Down There By The Train

Trouble In Mind
Side A
01. Pocahontas
02. I’m A Drifter
03. Trouble In Mind
04. Down The Line

Side B
01. I’m Movin’ On
02. As Long as the Grass Shall Grow (feat. June Carter Cash)
03. Heart Of Gold (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers)
04. The Running Kind (feat. Tom Petty)

Side C
01. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby
02. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (feat. Carl Perkins)
03. “T” For Texas
04. Devil’s Right Hand

Side D
01. I’m A Drifter
02. Like A Soldier (feat. Willie Nelson)
03. Drive On
04. Bird On A Wire

Redemption Songs
Side A
01. A Singer Of Songs
02. The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore
03. Redemption Song (feat. Joe Strummer)
04. Father And Son (feat. Fiona Apple)

Side B
01. Chattanooga Sugar Babe
02. He Stopped Loving Her Today
03. Hard Times
04. Wichita Lineman

Side C
01. Cindy (feat. Nick Cave)
02. Big Iron
03. Salty Dog
04. Gentle On My Mind (feat. Glen Campbell)

Side D
01. You Are My Sunshine
02. You’ll Never Walk Alone
03. The Man Comes Around

My Mother’s Hymn Book
Side A
01. Where We’ll Never Grow Old
02. I Shall Not Be Moved
03. I Am A Pilgrim
04. Do Lord
05. When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
06. If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven
07. I’ll Fly Away
08. Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies

Side B
01. Let The Lower Lights Be Burning
02. When He Reached Down
03. In The Sweet By And By
04. I’m Bound For The Promised Land
05. In The Garden
06. Softly And Tenderly
07. Just As I Am

Best Of Cash On American
Side A
01. Delia’s Gone
02. Bird On A Wire
03. Thirteen
04. Rowboat

Side B
01. The One Rose (That’s Left In My Heart)
02. Rusty Cage
03. Southern Accents
04. The Mercy Seat

Side C
01. Solitary Man
02. Wayfaring Stranger
03. One
04. Hung My Head

Side D
01. The Man Comes Around
02. We’ll Meet Again
03. Hurt