Category Archives: Johnny Cash

5 fine covers of Bob Dylan’s One Too Many Mornings

one too

Down the street the dogs are barking
And the day is a-getting dark
As the night comes in a-falling
The dogs will lose their bark
And the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my mind
For I’m one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind

“One Too Many Mornings” is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album The Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1964. The chords and vocal melody are in some places very similar to the song “The Times They Are A-Changin'”.

We have picked 5 good covers of One Too Many Mornings:

The Band – One Too Many Mornings (audio, 1999):

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October 17: Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man was released in 2000

In the liner notes, Johnny Cash writes:

“The song is the thing that matters. Before I can record, I have to hear it, sing it, and know that I can make it feel like my own, or it won’t work. I worked on these songs until I felt like they were my own.”

Released October 17, 2000
Genre Country, americana
Length 42:15
Label American Recordings
Producer John Carter Cash, Rick Rubin

American III: Solitary Man is the third album in the American series by Johnny Cash released in 2000 (and his 85th overall album). The album was notable for being Cash’s highest charting (#11 Country) solo studio LP since his 1976 One Piece at a Time, an album that reached No. 2 Country based on the title cut. To the present day, Cash’s studio albums for American have continued to sell & chart extremely well, as evidenced by the platinum #22 POP, #2 C&W American IV: The Man Comes Around (released one year before his death) and the gold, #1 on both charts, American V: A Hundred Highways.

I see a darkness (with guest Will Oldham, the composer of the song):

Between Unchained and Solitary Man, Cash’s health declined due to various ailments, and he was even hospitalized for pneumonia. His illness forced Cash to curtail his touring. The album American III: Solitary Man contained Cash’s response to his illness, typified by a version of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”, as well as a version of U2’s “One”.

One (so much better than any other versions!):

American III: Solitary Man, just like Cash’s two previous albums produced by Rick Rubin, was a Grammy winner, taking home the award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for Cash’s version of the Neil Diamond classic “Solitary Man”. Cash continued to receive critical appreciation for his American series of albums—on aggregate review site Metacritic.com the third album in Cash’s American series received a score of 80 (despite middling reviews from publications such as L.A. Weekly and Rolling Stone magazine) (from Wikipedia)

Track listing:

  1. I Wont Back Down
  2. Solitary Man
  3. That Lucky Old Sun
  4. One
  5. Nobody
  6. I See A Darkness
  7. The Mercy Seat
  8. Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)
  9. Field Of Diamonds
  10. Before My Time
  11. Country Trash
  12. Mary Of The Wild Moor
  13. I’m Leavin’ Now
  14. Wayfaring Stranger

“You can stand me up at the gates of hell/ But I won’t back down”

Pitchfork:

Ryan Kearney

But American III‘s high point is its two-song centerpiece. The first is Will Oldham’s “I See a Darkness”, on which it becomes clear that, perhaps because of his neurological disorder, Cash’s voice isn’t as sure and strong as it once was. When he quavers, with Oldham singing backup, “Is there hope that somehow you can save me from this darkness?” the effect is absolutely devastating. You won’t listen to the song the same after this. The shivers will eventually leave your spine, but the residue remains.

The Mercy Seat:

That song’s transcendent power also stems from its production, which, although still sparse, is relatively lush. The organ and piano that rise to match the guitar remain in use for Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat”. Chronicling the first-person thoughts of a man being executed, this song, more than any other on the album, was written for Cash. Building to a rumbling crescendo, he belts out, “And the mercy seat is smokin’/ And I think my head is meltin’.” This would’ve brought even Gary Gilmore to tears.

Continue reading October 17: Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man was released in 2000

Johnny Cash the 39 best songs

johnny cash

Johnny Cash the 39 best songs

It was supposed to be a list of 20 songs but I just couldn’t stop!

I walk the line:

Johnny Cash was known for his deep, distinctive voice, the boom-chick-a-boom train sound of his Tennessee Three backing band and his black clothes, which earned him the nickname “The Man in Black.” He  began his concerts with the  introduction “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.” Here is my Spotify play-list of the 39 greatest Johnny Cash Songs:

A boy named Sue (At San Quentin):

– Hallgeir

July 30: The legend Sam Phillips died in 2003

sam phillips and Elvis
Sam Phillips with Elvis Presley

July 30:  The legend Sam Phillips died in 2003

Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003), better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s. He was a producer, label owner, and talent scout throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He most notably founded Sun Studios and Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Through Sun, Phillips discovered such recording talent as Howlin’ Wolf, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

Great documentary about Sam Phillips, part 1:

Continue reading July 30: The legend Sam Phillips died in 2003