Rating:
Genre: Country
Release Date: 02/12/2002

Issued in commemoration of Cash's 70th birthday, this double CD is a good survey of 1955-1993 career highlights (and a different release than the similarly titled three-CD The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983). Is it a good place to start? That depends on what you have or don't have already, considering that so many greatest-hits compilations containing some or much of this material appeared prior to this, yet another repackage. All of his very biggest hits are here, and it leans very heavily on his first 15 years of recordings, with just eight of the 36 tracks postdating 1970 (and only one of them, his 1993 U2 collaboration "The Wanderer," postdating 1986). For that reason some may complain that it doesn't give some phases of his career proper weight, and certainly not evenly distributed weight. But let's be cold about this: Cash's best records were between 1955 and 1970, and focusing on his early work, as this compilation does, means higher overall quality. It's too bad nothing is included from his acclaimed, unadorned 1994 album, American Recordings, but otherwise this will serve as a quite satisfactory best-of for those who want both the familiar hits and a few good, not-so-overplayed ones, like his versions of "It Ain't Me Babe," "Jackson," and "If I Were a Carpenter."

~Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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The Carter Family - Performer
Johnny Cash - Arranger
Johnny Cash - Producer
Johnny Cash - Main Performer
Waylon Jennings - Performer
Kris Kristofferson - Performer
Willie Nelson - Performer
Bob Dylan - Performer
Steven Berkowitz - A&R
The Edge - Producer
Brian Ahern - Producer
Earl Ball - Producer
Charlie Bragg - Producer
June Carter Cash - Performer
Jack Clement - Producer
Don Davis - Producer
Brian Eno - Producer
Flood - Producer
Bob Johnston - Producer
Frank Jones - Producer
Don Law - Producer
Chips Moman - Producer
Mark Wilder - Mastering
Sam Phillips - Producer
John Jackson - Project Director
Nedra Olds-Neal - Compilation Producer
Don Hunstein - Photography
Frank Bez - Cover Photo
Sandy Speiser - Photography
Nick Shaffran - Compilation Producer
Lisa Sparagano - Art Direction
Lisa Sparagano - Design
Urve Kuusik - Photography
Patti Matheny - A&R
Seth Foster - Mastering
Darren Salmieri - A&R
Jaan Uhelszki - Collaboration
Marvin Koner - Photography

The Essential Kris Kristofferson
    Kris Kristofferson / CD / 2004
The Essential Willie Nelson [Columbia]
    Willie Nelson / CD / 2003
The Essential George Jones
    George Jones / CD / 2006
Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard
    Merle Haggard / CD / 2006

Release Date: 02/12/2002
Genre: ctry