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COME ALONG AND RIDE THIS TRAIN contains tracks from several of Johnny Cash's theme LPs, including BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS, BITTER TEARS, BALLADS OF THE TRUE WEST, FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA, AMERICA, THE RAMBLER and RIDE THIS TRAIN. Personnel includes: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); Anita Carter, Lorne Greene, the Statler Brothers. Producers: Don Law, Frank Jones, Larry Butler, Charlie Bragg, Jack Routh. Reissue producer: Richard Weize. Includes original release liner notes by Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter, Merle Travis, and Charles Wolfe, as well as reissue liner notes by Bob Allen. During the 1960s and 1970s, Johnny Cash recorded a number of albums organized around a specific theme in American culture and history. The songs on these albums generally straddle the genres of country and folk music, employing both the direct simplicity of country and the focus on "big issues" characteristic of 1960s folk music. Musically these albums employ a similar blend of folk and country influences. COME ALONG AND RIDE THIS TRAIN collects eight of these albums in a four-disc box set, complete with a handsomely bound, thoroughly researched 32-page booklet. Among the albums are BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS, Cash's tribute to the working class; MEAN AS HELL and SONGS OF THE OLD WEST, both collections of cowboy songs; AMERICA, which attempts to recapitulate all of American history in 40 minutes; and BITTER TEARS, about the injustices suffered by American Indians. Nearly all these records are strung together by Cash's narrations, which, while pretty corny, effectively showcase the singer's acting talents. Although these albums contain relatively few hits, they are by no means lesser efforts: Cash clearly cared for these projects, and his commitment comes through in every note he sings. |
