Not quite as appealing to me as At San Quentin, and no doubt many will disagree with me on this point, but despite some great numbers here, this album still manages to get blown out of the water by the aforementioned album. For me, At San Quentin feels like the prison recording that this album should be - I'd be bored shitless if I were in the clinks and "Dark as a Dungeon" was being played - but nonetheless, it's still one of the great live albums, even if I do feel it would be somewhat more at home at a music festival than a county clink. Johnny Cash's uncanny knack for narrative singing is on point here with the likes of "Cocaine Blues" and "25 Minutes to Go", and as far as I'm concerned ,they are the highlights of the entire record. A very select few popular favorites have been given attention here - "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Got Stripes" the obvious ones here - and "Jackson" and "I Still Miss Someone" are likewise thrown in for good measure. Some of the best songs from the Man in Black, on one of the best live albums ever put out. Johnny Cash fans ought to own this album. Even if you're not one, it's definitely worth checking out if you want to know what all the fuss is about regarding Johnny Cash's music, and it should be mandatory listening for anyone whose experience of Johnny Cash is restricted to his celebrated cover of "Hurt." A great album, but not his best live offering. A-
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