The Essential 3.0 Johnny Cash (Eco-Friendly Packaging)

Johnny Cash

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 26, 2008)
• Original Release Date: August 26, 2008
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Sony Legacy
• ASIN: B001B9ZVZS
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,034 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Each Essential Limited Edition 3.0 expanded 3-CD set features the biggest hits and best-loved songs from superstar artists, including material not previously available in an Essential package.

Definitive, career-spanning and comprehensive, The Essential 3.0 series features all of the must-have selections from the biggest names in music history--now with a 3rd disc!

Now available for the first time in eco-friendly cardboard packaging.

The Essential Series has sold more than 18 million units worldwide across 60+ titles!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Is the 3.0 worth it? , April 1, 2009

By	The Delite Rancher (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The descriptor 'essential' has often been misused and exaggerated in the hopes of selling CDs. In the case of the original "Essential Johnny Cash," the term lives up to its name. It was the initial release that turned me onto the man who eventually became one of my heroes. 'The Essential' starts in the fifties, with Johnny's hits like 'Hey Porter,' 'Don't Take Your Guns To Town' and 'Ring Of Fire.' Playing 'Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord),' disc one finishes off with a splash of gospel. The second disc explores Johnny's music from the 70s and a tad of the 1980s. It features memorable collaborations with the likes of cats such as Bob Dylan, Marty Robbins and of course June Carter. There's an offering of some live songs like 'Folsom Prison Blues' and 'A Boy Named Sue.' The first disc is by far the strongest, but the second makes this collection more well rounded. Okay, so what's the 3.0 all about? The 3.0 version contains an additional disc. The million dollar question is, is it worth it? In short, no. 'Short' is the key descriptor in light of the twenty minute length. Aside from total playing time, it mostly offers B-list songs. 'I Got Stripes,' 'Understand Your Man' and 'Oney' are good tunes, but most will consider the others throwaways. Lyrically speaking, 'What is Truth' is one of Johnny's most important songs, but it's musically uninteresting. As a three disc retrospective of Johnny Cash, it lags behind Sony's "The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983." Both "Essential" discs lack any of Cash's American music from the 1990s. How wonderful it would have been for the 3.0 to be a true retrospective and include songs like 'Rowboat,' 'I Won't Back Down,' 'Country Boy' and 'Oh Bury Me Not.' This was a missed opportunity. "The Legend of Johnny Cash" is a true forty year compilation, but unlike the "Essentials" it's only a single disc. To finish things off, the eco-friendly packaging simply means that there's no jewel case. Do not buy the 3.0 if you already own the initial release. Even if you're starting from scratch, the 3.0 is not a good value. Save ten bucks and stick with version 1.0 of "Essential Johnny Cash."