Customer Reviews

Unearthed

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot give enough praise to the performances on this collection of (mostly) unreleased material. Cash is astounding. I found many of these songs to be more diverse and impressive than much of what was found on the last two American Recordings releases. I can think of no more fitting farewell from (and for) the Man In Black than this. How much of it didn't end up on an album is beyond my comprehension.

The Re-Recordings:

There are quite a few legendary Cash gems given new life and intensity in this set. Among them is the classic mourner "Long Black Veil," the endearing "Flesh And Blood," and twin mining/coal town songs of "Dark As Dungeon" and "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore." There are others and, honestly, each one is as good (if not more straight-forward and hard-hitting) as the originals.

The Covers:

While I felt that American Recordings IV: When The Man Comes Around contained too many covers of uber-popular songs ("In My Life," "Desperado," etc.), here we find a few numbers from songwriters like Kris Kristofferson ("Just The Other Side Of Nowhere" and "Casey's Last Ride"), Neil Young ("Pocahontas" and "Heart of Gold"), Jimmie Rodgers ("'T' For Texas" and "Waiting For a Train")...and the list goes on and on. Again, I'm left wondering why hadn't some of these made the cut before?

The Duets:

Why "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" was chosen over the charming "Cindy" (both with gloom-crooner Nick Cave) for American IV I'll never know. While I love Hank Williams, Sr. this traditional track is simply perfect. The same for the Fiona Apple duet of Cat Steven's "Father And Son." A vast improvement over "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" where Miss Apple's voice seems to interfere more than harmonize. But hands down the best duets are with veteran rockabilly king, Carl Perkins ("Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"), and the late Joe Strummer of The Clash ("Redemption Song").

The Hymns:

While I love many of Cash's own Christian inspired songs I found that many of the traditional hymns lacked, pardon the expression, spirit. They were faithful renderings, but seemed to lack the interpretation that Cash usually lends to any song. Or perhaps it was just my impression. Regardless, I won't say that these songs aren't good...they certainly are...they just don't all quite match the glory of the rest of the set.

The Best of the Rest:

I still cannot grasp any reason why Unearthed included a "Best of..." disc, except for the sole purpose of upping the price of this boxed set. I would have to guess that most of the folks willing to shell out $65.00 for a Cash boxed set are probably going to have most, if not all, of the American Recordings albums previously released. But this doesn't bother me so much in the long run. They could have charged the same price for four discs if they'd wanted...I'd still have took the bait.

Packaging:

I've heard many folks bemoan the agreeably fragile packaging. I've seen folks complain oblivious to the fact that the upside down flag is the long-standing emblem of American Records and can be found on all the albums on their label. I can only offer one suggestion to those who worry about the cardboard sheaths damaging the cds. If you have a CD recorder...make copies. Use those copies and leave the packaging on a shelf somewhere as something to take down and thumb through from time to time. It's supposedly a Limited Edition...treat it like one and it'll last.

Liner Notes:

Last but not least we have the personal reflections of Cash, producer Rick Rubin, and various other friends, family members, and bandmates that contributed to the creation of this collection. I found myself wishing that we had such intimate accounts of all the songs on the original American Recordings...and thankful that we could be given such insight into such a fruitful and inspiring time in Johnny Cash's career. For those who hadn't gotten a sense of the man from his music...they certainly couldn't miss what a genuine, thoughtful, intriguing, and inspirational individual Cash was...and always will be. Thanks to American Recordings and Rick Rubin for allowing a legend to make a magnificent final stand.

The Final Tally:

Music: *****
Packaging: ****
Liner Notes: *****

PS: The live, orchestral version of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" is simply one of the finest pieces of music I've ever heard. If there were more songs from this live performance I'd certainly be willing to pay to hear it. It's glorious. Enjoy.

To put it quite plainly, Unearthed is essential for anyone who loved the last 10 years of Johnny Cash's recording career - his years with producer Rick Rubin on American Recordings, which many, including this humble reviewer, consider the best years of Cash's long and storied career. This set features not merely the best of the rest of those recordings, but the rest of the best. While some of them are not fully realized, there are many genuine revelations contained within. It boggles the mind how some of them did not make the original albums; some could have worked interchangeably, some are unquestionably better, while some, perhaps, simply did not fit the mood of the album. In any case, this boxed set, thoughtfully, has not been sequenced randomly: each of the first three discs is thematic and corresponds to a specific American album(s); the fourth, My Mother's Hymn Book, is a never-before-released gospel album; and the final disc is a Best Of for Cash on American records. As such, each disc stands very well on its own.

WHO'S GONNA CRY. This disc, corresponding with the first American album, features Cash unadorned, with just his acoustic guitar - and that voice. It features several great covers, a few previously-unreleased Cash songs, and some re-recordings of his former hits. It starts the set off with a killer, pardon the pun, version of Long Black Veil that is even better than the classic version on the At Folsom Prison album. Other highlights include Flesh and Blood, If I Give My Soul, a great Banks of the Ohio, Casey's Last Ride, and Dark As A Dungeon. The track Book Review is interesting, as the listener gets to hear Cash in conversation. The disc closes with a fine alternate version of Tom Waits's Down There By The Train. This disc is interesting for its immediacy and its focus on Cash's inimitable voice and for the naked and powerful emotionality that he brings to the songs.

TROUBLE IN MIND. Cash goes electric, with help from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Red Devils, and various members of his extended and very musical family. This disc is nearly flawless, with not a single weak track. It also has a considerably lighter tone than the dark first disc, with Carl Perkins even joining in for two of a series of rollicking rockabilly numbers. An epic, monumental re-invention of Neil Young's political Pocahontas starts off the disc. Other highlights include two distinct version of Dolly Parton's (!) I'm A Drifter; a peerless version of the country blues title track, which ranks among Cash's best performances on the entire set; a heartfelt duet with June Carter on the re-invented As Long As The Grass Shall Grow; the aforementioned rockabilly numbers; a driving version of Steve Earle's Devil's Right Hand; and worthy alternate versions of two great songs from the first American album. Closing out is a wonderful and beautiful take on Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire - complete with a full orchestra.

REDEMPTION SONGS. This disc is also virtually flawless, tainted only by the throwaway Salty Dog. Whereas the second disc worked parallel with the Unchained album, this disc corresponds with the last two American albums - primarily acoustic (though with a band) and darker in mood. A Singer of Songs is a great anthem to start off the disc. The absolute highlight, maybe of the entire set, comes with Redemption Song, a beautiful and heartfelt take on the Bob Marley song that brought tears to my eyes. The duets with Fiona Apple and Nick Cave included here are both superior to their counterparts on American IV and should have been on that album instead. Another great highlight of the disc is a tremendous version of Stephen Foster's Hard Time (Come Again No More), one of the very best tracks on the entire set. Great versions of Wichita Lineman, Big Iron, and You Are My Sunshine round out the disc.

MY MOTHER'S HYMN BOOK. This disc features 15 songs of Cash singing gospel songs armed with only an acoustic guitar. This is an album that he wanted to record all his life, and it is the one that he named as his personal favorite. A very personal album it is: Cash is literally singing from his mother's hymn book! Cash states in the liner notes how much these songs mean to him; it comes across clearly on his performances. These stark, moving, unadorned performances are truly something to behold: beautiful and very emotional. Even non-Christian listeners or those who do not like gospel songs, will find much to admire in this set because of its emotional, intense, and clearly heartfelt nature. For those who especially value Cash's gospel performances, this will be the best disc in the set; for those who are not especially interested in it, however, it may come off as somewhat boring.

BEST OF. The inclusion of this disc simply makes no sense: anyone who would buy an expensive boxed set of outtakes would already own the first four American albums. The track selection is good, but this is simply superfluous. This extra disc only serves to drive up the price of the box and should have been used to house even more unreleased takes.

The 100+ page booklet that comes with this set is excellent, tainted only by a few printing errors. It features very informative and moving notes by Sylvie Simmons, as well as the comments of Cash, Rubin, and the various sessionists for every track. The cardboard slips that house the discs, however, are rather poor. The valuable discs could easily be damaged with such shoddy housing. For the price, these certainly should have been of a higher quality; purchasers should keep their discs in separate jewel cases.

Overall, this is simply an essential purchase for anyone interested in the music of Johnny Cash. This is a grand statement from one of American music's towering greats.

Unearthed is a treasure chest of Cash's movingly sung, austerely rich marvels of American music. Although a handful were written by Cash himself, his artistic weight and keen capacity to interpret the songs of others, makes this 5-CD set the stunning legacy of a man who is an icon the history of Earth's music -to call it "country," "contemporary" or "American," although accurate would not do justice to the universal power of his work. What is still more astonishing to me is that these five CDs never fall into the common, tired batch of outakes and discarded mishaps that we are so used to seeing record companies put out, on behalf of other musical legends, nor is it the "sure-thing" approach of gathering classics and re-selling them with the excuse of having being remastered -which so often is impossible to justify or hardly an improvement. No, this is five CDs of authentic greatness, the late work of a man who was beginning to say goodbye to life but was not done with honoring his craft or searching his soul. The fact that three out of five units are entirely dedicated to material recorded but not previously chosen for the American Recordings series, says something about Cash's productivity, but even more about the endless creativity he found partnering with Rick Rubin and the trove of great material they conceived together. Practically every song -including the CD devoted to old hymns and gospel songs- is treated with a consistent austerity of arrangements and focus on Cash's voice; it is amazing how rich they are, without an endless parade of star-guests or elaborate strings, or other witless and predictable avenues often followed by aging stars joining forces with ambitious producers. Here, none of that is indulged on, here Cash and Rubin breathe into life an amazing musical document. Even the fifth CD which gather a cross-section of what already came out in the original four American Recordings is fitting, and will be particularly appreciated by those who do not own such CDs. As far as the specifics of the songs covered, other people before me have already done a great job of describing them. As to the argument on who should buy such expensive and extended set by one artist, I would have a hard time not recommending it to anyone who appreciates great artists in any genre. You can learn more about America listening to this box-set than driving throughout the country over and over. And that's ultimately the legacy of Cash and Rubin's partnership: to have captured the essence of art, transforming an individual experience into a universal message.

Alot of people are going to tell you alot of bad things about
UnEarthed. The worst things I've heard are :
1.) The packaging/binding isn't very good - it's very flimsy
2.) There's only one CD worth buying in the set
3.) My mother's hymn book is boring

And I've heard so much stuff. BUT THIS SET IS AWESOME, DO NOT
LISTEN TO ALL THE BAD! :)

First CD - Who's Gonna Cry

This is an awesome CD - with much the same sound of American
Recordings. Just John alone with his guitar. Standout songs are:

Long Black Veil and Flesh and Blood - it's cool to hear John sing
these old ones again!

Just The Other Side of Nowhere, Understand your man, Two Timing
Woman, If I give my Soul, The Fourth man in the fire, No Earthly
Good, and Book Review (yes - I love it. It's kind of like getting
to know John, because he's talking about a book and it's really cool
to listen to him.) This whole CD is good, but those are my favorite
tracks.

Second CD - Trouble In Mind

In my opinion - this is one of the best Johnny discs I've ever heard
in my life. It has the Unchained sound. It features Carl Perkins,
Flea and Chad from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and of course - Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Standout tracks:

I'm A Drifter (Dolly Parton cover - this is an awesome song!)
Trouble In Mind
As Long As (this features June - it's really cool)
The Running Kind (with Tom Petty)
Everybody's trying To Be My Baby (with Carl Perkins)
Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (with Carl Perkins)
T Is For Texas and Devil's Right Hand - these both feature the "Red
Devils" - a group that was on American at the time.
Bird On A Wire (Live with orchestra) - this is one of the coolest
songs on the whole set - I love to hear it on surround sound - EXTRA
LOUD!

Like I said, this CD is awesome, every track is good - but those are
my personal favorites.

Disc Three - Redemption Songs

This sounds like later recordings, it had much the same sound of
American IV.

Coolest tracks:

The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore - June did this song on her
CD "Press On"
Redemption Song (with Joe Strummer) - I actually heard this ON THE
RADIO in Tennessee before I got the box set. This is a cool Bob
Marley cover.
Father & Son (with Fiona Apple)
He Stopped Loving Her Today ( an old No-Show Jones cover. It's
awesome!)
Cindy (with Nick Cave) - this is one of two songs he did with Nick
Cave - the other is on American IV.
Salty Dog
Gentle On My Mind - this features Glen Campbell.
You Are My Sunshine - at the end, someone says "This was the short
version" and John chimes in with - "When I feel like my songs
sung...Its done. And I feel like my song...was sung!"
You'll Never Walk Alone - this is a beautiful song. One of two they
did in a cathedral - the other was Danny Boy on American IV.

Disc 4 - My Mother's Hymn Book

I grew up Southern Baptist - and I consider this one of my favorite
Johnny CD's ever - I could sing along with all the hymns! Me and my
wife sang along all the way through Tennessee on our vacation to
this CD.

Best songs:

I Shall Not Be Moved
When The Roll
I'll Fly Away
Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies
In The Sweet By And By
In The Garden
Softly and Tenderly
Just as I am
I'm Bound For The Promised Land

Disc 5 - Best Of American

I don't know why they threw this in - I have all of American
Recordings, but I bet they did it for new Johnny fans, which in my
opinion is a great idea.

My favorites:

Delia's Gone
Rowboat
Thirteen
Southern Accents
Wayfaryin Stranger
Hurt
The Man Comes Around

And to end this review - the boxing. I believe the box set is
great. It has two things in it. Unearthed: Text, and Unearthed:
Music. Text is just an interview, and basically has John and Rick's
comments on EVERY single song. It's really cool. And the music
comes in a little book, in these old hi-fi looking sleeves. I think
it's cool.

To sum it all up - this is a great box set. I love it. And I would
advise anyone to get it. :)

Well, what can you say about Johnny Cash that hasn't already been said? Poet, singer, musician extrodinaire, Christian, outlaw, murderer and drug addict. Ok, so not all of those stereotypes are true...Johnny Cash truly was a "Singer Of Songs." This box set presents some of Cash's best work all bundled up in a package that's beautifully crafted and very well presented. The first four discs of this new set show Cash's eclectic nature with track featuring an array of guests from Joe Strummer to Fiona Apple. "Redemption Songs", the track with Strummer might be the most energized recording Cash has made since the 1950's. Neil Young covers, country standards, even a reworking on his 1970's classic "Flesh and Blood" all stand up to make this album an absolute ESSENTIAL to anyone's collection. Whether you're a musician, a music scholar, an angst filled teen or a spiritual minded grandmother, there is something "Unearthed" has to offer. R.I.P. John.

I was visiting my Mother in Raleigh, NC over Christmas holiday in 2003. When she asked me what I wanted as a Christmas gift, this box set was in my mind. It had just been released that very first day of my visit and the price tag made it an inviting gift request. Remembering my youth, when my parents tired of buying music for me as gifts ( "You have more music than a person could listen to in his whole life!" ), I hesitated asking Mom. But we're both older now, she's a widow, and any request from her only son was more than OK with Mom.

When I took it back to her house we spent a quiet afternoon listening to Disc 4, the hymn music. Mom's devout and I figured she wouldn't hate it. She actually loved it, humming along to many of the songs she recognized from a lifetime of churchgoing. It was one of the most wonderful times I spent with my Mom since I was a child in her lap.

What does this sappy story have to do with a review of Cash' "Unearthed"? Nothing really. Except that music as wonderful and good as Johnny Cash's American Recordings can become part of the things we remember most fondly in life.

Do yourself a favor. If you have a loved one who might not be able to afford this box set, buy it for them as a gift. If they are a Johnny Cash fan, it may be one of the best gifts they ever receive.

As if Johnny hadn't done enough in his lifetime to ensure his immortality, his death is followed closely by this 5-disc revelation of song. Complete with a gorgeously designed booklet that offers Rubin and Cash's commentary on every track in the set, a charming and fascinating summary of how Rubin and Cash came to work together, and some stunning photography, this box set is as much a labor of love for those who put it together as it will be for the listeners who plod through its 64 unreleased tracks. The 5th disc of previously released material may very well be superfluous and fatten up the price of an already hefty investment, but it takes nothing away from the many jewels the other CDs offer. While Johnny tends to stumble through his beloved "My Mother's Hymn Book" and the first disc of acoustic cover tunes, it is on the second and third albums that we get a glimpse of just how incredible a tandem Rubin and Cash had been. Arguably Cash's finest hour with Rubin, the songs taken from the "Uchained" sessions (Cash's second album for AR) consist of some of the most tasteful production Cash's music ever enjoyed. Tom Petty poignantly reinvents Neil Young's "Pocohontas" with some gorgeous work on the pump organ, while the RHCPs' John Frusciante contributes a devastating solo to "Heart of Gold," rendered here with a darkness and immediacy even Neil couldn't approach. These were also the last sessions Johnny did before his illness really started to ravage him, and so it is the last evidence we have of an American Voice at the height of its powers. Bellowing mightily through good ol' rockabilly rave-ups like "Everybody's Trying to Be My baby" and "Down the Line," Cash's voice is still spacious enough to fit in a couple of crooners in the divine "Drifter" and the absolutely heartbreaking performance of "Bird on a Wire" with a full orchestra behind him. Disc Three, featuring later performances by a Johnny Cash whose last days were rapidly coming on, is a softer collection of quietly produced acoustic ballads. "Singer of Songs" is a bit too indulgent and straightforward to really work, but it immediately succumbs to the rollicking majesty of "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore," which Johnny describes as a "family favorite." Similarly effective are his duet with Joe Strummer on "Redemption Song," a triumphant cover of George Jones's "He Stopped Loving Her Today," and the three most harrowing moments on the whole set: "Wichita Lineman," "Gentle on My Mind," and "Big Iron," songs whose power is only enhanced as you hear Johnny fighting his frail voice back into the shape it used to be in. The tenderness of these understated renditions articulates just how much Johnny adored the songs. It is rare enough to get a single album with as many riveting performances as this one offers, and utterly unprecedcented to get one that spans four discs and manages to hold the listener's attention throughout. Something miraculous happened here on these Cash/Rubin sessions, and the songs they made echo the authority and power these two geniuses commanded from the first moment they met. "Unearthed" is an epic American classic that will belong in every household for centuries to come.

Four cds of new music by Johnny Cash? Listen, it's a rare recording artist who does his best work at the end of his long (50 years!) career. Even the Beatles slid into confusion, misdirection and repetition as they got on in years, even while still recording some great music. After recording a series of increasing less interesting albums for Columbia in the late 1970s-early 1980s & a brief, bitter run with Mercury that almost nobody heard, Cash came roaring back in 1994, reminding everyone who had ears how good his 1955-1976 music was, how surprisingly good his Mercury recordings were and how strong his voice & vision still was. His re-recordings of some of his classic songs showed how powerful that vision had grown. His 1987 & 1994 recordings of Long Black Veil blow the 1963 version away. Understand Your Man, with the now openly acknowledged use of Bob Dylan's melody for Don't Think Twice, It's Alright, is better too. Ditto Flesh & Blood. New songs (new for Cash, anyway) like Redemption Song, Hard Times, Devil's Right Hand, the entire gospel cd, the beautiful A Singer Of Songs are all songs from a man producing his best work. Hank Williams looms large over country music but Johnny Cash has surpassed him in artistic quality, if only for living long enough to give us the glorious music of his last ten years. I hope that somebody officially releases the Dylan-Cash session from 1969 and the entire 1994 Viper Club set, perhaps as American VII. If you ever think about buying a boxed set, this is a great one to start with.

What an awesome package. Its hard to find the words to describe how much good music is in this little black box or how the hair stood up on my arms time and time again when I listened to it. The first CD and the Hymn Book record, with Johnny's voice all raw and naked and full of feeling, would be worth the price alone. But there's two more CDs of absolutely mind blowing stuff. (I'm not counting the compilation since all of Mr Cash's fans would already have these records ). And the book that comes with it is not just the usual booklet of uninteresting information, but a real book with totally brilliant writing and interviews by Sylvie Simmons, who wrote the great Serge Gainsbourg book (that lady has some interesting tastes in music!) If you only buy one box set ever in your life, trust me, this is the one you want. Johnny Cash must be smilling in heaven rite now.
Rick Rubin has really done the man in black proud

Subject says it all: I really believe that Johnny Cash's work with Rick Rubin over the past decade is some of the finest music ever put on disc by an American artist. This boxset is no exception- these are not outtakes in the sense of being rejects, but simply songs that didn't fit on to one of the original four albums for one reason or another. That is in no way a reflection of their quality. Rick Rubin truly gave music fans a gift by trusting Mr. Cash's instincts and allowing him to record songs that were of an interest to him. I wish he'd work with other artists, including Willie Nelson and Bruce Springsteen- I believe that these two have the potential to deliver the power and the honesty that Johnny did on these recordings. The hundred page book is essential, supplementing the songs which already speak for themselves, and making you wish that every artist you care about took the time to document their songs so well. Of the four new discs, the first is my favorite, with just Johnny and his guitar. All four are strong, though, and have fairly distinctive styles. At this stage in his career, Johnny's voice was better suited to the slower, acoustic ballads, and I think that these hold up better than some of the up tempo covers of older country songs. It's all very listening and very moving, though.

A few minor complaints- The main one is the packaging. I don't trust the scratchy cardboard sleeves to hold up or to not scratch the CDs. This is too expensive (and precious) a set to be marred by such an awkward case. Second, it's very, very expensive (and Amazon's price is surprisingly not very competitive). The fifth disc is superflous, since you likely have the original albums from which these songs were taken. The other four discs are far from full, and while I don't believe in jamming a CD with filler just for the sake of having no empty space, I do think a compilation could have more alternate versions tacked on after the main set of songs is done. These are minor complaints, and (other than the price) shouldn't disuade anyone from buying the set.

I'm looking forward to American Recordings V. Whenever that album is released, it should really be numbered as the 9th in the set, because these recordings are substantial enough to act as IV through VIII. I once heard Johnny's later music described as "the voice of God coming from the bottom of a barrel of aged whiskey". That ain't too far from the truth...