Customer Reviews

Water from the Wells of Home

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Writing this a day after Johnny's death, which, while expected, still leaves a hole. I was a fan for 46 years of his 48-year recording career. This CD was originally a Mercury release in 1988, and while I think his work for that label to be the weakest of his long career, this disc is really nice. His remake of his early Sun Records' hit, "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" sounds almost as good as the original from 30 years before. While the song content is hokey and dated, if you liked it when it was new, you'll still fall for it now. I also love the way Johnny and June handle "Where Did We Go Right?" which I had only heard done before by the wonderful Lacy J. Dalton. This version is fine as well. "That Old Wheel" is an infectious sing-along kind of song. "Sweeter Than the Flowers" features Waylon Jennings, so how could it be bad? "A Croft in Clachan" has Glen Campbell along for the Scottish folk-flavored ride. "New Moon Over Jamaica" is a tribute to Johnny's second home on the island, and "Water From the Wells of Home" concludes the CD in fine style. This release, to me, proved that Johnny still had the goods even nearing age 60, and of course his signing with Rick Rubin a couple of years later confirmed that view. Mr. Cash had his share of personal demons, but his singing chased a lot of my own away, from age 11 to the present, as I stare 59 in the face. If you are reading this, you must be a fan, and must not own this one yet. I say, buy it. You won't be sorry.

Ballad of a teenage queen, a cover of one of Johnny's fifties songs, opens proceedings - it features daughter Rosanne. As long as I live is an old Roy Acuff song - this version features Emmylou, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Roy Acuff, who by this time was a very old man. Where did we go right feature June Carter and the Carter family, although I much prefer Lacy J Dalton's version of this song, recorded about a year later for her album Lacy J.

Last of the drifters features Tom T Hall, the man who wrote Harper Valley PTA for Jeannie C Riley before becoming a successful country singer of his own songs. Call me the breeze is a cover of J J Cale's classic song, but my favorite version is the one by Lynyrd Skynyrd. That old wheel is a brilliant duet with Hank Williams Junior. Sweeter than the flowers is a classic oldie - this version features Waylon, Emmylou and Jessi.

The next two tracks provided the biggest surprises. A croft in Clachan is set in Scotland and features Glen Campbell. New moon over Jamaica features Paul McCartney. The album closes with the title track.

This is not the place to begin a collection of Johnny Cash music but it is a fascinating collection in its own right.

this is a great cd , the songs are great and all the guest stars ,/ like paul mc cartney/ glen cambell and john carter cash and june and emmy lou harris sing fantastic with cash , every johhny cash fan should own this album . in short (buy it ).....

This album, first issued in 1988, had been out of print since I became a Johnny Cash fan in 1993. It finally was reissued this spring. It's GREAT. Catchy tunes, with guest parts by singers such as Paul McCartney, the Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr. But the highlight, for me, are a couple of really moving songs about family love. One is a grieving song from adult children to their late mother. It's so unusual for popular music to address parent-child love. There's probably one parent-child love song for every 1,000 songs about infatuation -- and almost never an ode from child to parent. This is a beautiful one. Johnny Cash enjoyed something of a resurgence a few years ago when people in their teens and 20s started listening to his stuff. But in my mind, this album is better than anything he has done more recently.

This album has some music I've not heard performed by Johnny Cash before. While the whole album is very good, there are two songs on this album that I really enjoy. The first is "A croft in Clachan". I first heard this song shortly after seeing the movie "Braveheart". The song brings a very vivid picture to mind; one that fits the Braveheart theme. The second song is one that is one of my all time favorites - "Ballad of a Teenage Queen". I bought the original Sun LP that featured this song when it originally came out back in the late 1950's. I still have it, although I have not listened to it for several years.

I initially purchased this CD because of "Ballad of a Teenage Queen", and the other songs didn't do too much, but after playing the CD a couple of times, I can't put this down. I put the CD in a jukebox in "country" northern Wisconsin, and it goes great, especially "A Croft in a Clachan? )

THis is a very well polished and produced album. I bought it on chrome cassette when it forst came out. Ofcourse Csh back in the 80's no one cared crap about. They releasesd "That old Wheel" as a single. Bochephus was hot back then and as great as that song is, it still wasnt even close to being a hit.
"Ballad of a Teenage Queen" was re-recorded, very smooth and better than the original, it also feature vocals by Rosanne Cash and the Everly Brothers!
Nashville may have turned their back on the legend, but we can now all enjoy these lost gems. The Mercury albums were all excellent albums and this is one of those gems...enjoy!

TOTALLY disagree with a reviewer stating "johnny waiting to die." How can you dismiss this CD? The track with his daughter Rosanne and the Everly brothers is my favorite. But this album sheds new light and a different sound than any other cash album. If nothing more, you need it for that reason alone. I do agree this album grows on you, as I like it more now, than when I purchased.

This is easy listening music to enjoy while driving across country, to pass the hours, yet keep you awake and alert.

This album came highly recommended to me, and it disappointed me somewhat. Sure, it is much better than his other 80's records (it sounds great, which mars his other great 80's record, "Johnny 99"). But the record should be titled "Johnny Cash and his Friends." The album showcases other talents (Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Paul McCartney, Hank williams Jr.), and the material Cash works with is subpar, but elevated only because of the earnest feeling he put into the recording. The album has a mourning sound -- like Cash was preparing to die. It's ironic, because 10 years later, he's still alive and kicking.