Johnny Cash 'Folsom Prison' Box Loaded With Unreleased Tracks

"Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" was a ground breaking, historical piece of work for its time (1968), cash had a hard time convincing the executives at columbia to record/release this album, it was considered to be a career risk and was not a popular concept with his label. cash eventually won and it worked, the inmates for their part had a great deal of respect for cash personally and for his music and throughout the album johnny seems to empathize with the plight of the prisoners.

on the original release, the song order was changed songs were cut, probably to make it fit on a single LP/album. The CD release from 2000 still does not contain the entire concert and added tracks from the concert that day.

in 2003, the album was ranked number 88 on rolling stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. in 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the library of congress to be added to the national recording registry. in 2006, it ranked #3 on CMT's 40 greatest albums in country music.

apparently johnny was right and the suits at columbia were wrong. it will be great to see and hear this the way the man in black intended it to be.

Johnny Cash 'Folsom Prison' CD/DVD Box Loaded With Unreleased Tracks
August 12, 2008
Mitchell Peters, L.A.

A new three-disc CD/DVD box set that features unreleased material from Johnny Cash's legendary 1968 concerts at Folsom State Prison in California will be released Oct. 14 via Columbia/Legacy.

Disc one of the forthcoming "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition" features Cash's entire 65-minute first concert, with seven previously unreleased tracks, including "Blue Suede Shoes," "This Ole House," "I'm Here To Get My Baby Out of Jail," "I Got A Woman" and "June's Poems," among others.

Disc two contains the entire 75-minute second show, with 24 previously unreleased songs, including duets with his wife June Carter Cash and others.

The DVD component of "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition" reveals footage from inside Folsom Prison, and contains interviews from country acts as Merle Haggard, Rosanne Cash and Marty Stuart, as well as former Folsom Prison inmates who witnessed the legendary concerts. The DVD also features unpublished photographs by Jim Marshall.

Additionally, the new box set includes a 4,000-word essay by Cash biographer Michael Streissguth, who penned such books as "Johnny Cash: The Biography" and "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of the Masterpiece." The booklet will also feature liner notes written by Cash and Steve Earle in 1999.

Originally released in 1968, "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison" peaked at No. 13 on The Billboard 200, and spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.