Cities: Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny Cash: Folsom Prison Blues

[purchase]

This song mentions "San Antone", Reno, and, of course, Folsom. Clocking in at exactly 2 minutes and 42 seconds this is the first track of Cash's concert for the Folsom Prison inmates in January of 1968.

This record really can't be appreciated song by song, it is a "whole record" experience. The interruptions by prison staff; Cash's comical and sometimes profane commentary, the all pervasive lyrical themes of crime, prison, and murder; and the all-male laughs and cheers from the crowd all serve to immerse the listener in the experience. The last song on the record, Greystone Chapel, was composed by one of the inmates and heard by Cash for the first time only the night before.

I'm aware that some editing took place between the show and the vinyl, but all things considered, this record still sounds like the real deal to me.