Johnny Cash - American Recordings

Audiophile 180-gram vinyl reissue of Cash's 1994 stripped down acoustic album of moving songs!

"In the early 90s, Johnny Cash signed to Rick Rubin's American label and began releasing the American Recordings series of albums. Produced by Rubin, the American Recordings were stark, stripped-down, mostly acoustic meditations on the more apocalyptic side of his persona. Cash covered Beck, Nick Cave, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Soundgarden, Danzig, and, of course, Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt.' And he cemented his reputation as one of the reigning badasses in American music history — not that that rep really needed much help." — Pitchfork, January 2010

Longtime fan, label owner and producer Rick Rubin stepped in when Johnny Cash, in the early '90s, was without a label for the first time in four decades. Rubin asked Johnny to return to his roots and together, they recreated the legend of the Man In Black. Now presented in an awesome audiophile 180-gram LP format.

In 1994 Cash stunned the music world with this commanding collection of 13 solo acoustic performances that roll from gospel to cowboy to sarcastic folk. Minimalism had long been Cash's meal ticket, but this time around, producer Rick Rubin stripped it all away, recording the bulk of the record in Cash's cabin or his own living room (two cuts were captured live at the Viper Room in front of an emphatic audience). Cash offers five typically direct and vivid originals, but he also seizes control of songs by Kris Kristofferson, Nick Lowe, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Loudon Wainwright. Decades after "Hey Porter," Cash delivers a pure, naked, and incredibly moving record that, dare we say, rivals the impact of his greatest achievements.