Has Johnny Cash's Legacy "Spun Out of Control"?
The Washington Post posed two questions to their collection of music critics: Has Johnny Cash been over-memorialized? And does Cash's music really transcend his entire genre? Cash's final recordings will be on the upcoming album, American VI: Ain't No Grave. Here's what some of their thoughts on that compilation were:
"But the series seemed to become predictable, with Cash as some guy who covers other people's songs in a depressing manner."
"... its release six years after Cash's death begs the question: If it was so good, how come it hasn't come out already?"
"Over the course of the last decade, the man's myth has spun out of control. Instead of serving as a gateway into country music, he seems to have become more of a token. Sad."
"... if we get to the point where someone is taking scraps of unreleased Cash material and splicing it with Carrie Underwood to create faux duets, then we have a problem. "
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
merlefan49 says:
That’s great ! I love the music he made with Rick Rubin. In fact imo Cash’s American IV was the best cd released in the 2000’s. It made the number one spot on my list of the best 75 cds of the decade.
Todd says:
Actually, I totally agree with these quotes. I was a Johnny Cash fan before the American Recordings. I view these albums as labors of love. They are great interpretations, but they take away from what the man has done. He has written some of the greatest songs in the history of country music. This is just another ploy for Sony to make more money.
B.W. LaRoy says:
I am pretty much okay with Sony trying to make money.
merlefan49 says:
The American Recordings are the ones relaseing this As far as I know they are not part of Sony.
merlefan49 says:
plus didn’t Sony drop him years ago
rodney says:
sony has nothing to do with anything johnny cas has ever done. he was with sun,columbia,i thing rca and then american recordings.
merlefan49 says:
I pre ordered my copy from Amazon.
JimmyJames says:
I have an advance copy. Great album.
merlefan49 says:
Let’s see “Tear in My beer” was a spliced together and it made one killer “duet” Also years ago They did the same thing with Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline.
arthur embry says:
as a “wanna be” country singer if anyone has a problem with johnny cash then you have no idea how hard it is to come up from a nobody in the great depression to everyone knowing who you are. he is asnd will always be a legend