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Seasoned listeners of country legend Johnny Cash are suggesting where fans should start when listening to his music for the first time.
A new listener asking for underrated songs from The Man in Black was inundated with suggestions after a post to the r/JohnnyCash subreddit. Helpful members of the Cash community were on hand to recommend their favourite songs from the songwriter, who had more than a handful of hits. The Folsom Prison Blues and I Walk the Line songwriter provided plenty of covers in his later years, including career-best moments like Hurt and God’s Gonna Cut You Down. But a fan posting to the Reddit page asked for “underappreciated” songs from Cash.
Their post reads: “I’m just getting into Johnny Cash, I already have about 50 songs in my liked playlist. Are there any underrated or underappreciated songs that I should add?” Fans were quick to suggest a series of songs which may be of interest, and said Cash had “near one thousand” recorded songs to select from. They wrote: “Johnny did a lot of songs, and I mean a LOT. Enjoy the ride! Very possibly near one thousand recorded songs plus outtakes.
“You just have to go through each album, one by one. Get a list of his album discography for a start and via Spotify or YouTube, go through his albums in chronological order and hear his sound evolve. I can’t name one, two, five, or even fifty songs. There are many, many songs!”
Another user suggested an official release from Cash, the Unearthed boxset, which compiles his very best works from the American Recordings, as well as a series of bonus tracks. They wrote: “Every Cash fan will have different favourites because he has such a long and diverse career. Personally I’d recommend the Unearthed boxset, there’s a bit of everything in there.”
Song recommendations
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A third added: “Out Among The Stars is in my opinion a perfect country album. Also, don’t sleep on his stuff from mid-late 70s and all of the 80s. The 80s especially are usually seen as a lower point in his career, but I don’t agree with that at all.”
Other users suggested film scores from Gregory Peck-starring films and a lesser-known song from his 1996 release, Unchained. One user wrote: “Flesh and Blood. Bonus if you watch the Gregory Peck film I Walk the Line in which the song is used. The movie is just okay, but the song is used perfectly.”
Another added: “Spiritual. GOAT Johnny Cash song. I probably skipped it at first once I got the CD, I guess I lacked faith. Really kicks in once the mandolin hits around the two minite mark and then the last two minutes Cash takes us all to fucking church, goddamn.”
