I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: I Walk the Line

Artist name: Johnny Cash

Year: 1971

Number of discs: one

Label: Hilltop

Collection: Friedman

Buy it on Amazon: $10.77

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to this compilation before and I only recognize a couple of the songs on it by name, which is similar to the previous Johnny Cash compilation that I reviewed, Johnny Cash Sings Folsom Prison Blues (1970).

What I expected

As I previously described it, “Cash’s unique and consistent style [is] sort of an acoustic rockabilly shuffle.”

What it was actually like

I often wonder, when I’m listening to a song like Luther’s Boogie, whether I would be able to sing lyrics like these in public while keeping a straight face:

When Luther played the boogie woogie, Luther played the boogie woogie
Luther played the boogie woogie, Luther played the boogie woogie
Luther played the boogie woogie, Luther played the boogie woogie
Luther played the boogie woogie, Luther played the boogie in the strangest kind of way

Probably not. That song was a little corny, as was Straight A’s in Love, but you know, the middle of the XX century was a different time.

Remember Me was relatively slower than the rest of the songs, and my least favorite.

The title track I Walk The Line was the first Johnny Cash song that I ever remember liking.

All the rest were good, and remarkably similar.

Grade

5/5: love it