The Walls of a Prison by Johnny Cash (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: The Walls of a Prison

Artist name: Johnny Cash

Year: 1970

Number of discs: one

Label: Harmony

Collection: Friedman

Buy it on Amazon: $3.99

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to this Johnny Cash compilation, but it will be the third that I’ve reviewed in the past month. The previous two were:

Johnny Cash Sings Folsom Prison Blues (1970): 5/5

I Walk the Line (1971): 5/5

What I expected

Country.

What it was actually like

This differed from the previous two Johnny Cash compilations in that many of the songs on it had choral-style vocal backing, which did not impress me.

The Shifting, Whispering Sands had a chorus that sounded like the Xmas music that used to be played in suburban shopping malls every December, back when I used to go to them (and before I obtained noise canceling headphones).

Clementine was another example of a song with a choral backing, and was also the most Oompa Loompa, from what sounded like an upright bass.

Going to Memphis was the most relatively corny, and Guess Things Happen That Way had a slightly doo wop sound.

Not recognizing any of these songs, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the people putting together Johnny Cash compilations in the early 1970s dumped all of the reject material onto this one.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me