| Silver - Johnny Cash | |
Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
Back in 1979, Johnny Cash released this album, and it has disappeared into the history of
country music after barely making a blip on the radar, except for the everlasting power of "Ghost
Riders In the Sky," which topped the country charts at #2.
Now in a special new release on CD, it has resurfaced and proves to be an absolutely
brilliant gem, a lost treasure, brought to light and expanded with the addition of two lost tracks:
"I Still Miss Someone" and "I Got Stripes," both Cash standards; except here they're duets with
the incomparable George Jones.
I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know the name of Johnny Cash and
could recognize his face and voice instantly. But until I spun this disc, I didn't realize I was a
bone fide Johnny Cash FAN. This album is so good it's no mystery at all why Johnny Cash is a
legend. If this is one of his "lesser" albums, one that was easily lost amidst the hundreds of
"greater" releases, well, we all know how great those "greater" releases are.
Silver came at a time when country music was in flux; Cash himself was celebrating
his first 25 years in the music business, and the Outlaw movement was waning. "Urban
Cowboy" had yet to hit the scene. Yet Silver highlights Cash at his easygoing best; the
storyteller, the songwriter, and the singer. His magnificent bass voice is resounding from the
past through his own songs and those of then-brand-new songwriters such as Rodney Crowell
and Billy Joe Shaver, each tune as brilliant and glorious today as it was twenty years ago.
The opening song, a chilling tune about the end of a coal-mining town, is as timeless as
the Appalachian Mountains. Cash delivers the tune with a voice that echoes through an empty
mine, rumbles like the coal train, and chills to the bone. It also features a young Ricky Skaggs
on fiddle, as well as Jack Clement on guitar and Earl Ball on piano (the musicians on this disc
are as superb as the lead singer).
There are really no weak tracks on this disc, there's no filler. For an album that produced
only one major hit, it's amazing how truly wonderful this music is. Perhaps it is simply my
reaction after hearing so much weak material that is currently on the charts; or perhaps Cash
continues to age like fine champagne, but this lesser, mediocre album simply gives me chills of
delight. From the thumping beat of Crowell's "Bull Rider" to the prison-bound regret of
"Cocaine Blues" and the simple folksy quality of "I'm Gonna Sit On The Porch and Pick On My
Old Guitar," Cash delivers, plain and simple.
There are now three tracks with the great George Jones. On the original release was only "I'll Say It's True," but now there's the two additional tracks, as well. After listening to the mellow bass of Johnny Cash for so long, George's wonderful tenor sounds oddly out of place
here. But it magnificent to hear them together here, putting a fresh face on a couple of old Cash
standards.
It's also a treat to read the liner notes, as they reproduced the original, a letter from Cash
to his mother, thanking her for recognizing his voice was something special and believing he
would make a living with it, and hoping she was proud of his accomplishments in music.
Updated notes include an article from journalist Jonny Whiteside.
It's an album all Cash fans need, whether you're an old hand with The Man in Black or are just learning about him. There is nothing in the world like that voice. Enjoy it.
Song List:
Sound clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
Album cover, used with permission of Legacy Recordings.
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