American Recordings

This article is about the Johnny Cash album. For the record label which released the album, see American Recordings (US)

American Recordings
Studio album by Johnny Cash
Released	April 26, 1994
Recorded	May 17, 1993–December 7, 1993
Genre	Country, country folk, americana
Length	42:45
Label	American/Sony
Producer	Rick Rubin
Johnny Cash chronology
Wanted Man (1994) American Recordings (1994) The Man in Black 1963-1969 (1995)
American series chronology
American Recordings (1994) Unchained (1996)

American Recordings is the 81st, Grammy Award-winning album by the country singer Johnny Cash. It was released in April 1994 (see 1994 in music), the first album issued by American Recordings after its name change from Def American. (The album was named after the label.) In 2003, the album was ranked number 364 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Cash was approached by producer Rick Rubin and offered a contract with Rubin's American Recordings label, better known for rap and heavy metal than for country music. Under Rubin's supervision, he recorded the album in his living room, accompanied only by his guitar. For years Cash was often at odds with his producers after he had discovered with his first producer, Sam Phillips, that his voice was better suited to a stripped-down musical style. Most famously he disagreed with Jack Clement over his sound, Clement having tried to give Cash's songs a "twangy" feel and to add strings and barbershop-quartet-style singers. His successful collaboration with Rick Rubin was in part due to Rubin seeking a minimalist sound for his songs.

The songs "Tennessee Stud" and "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" were recorded live at the Viper Room, a Sunset Strip, Los Angeles nightclub owned at the time by Johnny Depp. "The Beast in Me" was written and originally recorded by Cash's former stepson-in-law Nick Lowe.^[1]

The video for the first single, the traditional song "Delia's Gone," (directed by Anton Corbijn and featuring Kate Moss) was put into rotation on MTV, and even appeared on Beavis and Butt-head (Beavis asking if Cash was Captain Kangaroo). The album was hailed by critics and many declared it to be Cash's finest album since the late 1960s, while his versions of songs by more modern artists such as Tom Waits and Glenn Danzig (who penned a song called "Thirteen" specifically for Cash, in just twenty minutes) helped to bring him a new audience. American Recordings received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards. The album cover was photographed whilst Cash was visiting Australia, at Werribee near Melbourne.^[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	link
Allmusic	link
BBC Music	favorable link
Entertainment Weekly	A link
Houston Press	favorable link
Los Angeles Times	link
Rolling Stone	1998 2004
Village Voice	mixed link
Virgin Encyclopedia	link
Yahoo! Music	favorable link

Track listing

1. "Delia's Gone" (Karl Silbersdorf, Dick Toops) – 2:18

   Originally recorded by Cash for The Sound of Johnny Cash (1962)

2. "Let the Train Blow the Whistle" (Cash) – 2:15
3. "The Beast in Me" (Nick Lowe) – 2:45

   Originally recorded by Lowe for The Impossible Bird (1994)

4. "Drive On" (Cash) – 2:23
5. "Why Me Lord" (Kris Kristofferson) – 2:20

   Originally recorded by Kristofferson for Jesus Was a Capricorn (1972)

6. "Thirteen" (edit) (Glenn Danzig) – 2:29

   Full-length version appears on Disc 5 of the Unearthed Box Set. Written by Glenn Danzig for Cash. Later recorded by Danzig for Danzig 6:66 Satan's Child (1999)

7. "Oh, Bury Me Not (Introduction: A Cowboy's Prayer)" (John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Roy Rogers, Tim Spencer) – 3:52

   Originally recorded by Cash for Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)

8. "Bird on a Wire" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:01

   Originally recorded by Cohen for Songs from a Room (1969)

9. "Tennessee Stud" (live) (Jimmy Driftwood) – 2:54

   Originally a hit single for Eddy Arnold (1959)

10. "Down There by the Train" (Tom Waits) – 5:34

    Written by Waits for Cash. Later released by Waits on his Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards rarities collection.

11. "Redemption" (Cash) – 3:03
12. "Like a Soldier" (Cash) – 2:50
13. "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" (live) (Loudon Wainwright) – 5:03

    Originally recorded by Wainwright for Attempted Mustache (1973)

Personnel

• Rick Rubin - producer
• Johnny Cash - acoustic guitar, vocals, main performer, liner notes
• Jim Scott - mixing
• David Ferguson - sound recordist
• Stephen Marcussen - mastering
• Christine Cano - design
• Martyn Atkins - art director, photographer

Chart performance

Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1995

Best Contemporary Folk Album

References

External links

• The LP Discography: Johnny Cash listing
• Danish Interview with Glenn Danzig where he tells that he wrote Thirteen in 20 minutes.

v t e Johnny Cash Studio albums With His Hot and Blue Guitar Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous The Fabulous Johnny Cash Greatest! Sings Hank Williams Now, There Was a Song! Now Here's Johnny Cash The Sound of Johnny Cash All Aboard the Blue Train Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash I Walk the Line Orange Blossom Special Everybody Loves a Nut Happiness is You Old Golden Throat More of Old Golden Throat Hello, I'm Johnny Cash Man in Black A Thing Called Love Any Old Wind That Blows Ragged Old Flag Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me John R. Cash Look at Them Beans One Piece at a Time The Last Gunfighter Ballad I Would Like to See You Again Gone Girl Silver Rockabilly Blues The Baron The Adventures of Johnny Cash Johnny 99 Rainbow Johnny Cash is Coming to Town Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series Water from the Wells of Home Boom Chicka Boom The Mystery of Life American Recordings Unchained American III: Solitary Man American IV: The Man Comes Around American V: A Hundred Highways American VI: Ain't No Grave Concept albums Songs of Our Soil Ride This Train The Lure of the Grand Canyon Blood, Sweat and Tears Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Sings the Ballads of the True West From Sea to Shining Sea America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song The Johnny Cash Children's Album The Rambler Gospel albums Hymns by Johnny Cash Hymns from the Heart The Holy Land Sings Precious Memories A Believer Sings the Truth Believe in Him My Mother's Hymn Book Christmas albums The Christmas Spirit The Johnny Cash Family Christmas Classic Christmas Johnny Cash Country Christmas Collaborations Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter Johnny Cash and His Woman The Legend of Jesse James The Survivors Live Highwayman Heroes Class of '55 Highwayman 2 The Road Goes on Forever VH1 Storytellers Live albums At Folsom Prison At San Quentin The Johnny Cash Show På Österåker Strawberry Cake At Madison Square Garden A Concert Behind Prison Walls Soundtrack albums I Walk the Line Little Fauss and Big Halsy The Gospel Road Return to the Promised Land Compilation albums Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Heart of Cash The World of Johnny Cash Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Sunday Morning Coming Down International Superstar Five Feet High and Rising Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 The Unissued Johnny Cash Johnny & June Tall Man Encore Biggest Hits The Man in Black 1954–1958 The Man in Black 1959–1962 Come Along and Ride this Train Wanted Man The Man in Black 1963–1969 16 Biggest Hits Love, God and Murder The Essential Johnny Cash Unearthed The Legend The Legend of Johnny Cash 16 Biggest Hits: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash Personal File The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II Songs "25 Minutes to Go" "A Boy Named Sue" "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" "Cat's in the Cradle" "Cocaine Blues" "Cry! Cry! Cry!" "Dark as a Dungeon" "Engine 143" "Folsom Prison Blues" "Get Rhythm" "Goodnight, Irene" "Green, Green Grass of Home" "Greystone Chapel" "Hey Porter" "Home of the Blues" "Hurt" "I Still Miss Someone" "I Walk the Line" "In My Life" "It Ain't Me Babe" "Jackson" "The Man Comes Around" "One Piece at a Time" "The One on the Right Is on the Left" "Remember the Alamo" "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" "Ring of Fire" "Tennessee Flat Top Box" "What Is Truth" "What'd I Say" Family June Carter Cash John Carter Cash Rosanne Cash Carlene Carter Vivian Liberto Tommy Cash Carter Family Related articles Discography Sun Records discography Highwaymen Walk the Line Book:Johnny Cash