Thankfully The Great Lost Performance of Johnny Cash Has Been Found

In this latest release by Johnny Cash, he shows what a true musical treasure he is. With The Great Lost Performance, recorded in July of 1990, we have a chance to hear Johnny years before he was "rediscovered" by the world at large through his American Recordings and just before he and his kind became total outcasts of modern country music. He stands tall and strong with his unique voice and raw storytelling abilities, easily capable of transporting you into the world of his youth and the dark realms of his mind.

Johnny opens this live set from Asbury Park, New Jersey, with a burning rendition of "Ring Of Fire." Without a horn section the guitars fill in nicely as the key sound of the chorus, and from the moment he hits the mic you know who is in charge. His voice is still solid and strong containing only a hint of his age as opposed to the end of his career. Not a bad thing at all, just the final phase of the man's gift.

Next, Johnny eases into the gospel songs usually reserved for the later part of his shows, "Life's Railway To Heaven" and "A Wonderful Time Up There." The latter is an awesome gospel boogie where you can hear the influence for some of Johnny's secular tunes, most notably "Luther Played The Boogie." The song also has a wonderful introduction about the blessed day that his voice dropped and gave the world the gift that we know and love. The gospel set also highlights the sweet harmonies of the Carter Sisters Anita, Helen, and June.

Johnny then slides smoothly into two of his classics, "Folsom Prison Blues" and Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down." Both are tales of a darker side brought to life and made believable by Johnny's own experiences. When he sings of beer for breakfast on a Sunday morning, you know he's done it and you know at one point in his darkest days he could have come close to killing a man.