Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)

About this title: One of the projects Johnny Cash wanted to do when he was on Sun Records was to record an album of songs from the Old West. Of course, Sam Phillips wouldn't hear of it, but the idea -- along with concept albums of gospel, train songs, and others -- all came to fruition when he moved to Columbia Records. This concept album is a 20-track set that combines songs and narrations, the bulk of which were recorded in 1965 (the lone exception is Carl Perkins' "The Ballad of Boot Hill," which originates from a 1959 session). The booklet includes Johnny's original liner notes to the album, along with ... read more

Tracks:

1. Hiawatha's Vision [Cash]
2. The Road to Kaintuck [Cash]
3. The Shifting Whispering Sands, Pt. 1 [Gilbert/Hadler]
4. The Ballad of Boot Hill [With Narration] [Perkins]
5. I Ride an Old Paint [Traditional]
6. Hardin Wouldn't Run [With Narration] [Cash]
7. Mr. Garfield [With Narration] [Elliott]
8. The Streets of Laredo [Traditional]
9. Johnny Reb [With Narration] [Kilgore]
10. A Letter from Home [Carter/Dean]
11. Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie [Traditional]
12. Mean as Hell [Cash]
13. Sam Hall [Ritter]
14. 25 Minutes to Go [Silverstein]
15. The Blizzard [Howard]
16. Sweet Betsy from Pike [With Narration] [Driftwood]
17. Green Grow the Lilacs [Traditional]
18. Stampede [With Narration] [LaFarge]
19. The Shifting Whispering Sands, Pt. 2 [Gilbert/Hadler]
20. Reflections [Cash]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.