But those people keep a movin', and that's what tortures me

[venta]

On Fridays this year, though sometimes rather late on the Friday owing to inadvertently spending a large chunk of the day in pubs, we ask...

What's in the Box?

The Box in question is the glovebox of my car, home to my extremely motley tape collection. By the time I owned a car with a tape player tapes were on the way out and most of my music was in CD format. However, charity shops were practically giving tapes away, which meant that I bought rapaciously and eclectically. A half-remembered 80s band who once released a single I'd liked a little ? A band I'd vaguely heard of ? An unknown group with good cover art ? Bring them on.

Of course, the net result is that I've ended up with a tape collection which any music-lover would be slightly ashamed of. There was a relatively narrow window (late 70s to later 80s) when tapes were big news, and my horde represents that. However, in amongst the terrible pop I've found some gems and I reckon its time to come clean about my guilty musical secrets.

Today in The Box we have:

Johnny Cash - The Johnny Cash Collection Vol. 1

(I can't include a link - there seem to be about a million albums and/or boxed sets with similar names, and none of them bear any relation to the tape in The Box. Anyway, the albums with similar names all do broadly similar things. If you want a Cash compilation, I'd recommend this one: The Man In Black.)

Anyway, yes. Johnny Cash. Country.

Oy... come back! Where are you going ? I know I said the C-word, but...

Oh, all right then. Suit yourself. I stick to the theory that if it's in XKCD then it must be cool.

For proper driving music, you can't beat a bit of Johnny Cash. And I don't mean the later, cooler, gone-a-bit-NIN, Rick-Rubin stuff. I mean proper old-skool skiffle-country which seems designed to play while wheels are turning[*]. It's catchy, it's singalong, and sometimes people in nearby cars at traffic lights join in.

Everyone should own something by Johnny Cash. Though you're allowed to stick to the likes of American IV if country really does make your ears bleed.

Johnny Cash - Country Boy [link expired]

[Poll #1254433]

[*] OK, that might be the influence of dodgy US trucking films.

Comments

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with a bit of Johnny Cash, and why yes, thank you very much, I do own some myself.

I'm always slightly dubious about the dismissal of an entire genre¹ (be it music, film, literature, whatever). I've generally found the best any genre has to offer - even if it's a genre I don't especially care for - to be worth experiencing.


--
[1] - Sweeping generalisations are always wrong.

[john-the-hat.livejournal.com]

We love Johnny Cash here. You are right, it is great driving music, but tbh its just lovely soothing music thats a pleasure to listen to...

[werenerd.livejournal.com]

I love to play Johnny Cash songs on my guitar!!

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

The trouble I have with country music is that whilst I don't dislike it as such I tend to prefer silence. In much the same way as I prefer drinking water to cheap orange squash.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Do you seriously contend that what you don't like about country music is that it's in some sense a cheap and inferior imitation of something you do like (orange juice)?

Damn hillbilly music.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Actually, last week I ended up buying one of the Best of Johnny Cash albums (the one I could find with the most songs on it [grin] - but not that one). It'll now sit alongside the complete American Recordings collection.

[glittertigger]

I listen to Johnny Cash while driving :)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

He is damn cool....sure the NIN cover rocked, particularly that it was country music track of the year....but things like ring of fire, and folsom prision blues are top too !

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

Cash was superb. I even have a Johnny Cash Sings Christmas Songs CD, though Bridie won't let me play it in her presence, even at Christmas.