Love, God, Murder is a Johnny Cash compilation box set (and 84th overall release) released in 2000. It features three themed CDs of songs Cash chose from his catalog. Love features relationship songs, mostly written for June Carter Cash. God is a collection of Gospel and spiritual songs. Murder features another recurring topic of Cash's career, and perhaps his favorite subject, but one that he encouraged people "not to go out and do". Each album was also released separately on the same day. In 2004 Life, a fourth compilation was released.
Although the three albums within the box set are compilations, they demonstrate Cash's lifelong affection for releasing concept albums. Examples of previous Cash albums based around a common theme include Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian (1964), Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965), America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song (1972) and The Rambler (1977).
Each of the three discs contains liner notes by a celebrity. Love has liner notes by Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, U2's frontman Bono contributes liner notes for God, and Murder's liner notes are by film director Quentin Tarantino.
Love
Love |
Review scores |
Source |
Rating |
Allmusic |
link |
Track listing
- "I Walk the Line" (Cash) – 2:46
- "Oh, What a Dream" (Cash) – 2:03
- "All Over Again" (Cash) – 2:07
- "Little at a Time" (Cash, Terry) – 1:57
- "My Old Faded Rose" (Cash, Cash) – 2:53
- "Happiness Is You" (Cash, Cash) – 2:57
- "Flesh and Blood" (Cash) – 2:40
- "I Tremble for You" (Cash, DeWitt) – 2:15
- "I Feel Better All Over" (Rogers, Smith) – 2:04
- "'Cause I Love You" (Cash) – 1:47
- "Ballad of Barbara" (Cash) – 3:49
- "Ring of Fire" (Carter, Kilgore) – 2:39
- "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Ross, Wills) – 2:26
- "While I've Got It on My Mind" (Cash) – 2:21
- "I Still Miss Someone" (Cash, Cash) – 2:35
- "The One Rose (That's Left in My Heart)" (Lyon, McIntire) – 2:27
Release credits
- Johnny Cash – Arranger, Liner Notes, Adaptation, Compilation Producer
- June Carter Cash – Liner Notes
- John Jackson – Project Director
- Steven Berkowitz – Producer
- Chris Athens – Engineer
- Mark Wilder – Engineer
- Darcy Proper – Mastering
- Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
- Don Hunstein – Photography
God
God |
Review scores |
Source |
Rating |
Allmusic |
link |
Another feature of Cash's career is his affinity for another type of album centered around a single topic: gospel albums. God pulls from a vast catalog of spiritual songs that includes the albums Hymns by Johnny Cash (1959), Songs of Our Soil (1959), Hymns from the Heart (1962), Sings Precious Memories (1975), Believe in Him (1986) and My Mother's Hymn Book (2004).
Track listing
- "What on Earth Will You Do (For Heaven's Sake)" (Cash) – 2:09
- "My God is Real" (Morris) – 2:01
- "It Was Jesus" (Cash) – 2:06
- "Why Me Lord?" (Kristofferson) – 2:22
- "The Greatest Cowboy of Them All" (Cash) – 3:58
- "Redemption" (Cash) – 3:04
- "Great Speckled Bird" (Carter, Smith) – 2:11
- "The Old Account" (Traditional) – 2:25
- "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Traditional) – 1:53
- "When He Comes" (Cash) – 3:33
- "The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea" (Carter, Carter, Carter, Cash) – 2:33
- "Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)" (Traditional) – 3:54
- "Man in White" (Cash) – 5:33
- "Belshazzar" (Cash) – 2:26
- "Oh, Bury Me Not (Introduction: A Cowboy's Prayer)" (Lomax, Lomax, Rogers, Spencer) – 3:55
- "Oh Come, Angel Band" (Cash) – 2:44
Release credits
- Johnny Cash – Arranger, Liner Notes, Adaptation, Compilation Producer
- Bono – Liner Notes
- John Jackson – Project Director
- Steven Berkowitz – Producer
- Chris Athens – Engineer
- Mark Wilder – Engineer
- Darcy Proper – Mastering
- Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
- Don Hunstein – Photography
Murder
Murder |
Review scores |
Source |
Rating |
Allmusic |
link |
Track listing
- "Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash) – 2:52
- "Delia's Gone" (Silbersdorf, Toops) – 2:18
- "Mr. Garfield" (Elliott) – 4:39
- "Orleans Parish Prison" (Feller) – 2:30
- "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)" (Franks, Horton) – 2:40
- "The Sound of Laughter" (Howard) – 2:38
- "Cocaine Blues" (Arnall) – 2:50
- "Hardin Wouldn't Run" (Cash) – 4:22
- "Long Black Veil" (Dill, Wilkin) – 3:07
- "Austin Prison" (Cash) – 2:10
- "Joe Bean" (Freeman, Pober) – 3:09
- "Going to Memphis" (Cash, Dew, Lomax) – 4:22
- "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" (Cash) – 3:05
- "Highway Patrolman" (Bruce Springsteen) – 5:22
- "Jacob Green" (Cash) – 3:06
- "The Wall" (Howard) – 2:10
Release credits
- Johnny Cash – Producer, Liner Notes, Compilation Producer
- Quentin Tarantino – Liner Notes
- John Jackson – Project Director
- Steven Berkowitz – Producer
- Chris Athens – Engineer
- Mark Wilder – Engineer
- Darcy Proper – Mastering
- Mike Cimicata – Packaging Manager
- Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
- Don Hunstein – Photography
- Patti Matheny – A&R
- Tim Smith – A&R
Life
Life |
Review scores |
Source |
Rating |
Allmusic |
link |
As a result of the success of the first three collections, in 2004, a fourth volume, Life, was released (his 90th overall release). It mostly features songs about social and economic struggle.
Track listing
- "Suppertime" (Ira Stanphill) – 2:51
- "Country Trash" (Cash) – 2:25
- "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" (Braddock, Williams) – 3:22
- "Time Changes Everything" (Duncan) – 1:51
- "I Talk to Jesus Every Day" (Tubb) – 2:04
- "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" (Atkins, Cash, Johnson) – 2:40
- "I'm Ragged But I'm Right" (Cash) – 2:37
- "These Are My People" (Cash) – 2:38
- "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (Peter LaFarge) – 4:09
- "Oney" (Chestnut) – 3:08
- "Man in Black" (Cash) – 2:53
- "I'm Alright Now" (Hensley) – 2:41
- "Ragged Old Flag" (Cash) – 3:08
- "I Wish I Was Crazy Again" (McDill) – 2:44
- "Where Did We Go Right" (Loggins, Schlitz) – 2:58
- "Wanted Man" (live) (Bob Dylan) – 2:59
- "I Can't Go on That Way" (Cash) – 2:33
- Outtake from The Rambler (1976)
- "Lead Me Gently Home" (Thompson) – 1:59
Release credits
- Johnny Cash – Producer, Compilation Producer, Selection
- John Carter Cash – Executive Producer
- Lou Robin – Executive Producer
- Steven Berkowitz – Producer
- Andy Manganello – Mixing
- Joseph M. Palmaccio – Mastering
- Geoffrey Rice – Mixing Assistant
- Triana DOrazio – Packaging Manager
- Howard Fritzson – Art Direction
- David Gahr – Photography
- Don Hunstein – Cover Photo
Chart performance
Chart (2000) |
Peak position |
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums |
67 |
|
---|
| Studio albums | |
---|
| Concept albums | |
---|
| Gospel albums | |
---|
| Christmas albums | |
---|
| Collaborations | |
---|
| Live albums | |
---|
| Soundtracks | |
---|
| Compilations | |
---|
| Songs | |
---|
| Family | |
---|
| Related articles | |
---|
|
Book:Johnny Cash |
|