Greatest!

by Johnny Cash

Overview

The title of Johnny Cash's third album for Sun Records, 1959's Greatest!, suggests that Cash's career already merited an anthology of hits a mere four years after he first hit the charts with "Cry! Cry! Cry!." However, this wasn't quite the case, and Greatest! was actually a collection of B-side and unreleased tunes Cash had left behind when he parted ways with Sun to sign with Columbia in 1958. The irony is there's a dearth of actual hits on Greatest!, and while the sizable majority of Cash's Sun output was outstanding, this album is decidedly weaker than the two Sun long-players which had preceded it. However, there are a handful of gems to be found here -- the rollicking "Get Rhythm," a fine cover of Charlie Feathers' "I Forgot to Remember to Forget," a pair of solid Hank Williams interpretations ("You Win Again" and "Hey Good Lookin'"), and his tribute to the singular talents of guitarist Luther Perkins, "Luther Played the Boogie." While Sam Phillips and his staff polished a few of these tunes with overdubs after the fact, they still sound leaner and more intense than Cash's early Columbia sides, and while Greatest! is second-tier stuff from his Sun period, there's still some great music here from one of the most powerful voices in country music. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2017
Label:	Org Music
UPC:	0711574813315
Rank:	25091

Tracks

1. Goodby Little Darlin'
2. Just Thought You'd Like to Know
3. You Tell Me
4. Just About Time
5. I Forgot to Remember to Forget
6. Katy Too
7. Thanks a Lot
8. Luther's Boogie
9. You Win Again
10. Hey Good Lookin'
11. Ashamed of You
12. Get Rhythm

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny Cash   Primary Artist
Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Stan Kesler   Composer
Bill Dahl   Liner Notes,Reissue Producer
Jack Clement   Composer,Producer
Gene Autry   Composer
Charlie Rich   Composer
Cary E. Mansfield   Reissue Producer
Charlie Feathers   Composer
Hank Williams   Composer
Danny Wolfe   Composer
Johnny Cash   Composer
Johnny Marvin   Composer
Jerry Freeman   Composer
Sam Phillips   Composer,Producer
Bill Pitzonka   Reissue Art Director
Daniel Hersch   Digital Remastering
Clyde Leoppard   Producer
Stanley Kesler   Composer