The Greatest: The Number Ones

by Johnny Cash

Overview

As part of Columbia/Legacy's ongoing celebration of Johnny Cash's 80th birthday in 2012, the label assembled a series of compilations under the rubric "The Greatest." This 19-track collection covers ground so obvious that it's a wonder there hasn't been a similar compilation before: it showcases Cash's chart-toppers. Strictly speaking, some of these singles did not reach number one -- 1958's "The Ways of a Woman in Love" and 1979's "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" peaked at two, while 1958's "What Do I Care" topped out at eight -- and a good case could be made that "Get Rhythm," the charting flip of "I Walk the Line," should have been here, but that's ultimately nitpicking as this provides a single-disc overview of Cash's charting years unlike any other compilation on the market. Usually, Cash compilations concentrate on his enduring standards, which aren't necessarily the same thing as his biggest hits. This means that there are some very big songs missing here -- "Hey Porter," "Cry Cry Cry," "I Still Miss Someone," "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," "Five Feet High and Rising," "Jackson," and "I Got Stripes" are all absent -- but in their place is a handful of comparatively overlooked hits like "What Do I Care," "The One on the Right Is on the Left," "Flesh and Blood," and "One Piece at a Time," songs that add chronological context to the staples on this set. And that's why even with the notable omissions this is still an excellent overview and introduction to Cash: it's a vivid snapshot of his peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/07/2012
Label:	Columbia / Legacy / Sony Legacy
UPC:	0886919033328
Rank:	1686

Tracks

1. I Walk the Line
2. There You Go
3. Ballad of a Teenage Queen
4. Guess Things Happen That Way
5. The Ways of a Woman in Love
6. What Do I Care
7. Don't Take Your Guns to Town
8. Ring of Fire
9. Understand Your Man
10. The One On the Right Is On the Left
11. Folsom Prison Blues
12. Daddy Sang Bass
13. A Boy Named Sue
14. Sunday Morning' Comin' Down
15. Flesh and Blood
16. One Piece at a Time
17. There Ain't No Good Chain Gang
18. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
19. Highwayman

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny Cash   Primary Artist
The Highwaymen   Primary Artist
Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two   Primary Artist
Waylon Jennings   Featured Artist
Willie Nelson   Featured Artist
Kris Kristofferson   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Johnny Cash   Producer,Group Member,Composer
June Carter Cash   Composer
Sam Phillips   Producer
Jim Parham   Project Director
Adam Farber   Project Director
Alan Messer   Photography
Randall Martin   Design,Art Direction
Steve Berkowitz   Compilation Producer
Jim Marshall   Photography
Don Hunstein   Photography
Stan Jones   Composer
Shel Silverstein   Composer
Bob Johnston   Producer
Anthony DeCurtis   Liner Notes
Jack Clement   Composer,Producer
D. Kirby   Composer
Don Davis   Producer
Charlie Bragg   Producer
Frank Jones   Producer
Don Law   Producer
Charlie Rich   Composer
Waylon Jennings   Duet,Producer,Group Member
Lou Robin   Executive Producer
Merle Kilgore   Composer
Brian Ahern   Producer
Marisa Magliola   Project Director
C. Perkins   Composer
Willie Nelson   Group Member
Maria Triana   Mastering
Bill Justis   Composer
Chips Moman   Producer
Kris Kristofferson   Composer,Group Member
Gregg Geller   Compilation Producer
John Carter Cash   Executive Producer