(Perfect Albums) Classic Review: Johnny Cash - Live: At Folsom Prison

Outlaw country's rugged captain, Johnny Cash released his infamous live album 'At Folsom Prison' in May 1968 on Columbia Records - it is effectively a greatest hits from his past 26 albums that makes up a dream set list, exclusively for the convicts of Folsom Prison.

Along with his future wife and collaborator June Carter and band The Tennessee Three, Johnny plays through 19 songs, of which 5 were originally written by Cash, with the rest being covers and songs written for him.   

It was Johnny's idea to play a show inside prison walls after writing his song 'Folsom Prison Blues' in 1955 - the track that aptly kicks off the album.

The idea was delayed however, as those in charge of Johnny's material at Columbia Records didn't see fit to put a drug addled Cash in front of a rowdy convict audience. 

With a cleaning up of his act in 1968 and a desire to reach commercial success, the Man In Black was taken to play a show to hundreds of inmates inside the dining hall of California's Folsom Prison.

This one off event included two shows in one day on January 13th, 1968. The live tape recording immediately achieved commercial success in the U.S - reaching the number one spot in the country music chart, and getting as high as 15th in the national album standings. 

This was an unprecedented turn-around for Cash, having previously been shunned by just about everyone in the music industry for his unpredictability, drug abuse, and inability to keep up with the evolving industry; as new, fresh acts placed Johnny's gospel themed, country-blues into the past.

So what makes this thing a PERFECT album?  

For me, it is a perfect storm of all the mitigating circumstances and speculation that surrounded Cash at the time that raises the profile of this record into legendary status. He had to prove his relevance in the cut-throat music industry, and he pulled through with a killer live performance brimming with emotion, wit and ripe technical ability. 

Cash didn't bend over backwards to incorporate himself into the evolving scene, instead he took advantage of his branding as a rock and roll outlaw by reaching out to his fellow societal outcasts and allowing them to witness his revival. 

Johnny sets out to please and let the inmates know he is on their side with every song on this calculated set-list, right from his token introduction "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" he has the audience howling with praise and laughter through tracks like 'Cocaine Blues' that incorporate comedy to the act, with lyrical punchlines of dark proportions such as Johnny's brag: "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die".

The inmates adds to the comedy with shouts and cheers as the prisoners relate to the tales of criminality. 

It's the tightrope that Cash walks between comedy and sincerity that showcases his charm and his audience awareness on this record. As well as hanging onto every word of Johnny's lone voice in ballads of death penalties and life sentences: 'Send A Picture of Mother' and my personal favourite 'Give My Love To Rose', the crowd stamps their feet along to '25 Minutes To Go', a rib-tickling countdown to a man's hanging.  

Johnny dresses his songs with sounds and storytelling that transport his audience away from the prison walls, be it with laughter ('Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart'), or with makeshift sounds of train tracks and whistles ('Orange Blossom Special') as well as pastoral songs of freedom ('Green, Green Grass of Home').

This album would come with me onto my desert island without a doubt, I wouldn't place it in a top 10 list, but at the same time I wouldn't like to live without it. Whilst it exhibits fantastic song-writing and that is usually the key to a successful record, it takes a back seat as Johnny Cash sets the bar for what live music is all about.
    





  

Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$ (Album Review)

I'm a little late to the party on this one but here's a review of Joey Bada$$' debut album 'B4.DA.$$'.

From the United States' (B)east coast, Brooklyn rapper Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (Joey Bada$$) drops his first full-length, commercial release from record label 'Cinematic Music Group'.

On his 20th birthday (20/1/15), Joey released possibly the most eagerly awaited hip-hop record of the year, B4.DA.$$. The hype surrounding Joey has snowballed ever since his '1999' mix tape that I for one was a huge fan of, thanks to Joey's refreshingly old school flow and dogged word play. These techniques were recycled, explored and evolved by Joey on his second solo mix tape 'Summer Knights' and also within projects from his hip-hop collective 'Pro Era' (The Progressive Era).

With a heap of features under his belt and excessive touring, it was clear Joey was in the rap game to stay.

B4.DA.$$ to me is a creative extraction of all that Joey has experienced/ hopes to experience since his exposure from '1999' and the scope that Joey now finds himself looking through due to this exposure. Though the album lacks some of the '1999' charm and at times Joey's extensive and experimental flow sacrifices the clarity of his word play, what he does do is cement the hype that he created into a cohesive and concise project that showcases his mental and technical development.

                                             8/10  

There isn't a beat on this album that lags behind, despite the variety of style, from Statik Selektah's boom-bap to Chuck Strangers drum and bass endeavours on track 'Escape 120', each producer holds their own and supplies Joey with challenging and thick instrumentation for him to work around.

I found the lack of influence from his Pro Era counterparts a surprise, as although I firmly believe Joey is leaps and bounds ahead of others in the collective in terms of rap ability, I had assumed they would appear more on the album in order for Joey to use this platform to exhibit the group as a whole. However, I am grateful for this not being the case and for Joey's overall eye for detail surrounding the features that made it onto the album, especially Raury's guest verse on 'Escape 120' which is my favourite feature on the record.

Though on the whole, there are very few features from anyone on the album and Joey works alone on ten out of the fifteen tracks. After all, it is HIS album and it seems he has a lot to say. Talking mostly of how his life has changed over recent years in terms of wealth, travelling the world and how the passing of two of his close friends threw a spanner in the works during the rise of Badass. Joey's song concepts seem closer to home on this record as he now raps about his personal experiences of violence and the passing of life with first hand experience.

Joey takes a refreshing stance on how money effects a young rapper as the hook "money ain't a thing if I got it" rings throughout track 'Paper Trails'. Presumably this is Joey's way of reassuring his fans he won't sell out and "sign to no major" as he understands that while this money is life changing for him and his mother who he hopes to support, it is part of a bigger picture. Joey doesn't use his new found affluence to speak for him in this way, and instead allows his talent to speak for itself on hype tracks like 'Big Dusty', 'Christ Conscious' and 'No.99' that tell us Joey will remain hungry for as long as there's progress to be made, in these, his most hard hitting tracks yet.

It's Joeys ability to move from these brag-filled, pun-slinging dimensions into subtle, ballad type tracks like 'OCB' and heritage exploring 'Curry Chicken' and 'Belly of The Beast' that cause B4.DA.$$ to be a captivating listen and one that I have grown to thoroughly enjoy after several listens. I feel like a proud father having watched Joey grow and surpass his promise with success and critical acclaim, despite a personal worry of whether or not he could continue to live up to his own prestige.

FAVE TRACKS: Big Dusty, Christ Conscious, Escape 120, Black Beetles, OCB.

LEAST FAVE: No.99 (only for its cringeworthy video and similarly cheesy 'BADMON' hook).



 

Better Call Saul - Series 1, Episode 1 "Uno" (Review)

AMC's spin-off of critically acclaimed, nuclear bomb TV series 'Breaking Bad' aired in the US on Sunday night, and reached the UK in the early hours of monday morning, ready to be digested by creator Vince Gilligan's starving fan-base. Announced in April 2013, 'Better Call Saul' is the long awaited answer to the question 'what now?' after the climax of the Walter White tragedy left fans of the show more open mouthed than it had kept them throughout the series.

This prequel and possibly sequel series see's Bob Odenkirk take his role as slimy, slogan-slinging lawyer 'Saul Goodman' into the forefront, supposedly six years before his dealings with the infamous, meth kingpin 'Heisenberg'.

This review/ reflection of the first episode will probably assume some knowledge about people's familiarity with the story as a whole and possibly spoil some elements of the original series, so if you belong to the minority of people without their 'I've seen Breaking Bad' badge, look away now (and watch Breaking Bad, like, immediately).

As the episode begins we have our beloved Saul shown to us in an unfamiliar habitat; behind the counter of a fast food dessert restaurant called 'Cinnabon'. It becomes obvious as the hints move into place that we have joined him sometime after his escape from his life as Saul Goodman. He has been away long enough to establish the character of 'Gene', the balding fast food dessert store manager, somewhere in Nebraska. Saul is somewhat comically disguised in a bushy moustache and glasses as he clambers through his daily work routine to the tune of 'The Ink Spots- Address Unknown'.

This opening black and white sequence did an excellent job of settling me back down into the Gilligan universe and establishing Saul as no longer the laid-back, tongue in cheek goofster that bounced in and out of Breaking Bad when called upon, but instead a fragile, deeply on edge, lead man, who has found himself in hiding, following his run-ins with some of the grittiest members of America's underworld.

I was naive to think that creator Vince Gilligan would loosen his focus and eye for detail in this spin-off series, as each camera cut and placement of objects seems to have meticulous planning behind it, forcing me to hunt for Easter eggs within the frame that may prove important later in the story or even provide a hat tip to Saul's prior adventures with Walt and company.

As we find Gene back at home and follow him around the house through stalker type angles, he rummages to find an old video tape of his alter-ego Saul. Placing it in the VCR player, he watches back his old TV adverts through seemingly gritted teeth and a face that is on the brink of tears. As he is reminded of what placed him in this foreign, snow topped town far from Albuquerque, New Mexico, we are snapped out of the black and white, eerie present situation of Gene and plunged back into the recesses of his mind, where we find James McGill, the original pseudonym of Saul Goodman (after the catchy credit sequence of course).


From then on we see a day in the life of struggling lawyer McGill as he attempts to earn a steady buck on the Public Defender circuit, while establishing his own law firm. With a couple of familiar faces thrown in from the Breaking Bad franchise, and a Grand Theft Auto mission-esque plot to con a potential client, we begin to see James McGill morph into Saul Goodman as the odds stack against him and he finds himself doing what he can to make ends meet.

This opening gambit, though not too highly anticipated from myself did not disappoint, whilst I was extremely hopeful of Gilligan's ability to carry out a spin-off in a manner that wouldn't take anything away from the original series, or borrow too much from it in order to match its stature, I was more curious to know whether or not it could be done, rather than looking forward to the idea of the series itself.

I am aware that many more cameo's will occur from the cast of BB which would be a trick too foolish to avoid, as the depth of each character definitely has my vote to be explored, however I hope this does not form the basis of the show and that it is allowed to stand on its own without the aid of Gilligan's home-run-hit.

Now it has me, I feel it won't lose me, the killer cliff hangar that left off the first episode has not just invited me into episode two, but more dragged me by the eyes.

Episode 1 is available now on Netflix and episode 2 drops at 7am Tuesday morning.

The Cribs - 'Burning for No One' + 'An Ivory Hand' (Track Reviews/ Sigh)

Ahead of the release of their sixth studio album 'For All My Sisters' that will drop on the 23rd March this year from their own label 'Sonic Blue' records (in partnership with Sony RED) three piece, indie rock, band of brothers The Cribs have released the singles 'An Ivory Hand' and 'Burning for No One'.

This is the latest peeking of the Jarman brothers collective heads since their hibernation following 2012's full length release 'In the Belly of the Brazen Bull'. Teaser track 'An Ivory Hand' was gifted to Cribs fans shortly after the official announcement of the new record, and though it didn't have me clinging onto the replay button for days on end like I wish a new Cribs song would, after a few listens I felt an uncertain but familiar warmth that the band gave me in the lead up to their last LP.

The track kicks off and throws me back into a world with The Cribs like they'd never left, instantly feeling the force of all three Jarmans with help from producer and ex Cars member Ric Ocasek. A vocal mirroring synth runs alongside a weezer-esque melody and a crunching guitar riff in a cleanly produced menage a trois of catchyness. The Cribs have always had a way with chorus' and vocal hooks, and in this teaser track, front men Ryan and Gary continue their form, less in the spit soaked microphone screams that I have grown accustom to, and more fist on chest vocal bellows toward the back wall of space that they began to favour on their last record. This ever changing Cribs cycle looked to me to be continuing its evolution in a positive light.

Though something didn't quite sit right with me after hearing this teaser track; maybe it is the time apart and the growing both I and the Cribs have experienced over the years that meant I didn't click with the song, but I was desperate to hear more to know for sure whether we were both still on the same tracks.

Then I saw they had dropped a second teaser single. Hoping not to be correct about catchyness for catchyness' sake in this new direction, I went into 'Burning for No One' with a fragile mindset. Upon and after the four second mark of the song I fell weak at the ears. To be a long-serving member of The Cribs' fan-base and hear such blandness on all fronts was somewhat impossible to believe.  The song doesn't move on from it's pub band dwelling rhythm guitar twang that is revisited after a chorus that is flatteringly given a double round each time. The track comes and goes leaving nothing to look back on or revisit, unless you're going back to check whether what you just heard was in fact a Cribs song or not.    .

Perhaps this pop drenched offspring of 2009 album 'Ignore the Ignorant' exists due to the talk of a split LP from the band when they first hinted this new release. One record to accommodate their long standing fans, who recognize the band as a force that (with the exception of Johnny Marr induced hiccup 'Ignore the Ignorant') has pressed up against the box of mainstream British chart music and delivered a blemished and unforgiving alternative. The other to rightly or wrongly exist within said box and attract interest from those who may be unfamiliar with the band, or just prefer their more poppy adventures.

However, it seems instead that they could be looking to pass in and out of these two musical avenues within the track-listing of the one LP, which by the sounds of this second single, could mean more upsetting times to come. I will of course listen to the the full album and review it upon its release. I can only hope that within a full project I can see the bigger picture of songs like 'Burning for No One' whilst I get my teeth into what more is to come along the parallel of  'An Ivory Hand'.


In case you missed the hyperlinks you can check the songs out here:

Burning for No One - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMG68Orftw

An Ivory Hand - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMG68Orftw

CHECK OUT THEIR OTHER PROJECTS WHILE YOU'RE AT IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.