Six Johnny Cash albums with Mercury Records from the '80s to be reissued in comprehensive new box set
There's some good news arriving for longtime fans of legendary singer-songwriter Johnny Cash aka the Man in Black. Mercury Records recently announced that the late great Johnny Cash's musical output for the historic music label will soon be reissued in a comprehensive box set anthology made up of seven discs.
This new "Cash cow", titled 'The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991', will be made available from April 24 via Mercury/UMe and will contain the six albums that Johnny Cash recorded for Mercury during a prolific five-year creative spell for them in the late '80s.
Mercury Records made the welcome announcement this weekend, and longtime fans are sure to be pumped by this news, as Cash's creative output during this time period often tends to be overlooked.
In the mid-1980s, Johnny Cash left his previous label Columbia Records for Mercury Records, who snatched up the country legend as soon as he was available — he would go on to record a staggering total of six albums for them in five years.
The records, released from 1986 to 1991, were a diverse collection that included noteworthy reunions with former Sun Records label mates Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, in addition to star-studded collaborations with icons like Paul and Linda McCartney, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams Jr.
Besides this treat, Mercury Records will also be releasing a new Johnny Cash greatest hits album called 'Easy Rider: The Best of the Mercury Recordings', a fresh compilation of 24 highlights handpicked from Johnny Cash’s Mercury catalog.
Available in either 7-CD or 7-LP vinyl formats, 'The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991', puts together every single Mercury Records album from the legendary singer-songwriter.
The anthology will include these six classic LPs from Johnny Cash:
'Class of ’55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming' (1986)
'Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town' (1987)
'Water From the Wells of Home' (1988)
'Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series' (1988)
'Boom Chicka Boom' (1990)
'The Mystery of Life' (1991)
Renowned sound engineer Kevin Reeves was put in charge of remastering duties, using the original Mercury master tapes at UMG Studios in Nashville to give new life to this collection.
The entire anthology was assembled by the Grammy award-winning producer, Bill Levenson, and the box set will also feature extensive liner notes by the veteran music journalist Scott Schinder.
So if you're a hardcore fan of Johnny Cash, we totally recommend you snap up this new treasure trove. And if you're new to Johnny Cash or just a casual fan, we recommend you get your hands on 'Easy Rider: The Best of the Mercury Recordings' for an immersive understanding of what made Johnny Cash so great.