Hayride Anthology

VINYL FORMAT. Limited to 200 black vinyl copies in hand-numbered four-color proper sleeves.

"This set, which features live performances Johnny Cash did for the Louisiana Hayride radio show between 1955 and 1965, isn't particularly revelatory -- it's Cash being Johnny Cash -- but it does underscore how easily and sincerely he could connect with an audience, and these tracks certainly have archival and historical value. The sound varies from OK to not quite so OK depending on the performance, but it's all certainly listenable. Highlights include two versions of "Five Feet High & Rising" (the first, from 1959, is marginally the better of the two), spirited versions of "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Hey Porter," and the quaint-but-he-actually-pulls-it-off (because he's Johnny Cash) "Ballad of the Harp Weaver," a recitation of the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem." – Steve Leggett allmusic.com