Johnny Cash Remixed

www.johnycashremixed.com e-a-r-music

Remixes of living artists are one thing, of course, but revisiting the work of the departed will always ask the obvious question – ‘What would the originator think of this ?’ This project makes more sense if the listener takes on board the introductory words of Cash’s son John Carter Cash – ‘My father made his stead by defying the expected and accepted way of doing things. He set up the standard at the same time. He would have loved this remix record. While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on undiscovered ground ‘. In the case of Johnny Cash we do know his later-life recordings trod new ground even late in his life and career, given that he recorded Tom Petty and even Nine Inch Nails songs.

I hated what the producers did to Bob Marley’s recordings a few years ago, yet the Beautiful People’s use of Hendrix riffs, passages and fragments on ‘If 60s Were 90s’ was to these ears really a spacey success and stands up well today.

I have to say, already these new Cash tune versions are beginning to sound very listenable and almost natural to me after a few plays, with a few exceptions. Yes, it’s weird to hear banjo and harmonica sounds in with whooshing keyboards. Basically most of the guest remixers have emphasised and syncopated rhythms that were either there before or at least suggested by the elemental original rhythm section work. The twangy guitar, the cussedly gruff singing are in great evidence as they should be. Executive producers here are Cash’s son, Mathew Knowles and rapper Snoop Dogg. The only absolutely turkey here is having Snoop ‘rap’ on ‘I Walk The Line’, the original song, pacing, feel and everything else is lost and this is not helped by me having heard a remix version of this very song featuring genius Rodney Crowell a few years back on of all things a linedancing compilation. That got it right, this Snoop version is a clunker.

Elsewhere the Alabama 3 crew drag ‘Leave That Junk Alone’ into the dirt to great effect though the keyboard sequencing doesn’t help in swing ; against this the churchy organ is fine. Midnight Juggernauts imbue ‘Port of Lonely Hearts’ with an ethereal doomy atmosphere but the Cash vocal is respectfully placed in the mix and the hillbilly guitar laid over a sustained synth wash. Trainman tale ‘Rock Island Line’ retains its slow start and speed up, vital to the impact of the composition, remixer Wolf obvious has a good ear for rhythm and a good harmonica vamp and this is easily one of the best selections, more like an original photo in a fresh frame.  ‘Belshazzar’ as approached by Machine Drum is something else again. The terse biblical tale had an ominous bite in its original form and loses none of that here, the eeriness is enhanced by the electronic elements with the guitar picking away. They should have slightly flanged the bass register for a better effect and used more cymbal work so this one’s a bit patchy. The lyric echoes ‘Pride Of Man’ the Quicksilver Messenger Service set staple. On my version of this set there are thirteen cuts and five bonus tracks, the best of which is Mexican Institute of Sound remodelling ‘Trail To Mexico’.

Maybe the best thing about this release is that some rather obscure tracks have been revisited, it isn’t simply a remix of Cash’s best-known numbers. Having said that, this record is nowhere near as good as the ‘Chess Moves’ release of Chess label classic recordings reviewed elsewhere on this site. Most of this works pretty well, so fair enough.

Disc 2 has a DVD on the project, by the way.

Purists should stay well clear and get a Greatest Hits package, I would recommend the Aussie Sony version for the essentials of the Cash legacy.

Pete Sargeant     www.fairhearing.co.uk