Search - Johnny Cash :: Orange Blossom

Great album from 1965

T. Rigsby | Bristol, RI | 08/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reissue of Johnny Cash's 20th album, originally released in 1965. The year it was released, it made the #3 position on Billboard's Country Album list and #49 on their Pop Album list. The track listing is below. The bonus tracks were added on the 2002 re-issue:



Track listing

1. "Orange Blossom Special" (Ervin T. Rouse) - 3:06

2. "Long Black Veil" (Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill) - 3:06

3. "It Ain't Me Babe" (Bob Dylan) - 3:03

4. "The Wall" (Harlan Howard) - 2:09

5. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (Dylan) - 2:56

6. "You Wild Colorado" (Cash) - 1:45

7. "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" (Dylan) - 3:02

8. "When It's Springtime in Alaska" (Tillman Franks) - 2:36

9. "All of God's Children Ain't Free" (Cash) - 2:11

10. "Danny Boy" (Frederick Weatherly) - 5:08

11. "Wildwood Flower" (A.P. Carter) - 2:10

12. "Amen" (Jester Hairston) - 2:05



Bonus tracks

13. "Engine 143" (A.P. Carter) - 3:31

14. "(I'm Proud) The Baby is Mine" (Cash) - 2:30

15. "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" (Dylan) - 2:54



If you search Amazon for "Orange Blossom Special," you will see the 2002 release with track listings and a link to download the mp3s from Amazon."

An Overlooked Linkage

Doctor D | secaucus, NJ United States | 03/25/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An important, but overlooked, stone in the path to Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" and the country/folk/rock melding that emerged thereafter. "Orange Blossom Special" is a good example of the cross-pollination that was taking place between folk and country music during the mid-sixties, and for Cash it represents a substantial step towards expanding his audience beyond the realm of country fans.



Folkies had taken notice of Johnny already. A year prior to this 1965 recording, Joan Baex included his "I Still Miss Someone" on her "Joan Baez 5" release. Cash returns the folkies' acknowledgement with his own tip of the hat here with three Dylan songs ("It Ain't Me, Babe, "Don't Think Twice", and Mamma You've Been On My Mind"). All of these are done in Cash-style, which might offend the "purists", but they are Johnny's interpretations (I recall some old folkies who were outraged by Jimi's take on "All Along the Watchtower"!!!).



And there were no charges of "sell-out" by his fans when it was released. He was still the train guy (the title tune), the inmate ("The Wall"), the man of the Word ("All God's Children Ain't Free" and "Amen"), and more importantly, evolving into the Man in Black ("Long Black Veil"--a tune that inspired the Band and was included in their first release). The only weak tune to these ears is his version of "Danny Boy" which for me goes beyond the limits of an "acquired taste"---my only reason for giving this four rather than five stars.



Personally, this was the very first Cash recording I owned. Back in 1965, I was a refugee-from-rock folkie. Cash's appearance on Pete Seeger's little UHF show and the inclusion of three Dylan tunes caught my attention. Since that time, I've added many Cash recordings to my collection and would rate this second only to his two classic live prison recordings.



P.S. You also get a couple additional tracks which is a nice bonus. Nevertheless, the quality still rests upon the originally released material"