The Legend
There are several Cash boxes available, butThe Legend--spanning the years 1955-2002 but concentrating on his long tenure at Columbia and, to a lesser degree, his beginnings at Sun--probably belongs at the top of the list. Cash's greatest strengths are dramatized on these four, thematically programmed discs:Win, Place and Show: The Hits;Old Favorites and New;The Great American Songbook(mostly traditional songs); andFamily and Friends(collaborations). For starters, consider the staggering depth and breadth of his repertoire (perhaps matched only by those of Bob Dylan and Ray Charles), embracing ancient folk tunes ("Streets of Laredo"), teen pop ("Ballad of a Teenage Queen"), mature contemporary rock ("Highway Patrolman"), gospel ("Were You There When They Crucified My Lord"), topical fare ("Ballad of Ira Hayes"), country standards ("Time Changes Everything"), novelties ("One Piece at a Time"), and more. Then there's the way his spare, spacious sound opens up to take in horns ("Ring of Fire"), strings ("Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"), anything.The Legendincludes seven previously unissued sides, most prominently "It Takes One to Know Me," a stirring salute to his wife June.--John MorthlandNOTE: There is also adeluxe limited editionofThe Legend, featuring a lithograph, a bonus disc, and a DVD, and housed in a 120-page, 12" x 16" hardcover book.