Track Listing

1. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
2. Worried Man
3. Family Bible
4. Don't Take Your Guns to Town
5. Funny How Time Slips Away
6. Flesh and Blood
7. Crazy
8. Unchained Melody
9. Night Life
10. Drive On
11. Me and Paul
12. I Still Miss Someone
13. Always on My Mind
14. Folsom Prison Blues
15. On the Road Again

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148397 in Music
• Released on: 2002-06-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Customer Reviews

2 legends doing what they do best
This is one of those intimate, legendary concerts that people dream of attending. And while you probably weren't there, you will at least FEEL like you were there, as you listen to this CD--all the songs, all the anecdotes, all the banter...it's captured on VH1 STORYTELLERS, one of the best CDs you could ever hope to purchase.

How good is this album? Well, if the 5-star rating wasn't evidence enough, and if the presence of two of the best singer/songwriters ever isn't enough, the how about a recap of the album's highlights: namely, all fifteen tracks. Two voices, two guitars...songs such as "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" are given new life, with other classics (such as "Crazy," "Always on My Mind," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Don't Take Your Guns to Town," and "Me and Paul") revitalized and sounding as sweet as ever. Cash's haunting Vietnam-era track "Drive On" blends in perfectly with Willie's autobiographical "Me and Paul"--two songs of different subjects, with different atmospheres, blending together because they are performed by two friends.

Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson are the best music can get, and they're on one album. Can you resist? Probably. But why the heck would you want to?

A nice, warm little record
When former Kinks frontman Ray Davies published his autobiography "X-Ray", he went on tour, playing intimate club dates, reading excerpts from the book, and telling stories about his songs and his career.
VH-1 saw the potential in that format, borrowing it for their "Storyteller" series, and while it never matched the succes of MTV's "Unplugged" concept, it did produce a few minor gems, including this CD.

The two ageing singer/singwriters clearly enjoy each others' company, telling wry anecdotes.
"We got water...coffee...and hot chocolate! What's gonna happen to our image?" muses 64-year-old Willie Nelson, and 66-year old Johnny Cash replies: "As long as we keep wearin' black, I think we might be alright!"
They don't reveal too much personal information, often talking to each other more than to the audience, but the atmosphere is nice and relaxed, making for a very pleasant listen.

The two musicians are alone on the stage with their acoustic guitars, playing warm versions of several classic tunes, including a beautiful "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" with an excellent solo by Willie Nelson, a potent "Folsom Prison Blues", a soulful rendition of the Willie Nelson-penned "Crazy", and the early classic "Me And Paul".
And we also get to hear "On The Road Again", "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Always On My Mind", "I Still Miss Someone", and a few lesser-known songs, like the fine "Worried Man". All good.

All in all, this is a welcome supplement to the catalogue of both men. Not an all-time classic, perhaps, but a really good listen nonetheless.

A fine stark live effort from two music legends
I've seen Willie give a live 3 hour tour-de-force performance though I wasn't able to witness Johnny in performance before his passing. The song selections here are very good...nearly every one a classic of Cash's, Nelson's, or a country standard that one (or both) have recorded.

What you get here is unvarnished...a guitar pull format. Cash, Nelson, and their acoustics....that's it. Both of them have released better albums than this one on their own (FOLSOM PRISON and STARDUST to mention two..) so those saying it's the "best I've ever heard" need to listen to more music. Nonetheless, bits of this are fabulous and it's a historic pairing of two of the finest artists ever.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Cash tears into his "Don't Take your Guns to Town" and Willie adds a whispered harmony to the choruses as pride proves literally to be a deadly sin to young Bill. Willie turns in lovely versions of "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Crazy" ('I was gonna call it 'Stu-pid' but it wasn't as euphonious...'). There's some fine picking in "Night Life" after he commands "Listen to what the blues they're playing" (I'm not sure if Cash or Nelson's responsible..). Cash reclaims the power of "Unchained" (this was recorded shortly after his 2nd American Records album but is probably a bit overproduced on that disc) in a deliberate reading that imbues it with subtle grace. He also turns in a charging "Folsom Prison Blues". They close with a sentimental take on Willie's "On the Road Again".

LOWS:
The disc starts a bit tentatively.(nervous laughter from Cash about "well, that's ONE down" after "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky") Luckily, by the time they get to "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" he appears to have calmed down. I felt that "Family Bible" felt a bit flaccid on Cash's part, especially since he usually has a great affinity for gospel material. "Worried Man" just isn't as good a song as the other material here (this is NOT the "Worried Man Blues" Cash wrote with Bob Dylan. It's a later tune he wrote with June in Jamaica.)

BOTTOM LINE:
Fans of either Cash or Nelson should find plenty here to love and the relaxed banter between the two (at one point Willie wonders if it will ruin their image that the beverages for the pair are 'water, coffee, or hot chocolate'. Cash opines that if they keep wearing black, they should be alright.) is charming. It's the closest you'll ever get to a private concert with the pair.