Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Letter Edged In Black
2. There's A Mother Always Waiting At Home
3. The Engineer's Dying Child
4. My Mother Was A Lady
5. The Winding Stream
6. Far Away Places
7. Galway Bay
8. When I Stop Dreaming
9. Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes
10. I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen
11. Missouri Waltz
12. Louisiana Man
13. Paradise
14. I Don't Believe You Wanted to Leave
15. Jim, I Wore A Tie Today
16. Saginaw, Michigan
17. When It's Springtime In Alaska (It's Forty Below)
18. Girl In Saskatoon
19. The Cremation Of Sam McGee
20. Tiger Whitehead
21. It's All Over
22. A Fast Song
23. Virgie
24. I Wanted So
25. It Takes One To Know Me

Disc 2:

1. Seal It In My Heart And Mind
2. Wildwood In The Pines
3. Who At My Door Is Standing
4. Have Thine Own Way Lord
5. Lights Of Magdala
6. If Jesus Ever Loved A Woman
7. The Lily Of The Valley
8. Have A Drink Of Water
9. The Way Worn Traveler
10. Look Unto The East
11. Matthew 24 (Is Knocking At The Door)
12. The House Is Falling Down
13. One Of These Days I'm Gonna Sit Down And Talk To Paul
14. What On Earth (Will You Do For Heaven's Sake)
15. My Children Walk In The Truth
16. No Earthly Good
17. Sanctified
18. Lord, Lord, Lord
19. What Is Man
20. Over The Next Hill (We'll Be Home)
21. A Half A Mile A Day
22. Farther Along
23. Life's Railway To Heaven
24. In The Sweet Bye And Bye

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34681 in Music
• Released on: 2006-05-23
• Number of discs: 2

Album Description
Deep within the House of Cash, Johnny Cash’s recording studio, office suite, and museum in Hendersonville, Tennessee, behind the studio’s control room, was a small vault-like space in which many of his most prized possessions were stored. A collection of rare firearms dating back to the 18th Century, some personal effects of Jimmie Rodgers, artwork and letters from fans all over the world and much more was carefully arranged and locked away for safekeeping. Then there were the tapes. Hundreds of them. Demos from songwriters, album masters, multi-tracks of the ABC television series, and some boxes marked simply "Personal File." These are Johnny’s most intimate sessions, recorded mostly in 1973 and then subsequently at his leisure. Just a lone voice and an acoustic guitar, singing songs and telling stories about them. A concept that has since come to be thought of as revelatory but, as is evident in this stunning new set, is something Johnny Cash had been doing all along—if only for his personal file. This 2-CD collection features 49 previously unreleased recordings.

Amazon.com
The recordings Johnny Cash started making for Rick Rubin's American label in 1993 launched a journey through the Great American Songbook--from traditional tunes to alt-rock--that continued until, literally, the end of his life. What wasn't known at the time was that Cash had anticipated the American Recordings concept 20 years earlier. A series of informal private sessions he recorded in 1973 featuring just voice and guitar--with a few numbers added between then and 1982--were left untouched at his House of Cash studio, unearthed only after his death in 2003. These 49 songs, labeled "Personal File," show him exploring 19th-century parlor tunes, Tin Pan Alley pop, gospel, little-known Cash originals, classic and contemporary country, and even a recitation of Robert Service's poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee." On many, his spoken introductions reveal personal ties to a given number. Cash reprises early country fare like Jimmie Rodgers's "My Mother Was a Lady" and "The Letter Edged in Black." He also revisits later country classics like the Louvin Brothers' "When I Stop Dreaming," close friend Johnny Horton's hit "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)," John Prine's "Paradise," and stepdaughter Carlene Carter's "It Takes One to Know Me." The second disc is a virtual hymnbook, blending traditional gospel and A.P. Carter tunes with a sacred composition by Rodney Crowell and Cash gospel originals. For those enchanted by the illness-ravaged soulfulness of Cash's later American recordings, hearing him in his prime is not only breathtaking--it underscores the depth of his still-remarkable musical vision. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews

Just Johnny
This album isn't for everyone. It's not for those who only appreciate the Johnny Cash of radio. It's not for those who only like the staples of Cash's music career (Walk the Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, etc.) It's an album for those who are fascinated by the distinctive truthfulness of Johnny Cash's voice. There is no other album in which his purity comes through more clearly. The album's honesty comes from the fact that Johnny wasn't recording these songs for others; he was recording them for himself. We have the privilege of evesdropping on these personal moments. We are not the audience. We are the fly on the wall, and we get to listen to Johnny at his best, as just a man and his guitar playing simply for the reason that he loved music. Cash's love of music is such a refreshing discovery in the midst of today's music industry.

One on one with Cash
I've always wanted to sit down with Johnny Cash and have him sing some of his favorite songs for me in a private one on one concert. This is it. I've seen John many times in my life and I've had the pleasure to meet him personally as well, shook his hand, got the autograghs, and pictures. I've held a conversation with him on more than one occassion, but never had the courage to ask him to sing for me, nor would I have. But it was always a dream that it might could happen ... this is as close as it comes. Turn the music up and the lights down and enjoy a one on one private concert with John and his guitar.

amazing
The PURE talent of Johnny Cash never ceases to amaze. How many songs did this guy know? For this one , it is best to listen alone , with a fine beer or wine.You will savor every moment , and when it's over you'll feel as if Johnny put on a show just for you. This "Personal File" was probably never supposed to be released ; thanks to the powers that be that saw to it's issuing. "Personal" indeed----from Johnny to you.