D E A D V I N Y L

Friday, December 09, 2005 at 9:21 AM

Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan / 'That's Alright Mama'

I haven't posted anything in a long while, and I've been feeling kind of bad about that. So here's a quick one. It's not punk or indie really, but it still feels kind of punk to me. Everyone's been making quite a big deal about Johnny Cash and 'Walk the Line' lately, and for good reason. The movie's great and Cash is a timeless American icon.

So with that in mind, here's a virtual quilt of timeless American icons. In mid-February 1969, Johnny Cash got together with Bob Dylan for a few recording sessions at the Columbia Studios in Nashville. The version of 'Girl from the North Country' from that session was officially released on Dylan's 'Nashville Skyline' album. The rest of the tracks have found their into Dylan and Cash fans' hands by way of any number of bootlegs. The tracks are clearly just a few guys having fun with some of their favorite songs. Even though the sessions weren't meant for public consumption, I'd say they're certainly worthy of official release (which I'd imagine will probably happen one day).

So here it is. Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan covering Elvis' first single for Sun Records, originally written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. As if that's not enough, the guy on lead guitar? Yeah, that's Carl Perkins. If you're not impressed, you're brain damaged.

That's Alright Mama
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