Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece by Michael Streissguth Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece
Book Review: Neat Little Book on the Forging of a Master Recording
Summary: 5 Stars
This short book, probably less than 100 pages if you take out pictures and account for unused page space, is the recounting of Johnny Cash's 1968 recording of "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison," the album that catapulted Cash into superstardom and highlighted for a generation the misery of prisoners life behind bars. Streissguth does an excellent job of telling about the concert and giving the back-story behinds the original idea, as well as why it ended up as an iconic album.
One would do well to learn about this instant in the long career of Cash and how it changed him and America. I highly recommend this book for a quick afternoon read.
Book Review: Not worthy of its subject
Summary: 3 Stars
When I saw this book on the shelves, I grabbed it. As the title states, Johnny Cash at Folsom prison is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, this book is anything but. The story, which really requires no elaboration, is marred by writing which is so excruciatingly bad in places that I found myself wincing. Instead of being able to focus on the story, I was irritated by a neverending series of atrocious similes and metaphors. Open the book at random, and they jump out like fleas. Page 25: "Cash glided through the grim lyric [of Folsom Prison Blues] like a harrow through soft, pebbly earth." Next page: "[Cash's 1950's recordings] strutted rock and roll style and ached like cracked dry skin, far scalier than the Nashville Sound that was melting over country music..." This is unfortunate because the book is, or appears to be, well-researched. If an editor's pen had excised the purple prose, this might have been a good book.Book Review: A 'must' for Cash fans
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1969 Cash performed at Folsom Prison in California and produced a title album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison which as to make him a superstar in the country world. Michael Streissguth's Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: The Making Of A Masterpiece is no ordinary biography of Cash, which has been done before: it's a survey of that performance, what led to it, and what came out of it, richly enhanced by the author's access to Folsom Prison and Columbia Record archives and illustrated with over 100 rare photos. A 'must' for Cash fans.
Book Review: Blow my blues away
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good book about a great album. It gives a very detailed account of the events leading up to the recording of the album, the concert itself and the aftermath of the album's release. It also goes into details about Folsom Prison itself, which most Johnny Cash fans are probably not aware of. This is a very informative book that Johnny Cash's fans will probably enjoy.Book Review: Fantastic slice of Cash's life...
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm disappointed more often than not at the rock bios that flood the market when a performer dies. Not only are they inaccurate and full of rumor, but they often spend too much time dwelling on mundane childhood details ("...then, at age 6, he moved to grandma's house...").
This book rises to the occasion and gives us an in-depth look at the events leading up to and including the day that Johnny Cash took his band of musicians (including Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers) to Folsom Prison for a morning concert to be recorded for an LP. The author successfully traces the seeds of Cash's care for the prisoners, not sidestepping the obvious marketing advantages to his outlaw status.
At Folsom Prison is extremely well-researched and Streissguth obviously has a background in country music. For casual fans of the music of the 60's this is a great primer, but for those of us who've listened to the album again and again this is the definitive companion to the recordings. [Note: If there's anything disappointing about the book it's that there isn't more of it. Since it's heavy with admittedly amazing photographs from that day it's pretty short. You'll read it in one sitting.]