Ride This Train
Ride This Train is the sixth album by American country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. It was originally released on August 1, 1960 and was re-issued on March 19, 2002, containing four additional bonus tracks.
Ride This Train | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 1, 1960 | |||
Recorded | December 14, 1959 – February 16, 1960 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 32:20 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ride This Train | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
PopMatters | favorable[2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
It is considered Cash's first concept album. The album is billed as a "travelogue", with Cash providing spoken narration before each song to give context, in several cases playing historical characters, such as John Wesley Hardin, and describing different destinations around the United States visited by train. The songs themselves are not generally railroad-themed.
The success of this LP inspired his first label, Sun, to release the compilation LP All Aboard the Blue Train, which consisted of previously released "train"-inspired songs, including his hit "Folsom Prison Blues".
Ride This Train was included on the Bear Family box set Come Along and Ride This Train.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Loading Coal" | Merle Travis | 4:58 |
2. | "Slow Rider" | Johnny Cash | 4:12 |
3. | "Lumberjack" | Leon Payne | 3:02 |
4. | "Dorraine of Ponchartrain" | Cash | 4:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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5. | "Going to Memphis" | Hollie Dew, Alan Lomax; arranged (new words and music) by Johnny Cash | 4:26 |
6. | "When Papa Played the Dobro" | Cash | 2:55 |
7. | "Boss Jack" | Tex Ritter | 3:50 |
8. | "Old Doc Brown" | Red Foley | 4:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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9. | "The Fable of Willie Brown" | Cash | 1:57 |
10. | "Second Honeymoon" | Autry Inman | 1:57 |
11. | "Ballad of the Harp Weaver" | Thelma Moore, Edna Millay | 3:50 |
12. | "Smiling Bill McCall" | Cash | 2:06 |
Total length: | 42:10 |
Personnel
- Johnny Cash - vocals, rhythm guitar
- The Tennessee Two
- Luther Perkins - lead guitar
- Marshall Grant - bass
- Additional musicians
- Johnny Western - guitar
- Shot Jackson - dobro, steel guitar
- Gordon Terry - fiddle
- Floyd Cramer - piano
- Buddy Harman - drums
- Technical
- Don Law - Original Recording Producer
- Al Quaglieri - Reissue Producer
- Seth Foster - Mastering
- Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
- Stacey Boyle - Tape Research
- Matt Kelly - Tape Research
- Kay Smith - Tape Research
- Arthur Levy - Liner Notes
- Darren Salmieri - A&R
- Steven Berkowitz - A&R
- Patti Matheny - A&R
- Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
- Alan Lomax - Adaptation, Arranger
- Randall Martin - Design
- Don Hunstein - Photography
- Nick Shaffran - Series Consultant
- Dick Miller - CD Art Adaptation