JOHNNY CASH THE OUTTAKES

Having already released The Everly Brothers The Outtakes and Janis Martin The Outtakes which, as the titles suggest, contained outtakes and false starts, in early 2007 Bear Family Records turned their attention to Johnny Cash with a three-CD set of outtakes, false starts and studio chat from the Sun Records period. I was fortunate to have been approached to compile the set and write the liner-notes. In this article I will look back at the work that was involved in putting the set together. 

Towards the end of 2006 I was approached by Richard Weize, owner of Bear Family Family, who asked if I would be interested in putting together the set and, of course, I agreed.

My first task was to work out which outtakes had already been issued on the Man In Black 1954-1958 and other releases and compile a spreadsheet detailing where these could be found. I then received nine CDs with various outtakes, false starts and studio chat that also contained some material that had been out before. Unfortunately there were many Sun tracks for which no alternates have survived although what was there made interesting listening.

With a release date set for late-February 2007 I was working to a tight deadline and had to supply a final track listing by the beginning of January. I copied all the material onto the computer as it would be easier to stop and start songs or pick out particular passages than would have been possible on a standard CD player. There were several problems I encountered during the initial stages, not least of which was the lack of information regarding the different versions. Sam Phillips was notoriously bad at keeping records and with no written notes or take numbers to go by it was a case of going through each and every track listening for differences. It wasn’t made any easier by the fact that many of the outtakes sounded so similar.

It took several weeks before I had the final track listing finalised which I then compiled on a spreadsheet and forwarded it to the record company. It would be a while before I received the remastered tracks to approve and in the meantime I made a start on the liner-notes.

Rather than writing a track-by-track guide I chose to write an overview of Cash's career at Sun Records while picking out those tracks that were noticeably different and deserved a more detailed description. By the end of January the liner-notes were completed and sent off to the designers to start work on the artwork and booklet.

In due course CD-R copies of the remastered tracks arrived and needed to be checked. I listened to all three CDs comparing them to my list to ensure the right versions had been used and compiled in the correct running order. Fortunately, with only a few minor exceptions which would be corrected before release, everything was fine. I was really impressed with the sound quality which to my ears had never sounded so good.

My next job was to check and approve the artwork and booklet which all looked fine except for the odd typo and layout error. I confirmed this and waited while production of the set took place.

I was impressed with the final product. The three CDs, which were made to look like reels of tape, were housed in individual sleeves with the track listings detailed on the back. The 100 page booklet included my comprehensive liner notes, recording session details, period photos and, as a bonus, a wealth of previously unseen photos of Cash and good friend Johnny Horton on a fishing trip. These were not from the period but were a welcome addition. All this was housed in a reproduction tape-box which looked very classy.

The set featured 111 tracks, presented in chronological order, with over 50 previously unreleased. The listener was able to hear work in progress and the subtle differences between each take as the songs developed in the studio. You would hear Cash fluff a lyric or guitarist Luther Perkins miss a note meaning another take was required. Many of the songs were recorded in two or three takes but a few required many more before a finished master was sucessfully 'in the can.' Among these were the eight takes of Don't Make Me Go and the eleven takes of Always Alone.

Among the fifty previously unreleased tracks were multiple takes of songs including Folsom Prison Blues, Don't Make Me Go, Katy Too, Get Rhythm, Always Alone, Thanks A Lot, I Just Thought You'd Like To Know and It's Just About Time.

I don't need to say how proud I am of this set. I've worked on many Johnny Cash projects over the years and this ranks high on the list.

'Whether it's the thrill of hearing a previously unknown lyric, a slightly different instrumental sound or eavesdropping on a vocal or guitar fluff, this collection offers the most penetrating look beyond the famous master recordings made by a man who has become a towering figure in American music.' - Bear Family Records Press Release