JOHNNY CASH - UNCHAINED

Johnny Cash's second album produced by Rick Rubin, Unchained, was released thirty years ago on 5 November 1996., In this artricle, originally published in the Johnny Cash Fanzine I ran for twenty-five years, we look back at the album.

In late-1995 Johnny Cash and producer Rick Rubin started work on the follow up to the critically acclaimed American Recordings.

Sessions, which would continue through to April 1996, took place at various locations including Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research (Rubin’s own studio), Sound City, Oceanway Recording and NRG Recording, all based in the Los Angeles area. Additional recording was carried out at Jack Clement’s Nashville studios, the Cowboy’s Arms Hotel and Recording Spa.

Unlike their first release which featured just Cash and his guitar this new album would involve a full band - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers whose members included Mike Campbell (guitar), Benmont Tench (piano/organ), Howie Epstein (bass) and Steve Ferrone (drums).

Tom Petty recalled the sessions in the Unearthed liner notes, “Rick Rubin called me and said, ‘Hey, would you like to play bass on this Johnny Cash record I’m doing?’ I said, ‘Aw shit, yeah, I love to play the bass. I started out as a bass player and did that for years before the Heartbreakers, where I switched to guitar. And of course any time I could work with John I’d be right there. To my surprise I turned up and Benmont Tench was there and Mike Campbell and within a couple of days all the Heartbreakers were there, so we were pretty much Johnny Cash’s backing band.”

At the time Cash laughed and commented, “Not a bad little group.”. Additional musicians included Marty Stuart (guitar), Flea (bass) and Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham (guitar) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). American issued a press release announcing, “Johnny Cash, in the studio with mainman producer, Rick Rubin, is currently putting the finishing touches to his new album due out later this year on American Recordings.”

This was the first time that the songs Pocahontas, Addicted To Love and Rusty Cage were mentioned although it did go on to say it was unknown if these would make the final selection. I was fortunate to be given paperwork that detailed the changes to the track list that the project went through over a period of weeks. This showed how the running order changed several times and that both Pocahontas and Addicted To Love were at one time considered for inclusion.

The album opens with Rowboat, a song written and originally recorded by American musician and singer/songwriter Beck. The lyrics fit within the crying-in-your-beer, heartbroken country song genre with it’s story of the person he loves having gone and left him devastated. Quoting a line from the song, ‘Dogfood on the floor,’ Cash remarked that “I’m not sure what Beck means by that, but I’ve been there.”

Cash then turns to hillbilly classics covering Don Gibson’s #2 country hit from 1962 Sea Of Heartbreak. It is surprising he never covered this song earlier in his career but his version made the wait worthwhile. The song features two members of Fleetwood Mac – Mick Fleetwood on drums and Lindsey Buckingham on guitar.

Written by Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell the grunge anthem Rusty Cage was originally released in 1992 and was a track that Cash thought would not suit him. “When Rick mentioned Rusty Cage to me and I heard it, I didn’t think it was for me, although I loved the lyrics. Then he put down an arrangement that he thought I would like, and when I heard it, I really did—the lyrics and music felt so good to me.”

The One Rose was originally recorded by Jimmie Rodgers back in 1932 after the songs composer Lanny McEntire wrote the song and gave it to Rodgers during a session in Hollywood where he was making a short film. Cash recalled hearing the song on the radio when he was a kid and years later decided to record his own version.

Next up is Country Boy, the first of two Cash originals that were first recorded back at Sun Records in the fifties. Talking about the new recording Cash said, “There’s no way I could change that song a lot. It’s basically the same arrangement as the original but the instrumentals are a little longer because I was really happy with the way it sounded with Tom and his group and Marty Stuart.”

Probably best known for the #1 version recorded and released by crooner Dean Martin back in 1955, Cash takes Memories Are Made Of This and makes it his own. 

The transcendent Spiritual gives Cash another opportunity to sing of his faith. Written by American jazz musician Josh Haden, founder, bass player and lead singer of the group Spain, the song finds Cash giving one of his most emotive performances on the album.

Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea tells the story of a drunkard whose mother was dying and her final plea was for her son to come to her. Unfortunately he was one day too late when he staggered through the church gates. Written and originally recorded by Mother Maybelle Carter and her daughters June, Helen and Anita, on Cash’s version Tom Petty provides the harmony vocals.

It seemed inevitable that with Tom Petty working with Cash on the album that one of his songs would make the final selection. The deeply moving Southern Accents, with its general pre-occupation of everything Southern, appealed to Cash. “When I first listened to that song, I thought, that’s my anthem. I love it – it says what I always wanted to say about the South. It’s one of my favourites on the album." 

Cash then takes his second trip back to his Sun days with a re-recording of Mean Eyed Cat. When Cash first recorded the song Sam Phillips insisted a demo went on his debut album even though he had not finished writing the lyrics. For Unchained Cash wrote a third verse.

Meet Me In Heaven was written for June Carter Cash a year before he recorded it. Talking about the title Cash said, “I always wanted to write a song called Meet Me In Heaven because those words are on my brother’s and father’s tombstones. That song is one of those songs of peace that comes with my faith.”

Made famous by Roy Clark who took the song into the top five on the country charts, I Never Picked Cotton was written by Bobby George and Charlie Williams. The story of a native of a poor sharecropping family recalling how his mother, brother and sister picked cotton while his dad worked in a coal-mine is well suited to Cash’s storytelling style.

The penultimate track is also the albums title track. Unchained was written by American singer/songwriter Jude Johnston whose material has been covered by many artists including Emmylou Harris and Stevie Nicks. Cash takes her poetic lyrics and evocative melody and turns them into a hymn-like masterpiece.

The album is brought to a close with I’ve Been Everywhere, written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962. He offered the song to country singer Hank Snow who thought the song had potential but only if the place names were adapted for the North American market. The title is self-explanatory and it is great to hear Cash singing the various place names at breakneck speed. Cash’s version was also used by Choice Hotels in their commercials.

Unchained was released on 5 November 1996 and a press release issued at the time read, “Departing from the solo acoustic approach of the last album, Rubin’s instinct this time was to team Cash with such rock and roll luminaries as Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mick Fleetwood.”

Andy Earl, having taken the iconic cover photo for American Recordings, was once again asked to take a series of photographs in the grounds of the Cash house in Hendersonville for the Unchained album. Other photos taken during this photo-shoot would appear on the My Mothers Hymn Book CD and in the book that accompanied the Unearthed set.

Talking about the album Cash said, “We both agreed from day one that this was really an important album, that we kind of opened the door for me with the first album, into other areas. Now the question is, am I gonna walk on through the door? I hope so!”

In their review Pulse wrote, “Despite the stark brilliance of Johnny Cash’s solo-acoustic comeback American Recordings, that album’s relatively narrow focus didn’t do justice to the depth and breadth of Cash’s uniquely American and deeply personal art. The album’s follow-up Unchained is a bit more representative.” They went on to comment about the choice of material, “And if Cash’s voice isn’t the technical marvel it once was, he remains a singularly lucid interpreter, cocky enough to tackle unfamiliar material head on, and confident enough to take a sentimental chestnut like Memories Are Made Of This at face value.”

As had happened during the recording of their first collaboration, Rubin and Cash recorded much more material than would fit on the album. Tracks including Pocahontas, Two Timin’ Woman, Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (recorded with Carl Perkins), Trouble In Mind, The Running Kind and a new version of As Long As The Grass Shall Grow all found a release on the 2003 set Unearthed. Other tracks including Don’t Sell Daddy Anymore Whiskey, The Devil, I Changed The Locks and several alternate takes of songs like Country Boy, I’ve Been Everywhere and The One Rose have all been issued on bootleg CDs. It is strange that Addicted To Love has never seen the light of day, either officially or unofficially.

In February 1997 Unchained took the honours at the Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony when it won the ‘Best Country Album’ category.

A month later a full-page ad appeared in Billboard magazine blasting Nashville bosses. The ad, featuring the classic photo of Cash giving the finger, was accompanied by the sarcastic comment, “American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support.” 

At the bottom of the ad it said, “Johnny Cash Unchained. Winner Best Country Album. Thanks to those who made a difference–you know who you are.”

Cash was rightly proud of the album, “Making this album is the greatest experience I’ve ever had with a producer. This new record represents the most in-depth relationship I’ve had with a producer in sitting down eye-to-eye and tooth-to-tooth and working out the songs and deciding which ones to do. I think I have enjoyed working with Rick more on this album than any album I’ve ever done.”