It was Johnny Cash's 70th birthday last month -- but we're the ones getting all the presents.

To celebrate the country legend's latest milestone, the folks at Sony have been throwing quite a party. A couple of greatest-hit collections are already out, a tribute disc is on the way, and this month, five of the Man in Black's albums from the '50s and '60s were reissued. In typical fashion, the discs -- The Fabulous Johnny Cash, Hymns by Johnny Cash, Ride This Train, Orange Blossom Special and Carryin' On With Johnny Cash and June Carter -- come with bonus tracks, copious liner notes and even anecdotes from Cash himself. Here's the lowdown:

THE FABULOUS JOHNNY CASH

Year: 1958.

Back Story: The beginning of the big time. The aptly titled Fabulous is the first album the deep-throated Cash recorded after leaving Sun Records for Columbia. Not surprisingly, it takes the familiar Sun sound -- rockabilly tunes, twangy guitars, slapback production, spare arrangements, backing vocals from the Jordanaires -- and polishes it up for mass consumption.

Hits: The sombre I Still Miss Someone and Don't Take Your Guns to Town are timeless Cash cuts; the bouncy Frankie's Man, Johnny is his version of another timeless tune.

Extras: A half-dozen standout rarities, including the very first take of Oh What a Dream from Cash's first Columbia session, and the previously unavailable loping love song I'll Remember You.

Final Verdict: The last word in first albums.

Rating: 5 out of 5

HYMNS BY JOHNNY CASH

Year: 1958.

Back Story: Like Elvis, Cash loved his gospel music. But unlike Sun Records, Columbia was only too happy to let him record it. He wasted no time, issuing this approachable, old-timey mix of rockabilly and reverence shortly after his first album.

Hits: His gently rocking arrangement of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot oughta get him to the Pearly Gates; the bopcat gospel of It Was Jesus oughta get him inside.

Extras: Just one -- a different mix of It Was Jesus.

Final Verdict: Pretty heavenly for a hell-raiser.

Rating: 4 out of 5

RIDE THIS TRAIN

Year: 1960.

Back Story: Always the artistic rebel, Cash pioneers the concept album with this ambitious travelogue of grassroots Americana tales, linked by folksy narratives and plaintive train whistles.

Hits: The chain-gang boogie of Going to Memphis is one of his coolest tracks, bar none; When Papa Played the Dobro is kin to Tennessee Flat Top Box.

Extras: Four dandies, including the snappy Fable of Willie Brown and Smiling Bill McCall, along with the previously unavailable weeper Ballad of the Harpweaver. No new stories, sadly.

Final Verdict: All aboard!

Rating: 4 out of 5

ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL

Year: 1965.

Back Story: Forever on the cutting edge of cool, Johnny delivers countrified covers of three tunes -- It Ain't Me Babe, Don't Think Twice, It's Alright and Mama, You've Been on My Mind -- by some folkie upstart named Dylan. Then he tosses in a few originals, along with confident, rootsy versions of Orange Blossom Special, Long Black Veil, Wildwood Flower and Danny Boy just for good measure.

Hits: If all those tunes don't do it for you, there's a pretty duet with June Carter on When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below).

Extras: Not that you need them, but there are three -- a dark reading of the Carter Family's Engine 143, the tinkly piano ballad (I'm Proud) The Baby is Mine and a second version of Dylan's Mama with toreador horns -- all previously unreleased in North America.

Final Verdict: The bridge between Cash's '50s and '60s sounds.

Rating: 5 out of 5

CARRYIN' ON WITH JOHNNY CASH AND JUNE CARTER

Year: 1967.

Back Story: One of country music's greatest couples make some beautiful music together on this fiery collection of duets, backed by crack Nashville pickers.

Hits: The megasmash Jackson (which later became this album's title) is the standout, but we're kinda partial to Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man, whose rockin' harmonies prefigure X by a full decade. Groovy takes on Ray Charles' I Got a Woman and What'd I Say don't hurt either.

Extras: The bouncing country track The Wind Changes and the patriotic anthem From Sea to Shining Sea.

Final Verdict: Listening to them play together, it's no wonder they've stayed together.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (More on: Johnny Cash).

Friday, March 29, 2002

The ultimate Johnny Cash collection