The Great Seventies Recordings

Reader's Digest's "The Great Seventies Recordings" was the first major Johnny Cash box set since Bear Family's "The Man in Black Volume 3" in 1995 (no, Legacy's "The Legend" doesn't count - basically that one is little more than an expanded 'best of' set). The box brings to CD some highly anticipated albums and single B-side - and it probably wasn't Reader's Digest's fault that Sony finally chose to release these albums as digital downloads right around the time this box was released.

"The Great Seventies Recordings" also includes a few previously unreleased songs - but not as many as the box set cover claims. And that's the problem with this release - it claims to be much more than it really is; on the front cover Reader's claims that their box set contains "6 Albums Never Before Released on CD (and) 10 Tracks Never Before Released". This is not correct - perhaps even boardering on false marketing. Five of the ten "never before released" tracks have in fact been available on official Columbia releases, and one of the six albums was released on CD by Bear Family and it is pretty shabby of Reader's to ignore this.

CD #1

1. What is Truth (originally released on Columbia single)

2. Flesh And Blood (originally released on I Walk The Line - The Soundtrack)

3. Little Bit Of Yesterday (originally released on Columbia single)

4. No Need To Worry (originally released on Columbia single)

5. Children (originally released on The Gospel Road (KG 32253))

6. The Lady Came From Baltimore (originally released on John R Cash)

7. Look At Them Beans (previously released on Look At Them Beans)

8. It's All Over (previously released on The Greatest Hits Vol. 3)

9. I Would Like To See You Again (originally released on I Would Like To See You Again (KC 35313))

10. There Ain't No Good Chian Gang (with Waylon Jennings) (originally released on I Would Like To See You Again (KC 35313))

11. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky (originally released on Silver)

12. Keep Me From Blowing Away (Previously unreleased master)

13. Beautiful Memphis (Previously unreleased outtake from the Look At Them Beans sessions)

14. Temptation (with June Carter) (Previously unreleased master)

15. Kate (Alternate version; originally released on the Canadian pressing of A Thing Called Love) Incorrectly listed as previously unreleased.

16. Navajo (Previously unreleased acoustic demo)

17. House On The Hill (originally released on More Songs From Johnny's Personal File (88697-14113 2) Incorrectly listed as previously unreleased.

18. Doesn't Anybody Know My Name (originally released on More Songs From Johnny's Personal File (88697-14113 2) Incorrectly listed as previously unreleased.

19. Miller's Cave (originally released on More Songs From Johnny's Personal File (88697-14113 2) Incorrectly listed as previously unreleased.

20. I Never Got To Know Him Very Well (originally released on More Songs From Johnny's Personal File (88697-14113 2) Incorrectly listed as previously unreleased.

21. Lily Of The Valley (Previously unreleased outtake from the Sings Precious Memories sessions)

CD #2 

Contains the "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" and "The Johnny Cash Show" albums.

CD #3

Contains the "Man in Black" and "A Thing Called Love" albums.

CD #4

Conatins the "Any Old Wind That Blows" and "One Piece At A Time" albums.