Music » Traditional Country Music

It's a great and perhaps impossible challenge to encapsulate the highlights of Johnny Cash's vast musical catalog in a two-CD, 36-song collection like this. Yet, though it barely scratches the surface, 2002's The Essential Johnny Cash--part of a series of compilations and reissues celebrating Cash's 70th birthday--does present three-dozen satisfying and balanced snapshots of some of the Man in Black's most memorable work for the Sun, Columbia, and Mercury labels. Above all else, these 36 selections are wonderful reminders of Cash's rustic eclecticism. Cuts range from '50s Sun rockabilly classics like "Hey Porter" and "I Walk the Line" to '60s country-folk gems like "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and Cash's memorable duet with Bob Dylan on Dylan's "Girl from the North Country." Also included are more recent samplings of Cash's celebrated collaborations, including "Highwayman," which he recorded in 1984 with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson as part of the on-again, off-again supergroup the Highwaymen, and "The Wanderer," a fervent gospel collaboration with U2 that appeared on the band's 1993 album, Zooropa. --Bob Allen

Saddle up, and let Willie Nelson take you on a mellow 33-minute trot through the Old West. Before this sparkling concept album Nelson had been known primarily as a songwriter, having penned hits such as "Night Life," "Crazy," and "Hello Walls." On this 1975 record, he creates a lonely and plaintive mood with an almost childlike lullaby quality. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" thrust him into the spotlight, but ballads such as "Time of the Preacher" and "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" also receive sensitive treatments . Borrowing from turn-of-the-century cowboy music, Nelson guides a 15-song journey that includes some lively instrumental stops, but mostly wanders quietly through the sage. --Marc Greilsamer

Release Date: 1999-10-19, Audio CD, Sony

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Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Warner Bros / Wea

So what if this disc doesn't represent the best work of either man--the warm smiles and hugs that dominate the CD's artwork tell the real story. Released in early 1978, Waylon & Willie was a celebration of their triumphant revolution against Nashville's constraints. By then, the war had already been won; each had wrested artistic freedom from the labels and subsequently delivered chart-topping solo albums and singles. The 1976 compilation Wanted! The Outlaws proved to be the ultimate victory--becoming the first country album to go platinum--so by the time they put this album together, Waylon and Willie were at the peak of their commercial powers. There's plenty of great music here as well among the five duets and six solo tracks (three by each), mostly new tunes with some older material thrown in. Not all of it is essential, and Willie's own guitar is nowhere to be found, allowing Jennings's Waylors to deftly handle the musical accompaniment. Still, the cultural importance of Waylon & Willie--it soared to No. 1 on the country chart, stayed there for three months, and went double platinum--makes it a valuable memento of "outlaw" country's heyday and of modern country history. --Marc Greilsamer

It's a shame that only one side of Elvis' multi-faceted talent is remembered 25 years on from his death but there is so much more to the millennium's greatest performer than garish jump suits and shaky legs. The 50 Greatest Love Songs reminds us what a great singer Presley was; coming from the heart with more feeling and passion than most could ever imagine, all 50 of these songs are classics of the last four decades. The double disc set includes all the up-tempo standards like the incredible "Suspicious Minds", "I just can't help believin'" and "Always On My Mind" plus the Dusty Springfield signature tune "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Also included are some of his older works from before and during the cinema years like "Good Luck Charm", "Love Me Tender" and "Old Shep". So no blue shoes, no sequinned jump suits, just the king singing about life, love and heartache. --Georgina Collins

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Mercury Nashville

Release Date: 1995-08-01, Audio CD, RCA

Release Date: 1994-11-22, Audio CD, Mca Special Products