With his highly personal early 1960s work, Johnny Cash had been trying the patience of the Columbia brass, who were less than thrilled with his commercial performance. When "Ring of Fire" topped the country charts in 1963, it allowed him to continue the many ambitious concept albums-history lessons close to his heart. The eight songs on 1964's Bitter Tears are sung from the point of view of the American Indian, and together they form a potent work that is both deeply real and highly spiritual. With assistance from co-composer Peter LaFarge, Cash offers an earnest, solemn portrait of Native Americans that examines a variety of issues through a range of viewpoints and contained in unadorned musical settings.
CD 1 - Bitter Tears: Ballads Of The American Indian
Tracklist:
01. As Long as the Grass Shall Grow
02. Apache Tears
03. Custer
04. The Talking Leaves
05. The Ballad of Ira Hayes
06. Drums
07. White Girl
08. The Vanishing Race
Of all the dozens of albums released by Johnny Cash during his nearly half-century career, 1964's "Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian" is among the closest to the artist s heart. A concept album focusing on the mistreatment and marginalization of the Native American people throughout the history of the United States, its eight songs among them "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," a #3 hit single for Cash on the Billboard country chart spoke in frank and poetic language of the hardships and intolerance they endured. Now, 50 years after it was recorded, a collective of top Americana artists has come together to re-imagine and update these songs that meant so much to Cash, who died in 2003.
For "Look Again to the Wind: Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears Revisited," creative leader and album producer Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville) realized that the "Bitter Tears" album held a special place in Cash's canon, and that in many ways the issues it raised still resonate today. This had to be apparent in the new versions he was recording for "Look Again to the Wind." The album features American music giants Kris Kirstofferson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Bill Miller, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and Norman Blake (the guitarist and only surviving member from the original recording sessions) as well as up-and-comers The Milk Carton Kids and Rhiannon Giddens, interpreting the music of "Bitter Tears" for a new generation. As the original album was for Cash, this new collection is a labor of love with a strong sense of purpose fueling its creation. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, Nashville and at Johnny Cash's personal recording studio, Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN.
CD 2- Look Again To The Wind: Bitter Tears Revisited
Tracklist:
01. Gillian Welch - As Long As The Grass Shall Grow
02. Emmylou Harris - Apache Tears
03. Steve Earl - Custer
04. Nancy Blake - The Talking Leaves
05. Kris Kristofferson - The Ballad of Ira Hayes
06. Norman and Nancy Blake - Drums
07. Gillian Welch - Apache Tears (Reprise)
08. The Milk Carton Kids - White Girl
09. Rhiannon Giddens - The Vanishing Race
10. Gillian Welch - As Long As The Grass
11. Bill Miller - Look Again To The Wind
Media Info:
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Channels: joint stereo
Samplerate: 44100
Encoder: LAME 3.99
MPEG-1 layer 3
*many thanks and much respect to zh and all those who care enough to share
