Murder

MURDER is also available as part of the 3-CD box set LOVE, GOD, MURDER.
Personnel includes: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); June Carter (vocals).
Producers include: Don Law, Frank Jones, Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, Billy Sherrill.
Compilation producer: Johnny Cash.
Includes liner notes by Johnny Cash and Quentin Tarantino.
Liner Note Authors: Johnny Cash; Quentin Tarantino.
Photographer: Don Hunstein.
The legendary Johnny Cash experienced something of a renaissance in the 1990s, fanned by a trilogy of theme collections of his past work: LOVE, GOD, and MURDER. In MURDER he explores the dark side of humanity, singing of those who, because of love, greed, anger or circumstance, commit that most irrevocable deed. Cash doesn't romanticize crime and criminals; he simply sings about their lives and stories. Nor does he moralize. Cash becomes the conduit for pieces of sad and unfortunate history.
"Mister Garfield" recounts a Presidential assassination, while Bruce Springsteen's "Highway Patrolman" is a disquieting tale of two brothers on opposite sides of the law. "Joe Bean" is a tale of a murderer being executed for a killing he didn't do (with a darkly humorous ending that Rod Serling and the Crypt-Keeper from TALES FROM THE CRYPT would likely smile upon). Cash's baritone is deep and dark as the dirt from six feet down, reflecting his characters' pride, shame and anguish.