In the 1950s, EPs were an inexpensive alternative to LPs and from the 60s onto the 80s, the sales of EPs rose significantly. Johnny Cash’s first releases were Singles (on 78 rpm, on 45 rpm a little later). When in late 1957, his first and totally essential LP was released (“Johnny Cash with his hot and blue Guitar”), it was soon followed by a short list of EPs on the legendary Sun Records label. If I counted right, this here was the third in the series.
What can I say: Whenever I play these old Cash tunes, I’m pretty damn sure that this is the best music ever recorded (and when I listen to some cheesy Heavy Metal, I think again and yet again, when the first D.R.I. EP blasts off). But mind you it’d be sufficient to have these songs on a computer or a CD somewhere! You should see these original EPs (I own them all, including the first three pressings of the debut LP 
): Heavy cardboard sleeves, thick vinyl of the old sort – and the wonderful crackling. Yes, I’m a fetishist and I think that Sigmund Freud had no fucking clue about fetishism.
On the other hand, you can buy the great Johnny Cash Sun Recordings collection on CD (I think there was a vinyl edition available once) for a good price these days – and wasn’t this the original idea of EPs? Haha.
For a short time only, here’s just two songs from the four:
Guess Things happen that way.mp3
Next in Line.mp3
So far, so good. This cool cat here is my father in 1954. The photo was taken on a motorcycle trip when he was about 17 or 18 years old. One year before Johnny Cash released his first 7″. I think that’s proof enough that Rock’n'Roll & style runs in my family. If I was one of the inventors of Grindcore, my father invented the Rock’n'Roll life style. (click to enlarge):
Inventor of Rock'n'Roll
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Upload the other two songs too please pleeeeaassee pppllllleeeeaaaassseeeeee
Is this really your dad?? Wish mine was only half as cool (or a quarter as cool as the admin who could be my dad
)
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GREAT post sir and what a write up. “Heavy cardboard sleeves, thick vinyl of the old sort – and the wonderful crackling”. I have the CD collection and it sort of forms a backbone for the rest of what I have. Thanx for sharing this.
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You a Johnny Cash fan???? That surprise me but I love Cash too. So great. The old recordings are so dirty and better than the American Recordings (but they are good too). and your father looks like a real small time crook and like a cool guy. Is he still alive? Are you a working class kid?
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Sorry Erich,
this is a bit too much hippie music for me;) You should dig up some Rävjunk instead…
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Martin, I know you’re a youngster and your obsession with Swedish music that you think of as Punk is fine with me, really. I often have a good laugh when I listen to these socialdemocratic hippie rock groups. It’s sort of a (nationalist?) hobby of yours, I guess. You will get over it. edit: oops, forgot the smiley – here it is
Frank: Blue collar family, yes. I’m the first to break the working class tradition of mum’s & dad’s. I’ve always been a traitor.
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Damn it Erich, you’re spot on. It is just a nationalistic hobby of mine. Hopefully I’ll get over it someday and start playing my käng records instead.
I guess we laugh at different kind of music Erich, as I often laugh at heavy metal and other genres that are supposed to be “hard”, “tough” and “heavy”.
It was very flattering to be called youngster by the way, I tip my hat your way.
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I like most of the other guy’s posts on KBD. But the swedish “social democratic hippie rock” is awful. Just my opinion. Cash was PUNK, Martin. Seems like you didn’t really understand much so far.
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Rivethead, thanks for pointing out Johnny Cash as PUNK for me. Now I like him, before I didn’t!
And yes, the other guy at KBD has truly great stuff, just like Erich does (except for the metal stuff that really ain’t my cup of tea).
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Cash is great, he had a genuin feeling for music and the “little man”. I love the prison records and the one recorded in Sweden is soooo great. My father never looked anything like that even if he had a leather jacket in the 50s with Tommy Steel painted on the back.
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I like Cash more in spirit than a majority of his songs…but the man can’t be denied that amazingly heartbroken voice of his. Hell, I even liked Walk The Line.
I can somewhat see your resemblance in your dad’s eyes/eyebrow area. I’m an almost exact clone of my dad.
And Cash…a HIPPIE??? (Gawd).
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great picture of your dad.here is a link to a picture of mine on a BMW shortly after WW2.He was liberated from Tuerkheim Labor Camp and was in Dachau,Augsburg, and Landsberg camps.
http://www.bigmeathammer.com/aushwitz42.htm
you will also see his entrance info from Dachau official records.
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Thanks for the link and comment, Jordan. Quite moving to read your dad’s history and the photo of him with his machine and the fact that he was a partisan makes him definitely more Rock’n'roll than my whole family.
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One of the few god fearing christian americans you europeans like huh? haha. Cash of course rules, stupid nine inch nails covers or not.
Hey erich can you email me? I wanted to mention something to you … and I can’t seem to find yours … brian “Circle A” dropdead.org
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This has been the most incredible post so far. To go along with the awesome Cash tunes, it was also nice to see awesome photos of your dads(Erich and gorehound). Thanks. Very cool, indeed!!
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Brian: Actually I think that a.) there’s nothing more religious than p.c.-veganist-etc.etc. HC bands and b.) Cash’s “Hurt” is far far far better than the original. And c.) – email sent.
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Never liked Cash musically. Think it has to do that me mom was a big Cash fan. But Guess things… is so powerpop I’m in. Bado bado bado bado.
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Nice one Erich. Cash is the man…I even like the releases he did with Mr Rubin later in his life.
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MANTALMANTALMANTAL!
so jetz hab ich mich auch mal hier verewigt!
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Cheers Patrik!
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If any of you fu….ers have any common sense, you would buy Johnny cash´s album instead of robbing. you´re not worth. honnor the man in black
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Admin Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 16:13
We fuckers do have common sense, that’s why we’re all buying Cash albums as they come.
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