h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just came across a lovely piece of news that Johnny Cash is going to release his version of NIN's "Hurt" : an astonishingly painful/beautiful song in it's original form.

Sooo, I am kinda interested in whether or not it's worth purchasing. Is it any good?

Johnny's version *is* good, but, speaking as a *huge* Johnny Cash fan, I prefer the original. There's nothing wrong with Johnny's version, very gravelly, heartfelt, and goes louder and quieter at the right places, it's just not quite got the raw emotion of NIN. But I'd say Johnny's worth buying.

*ponders*

Wish I had a soundcard. I would go hunt it down right now.

*ponders*

Wish I had a soundcard. I would go hunt it down right now.

doing a lot of pondering, eh?

Just a thought- what record shops have you got in Bristol? it's just that our HMV has the album featuring Hurt "The Man Comes Around") on the listening post...

Ohhh. We have had this conversation before have we not?

We have lots of independant stores, HMV, Virgin, and an Our Price out at The Mall...

well, youi could see if any have the "man comes around" album on the listening posts, and get a listen there. Hurt's track 2.

Will do next week then.

It's released on April 21st, for anyone who was wondering...

Hmm, if the B-sides are songs I don't already own, I'll prob'ly buy the single, but thety probably aren't, so I probably won't. That make sense?

Incredibly so. That's my justification for buying singles. No remixes thankyou...

damn straight. Although i think with Johnny, it'd most likely be album tracks or old songs, maybe liver versions, that got stuck on. But if the wily ol' septugenerian puts some new tracks or stuff that's not on any of my CDs of him, then I';ll be buying it.

When I was in the states at christmas they had an hour long Larry King special on CNNN which was just an hour of Larry talking to Johnny Cash. I never think of him as a bad boy of music, but he did a lot of the ol' drugs in his day, y'know...

it's my understanding that 'when the man comes around' is made up entirely of covers, including 'we'll meet again' and 'personal jesus' and well, it's very cool. i really like his version of Hurt, speaking as a NIN fan and a bit of a novice when it comes to johnny cash.

er, most of the album is covers, 'tis true, and the only brand new song on it is "The Man Comes Around" itself, although i think there may be one or two others written by him, which are re-recordings of songs he did long ago and far away, as the other three american recordings albums have featured that. But, not havcing the writing credits with me, I couldnae say for sure.

It's odd, I'm a Johnny Cash fan and a NIN novice,a nd although i think johnny's version is a corker, a friend of mine lent me the NIN version, which I actually think is better (I didin't think I would like it better)

I've not heard the NIN version, but Johnny Cash's version is brilliant. It sounds genuinely mournful and enormously poignant. The fact that Cash is apparently unwell and increasingly frail (and you can hear this in his voice to some extent) adds to the song's power.

I'm sure it'll make me cry one day. It's that kind of song.

and if you like "man comes around", you should check out his previous album "American III: Solitary Man" from 1999, which I believe to be the best album of his that i own.

Zagreb- I'm not quite sure what illness he's got, but I read a great quote from Johnny himself about it:

"I don't know what it means, except that I'm old and shaky".

I believe his illness has some similar symptoms to Alzheimers and Parkinsons, but wouldn't like to state that with any certainty.

Its Bell's Palsy, innit? Paralyzes part of the facial nerve.
Incidentally, I love the Cash version of Hurt, but that is not the only reason to buy the album. It's already out in the 'states, and it is quite phenomenal. He covered a Depeche Mode song for pity's sake(Personal Jesus). Although from the tone (Hurt is one of the more positive songs on) it sounds like he's lining it up for a good last album. Just my take on it. Most are covers, but he makes them all distinctively his, somehow. Oh well.

TUUUYSCS, TCR-ARMAMfCAV,
Deuce.

i should clarify- the album's been out here for ages (and draned good it is too), it's the single I thinkS at was referring to.

And am I the only person who thinks his version of "In My Life" is jsut beautiful?

and that final chorus of we'll meet again, where he seems to be saying "this is it folks, i'm not gonna be around much longer, it's been fun, etc" only through someone else's words, well...

*sniff*

Single. Yus.

I'm not really *that* interested in Johnny Cash - more the fact that he is covering NIN.