Love, God, Murder Explained

Love, God, Murder
Type:Box set
Artist:Johnny Cash
Cover:JohnnyCashLoveGodMurder.jpg
Released:May 23, 2000
Recorded:July 30, 1955 – June 1998
Genre:
Length:130:32
Label:
Prev Title:16 Biggest Hits
Prev Year:1999
Next Year:2000

Love, God, Murder is a Johnny Cash compilation box set (and 84th overall release) released in 2000. It features three themed CDs of songs Cash chose from his catalog. Love features relationship songs, mostly written for June Carter Cash. God is a collection of Gospel and spiritual songs. Murder features another recurring topic of Cash's career, and perhaps his favorite subject, but one that he encouraged people "not to go out and do". Each album was also released separately on the same day. In 2004 Life, a fourth compilation was released.

Although the albums within the box set are compilations, they demonstrate Cash's lifelong affection for releasing concept albums. Examples of previous Cash theme albums include (1964), Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965), (1972) and The Rambler (1977).

Each of the three discs contains liner notes by a celebrity. Love has liner notes by Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, U2's frontman Bono contributes liner notes for God, and Murder's liner notes are by film director Quentin Tarantino.

Love

Love
Type:Compilation album
Artist:Johnny Cash
Cover:JohnnyCashLove.jpg
Released:May 23, 2000
Recorded:April 2, 1956 –
August 1996
Genre:
Length:39:42
Label:Legacy/Columbia

Love credits

God

God
Type:Compilation album
Artist:Johnny Cash
Cover:JohnnyCashGod.jpg
Released:May 23, 2000
Recorded:April 5, 1957 –
Mar 24, 1994
Genre:
Length:46:39
Label:Legacy/Columbia

Another feature of Cash's career is his affinity for another theme: gospel. God pulls from a vast catalog of spiritual songs that includes the albums Hymns by Johnny Cash (1959), Songs of Our Soil (1959), Hymns from the Heart (1962), Sings Precious Memories (1975), Believe in Him (1986) and My Mother's Hymn Book (2004).

God credits

Murder

Murder
Type:Compilation album
Artist:Johnny Cash
Cover:JohnnyCashMurder.jpg
Released:May 23, 2000
Recorded:Jul 30, 1955 –
December 1993
Genre:
Length:51:11
Label:Legacy/Columbia

Murder credits

Life

Life
Type:Compilation album
Artist:Johnny Cash
Cover:JohnnyCashLife.jpg
Released:March 23, 2004
Recorded:1958 – June 30, 1988
Genre:
Label:Legacy/Columbia
Prev Title:Unearthed
Prev Year:2003
Next Title:My Mother's Hymn Book
Next Year:2004

As a result of the success of the first three collections, in 2004, a fourth volume, Life, was released (his 90th overall release). It mostly features songs about social and economic struggle. All tracks were previously released with the exception of "I Can't Go on That Way", a previously unreleased recording from 1977.

Life credits

Charts

AlbumBillboard (United States)