Vinyl plays with occasional light-crackles (play-graded). Cover looks great; a few creases near edges; moderate scuffing, tiny surface abrasions, and surface impressions (front/back). Inner-sleeve is original (Columbia ads); bottom seam partially split. Spine is easy-to-read with some wear. Some shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge; wear to corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and divots. Red 2-eye label. (Not a cut-out.)
To put the performance on Johnny Cash at San Quentin in a bit of perspective: Johnny Cash's key partner in the Tennessee Two, guitarist Luther Perkins, died in August 1968, just seven months before this set was recorded in February 1969. In addition to that, Cash was nearing the peak of his popularity, but he was nearly at his wildest in his personal life, which surely spilled over into his performance. All of this sets the stage for Johnny Cash at San Quentin, a nominal sequel to At Folsom Prison that surpasses its predecessor and captures Cash at his rawest and wildest. Part of this is due to how he feeds off of his captive audience, playing to the prisoners and seeming like one of them, but it's also due to the shifting dynamic within the band. Without Perkins, Cash isn't tied to the percolating two-step that defined his music to that point. Sure, it's still there, but it has a different feel coming from a different guitarist, and Cash sounds unhinged as he careens through his jailhouse ballads, old hits, and rockabilly-styled ravers, and even covers the Lovin' Spoonful (Darlin' Companion). No other Johnny Cash record sounds as wild as this. The album was certified gold on August 12, 1969, platinum and double platinum on November 21, 1986, and triple platinum on March 27, 2003, by the RIAA. The album was nominated for a number of Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and won Best Male Country Vocal Performance for A Boy Named Sue.