Merle Haggard vs. Johnny Cash

Watching while some old friends do a line
Holding back the want to end my own addicted mind

pretty sure it's "in my own addicted mind"

this is merle by the way but it's close. the early JC sides are better than Elvis's best-of imo.

Typical chachallops

Elvis is a tough nut to crack for me, I'm inclined to agree w JCLC on that count

It's not a determining factor, but I remember when listening to the Merle episode of Cocaine & Rhinestones learning that every last single Merle released for a span of 20 straight years went to the country top 10. TWENTY YEARS. That blows my mind.

yeah Merle's glory run was fucking insane.

btw let's just random-sample jc vs elvis. posit for elvis: mystery train, all shook up, heartbreak hotel, love me tender, jailhouse rock, suspicious minds, can't help falling in love with you, are you lonesome tonight, kentucky rain, always on my mind. cash: folsom prison blues, ring of fire, i walk the line, a boy named sue, ring of fire, don't take your guns to town, sunday morning coming down, big river*, there ain't no good chain gang**, sunday morning comin down

if that's not neck-and-neck for anybody then we don't see eye to eye & I'll take the cash mixtape about 7 times outta 10.

*this is only on my personal best of johnny cash list I'd venture but it's so fuckin great I gotta.
**same

There's plenty of Cash I like, but I am a diehard Elvis fan. Also, I wish it wasn't so, but "Ring of Fire" is better as a cover than in the original. Those fucking horns (and I like mariachi music) ruin it for me.

I lurve Johnny's live prison albums, does Merle have the equivalent? I need to listen to more Merle.

Merle was an inmate at San Quentin when Johnny Cash did his show there.

Merle and it's not even close

Now, Merle vs Willie, that's a toughie

Feel like this has some parallels to the Paul Simon vs. Leonard Cohen debate

pretty sure it's "in my own addicted mind"

― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi)

I got that from Genius lol

It’s definitely “in.” Lyrics were in the CD booklet.

apples/oranges

i assumed JCLC was just comparing cash's sun sessions to elvis's sun sessions -- elvis wins that one IMO, but if you're comparing entire careers it's probably cash

Elvis wins Sun sessions easily imo!

if we're gonna rank canonical Cash songs mine looks something like:

Cry! Cry! Cry!
I Walk the Line
I Still Miss Someone
Five Feet High and Rising
Ring of Fire
Jackson
Don't Take Your Guns to Town
Folsom Prison Blues
Daddy Sang Bass
Flesh and Blood
Man in Black
A Boy Named Sue
Sunday Morning Coming Down

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Here's what Hag could do in the mid-eighties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jlVdC4qxsQ

and my god

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQi_SxVP_M4

always fond of this wilderness-years Hag track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Xx_FWKEkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJSLTrf8F3A

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

omigod YES

wow this guy has some critically acclaimed albums!

https://i.imgur.com/Qay1iu2.png

Lol