Packages can be deceiving, and this one is no exception. The three titles that make up
Storyteller are from
Johnny Cash's Sun years, and could reasonably be called The Complete Sun Sessions. The three albums contained in this set are Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar, The Songs That Made Him Famous, and The Fabulous Johnny Cash. For those who don't know
Cash's Sun catalog, there are many fine tunes from this period, including "Rock Island Line," "I Walk the Line," "Hey Porter," "Ballad of a Teenage Queen," and "Big River," to name just a few. The bonus tracks mainly consist of B-sides of singles or outtakes, and the whole thing is packaged in a snazzy slipcase with a hip photo on the box. The price is fine, too. So what's the catch? The recordings themselves sound a bit thin here as opposed to other places they've appeared, so the consumer should be a tad wary. ~ Thom Jurek