These are the lost years of Cash. After the echobilly of Sun Reocrds he had more room to move around creatively. That was part of the contract he signed with Columbia. At the same time he was in the depths of his pill and liquor swamp. This has some weird stuff like some of his tunes redone in German (must've remembered it from his stint in the Air Force) to really cool stuff like his show at Newport Folk Fest. Also, has most of the jams he did with mutual appreciation society member Bob Dylan cut with Carl Perkins on lead g-tar. Some bad, some good in this box.

Typical of most all of Johnny Cash's work, this set covers the period 1963-1969 and is excellent. However not typical of Bear Family's quality control, there is a defect in the last track (#27) on the 5th disc which will cause the disc to repeat/skip at about 1 minute 45 seconds. It must be in most of the pressings becasue I got a replacement disc, and the defect is on my replacement disc as well.

Quality control problems on Bear Family products are rare, but this box set contains one of those mistakes.

This set is a "must buy" for any true Johnny Cash fan. The 60's were troubled times for Johnny Cash personally, but during the period from 1963 to 1969 he gave the world his best work in my opinion, and they're all here. There are a total of 152 songs in the set, including many that I had never heard before. It's well worth the price.

This collection is priceless,what a treasure chest of songs from the one and only Man In Black Mr. Johnny Cash.This man had such a unique sound different than almost anything else in popular music. My dad had me listening from the time I was a little boy. Oh what memories it brings back.

What can be said about the Bear Family "Man in Black Series"? Only that I wish they'd prod beyond 1969. This set, six discs, including a live concert, is well worth buying. I'm listening to Cash's performance at the Newport Folk Festival, which is a real treat. Guitars, bass, and voice. Can't say enough about this collection.