Though it dropped last week, Johnny Cash’s Out Among the Stars
was recorded in 1981. The tracks were then shelved for 31 years, until
Cash’s son came across them. The date of recording is important. By 1981
Cash’s career as a recording artist had stalled. His label was no
longer publicizing his releases, and even though his last album, The Baron,
had produced a top ten single the album failed to appear in the top 20
on the country charts. Country music had begun moving towards the
pop-country hybridization that would define the next three decades of
the genre, and Johnny Cash’s relevance (which had peaked a decade
before) was fading fast.
