Cut at San Quentin State Prison in 1969 (the year after the legendary At Folsom Prison album), this is outlaw country. Cash’s raw-boned rumble (with vital assistance from rockabilly hero Carl Perkins on guitar and, of course, June Carter) gains in excitement as he feeds off the energy of his captive audience. He practically incites a riot with prison-reform anthem “San Quentin,” but it’s the uproarious, rough-and-tumble “A Boy Named Sue” that really nails this album’s iconic status.