The one-hundred fifteenth album: #115 Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Every once in a while, we get these live albums, and they do have a different atmosphere from the originals. As much as you might try to power up the studio sound, the live reaction of the crowd gives a recording a different feel, while also letting you get a recording that might not be as perfect - you're not going to do multiple rerecordings if it's not quite right. This shows clearly on Dark As the Dungeon, where Johnny Cash comments on a prisoner laughing and distracting him.
This being recorded in a prison creates a different feeling too. It's not as rowdy as other recorded albums, when the club is a bit more active. Here, it feels like while there's some loud applause and hollering, they're still feeling a bit constrained and were probably just sitting there instead. It works fine for the blues being performed here, a quieter sound working well with the sometimes downer numbers, and the crowd properly responds to the more uptempo numbers.
It stays compelling. Johnny Cash's banter connects really well and the music sounds good. There's a decent variety between ballads and more uptempo songs, both of which work well, and there's enough looseness in there that playing around with it work. The lyrics are more of a focus and they work especially with this setting, creating a good sounding album.