Editor’s note: The Johnny Cash biographical film “Walk the Line,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, opens nationwide today.

CD: "The Legend of Johnny Cash"; Island/American/Columbia/Legacy

Release: Oct. 25

Style: Country

My take: The late Johnny Cash, the legendary Man in Black, made a career of breaking the rules, bucking authority and blurring the boundaries of the country-music genre. The album artists paid respect to this part of his legacy by displaying a picture of Cash, lips pursed and gesturing rudely, on the back inside cover.

But beyond his anti-establishment mindset, Cash was a great entertainer. He was a showman through and through, and knew how to play to an audience — a group of prison inmates even gave him a standing ovation.

Cash's multidecade career is summarized on "The Legend of Johnny Cash," a compilation of his entire catalog. Time-frame wise, it lives up to its billing as a complete span of Cash's career. But the album's feel changes with "Highwayman," which is filled with synthesizers and completely different voicework by Cash. Switching to mid-'80s style so abruptly, especially after a traditional-sounding song like "One Piece at a Time," really jars the ears.

Despite the sudden switch of gears, "The Legend" is a great listen, especially if you're only a casual fan or have just recently discovered the man's music. All of his trademark classics are here: "I Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire," best known to modern fans from the Buddy Lee commercials, "Big River," a live performance of "A Boy Named Sue" and "Folsom Prison Blues," which produced the classic line "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die." These songs highlight the first half of a very polarized album.

The other half actually starts 14 tracks into the 21-track CD, covering the latter portion of Cash's career. This part has him performing "The Wanderer" alongside Irish rockers U2, and includes selections from his work with famed producer Rick Rubin.

Rubin made his name in the business by integrating rap with rock, the Beastie Boys being one of his more famous clients. With Cash, Rubin taps into what made him famous in the first place — just listen to "Rusty Cage" and "Delia's Gone." The album ends appropriately, yet on a sad note, with Cash's rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt," his very last hit.

Die-hard Johnny Cash fans probably will not be satisfied with this one-disc compilation, though they might be impressed with how it condensed his catalog into only 21 tracks. Casual fans will find a lot of great material here — even if they never buy another Cash album, they'll still have a good look into the career of the Man in Black.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College and editor of the college's newspaper, Ka 'Ohana.