The Man in Black left a lasting impression on the world of music. I can't claim to be a big fan of Johnny Cash, I only discovered his music with the release of "American IV: The Man Comes Around." That album is absolutely brilliant, a mixture of covers and original material. Well, we're not here to talk about that, we have a different matter at hand.
Recently Eagle Rock Entertainment released this Johnny Cash concert from the Montreux Music Festival in 1994. He was touring in support of the just released "American Recordings" and gave a mix of new and old material, and it is a wonderful show.
Johnny is introduced to the stage by Claude Nobs, he walks onto the stage to thunderous applause. The show opened with "Folsom Prison Blues" which is one of the few older songs which I had heard before. The performance was captivating. I am a metal fan, and this material is way at the other end of the spectrum, but once he started playing it was hard to look away. Johnny was definitely on his game this night.
Other highlights include "Ring of Fire," and "The Beast in Me." But I would have to say that the highlight of the show was the pairing of the depressingly great "Delia" paired with "Tennessee Stud." These are a pair from that great "American Recordings" album. What brings this show down for me are the tracks with his wife, June. I found her voice and presence to be grating and took me out of the show briefly. I know there are those who love her, but she just isn't for me and the songs just brought me down.
Johnny himself sounds great. His voice is so distinct and has a rich tonal quality to it. That compared with his acoustic guitar makes for great stage presence. The rest of the band also steps up and helps fill out the sound. Steady drumming, some nice electric solos, and you have to love the standing bass. Johnny's son, John, even comes out and plays a few songs with his father.
The setting seems very good, an intimate setting, allows Johnny to talk to the crowd and make that personal connection. Sometimes that is all it takes to make a good show great. Making the crowd feel involved, like they are old friends and he is playing just for you. Wonderful show.
Video. The disk presents the concert in a ratio of 1.33:1. It looks decent, nothing spectacular, but it serves the material well. I did not detect any edge enhancement, and flesh tones are good.
Audio. The audio mix is mediocre, probably could have been better, but it is a good show so I am not complaining to much. We get three flavors here, PCM 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS 5.1. For my viewing, I used the PCM track.
Extras. None.
Bottomline. This is a must have for Cash fans, and those who are interested in his live material, this is a good place to start. I am actually going to look into his back catalog now. Expanding ones musical tastes is always a good thing, and Cash is one that is worthy of looking into. This disk captures a wonderful performance and some great songs.
Recommended.
Also at Blogritics.org.
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