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    Johnny Cash - Presents a Concert Behind Prison Walls
    Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 50 mins . E . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    Usually, when a recording artist shuffles off this mortal coil, there is a spate of CD re-releases, a commemorative DVD or two, platitudes galore and a sometimes ludicrous amount of posthumous butt-kissing and fawning. However, some actually deserve the recognition for their contribution to the world of music, and the late Johnny Cash is one of them.

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    A captive audience.

    Cash died in September of 2003, and the world lost one of the more respected country recording artists who released countless albums and backed that up with endless touring. The last years of his life were some of his more respected and successful as far as recording is concerned, and his American Recordings series has been widely hailed by fans and critics alike. His touring schedule, however, was virtually non-existent, and public appearances of any kind were few and far between, attributable to Cash’s ailing health.

    Back in 1977, Cash and a handful of ‘friends’ played a special one-hour show (with commercials and a paltry 49 minutes on DVD) that was broadcast on television from the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, the home of country and western.

    The stage is unlike any prison recreation room I have ever seen, more resembling a theatre than a prison. If it wasn’t for the inmates in their striped shirts with stencilled numbers on their back (and the lack of women) in the audience, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a Town Hall Party or poor man’s Grand Ol’ Opry.

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    What will Linda Ronstadt do when Dorothy wants her dress back?

    The show is mostly musical performances, and one rather lame comedy routine. The captive audience (get it – captive audience? Brillaint, huh?!) could do with a few volts up them (oops – bad choice of words) for they look about as enthused as a eunuch at a Roman orgy, until Cash concludes with the ever-popular A Boy Named Sue.

    The show also features performances from ‘70s country darling, Linda Ronstadt, comedian/singer Foster Brooks and bluegrass extraordinaire Roy Clark with some blistering banjo playing.

    While the performances are quite enjoyable and the audio and video is surprisingly good (see below), at just under 50 minutes, value for money would seem to be the only real consideration.

    Songs performed...

    Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash
    Sunday Morning Coming Down Johnny Cash
    Jacob Green Johnny Cash
    Desperado Linda Ronstadt
    You’re No Good Linda Ronstadt
    Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms Roy Clark
    That Honeymoon Feeling Roy Clark
    Shuckin’ That Corn Roy Clark
    Half as Much Foster Brooks
    Love Has No Pride Linda Ronstadt
    Silver Threads and Golden Needles Linda Ronstadt
    Hey Porter Johnny Cash
    Orange Blossom Special Johnny Cash
    A Boy Named Sue Johnny Cash

      Video
      Audio
      Extras
    Contract

    Expecting one of those '70s-looing fuzzy, grainy, videos and thin, weedy audio, it came as quite a surprise to discover how good this looks and sounds. Now it’s not gonna win any DVD awards, but things such as dirt, marks and scratches are non-existent, grain is extremely minimal, noise is present in small doses, colouring is rich and quite vibrant, and even black levels are solid and noise free. There is very little in the way of flares and comets from stage lighting, and the image is quite sharp all things considered, especially the numerous close-ups.

    Shadow detail is a little poor at times (but who really cares about who’s in the audience anyway?) and long shots do tend to give the image a softer look. The only significant problem is the shimmering on Brooks’ jacket that looks like it has some sort of sci-fi special effect applied to it. There is no layer change.

    Most of us get a tad paranoid when we see a ‘vintage’ show remixed in 5.1 surround as it usually means a ham-fisted attempt to shove a mono signal in 5.1 directions but, thankfully, someone got this one pretty much right. There is a Dolby stereo option for the purists that in some ways is better and a little fuller, but many DVD aficionados like their 5.1 and will opt for that track.

    The rear channels are used mostly for audience response that does appear equally pushed around the room, but the music itself is a slightly more front heavy (this is a good thing) with vocals pushed across the font. Bass response is not window-rattling, but is sufficient. Trebles are fine and not too sharp, while vocals and instruments all come through loud and clear.

    There are no issues with hiss, dropouts, or clarity and, all things considered, this scrubs up quite well for a show that is 27 years old.

    As far as extras go, disc space was not an issue, but it appears that finding any was – as there are none. A few video clips or something thrown in might have added value for money.

    In a market currently flooded with DVD releases, for any impact it needs to be a Hollywood blockbuster, or maybe a rare and memorable performance, appropriately priced so that punters do not feel they are being treated as bottomless buckets of cash. Johnny Cash Presents A Concert Behind Prison Walls contains some entertaining performances, decent audio and video, but at under 50 minutes is unlikely to find its way into many collections unless reasonably priced.


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  •   And I quote...
    "Not the legendary Folsom Prison concert, but enjoyable nonetheless..."
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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