Product Description

The legendary Man In Black’s performance on the Austin City Limits TV show is now available on DVD, with added songs that were not included in the TV broadcast. The DVD also features a duet with June Carter Cash. From "Ring Of Fire" to "I Walk The Line", this amazing DVD will be a must have for Cash fans and a great introduction for new fans. Also available on CD.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18664 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-12-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 50 minutes

Amazon.com
Johnny Cash was a consummate professional during good times and bad, and this complete, uncut 50-minute set from the long-running PBS concert series Austin City Limits shows the Man in Black in fine form, recorded at a time (January 3, 1987) when his career was in a state of uneasy transition. Despite the success of his 1985 album Highwayman, Cash had been dropped by Columbia, his label of 28 years, and one can sense a hint of weariness in this otherwise-fine performance. As evident by the warm, enthusiastic audience, this eclectic gig also hints at the personal and professional revival that Cash would enjoy in his later years with producer Rick Rubin. Like many of Cash's typical tour gigs, this one opens to the familiar strains of "Ring of Fire," and includes a handful of hits ("Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," "Long Black Veil") along with a few rarities thrown in for good measure. Recommended to Johnny by Kris Kristofferson, a cover of John Prine's heartbreaking song "Sam Stone"--about the travails of a heroin-addicted Vietnam veteran--proves to be a perfect fit for Johnny (and a personal favorite), although Johnny (ever the devout Christian) changes the lyric "Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose" to "Daddy must have suffered a lot back then, I suppose," while retaining the song's sad, tragic tone. Cash then follows with a crowd-pleasing rendition of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," and his devoted wife, June Carter Cash, joins Johnny on "Where Did We Go Right?," a song by David Loggins (newly recorded at the time) that serves as a fitting tribute to the Cashes' long-term marriage. Johnny Cash considered this to be one of his finest TV performances, and considering this DVD's superior sound quality, recorded in an intimate setting, who are we to argue? --Jeff Shannon

From the Actor
Track Listing 1. Ring Of Fire 2. Folsom Prison Blues 3. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down 4. I walk The Line 5. The Wall 6. Long Black Veil 7. Big River 8. I'll Go Somewhere And Sing My Songs Again 9. Let Him Roll 10. Ballad Of Barbara 11. Sam Stone 12. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky 13. Where Did We Go Right w/June Carter Cash 14. I Walk The Line outro

Customer Reviews

I really like this DVD!
I just picked this DVD up. I skimmed through it once, watching the hit songs. But it was when I really watched it all the way throught that I discovered how really good it is. Some of the songs I was not familiar with are among the best on the DVD, particularly John Prine's "Sam Stone" and also "Let Him Roll". I was glad to see "The Fourth Man" on the DVD as I remember the song from an LP that I have.

Having June Carter Cash and the Carter Family on the DVD is a plus. The affection and chemistry between Johnny and June is obvious. One other thing that makes this DVD special for me is that I saw him in concert at about this time (1987) when the record companies weren't too interested in him, but he was still immensely popular with the public. The DVD brings back nice memories.

I steered clear of the "Live at Montreux" because of reports of poor sound quality. This DVD does not suffer from any lack of audio or visual quality.

Austin City Limits 1987 concert
I was delighted to find that this DVD was available in record shops here in Sydney a month before North America. I remember watching the concert on PBS in Ottawa in 1987. I was a bit take back with the DVD, it is packaged well, but since it is from the programme 'Austin City Limits' which has become an institution on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS)I expected better.

I was hoping for the intro I recall in 1987. The DVD concert quickly goes into the concert. Cash appeared a bit tired with limited emotion singing the old standards (Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison Blues), but this was the time when many considered his career was in a slump. He was signed to Mercury records and country radio industry was pretty much ignoring the reliable artists that helped build country radio in exchange for 'New Country' which sadly is not as I see it true country. I was relieved to see that his spirirt picked up for 'Sunday Mornin' Comin Down' and did a fine job with John Prine's 'Sam Stone' and a duet with June Carter with 'Where did we go right?'.

I recommend the DVD for Cash fans. I am pleased to own a copy. I give the DVD 3 stars, a good grade not the typical 5 that the so many overly eager 'reviewers' hand out. I only wich that Cash had a concert filmed and packeged to the equivalent of Elvis Presley's 'The '68Comeback Special' and 'The 1973 Aloha concert' because he deserved it.

Good audio and video, fair concert
I was mildly disappointed with this DVD. Nice clear video and great sound [especially in DTS]. Maybe too much time spent on closeups of Johnny. Music performance uninspired. Johnny looks and sounds tired. Band members playing as though they were on the last leg of an exhausting tour. The Rick Rubin American Recordings several years later really brought out the great soul that Johnny was [is]. It was an emotional moment for me when June Carter Cash joined Johnny on stage and I really appreciated Johnny covering songs by John Prine and Guy Clark, but despite the great venue this was a rather mediocre concert.