Good Rockin' Tonight - The Legacy of Sun Records (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm not big on writing negative reviews on things, but I am gonna rain on the parade here a bit.
I was excited about seeing this documentary, quite excited actually. I'm a big fan of the music that came out of Sun Records, but oddly enough I really never read or watched much about the history of the legendary studio. I knew the basic story, but was eager to learn a bit more. Books have been written-which I will get to eventually-but a documentary was too good to pass up.
Well, I learned basically doodly-squat from this 2 hour documentary. The famous Sun artists are briefly introduced and talked about, but are whisked out of the film almost as quickly as they arrive. I know most of these artists can(and do)have their own documentaries, but I would have expected a little more to be said about these people. These people made Sun! Aside from a brief photograph, Roy Orbison isn't even mentioned!
On the good side, the film does devote a lot of time to Billy Lee Riley(RIP) and Sonny Burgess, two excellent artists who's promising careers got shafted. It's nice to see them, listen to their stories, and even see them perform.
Now for the down side. At the time this film was being made, a Sun Records tribute album was being recorded, and it features more contemporary artists covering Sun songs. A big chunk of this documentary comes across as a commercial for this album as it shows numerous musical numbers being done by modern bands(okay, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page aren't exactly "contemporary", but many of the bands are). This irritated the hell out of me. Seeing the balls removed from raw, rockin' songs and(some of them)turned into whiny emo crap is frustrating and sad. I had to have the FF button handy at all times, especially when Kid Rock came out rapping. Kid Rock isn't qualified to be a custodian at Sun Records, let alone cover any of their songs. It makes me wonder if half of these bands are truly Sun Records fans or just along for the ride coz they happen to like one or two Johnny Cash songs.
Sorry if I sound bitter, but I am bitter. If you happen to like these reworkings, that's all fine and dandy as they are obviously intended, not only as tributes, but to appeal to a younger generation as well. But I don't see why your age should require a filter to process older music. But I can't say that ALL of the performances were bad, coz they weren't. In all fairness, there were some decent covers. I would have much rather have seen classic performances by the original Sun artists is all.
And of course the main player in this film is Sun founder Sam Phillips, and he's not at a loss for words. He's portrayed as a pioneer but certainly not a saint as he screwed a few of his artists over. He seems to think he's hot poop, but considering the legacy of Sun, it's easy to see why.
I honestly can't recommend this if you're looking for a good documentary on the Sun story, as this is a very abridged version. I don't claim to be an expert on Sun, but I'd hoped the film would have at least put me on the path. Looks like I'll be searching out those books now.

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Historians may never agree about where and when rock 'n' roll was born, but they do agree that an entrepreneur in the world of music named Sam Phillips began a revolution and spawned a legacy when he created Sun Records. This Memphis-based success story defined some of the most appealing roots of American popular culture with such seminal artists as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and so many others, all reprised in this two-hour American Masters film with such performers as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Live, many accompanied by Elvis' original sidemen, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Highlights include a moving rendition of "Lonely Weekends" with Jerry Lee Lewis and Matchbox Twenty, and an emotional reunion of old Mississippi Delta musicians. Songs: That's All Right (Paul McCartney), Honey Don't (Ben Folds Five), Rock n' Roll Ruby (Mark Knopfler), I Walk the Line (Live), My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (Robert Plant & Jimmy Page), Blue Suede Shoes (Johnny Hallyday), Who Will the Next Fool Be (Zucchero), Cry, Cry, Cry (Third Eye Blind), Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Malcolm Yelvington and Kid Rock), Lonely Weekend (Matchbox Twenty).

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Johnny Cash Christmas 1977 (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)By the mid-1970s, Johnny Cash was a veteran TV performer, and new how to keep a show humming. This disc follows an earlier show from 1976 that featured Johnny and June Carter Cash hosting a folksy, round-robin "guitar pull" in their spacious Tennessee ranch house.
The following year, Cash had a much glitzier, punchier production, trading his funky ranch home vibe for a big, shiny soundstage, decked out with a gigantic golden holly wreath and twenty-foot tall panels of frosted-glass snowflakes. This show, which broadcast on November 30, 1977, was also a tighter show, mainly featuring the seasoned cast of Cash's long-running road show: June Carter Cash, the reconstituted Carter Family, Carl Perkins and the ever-jovial Statler Brothers, and another appearance by Roy Clark, who helped anchor the previous year's Christmas show. Although there's plenty of holiday music and seasonal cheer, there's also a wealth of secular music -- Johnny and June sing a duet of "Darling Companion," and the second half of the show is devoted to a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had passed away a few months earlier. Along with Carl Perkins, Cash hosts other buddies from his Sun Records rockabilly years -- Roy Orbison is in fine form on "Pretty Woman," while Jerry Lee Lewis tears it up on a modernized "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," then slows things down for a sentimental reading of "White Christmas." Surprisingly, the Carter Family is kept mostly in the background -- Mother Maybelle wasn't in the show at all -- while Anita and the sisters only sang as part of a larger chorus. All in all, this is a lively, well-paced TV show, with a very sincere religious emotional core, sure to be a delight for Cash fans and country Christmas enthusiasts everywhere. Recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack/Slipcue)

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Johnny Cash was a unique figure in the turbulent 1970s, outspoken enough to be embraced by the counterculture, and yet conventional enough to be safe for middle America. It was in this latter mode that Cash devised one of his most successful forays into television ever: The Johnny Cash Christmas Special. Now for the first time since the original airing on CBS is the Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977 Program Listing 77: Christmas Time's A Comin' - Johnny Cash Darlin' Companion - Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash This Ole House - Johnny Cash & The Statler Brothers Blue Christmas - Johnny Cash & The Statler Brothers Here Comes Santa Claus - Johnny Cash & Roy Clark Frosty The Snow Man - Johnny Cash & Roy Clark Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Johnny Cash, Family & Friends Big River - Johnny Cash Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis White Christmas - Jerry Lee Lewis This Train Is Bound For Glory - Johnny Cash,Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison & Carl Perkins Silent Night - Johnny Cash, Family & Friends O Little Town Of Bethlehem - June Carter Cash Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Johnny Cash,Family & Friends Children Go Where I Send Thee - Johnny Cash,Family & Friends

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The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971 (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone who just appreciates good music. I caught a sneak preview of this amazing disc on my local PBS station in August of 2007, and it was one of the greatest things I had seen on television in a long time. Johnny Cash's prime time television show aired from 1969 - 1971, and featured both prominent rock and country artists of the day. Groundbreaking television for sure, considering at the time that most rock artists were associated with the peace, drugs, free love and the anti-war movement by a conservative segment of American society, just when the war was really starting to sour. Filmed live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee (with a few exceptions), in front of a mostly Southern country music audience, all the artists seemed to be warmly embraced by the crowd, with Johnny Cash's blessing and support. The first hour consisted of rock and popular music performers that Johnny Cash was an admirer or fan of, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Neil Diamond, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The highlight was Derek and the Dominoes featuring Eric Clapton, and following their performance none other than Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash himself joined Derek and the Dominoes onstage for a raucous version of Perkins' Matchbox. Simply amazing.
The second half was Johnny himself performing solo, with his wife June Carter Cash, and with the Tennessee Three. Prominent country artists also featured were George Jones, Tammy Wynette, a young, short-haired and beardless Hank Williams Jr., young Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, and Charley Pride (possibly the only black country artist ever). These are only the performances shown on the PBS special preview. There were literally hundreds of great performances on this show over its two year run. There's no lip synching nonsense here. Every artist actually performing and singing live. This is priceless television and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of any of the artists I mentioned. You will not be disappointed. It won't be available until September of 2007, and I will most definitely be purchasing it.

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DISC 1 Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire Bob Dylan - I Threw It All Away Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash - Girl From The North Country Kris Kristofferson - Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash - Blue Yodel #9 Stevie Wonder - Heaven Help Us All Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising Linda Ronstadt and Johnny Cash - I Will Never Marry George Jones - Medley (White Lightning with Johnny Cash, She Thinks I Still Care, Love Bug, The Race Is On) Johnny Cash - Hey Porter Waylon Jennings - Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash - The Singing Star's Queen Waylon Jennings - Brown Eyed Handsome Man Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man Marty Robbins - Medley (Big Iron, Running Gun, El Paso) Johnny Cash - Come Along And Ride This Train Johnny Cash - As Long As The Grass Shall Grow Johnny Cash - Man In Black James Taylor - Sweet Baby James Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash - Cripple Creek, Worried Man Blues Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down Johnny Cash - Old Time Religion Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins and The TennesseeThree - Daddy Sang Bass Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters - Wildwood Flower Neil Young - The Needle And The Damage Done Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Three - Tennessee Flat Top Box Joni Mitchell and Johnny Cash - The Long Black Veil Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Three with Carl Perkins - Big River DISC 2 Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line June Carter Cash - A Good Man Derek And The Dominos - It's Too Late Derek And The Dominos with Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins - Matchbox Charley Pride - Able Bodied Man Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys - Blue Moon Of Kentucky Loretta Lynn - I Know How Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On Johnny Cash - Ride This Train (America The Beautiful, This Land Is Your Land) The Everly Brothers with Ike Everly and Johnny and Tommy Cash - That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine Ray Charles - Ring Of Fire Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue Conway Twitty - Hello Darlin' Mother Maybelle Carter - Black Mountain Rag Tony Joe White and Johnny Cash - Polk Salad Annie Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie Ray Price - For The Good Times Roy Orbison - Crying Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash - Oh, Pretty Woman Johnny Cash - Wanted Man Chet Atkins and Johnny Cash - Recuerdo De La Alhambra Chet Atkins - Medley (Country Gentleman, Mister Sandman, Wildwood Flower, Freight Train) June Carter Cash with Homer And Jethro - Baby, It's Cold Outside Merle Haggard - No Hard Times Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash - Sing Me Back Home Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, The Carter Family and The Statler Brothers - The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago Roy Clark - Medley (In The Summertime, 12th Street Rag) The Statler Brothers - Flowers On The Wall Johnny Cash - Working Man Blues Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - Jackson, Turn Around, I Love You Because Hank Williams Jr. - Medley (You Win Again, Cold Cold Heart, I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You, Half As Much) Johnny Cash - A Wonderful Time Up There

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The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Oh how young they looked and how few of these stars are still with us today. Johnny Cash was the true Nashville rebel, bringing to the country music stage for his TV show such hippy-dippy heroes as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton in their prime along with traditional country stars of the day. The Cash show aired from 1969-1971, right in the middle of the most exciting, dynamic era of America popular culture. The Cash "larger-than-life legend" has always eluded me, however. I never liked his constipated vocals, the strange haunted look, or some of the twitching mannerisms. I always got the impression the years of drug abuse in the '60s did some lasting damage. The whole Man In Black routine seemed like a cheap gimmick as well, or worse, a sort of messiah complex. Why should Johnny Cash have the weight of the world on his shoulders? (Even Billy Graham is able to wear a blue suit.) So I purchased this video for the guest stars, and they're great! A heavily made-up Bob Dylan does "I Threw It All Away" and you can actually understand his vocals. It's a definite highlight. Neil Young does "The Needle And The Damage Done." A bright-eyed Kris Kristofferson does "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)." You also get Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison, Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Tammy Wynette and the Statler Brothers. The most interesting performance for this reviewer has to be Eric Claption fronting Derek And The Dominos on the countryish song "It's Too Late." This early 1971 performance was probably one of the last times Clapton was able to perform on stage before his heroin jones put him out of commission for a while. (Check out his tragic showing with George Harrison at the Concert For Bangladesh later that year.) Though it was taped in Nashville, the Cash show had a decidedly urban look, with bright, garish, psychedelic stage sets that really catch the eye. This video has aired on PBS stations across the country but it's certainly worth owning on DVD.

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Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line Johnny Cash - Hey Porter Bob Dylan - I Threw It All Away George Jones - Medley (White Lightning with Johnny Cash, She Thinks I Still Care, Love Bug, The Race Is On) Neil Young - The Needle And The Damage Done Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising Loretta Lynn - I Know How Kris Kristofferson - Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins and The Tennessee Three - Daddy Sang Bass Ray Charles - Ring Of Fire Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes Joni Mitchell and Johnny Cash - The Long Black Veil Waylon Jennings - Brown Eyed Handsome Man Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man Roy Orbison - Crying

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