About Marc
Location: Texas
Occupation: Podcaster, Writer, Programmer
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Fans of country in the Eighties and Nineties will remember shows like The Grand Ole Opry and The Statler Brothers Show, which were low on production value, but gave you a chance to see legendary performers. Johnny Cash in Ireland comes from an Irish broadcast called Country at the Olympia that took place in 1993 and followed a format similar to The Johnny Cash Show earlier in Cash’s career; it’s a simple stage show with a dose of schmaltz that’s rarely seen these days.
Johnny Cash performs all but three of the sixteen tracks himself during the concert. He’s affable as usual, but the songs themselves are not the standard arrangements that you’ve gotten used to hearing. Most of the tracks, like “Ring of Fire,” were rearranged in a higher key and ditched more of the standard classic country rhythms for a more disappointing pop flair that was starting to worm its way through the country universe at the time. The best moments come when all of the excess is stripped away and it’s just Johnny as we knew him.
Cash’s wife June, sister Helen, and daughter Rosie (all performing as the Carter family) were in attendance as well to perform on three of the songs, the best of which is their rendition of the traditional hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” led by Janis Joplin vocal-twin Rosie. The rarely seen son of Johnny and June, John Carter Cash, also takes lead for one of the songs and Highwaymen band mate Kris Kristofferson shares the lead with Johnny on two tracks.
While the DVD box itself is a nice three-toned affair, the actual content leaves something to be desired, as the only content is the concert itself. There are no “special features” except song chapters that take you to a track you want to hear. In this day and age of paying fifteen dollars or more for a DVD, more is expected. An accompanying audio CD like in the San Quentin set or a commentary from Kristofferson and John Carter would have been appropriate; instead we’re left with this bare bones package that pales in comparison to others. Johnny Cash in Ireland is an amusing performance worth a watch, but purchase is suited more for the Cash completist than the average fan.
Genre: Country
Sounds like: It’s Johnny Cash, but older
Best Songs: “Walk the Line”, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”
