Live From Austin.TX: Johnny Cash [Digipak]

Performer: Johnny Cash/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
Engineer: Sharon Cullen; David Hough
Producer: Gary Briggs; Cameron Strang; Gary Briggs; Cameron Strang; Jay Woods
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); Johnny Cash; Joe Allen (bass instrument); Bob Wootton, Jim Soldi (guitar); Jack Hale (harmonica, trumpet); Bob Lewin (trumpet, keyboards); Earl Poole Ball (piano); W.S. Holland (drums). Additional personnel: June Carter Cash, Anita Carter. Audio Mixer: Chet Himes. Liner Note Author: Terry Lickona. Recording information: Austin, TX (01/03/1987). Photographer: Scott Newton. This live set by Johnny Cash, recorded in 1987 for the celebrated TV show LIVE FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS, lives up to the Man in Black's colossal reputation (which got a sizable boost after his death and the appearance of the biopic WALK THE LINE). But this set, unlike the scads of posthumous Cash compilations, delivers a raw, human, and distinctly un-commercial portrait of the artist. Backed by his trusty road band and his wife June Carter, Cash charges through a host of signature tunes, including "Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire," and "Folsom Prison Blues," along with some carefully selected covers, including John Prine's "Sam Stone." Cash is in fine form here, and one listen will serve to remind listeners that--long before the media machine went full tilt promoting his myth--Cash never ceased doing what he did best. Johnny Cash was fortunate enough to enjoy a massive resurgence of attention and respect in the last decade of his life, but while no one seemed to be paying much attention to him from the early '80s (when his contract with Columbia ran out) to 1994 (when the Rick Rubin-produced American Recordings reminded listeners that a great artist was still in our midst), Cash continued to make good-to-great records and play for fans around the world, and this album, taken from a 1987 taping session for the long-running television series Austin City Limits, shows the Man in Black was still in sterling form as he traveled beneath the radar of country radio and the hipster music press. With his long-time road band backing him up and his soul mate June Carter Cash joining him for a duet on "Where Did We Go Right," Cash sounds relaxed but utterly authoritative on this set, singing tunes he must have done thousands of times before with a genuine emotional gravity (particularly "I Walk the Line" and "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"), and lending the force of his remarkable voice to some songs not generally associated with him, including moving interpretations of Guy Clark's "Let Him Roll" and John Prine's "Sam Stone." At one point, while introducing his band, Cash tells the audience, "I don't even remember the bad times, there's been so many good times," but on the best moments of this performance, it's clear he never forgot the valleys of his life, and they informed his work even on what should have been just another television gig following the release of an album (Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town) destined to be lost in the shuffle. It's the strength of ordinary moments like this that serve as a reminder of how remarkable Johnny Cash really was, and while Live from Austin, TX is hardly his definitive live album (that honor would go to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison), it's a potent and thoroughly enjoyable disc that fans will want to hear. ~ Mark Deming Waylon Jennings' volume in the Austin City Limits series Live from Austin, TX, recorded in 1989, was his second appearance on the program. Before the Jennings' fanatics get all bent out of shape because this was during his MCA period -- hold on a moment: This gig, with its 17 tracks, is a stunner. Jennings was sober, and with MCA, but he hadn't left his band or his attitude for top-notch live shows in mothballs. And for those who still doubt: remember Jennings' last record, 2000's Never Say Die: Live was a monster. The tunes from Live from Austin, TX, however, are a mix of old and new; Jennings ranges freely back and forth across his long, sometimes confusing, and always varied career. There's the burning opener "I'm a Ramblin' Man," followed by "Rainy Day Woman," which slips into Sammy Johns' "America," then stomps into a couple of Bob McDill's classics as defined by Jennings: "I May Be Used (But I Ain't Used Up)" and the beautiful "Amanda." The staunch professionalism and raw immediacy of the Jennings band makes its frontman stand ten feet tall in front of an adoring television audience. When he begins his own fine version of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," the crowd goes nuts and Jennings gives them everything he's got. Finally, Jennings launches into one of his own with "Trouble Man," a freewheeling country rocker. But he also offers fine versions of other originals, like "Good 'Ol Boys," "Bob Wills Is Still the King," a wild and ornery "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way," "Good Hearted Woman," and an anthemic "I've Always Been Crazy." Yes, "Luckenbach, Texas" is here just before the lights go off, but Jennings takes it out on the wild side with a stomping rocker, Rodney Crowell's "I Ain't Living Long This Way." Jennings pushes the band and they shove back and he loves it. It's quite a finish to an amazing concert, and a necessary addition for every serious Jennings fan's library. Those who have owned bootlegs of this for years will be gratified that the real thing has much better sound. ~ Thom Jurek This date from 1990 features Willie Nelson and the Family Band in fine form. Live from Austin, Texas reflects so many of the audience and band favorites in such a hometown setting, it would be hard to imagine it not working like a charm. According to Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona's brief liner notes, Nelson was the first-ever guest on the Public Television syndicated program back in 1974 for its pilot episode. It wouldn't matter if Nelson sang nursery rhymes in front of this audience. But it's tight and well-rehearsed, yet there's more than a degree of spontaneity here in tracks like "Stay a Little Longer," with a killer Nelson guitar break and a tough rock & roll riff in the bridge. Then there's the medley of "Funny," "Crazy," and "Night Life" that's mercurial, slippery, and a tiny bit ragged. The reading of "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)," here is choice, as is the live version of "Always on My Mind," a song that, remarkably, still has a lot of life in it despite its being performed countless thousands of times. The only drawback here is the sound. It's actually a bit disheartening considering how fine the performance is. One would have imagined that the sonics would have been fairly top-notch by 1990, but not so here. It's a bit flat and lifeless, kept alive only by the fiery performance of the band. Too bad. Though this is not one to recommend to someone getting started with Nelson, or a casual fan, hardcore fans will have to have this despite the shortcomings of fidelity. It's a good 'un. ~ Thom Jurek

Uncut (p.72) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] the magic and sense of humour still intact."

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