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Johnny Cash – The Anthology [VHS] Specifications

Sure, Johnny Cash is a country superstar and a founding father of rock & roll–but why, exactly? Johnny Cash: The Anthology is an efficient and highly enjoyable effort to answer that question through a rare historical perspective. Comprised of a 54-minute documentary and a supplementary film entitled Half Mile a Day, The Anthology places Cash dead center at the junction of gospel and blues traditions: between the isolation of hard living in America, delusional guilt from too much sin, and the fragile redemption of love. Drawing upon archival footage of Cash performing his earliest crossover hits (”Five Feet High and Risin’,” “I Walk the Line”) and including comments by admiring peers (Rodney Crowell, Porter Wagoner), The Anthology makes a compelling case for Cash as a master of knife-edged economy and a populist oracle from a younger, perhaps scarier, America. If it has become too easy over the decades to take Cash for granted, The Anthology sets things straight. –Tom Keogh

Johnny Cash – The Anthology [VHS] Overviews

Johnny Cash is one of the most imposing and influential figures in the history of music. Emotional and real, his deep baritone voice and percussive guitar style created a bridge among various genres of music and earned him induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This special collection includes two programs–”Johnny Cash: The Anthology” (54 min.) and “Half Mile a Day” (89 min.)–which detail the incredible six-decade career of this 10-time Grammy winning artist through performances, rare archival footage and photos. Scoring over 100 hit singles during his career, “Johnny Cash: The Anthology” takes viewers on a journey which begins with the 1950s hit “Cry, Cry, Cry” and continues through the 1990s classic “Bird on a Wire.” Songs: Cry Cry Cry, Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk the Line, Orange Blossom Special, Five Feet High and Risin’, Big River, Ring of Fire, Jackson, A Boy Named Sue, Daddy Sang Bass, Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, The Man in Black, If I Were a Carpenter, Bird on a Wire. 143 minutes.

[if Prior to the movie Walk the Line, the story of the rocky romance between Johnny Cash and June Carter, I paid very little attention to Cash's music. Sure I knew he was a wild man and one of the outlaws of country music but I figured how hard could that be when the competition was the relics of the Grand Old Opry. Well the movie opened my eyes a little and this anthology of his best work opens them a little more. Cash is clearly not folk, and not traditional country but I can now see where the label rockabilly fits not badly. Such ballads as Folsom Prison, Walk the Line and Big River reflect that influence. Still I am only a half-hearted Cash fan-except when he goes with June into the old Carter Family mountain gospel tradition. Whether you are a half or a full fan this is still a nice treat though. I note there are two sections in this DVD- the Anthology and Half A Mile A Day. There is much overlap in the performances and the comments of the `talking heads' like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Judy Collins and others. If you have to choose go with Half A Mile that will give you everything you need here.

]

Customer Review

Prior to the movie Walk the Line, the story of the rocky romance between Johnny Cash and June Carter, I paid very little attention to Cash’s music. Sure I knew he was a wild man and one of the outlaws of country music but I figured how hard could that be when the competition was the relics of the Grand Old Opry. Well the movie opened my eyes a little and this anthology of his best work opens them a little more. Cash is clearly not folk, and not traditional country but I can now see where the label rockabilly fits not badly. Such ballads as Folsom Prison, Walk the Line and Big River reflect that influence. Still I am only a half-hearted Cash fan-except when he goes with June into the old Carter Family mountain gospel tradition. Whether you are a half or a full fan this is still a nice treat though. I note there are two sections in this DVD- the Anthology and Half A Mile A Day. There is much overlap in the performances and the comments of the `talking heads’ like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Judy Collins and others. If you have to choose go with Half A Mile that will give you everything you need here.

VERY BEST. – RODRIGO FERREIRA DE ALVARENGA –
Excellent document on the musical career of johnny cash. I recommend her/it all those that like music country.

Johnny Cash….need i say more? – Mrs. Tammy K. Firmbach – Kingston, NY USA
If you are a Johnny Cash fan this is not to be missed. Every time you here him sing you wish you knew him. He makes himself sound and makes you feel so accessible to him. I feel like I know the man through his music. I just wish I did!!

Too much talk, not enough music – Steven Hellerstedt –
Five stars if this is a referendum on Johnny Cash, three stars for this premium-priced dvd.

The songs are good – Cash was a great entertainer, and the chance to see him through almost fifty years of performances is welcome. The `Half Mile a Day’ documentary is informative and somewhat adoring, with a number of performers and record-industry folk attesting to Cash’s greatness. It gives you a sense of the man behind the music. A peek rather than a critical examination, but satisfying enough.

Still, `The Anthology’ pretty much repeats everything in `Half Mile a Day.’ The songs are presented complete in Anthology, chopped up in Half Mile. Some of the talking head comments appear in both programs, as well.

Half Mile includes a bit of Cash singing `Turn! Turn! Turn!’ with Judy Collins, which kind of indicates the dvd producers had access and rights to Cash’s old television program. As a fan with extended demands for premium priced dvds, I’d have appreciated maybe another dozen songs – from the television show, or somewhere – and that much less talking heads.

Related Products

• Johnny Cash – A Concert Behind Prison Walls
• Johnny Cash The Line, Walking with a Legend
• The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971
• Biography – Johnny Cash (A&E DVD Archives)
• Johnny Cash – Ridin’ the Rails: The Great American Train Story

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