Johnny Cash-Live at Montreux 1994 (1994)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Menu Animation & Audio Booklet
Rating
Year Of Production	1994
Running Time	65:16
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Claude Nobs
Studio Distributor	Montreux Sounds Rajon Vision	Starring	Johnny Cash June Carter Cash
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	Johnny Cash

    New attention is focused at present on the life of the late Johnny Cash courtesy of a new biopic called Walk The Line starring Joaquin Phoenix. As a result it now seems like a good time to check out a concert disc dedicated to a performance from the legendary man in black. This concert from the early 1990s is part of the recently released series featuring artists at the famous Montreux Jazz festival.

    Cash was a real enigma and somewhat of an original in the world of music. While predominantly known as a country music singer, his style blended many genres and included rockabilly, blues and rock 'n' roll. Like his music, Cash was also a multi-faceted individual who experienced both the massive highs and plummeting lows that often come with superstardom. Hit records and million selling singles coupled with drug abuse and run-ins with the law marked the career of the turbulent Cash who died in September 2003. He attended the Montreux festival in Switzerland just once, in 1994, and it was captured on film for all to enjoy.

    There are 19 songs on the set list for this somewhat intimate performance. Cash includes some of his big hits including the instantly recognisable Ring Of Fire, I Walk The Line and Folsom Prison Blues and several tracks from his then just released album American Recordings. Cash's wife June Carter Cash joins her man for two songs towards the end of the show with Jackson and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, the latter of which also features son John Carter Cash performing.

    There are some musings from the man in between songs and thankfully he is honest with little pretension or showmanship getting in the way. This is a man who knows how low he has gone and is thankful for the chance to keep on playing for his fans.

    The following songs get a run in this 65 minute concert:

Video

    The transfer is presented full screen in an aspect of 1.33:1. It is not 16x9 enhanced.

    This is certainly not a top shelf video transfer by any means, but it is also not that bad either when comparing it to some that I have seen and considering it dates from an early 1990s analogue source it is really quite a decent effort. The close-up shots of Johnny Cash are reasonably sharp and detailed, but the image does soften on occasion as the camera goes for the wider shot. This is probably a result of the incredibly low light levels inside the theatre during the performance where a very dull blue light is used. There is only a little grain, and it is not overly annoying. Shadow detail is only average. There is no low level noise.

    Colours are a bit mixed, which is as usual only natural for a concert. There are some minor posterization problems whenever the intense blue light appears, but overall colours are even and well saturated.

    I noticed no compression artefacts.

    There are no subtitles available.

    This is a single layered disc only. As a result, there is no layer change to navigate.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Listeners are spoilt for choice here with no less than three audio tracks available for your enjoyment. First up is a Dolby Digital 5.1 effort. Second sees the two channel buffs catered for with a lovely PCM stereo track, while those with more flamboyant tastes can immerse themselves in the delights of a dts 5.1 surround soundtrack.

    The Dolby Digital and dts tracks are similar in terms of quality with both offering moderately enveloping experiences. While this 1994 concert is of similar vintage to the doyen of concert tracks, that of The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over, and like that concert does deliver plenty of punch, it does not quite attain the lofty levels set by that disc. But then few have in the last five years, so who can really complain. The major gripe with this Johnny Cash concert is the dialogue level. While the instrumentation and vocals are clear and well separated, the between song banter between Cash and the audience sometimes drops to an almost inaudible level as he moves away from and closer to the microphone. Thankfully this is but a small gripe and the songs (which is what we are really watching for) are delivered very well.

    There is some surround channel use from both 5.1 soundtracks, which is the usual sounds of audience clapping and cheering from the rears emanating throughout the performance to impart that 'front-row' feeling.

    The sub is nicely integrated. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track makes more use of it than the dts track, but both offer seamless bass throughout.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu Animation & Audio

Booklet

    A six-page fold-out style of booklet that in addition to advertising some of the other Live at Montreux titles includes a comprehensive Johnny Cash bio written by Michael Heatley. Worth a read.

    The Region 1 disc appears identical to the Region 4 version.

    A concert showcasing just some of the talents of the legendary Johnny Cash recorded at the 1994 Montreux Jazz Festival. For casual fans there is a good selection of songs that serve up a slice of what made Cash such an influential artist for many years. Die-hard fans will probably lament the brief running time but should still pick this up for their collection.

    The video quality is excellent, while the audio shines as a better than average effort.

    There are no real extras other than a booklet.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall