Lost Concerts Series: Presley & Cash—The Road Show

How can you go wrong with a 30-plus track collection of early performances by Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash? A brief intro reminds viewers of similarities between the two: both were born in poor Southern towns, lost siblings early, served in the army in Germany, and recorded for Sam Phillips' Memphis-based Sun Records label. As for the music, anyone with more than a passing interest in Presley will have seen most or all of these b&w clips from various TV shows on which the King made his name in the 1950s. But that hardly diminishes their impact: this is the pure, unadulterated Elvis (years away from the bad movies, Vegas schlock, drugs, and sparkly karate suits) sporting the sneer, the hair, the moves, the clothes, and the great backing band, all the while exuding a sense of sheer joy as his career skyrockets. You simply cannot beat these versions of “Don't Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Baby Let's Play House,” and more. As for Cash, many of his b&w tracks are in surprisingly good technical condition, hailing from both television and live concerts (the former mostly from a show called Town Hall Party, broadcast straight outta Compton, CA). “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire,” and “Folsom Prison Blues” were still in Cash's future, but here we witness early examples of his signature sound, including “Give My Love to Rose,” the terrific “Five Feet High and Rising,” the jailbird lament “I Got Stripes,” the sad gunfighter saga “Don't Take Your Guns to Town,” a complete rewrite of “Frankie & Johnny,” and an amusing Presley imitation on “Heartbreak Hotel.” Presented in Dolby Digital mono, this is a bare bones release—no liner notes (no info whatsoever about the dates and origins of the clips)—but based on the music alone, is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)