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CD Album

Artist: Johnny Cash Title: A Concert Behind Prison Walls Label:   Eagle Country: USA Date: 2003 Catalogue: ER 20027-2 Barcode: 826992002729 Format: CD Album Collection:   I Own It     I Want It  Community:  1 Owns Price Guide: Valuation Page » Search eBay #AD  » Search Amazon #AD This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated.

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Track	Artist	Title	Composer	Rating
01	Johnny Cash	Folsom Prison Blues		Rate
02	Johnny Cash	Sunday Morning Coming Down		Rate
03	Johnny Cash	Jacob Green		Rate
04	Foster Brooks	Comedy Routine		Rate
05	Linda Ronstadt	Desperado		Rate
06	Linda Ronstadt	You're No Good		Rate
07	Roy Clark	Rolling My Sweet Baby's Arms		Rate
08	Roy Clark	That Honeymoon Feeling		Rate
09	Roy Clark	Shuckin' The Corn		Rate
10	Foster Brooks	Half as Much		Rate
11	Linda Ronstadt	Love Has No Pride		Rate
12	Linda Ronstadt	Silver Threads And Golden Needles		Rate
13	Johnny Cash	Hey Porter		Rate
14	Johnny Cash	Wreck Of The Old 97		Rate
15	Johnny Cash	Orange Blossom Special		Rate
16	Johnny Cash	A Boy Named Sue		Rate

Notes

Soundtrack of a 1976 TV special recorded at the Tennessee Prison, part of a series of concerts Cash gave at prisons in the US and elsewhere during his career. This concert differed from most as it included several guest stars, including comedian Foster Brooks who also sings a song.
Track 8 erroneously credited to Linda Ronstadt

Tracks 13-15 form a single medley, but are split into separate tracks on the CD.

Comments and Reviews

23skidoo 27th Jan 2020		Review During his long career, Johnny Cash performed many concerts for inmates at prisons around the world. Two live albums from such events - At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin - pretty much saved his career in the late 1960s. A third album recorded at a prison in Europe is lesser known because it wasn't issued in North America initially. Then, in 1976, Cash put on another concert at a Tennessee Prison, but this one was recorded for syndicated TV release. A far more formal affair, this differed from the other concerts as Cash shared the stage with three guest artists: Linda Ronstadt, whose career was heading to its peak; Roy Clark, the affable and incredibly skilled guitarist who was at the time the co-host of the popular Hee Haw series; and Foster Brooks, a popular comedian whose recurring gimmick was pretending to be drunk (often followed by a straight song delivered in an incredible singing voice). It's difficult to rate this as a Johnny Cash album. Released coincidentally either right before or right after his death, it's a disappointment. Not because it's a poor performance - indeed, he delivers some of his strongest live renditions of Sunday Morning Coming Down and Orange Blossom Special, as well as the chilling (and still very timely) Jacob Green, a condemnation of how a teenager was driven to suicide after his arrest for drug possession. The problem is, there is so little of him in both the original special and album. He appears to do a few songs at the start, and then the next half of the show are the guest stars, before Cash returns to perform a show-closing medley and his biggest hit, A Boy Named Sue. For those wanting a more substantial concert recording by him, this ain't it. But when he leaves the stage, he hands it over to Linda Ronstadt, here at the height of her powers. Her version of You're No Good is amazing, as are her other songs, including what some have called her best live recording of Silver Threads and Golden Needles. There are two editions of this release: one by itself and one with a DVD of the actual special, and you can see how Ronstadt commands the audience. Roy Clark brings the jokes and the light-hearted songs and the amazing guitar and banjo playing. Foster Brooks feels like odd man out; even in 1976 his drunk act felt dated, and while his ballad singing is impeccable, it really doesn't seem to fit. The main problem I have with this release is that it is literally the soundtrack - something that is obvious if you get the CD/DVD combo. Everything is presented the same as the TV special, even including the overdubbed introductions. Clearly, the songs were taken from a longer performance, probably with Ronstadt and Clark and Brooks doing separate sets before Cash closed the show. I would have liked the set to have included performances edited out of the original. Surely Cash did more than just a few songs, and it's probable that at least Ronstadt and Clark's set were longer (Brooks probably is presented in his entirety). Plus, the presence of rockabilly legend Carl Perkins as part of Cash's band means he probably got a chance to put on the Blue Suede Shoes for a couple of numbers, too. But that aside, this release is still worth getting. Ronstadt in particular dominates and shows how far she'd come in the five or so years since she appeared on The Johnny Cash Show - this is very much worth seeking out for those who perhaps have been introduced (or reintroduced) to her music due to the recent documentary about her. And what little Johnny Cash is included here is quality, and while there is a preponderance of live recordings by Cash, I wouldn't have minded hearing more of what he gave the prisoners in Tennessee. Maybe, just as we've seen extended versions of the Folsom, San Quentin and Pa Osteraker albums released, there's an extended Concert Behind Prison Walls in our future. 5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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