If you doubt the existence of a supreme being, then surely the live
sets contained on these two LPs (yes, LPs — neither set
has been released on CD) will make you reconsider your feelings of
cosmic uncertainty. If the appearance of two early Johnny Cash
concerts from the late '50s doesn't confirm the existence of God and
prove that He is good, then I don't know what does.
What we have here are two slabs of 180 gram vinyl, a full 360 grams
of black love, fella. Cash is backed by the Tennessee Two in '58 and
the Tennessee Two "plus three" in '59, and all together they thump
through two exceptional sets for the hick TV show "Town Hall Party."
The sound is shockingly good, strong and clear, and Cash's wit
displayed here in the late '50s is as sharp as it would later be in
the late '60s, his peak. Discussing his first album, The Fabulous
Johnny Cash, The Man in Sky-Blue (he was not yet sporting black)
said in '59, "It was a very big seller for us: It sold 13 copies,
which I thought was very good because the next one sold 12." Can you
believe this is the same guy who is now recording covers of lame
Depeche Mode and Soundgarden songs with Rick Rubin?! Honestly, does the world need to hear Johnny Cash sing Nine Inch Nails songs?! No.
But let's not dwell on any of that when we've got two pieces of
history here. Cash is clearly in his prime as he performs at Town
Hall Party. His voice is as strong as a bear on steroids and the
band is tighter than, well, you get the idea. Cash's vocals aren't
nearly as gritty as they are on later releases, but the passion is
there in spades and the band's playing is confident and sturdy. And
while Cash was more polished during this period, much of the material
still has a nasty edge.
The selection of songs performed on both nights is especially
on-target, particularly the 1959 show. Sure, a few songs are played
at both shows, but one can live with a couple different versions of
"Frankie's Man Johnny" and "Take Your Guns to Town," right? And,
sure, most of the better songs played at both shows can be found on
the classic At San Quentin and At Folsom Prison albums,
but you won't find early hits like "The Ways of a Woman in Love" or
"Guess Things Happen That Way," which has more kick when performed
here than it has in its recorded version, performed live anywhere
else. Cash laughs his way through "Five Feet High and Rising" and
roars through "Big River." Heck, the band even tears through "I Got
Stripes" twice during the 1959 show and Cash does a mocking
version of "Heartbreak Hotel" that must sting the so-called King to
this day.
According to the liner notes, these LPs document "the birth of
country cool," but don't let that statement dissuade you from buying
'em! The only real complaint one might lodge against these two fine
LPs is that they are both rather short; in fact, both sets could have
easily fit on one LP or, God forbid, one CD. Nitpicking aside, no
home is complete without the Live at Town Hall Party LPs
— you are encouraged to buy both of 'em as soon as humanly
possible. I realize that most folks don't even own record players
these days, and if you're one of the many in that group, I suggest
you first get yourself a turntable, then buy these two
longplayers. Yes, I am actually encouraging you to buy a record
player just to hear these two records, 'cos they're just that good.
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