Outside the Box

The Waylon Jennings Nashville RebelDVD (RCA) should have been included in the Nashville Rebel boxed set, where it would have added to the value of the box while benefiting from the context. As it stands, it's every bit as entertaining as the box itself. It begins on the set of The Johnny Cash Show, where the host points out that he and Waylon once shared an apartment, joking, "And I'd like to say that I sincerely thought that you would never amount to anything." What follows is a loose and playful "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" that features Waylon, looking straighter than he'd ever look again, backing down from his vocal on the final chorus when he can't stop laughing. Four songs from a 1974 appearance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert find a longhaired, bearded Waylon giving a roomful of hippies a crash course in country. You'll also find five songs from Cowboy Jack Clement's variety show, and five from Opryland, including several of his biggest hits ("Luckenbach, Texas," "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"). It ends with a handful of videos, none of which can touch the power of the live performances.