Phases & Stages

Originally aired on public television, The Man, His World, His Music (Sanctuary) preserves Johnny Cash like a home movie. Filmed in 1968 and '69, the 80-minute disc finds the Man in Black onstage, visiting his childhood home in Dyess, Ark., in the studio, at the CMAs, at Wounded Knee, on the road, and relaxing at home in Tennessee, all with wife June Carter Cash. Included are a jaw-dropping recording session for "One Too Many Mornings" with Bob Dylan and part of a concert at the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Drive-by Truckers have earned a reputation for epic live performances, and their debut DVD, Live at the 40 Watt (New West), is no exception. For the first two shows of their latest tour, recorded at the venerable club in Athens, Ga., their nominal home, the Truckers blow the roof off the place with their three-guitar attack. Featuring more than two hours of raw Southern rock, including a bonus video for "Never Gonna Change," this is a great document that should interest more than just their boisterous fans. Let's not mince words: the Ramones' End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (Rhino) is one of the best rock biopics of all time. Told through interviews with the band and contemporaries like Joe Strummer and Blondie, Century traces the three-chord wonders' beginnings from Forest Hills, Queens, to their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Archival wonders, along with often hilarious words from Johnny and Dee Dee, go beyond the dysfunctional nature of the band and show how they single-handedly saved rock & roll. There's nothing essential to the DVD's extras, only outtakes from the interviews featured in the film's theatrical release, along with a trailer. With a film this masterfully done, however, it's no surprise all the good stuff was already used.