This no-frills disc is a seamless document of a studio concert broadcast on Danish television around the time of the original release of Cash’s legendary “Man in Black” single.

Johnny Cash is everywhere these days. The latest in the American Recordings series has garnered praise, countless reissues have appeared, and the movie Walk the Line has brought hordes of Johnny-come-latelies aboard, owing to its compelling account of the relationship (and ongoing soundtrack) between Cash and his beloved wife June Carter. But though some releases are guiltier of cashing in on the craze than others, the DVD Man in Black: Live in Denmark 1971 shouldn’t be categorized among them. This no-frills disc is a seamless document of a studio concert broadcast on Danish television around the time of the original release of Cash’s legendary “Man in Black” single. The small, reverent audience and the uncluttered staging place the focus squarely on Cash and his guests: June Carter (of course), Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, the Carter Family (Mother Maybelle with daughters Anita and Helen), and Cash’s seminal backing band the Tennessee Three.

What’s most distinctive about this concert is how happy and centered Cash seems. The ravages of time and ill health took their toll on Cash in later years and during his Rick Rubin–fueled reemergence in the ’90s, but here he is captured during the prime of his career, smiling and newly self-confident. Cash won a Grammy in ’71 for “If I Were a Carpenter” (one of several duets performed here with June, gaining renewed poignancy due to the couples’ recent passing so close together); in May of that year, he also completed his two-year run of The Johnny Cash Show, a historic network program that boasted an incredible roster of guests. Additionally, the self-produced Man in Black album came out that year, firmly establishing Cash’s signature persona to the international audience. So it feels like a special gift to have this visual document from that crucial year.