The Collins Kids at Town Hall Party, Vol. 2 [DVD]

While the Collins Kids -- sister Lorrie Collins sang with a mixture of sweetness and fire, as her kid brother Larry Collins picked tough guitar while bounding about the stage as if he'd just downed ten cappuccinos -- never broke into mainstream stardom, they've been the stuff of legend to rockabilly collectors for years, and as such, the folks at the superb German reissue label Bear Family Records have issued their second DVD collection of Collins Kids performances from Los Angeles' leading television showcase for country & western music, Town Hall Party. The 25 performances on The Collins Kids: At Town Hall Party, Vol. 2 have been transferred to disc from recently discovered kinescope films of the show; the quality of the source material varies quite a bit, but the transfer to disc can't be faulted, as the images have been matted in the original full-frame ratio with a healthy bit rate, and the audio is mastered in robust and uncompressed PCM mono. No subtitles or multiple language options are included. The disc is nicely packaged, with a lovely digipak-style cover and a booklet featuring a number of rare color photos and an essay from author and musician Deke Dickerson; there's also a bonus performance of nine-year-old Larry jamming with guitar legend Joe Maphis on "Mutt and Jeff Boogie." With several songs repeated on this disc from various performances, this might be a bit more Collins Kids than the average fan might want, but Bear Family have always been willing to go the extra mile for the serious converts, and they haven't let their reputation down with this disc.