A blog about the live music of Elvis Presley from the return to live perfromances at the International Hotel on 31 July 1969 to his final live appearance in Indianapolis on 26 June 1977.
Written by a fan for fans this blog will take many live perfromances, dealing with first, last, rare or unusual live performances of songs and give a little bit of background and context to these performances and give an honest assesment where necessary.
On 10 March 1975 Elvis entered RCA's Studio C in Hollywood, California and over four days would record the ten songs that would make up his next studio album 'Today'. The album would suffer from an uninspiring, unimaginative front cover which was typical of RCA's lazy attitude towards Elvis' albums in the 70's and the on stage still of Elvis bears no resemblence to the album's content.
Despite the ridiculously poor marketing and publicising of the album by the record company Elvis performed six of the ten tracks live during Spring/Summer 1975 and of those six 'And I Love You So' and 'Fairytale' would become setlist regulars until the end. The albums opening number 'T-R-O-U-B-L-E' would be a crowd favourite throughout the tours of the south in Spring/Summer 75 and the album's closing number 'Green Green Grass of Home' would be sung only three times and all in Las Vegas during 75. The two remaining songs would only be performed in Asheville in July, 'Pieces of my Life' would make it's solo live appearance on 24 July with 'Shake A Hand' performed three times on 22, 23 and 24 July.
This highly underrated and almost forgotten album was remastered and released by FTD as part of their 'classic albums' series in 2005 although the remastering of this album is probably one of the poorest efforts since the FTD label was established. Now hopefully Sony will give the album the respect it deserves as they have announced that they will be re-releasing it in their legacy range later this year. It will be a two disc set comprising of the original album, some alternate takes and live recordings of songs on tour in May and June 1975.
In 2001 Turner Entertainment undertook a project to update Elvis - That's The Way It Is and in the main did an excellent job. There are however some major flaws two such being the ommitting of a pair of the finest live performances Elvis ever gave in 'I Just Can't Help Believing' and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' both in the original movie and both from the 11 August Dinner show. Obviously running time constraints mean that some things had to be left out and you can't please everyone so the movie is what it is.
As RCA did in 1970 their succcessor BMG released an album to tie in with the cinematic release of TTWII, in 1970 the original TTWII album and in 2001 the 3CD TTWII Special Edition boxset. Whilst the original album would become a critically acclaimed classic the 2001 version featured some of the best live stuff to be released at that point.
2001 saw the release of three of the six TTWII shows recorded by RCA, 10 August Opening Show on FTD's 'One Night In Vegas', 11 August Midnight Show as CD#2 on the wonderful 'Live In Las Vegas' 4 CD box set and 12 August Midnight Show on the TTWII Special Edition.
The first disc of the new TTWII set was an expanded version of the original album and Disc 3 was a combination of a selection of unreleased live songs from the six shows but it was the second disc that was getting everyone excited as it was the much anticipated 12 August MS especially with FTD just a fledgling label live Elvis material was still at a premium.
On purchasing the new set on the morning of it's release I was straight home to put disc#2 into my CD player and my jaw dropped to the floor. In amongst this live show was the version of 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' from the original album - with a twist, it didn't end where we had believed it did - there was a reprise. Elvis started again just after the bridge, initially uncertain of his intentions the band realise that Elvis is singing the second half of the song again - what a treat! This video contains that complete performance reprise et al!
Originally recorded by The Righteous Brothers and produced by Phil Spector, their version is widely regarded as probably the greatest and most famous love pop song of the 60's and as a true masterpiece.
Elvis however seems to take the song to an entirely new level, ever the master interpretor of a song he takes this composition and does something wonderful with it.
Firstly it is given a new arrangement starting off with some gentle bass from Jerry Scheff whilst Elvis creates just the right atmosphere by having the lights brought right down and starting his vocal with his back to the audience almost in complete darkness before turning round with his voice using most of it's power just as the lights come back on and the result is astonishing. It is amost as much great theatre as it a great piece of musicwhilst Elvis shows that he is totally in command of his audience and has them in the palm of his hand!
Just to add to compund an already magnificent performance and perhaps something to do with the fact that this is 12 August Midnight Show and Elvis seemed to feed of the electricity in the room tha night, he gives the audience a real thrill by reprising the final verse.
This was the version selected for the TTWII original album (with the reprise edited out) but strangely not for the movie itself. This is for me without doubt the piece de resistence of Elvis versions at least................
The audio has been replaced with that from disc #6 of the excellent TTWII Deluxe Edition which contains the complete 12 August Midnight Show with wonderful sound.
In just over a year and through two Las Vegas engagements Elvis had evolved his live show to where he wanted it and to where the audience seemed to enjoy it. On returning to live performing the setlist mainly comprised of 'Elvis standards' from the 50's and 60's, a couple of new recordings (In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds), a couple of covers, Del Shannon's 'Runaway,The Beatles' (Yesterday / Hey Jude medley) and The Bee Gees' 'Words' . He also included 'Memories' - a nod to the recent 'Singer Presents Elvis' TV special. Some contemporary covers and two more hits from the 'Memphis Sessions' were added for the Jan/Feb engagement and then via some highly succesful gigs at The Houston Astrodome Elvis arrived back in Las Vegas for his August 1970 Summer Festival.
This engagement would be no ordinary engagement. For starters MGM were there to film the first six shows over three nights which naturally would bring it's own pressures. As far as the setlist was concerned Elvis was now comfortable and confident enough to choose the styles of songs that he wanted to include in the show. He managed to fuse together a show which had country, pop and rock 'n' roll all included, Elvis truly had become the consumate all round entertainer.
Throughout the six shows filmed by MGM Elvis introduced a total of thirteen new songs and EIGHT on opening night and three of those introduced would never be sung live again. 'The Next Step Is Love' is the one of that three and was the only song from opening night of which that is true.
Recorded in Nashville just 2 months earlier (4 June) the studio version of this is excellent but I don't think it quite works live as the arrangement feels awkward and Elvis doesn't seem completely at ease in this performance. Maybe Elvis thought so too as he dropped it straight away and never sang it live again although his vocal is excellent.
This live performance was first heard on Disc #3 of the 2001 TTWII special edition CD boxset before the entire show was released on the FTD label that same year. The audio in this video is taken from disc #2 of Sony's excellent TTWII Deluxe Edition which contains the 10 August 1970 opening show from which this performance is taken.
I've seen TTWII and I've seen and heard this song a million times so why should I watch this post I hear you say! Well for one, the sound is different as the original audio has been replaced by the magnificent audio from Disc #3 of Sony's TTWII Deluxe Edition which contains this song and the complete concert from which it was performed but more of that later in the post.
If Elvis had decided to make a studio recording of this song, in Nashville during June 1970 for example, would it have been any better than this performance which became the RCA master? I personally have my doubts since this is beyond perfection and as such I must nail my colours to the mast and admit that this is my all time favourite Elvis recording.
To create a musical masterpiece within the studio environment, eg Suspicious Minds, is one thing when you have a top rate producer (Chips Moman) a single minded determined artist (Elvis) and the best possible material and tools (the song and band) where you can take as many takes as neccessary. To make a classic like this in one take in a live environment is something most singers can only aspire to.
If there is one line to sum up this song (and Bridge Over Troubled Water from the same show) and Elvis Presley in August 1970 in particular it is this - Many can sing but only few can perform!!
Released by B.J. Thomas earlier the same year this version shows Elvis at his very, very best as the vocal is relaxed yet powerful, both band and orchestra are virtually flawless. Elvis' singing of the word 'girl' at the end of the first verse is almost unbelievable!
This version, from 11 August Dinner Show, was selected both for the movie and to open the original TTWII 1970 album and due to public demand was released as a single in the UK reaching #6.
In August 2014 Sony Legacy released a new 8CD/2DVD box set of TWIII. This contained the original album (plus bonus tracks), the six shows used for TWIII and an eighth CD (all remastered) of rehearsals plus 2 DVD's containg the original 1970 movie and the 2001 re-edit.
Of the six concerts four had already been released. The opening show was FTD - One NIght In Vegas, the third show was Disc 2 from the box set Live In Las Vegas, Show 5 was Disc 2 of TTWII (Special Edition) and Show 6 was FTD - The Wonder of You.
This however presented a problem to Sony because all four were remastered differently and didn't even sound as if they were recorded at the same venue never mind on consecutive nights!!! Sony's solution was to put head engineer Vic Anesini in charge of the remastering project as he had done an amazing job on the Complete Masters set. Now it is almost impossible to distinguish one show from another sound wise!
Why talk about that here? Well if you listen to I Just Can't Help Believing from the original album and then to this (remembering that they are both the same recording) then some subtle differences make them sound almost completely different and for the better. There are two main differences which really stand out. Firstly, Charlie Hodge's harmony vocal is erased on this version in order to give complete attention to Elvis' wonderful vocal performance and secondly during the instrumental break the Trombones are moved back and the strings moved forward which make it sound more like the movie and improves it considerably!!!!
Introduced to the Elvis Presley show on 31 July 1969 in Las Vegas on his return to live performing the Mystery Train/Tiger man medley was a clever fusion of the old and new.
Mystery Train, the old, was recorded at Sun Studios on 11 July 1955 and Tiger man was the new, never properly recorded in the studio by Elvis but is perhaps synonomous with The NBC Special where it was first heard during the sit down segment although not included in the original TV show. The song itself from that sit down show at 8PM on 27 June 1968 was released on album 'Elvis Sings Flaming Star' in 1968, on the RCA Camden budget label!!
At the beginning of the first day of recordings in Nashville on 4 June 1970 an informal jam of this medley was recorded by Felton Jarvis and this was officially released on the FTD album 'The Nashville Marathon' in 2002.
Despite being an ever present throughout Elvis' inaugural Vegas engagement it was dropped completely for the January/February 1970 run but was reintroduced for opening night of the next stint on 10 August 1970 and that version would be played over the opening credits of the original TTWII 1970 movie. The medley would come and go on a show by show basis throughout the 70's and would latterly be used as an alternative penultimate number in the show instead of the usual 'Funny How Time Slips Away'.
This version filmed at the beginning of the 12 August 1970 Midnight Show was also appeared in the original movie but only the 'Tiger Man' portion was used as it linked a fan club convention in Luxembourg with the second live section of the movie.
Only two songs into this show and Elvis is already in the groove! Just watch his face closely in Tiger Man as he pushes the song along and that breathtaking 'whoo' just before an amazing guitar solo by James Burton plus if you listen closely you can hear cheers of appreciation from the audience during the song!!
Recorded in Nashville on 5 June the studio master would be released on the 1970 TTWII album. The only footage of 'Stranger In The Crowd' to make into either the 1970 or 2001 versions of the movie was a short clip of a high energy rehearsal in Culver City.
When 'The Lost Performances' was released in 1992 we were able to see songs from the 'lost' 13 August Dinner Show, the only show not to have footage included in the first movie. Strangely, the only song from this show to be filmed and omitted from 'The Lost Performances' was 'Stranger In The Crowd' and it was not until 2007 when a two disc edition was released on DVD featuring both the 1970 and 2001 movie that this song was officially released. With the footage still in it's raw state it was tucked away on the special features on disc 2 which contained the original 1970 movie.
Wearing the 'Red Ladder' suit, Elvis would sing 'Stranger In The Crowd' live for the first and last time at this show.
As seems to be the norm with Elvis of this period, the vocal is well judged with Elvis making the most out of the catchy choruses but not over using the power his new mature voice had. If you listen carefully you can hear the Latin-american arrangement coming through on this live version in the second half of the song, around the 3 minute mark.
The audio in this video has been replaced with superior audio from Sony's TTWII Deluxe Edition's disc 7 containing this show.
Down In The Alley was the third song laid down on the second day of recordings at Studio B in Nashville during the May 1966 sessions which would create the Grammy winning gospel album 'How Great Thou Art'. On the 26 May 1966 it would be the eighth take that would become the master and as was the norm in the late 60's RCA would stick regular studio recordings onto the back of soundtrack albums in this case 'Spinout'. The result of this practice was that as the CD era began many of these classic recordings were lost to a potential new generation of fans.
For Elvis' eleventh Las Vegas season beginning on 19 August 1974 he decided to go for a complete revamp of his setlist which included dropping the 2001 theme, See See Rider and I Got a Woman / Amen. The show now had a low key opening with Big Boss Man, Proud Mary before 'Down In The Alley' and 'Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues' neither of which would be perfromed live again and these were followed by the last live performance of 'Never Been To Spain'.
Both 'Proud Mary' and 'Never Been To Spain' had been absent from the setlist for almost two years to the day. Other new additions this opening night were 'Let Me Be There', 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know), Softly (As I Leave You) and three from his new album, the title track 'Promised Land', It's Midnight and If You Talk In Your Sleep. In short this meant that in one opening show Elvis either introduced or re-introduced more than have the songs (10 from 19) but of those 10 three would never be performed live again and another 'Proud Mary' never after the following Midnight show.
By the following show, the 20 August Dinner Show, the normal formula of the Elvis Presley show was restablished with the remaining six new songs dispersed throughout the show.
The reasons for this almost immediate u-turn have been a source of debate for the last forty years. It seems that Elvis was underwhelmed by the audience reaction to the new setlist and either due to panic or impatience he reverted to type the following night.
During August 1974 the shows were mostly of a high standard with Elvis in excellent voice throughout but it was clear that all was not right. Many shows contained monolougues on Karate or other subjects and this would culminate on closing night with 2 September becoming the most infamous show of Elvis' career and one that without being played in full and with parts taken out of context (ie in isolation) would be drive the agenda of many in the media particulary throughout the 80's!!!
This, taken from that opening show was first available on one of the most bootleg albums ever, a 2 CD set titled'From Sunset Boulevard to Paradise Road' which also included the rehearsal of the new songs. It was 2008, however, before the show was released officially on Sony's collector label 'Follow That Dream' titled 'Nevada Nights' which also contained the 21 August Dinner Show which gives a good contrast to the setlists.
