Bringin' the House Down
Label:
Only One King Records [0999]
Format:
CD
Number of tracks:
26
Running time:
56:30
Type of album:
Concert
Linked to:
Unofficial discography
Year:
2001
Recorded:
October 15, 1976
Released:
2001
Singles:
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Bringin' the House Down was a bootleg CD by Only One King Records. It covers the October 15, 1976 show in Chicago, Illinois. The work is currently out of print.
1976 had been a year of more ups than downs and Elvis was happy with how things were going. His desire to record was still low, but the sessions at Graceland's Jungle Room in February were fun and very productive. He no longer seemed interested in Las Vegas—and Vegas was reciprocal—making the Colonel cast him for just one season from December 2 to 12 at the Hilton; this, as we know today, would be the last of his career in the city.
Instead of the dry air of the Nevada desert, the King of Rock chose to do just one more season in Lake Tahoe, where he had last performed two years earlier, between April 30 and May 9, 1976.
By the middle of that year, it didn't look like Elvis had returned to his old form or that that was possible. His performances were still erratic, and he would be slow and sometimes confused at the start of the concerts, though nothing like the terrible performances of August 1975 in Las Vegas. In fact, the singer would greatly improve his performance starting in June, culminating in the great show of December 31, 1976 in Pittsburgh, but it was clear that he no longer had that flame that burned in his core.
In the year 2000, FTD had to be fully commended when they released the June 1, 1976 soundboard in Tucson, but unfortunately not because it was a big show - just because it heralded the start of a new era of official soundboard releases. A lackluster performance, "Tucson" was saved purely by the extraordinary single performance of "Danny Boy".
A true sign of the times in 1976 was that from the April to August tour, Elvis basically wore his "Bicentennial Suit" to every show, certainly signaling a bored artist. The "New Haven '76" FTD with the July 30th performance is one such case in point. Released because of the excellent audio quality, Elvis sounds bored, medicated and lethargic, and overall it's a painful listening experience.
However, as with everything about Elvis, there are always contradictions, changes and sometimes a light at the end of the tunnel. Just three months later, things would somehow improve. Even with the threat of the book "Elvis: What Happened?" about to be published (or possibly because of it), there was a definite and positive change in the month leading up to the October 1976 tour.
Elvis had lost quite a bit of weight, and by the time he hit the stage in Chicago on the first night of the October tour , he looked like a rejuvenated man. Not only that, but Elvis was once again wearing different jumpsuits every night - and even fitting into the ones he wore in 1974! Bootlegs like "Chicago Beat" from October 14th in Chicago demonstrate a much better performance.
In this work, Only One King Records brought the concert of October 15, 1976 in Chicago to the fans for the first time ever. It was only the second night of Elvis' 8th tour that year, and it's evident that he actually benefited from some much-needed rest between the September tour and this one. There's no trace of the tired, overweight, lackluster singer who was so widely reported in the news and media over the summer. Instead, what fans got in Chicago was a much leaner, more energetic, and refreshed King of Rock, ready to take on the "City of the Winds."
Below is our review of this work.
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- 1. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis' second night in Chicago starts with the singer doing his "well, well, well" routine (as we know, it was customary not to record the beginnings of concerts at that time). The overall sound of this soundboard is slightly better than Live Archives' "Chicago Beat" (1999), but not better than FTD's "Chicago Stadium" (2010).
Elvis repeats the joke from the previous show: "That's it, folks. Thank you very much." The rendition is done at a faster pace and brings out an Elvis even better in vocal form than last night. The very excited singer and the good finishing with JD's dive bomb reflects what the concert would bring us.
- 2. Love Me: "Thank you very much. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to welcome you to the show and we hope you have a good time." The singer again spends a good deal of time on the hysterical fans before moving on. Unlike the night before, Elvis does an ordinary version while paying more attention to the audience than the music.
- 3. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): At first, you can hear that the more robust mix of this soundboard benefits the music a lot. Elvis sings with passion and we can clearly hear James Burton's guitar responses and Ronnie Tutt's work. Overall, it's a high quality version much like the day before.
- 4. You Gave Me a Mountain: "Thank you very much. Thank you. Mountain." Elvis here repeats the wonderful interpretation of the 14th, but with much more emotion and even reciting some sadder lines in the middle of the lyrics. He again concentrates fully and puts on a phenomenal performance.
- 5. Help Me: Elvis attends to a crying fan before continuing. "This next song is one that we did in an album in 1932. It's called 'Help Me'." He barely starts the song and misses the words: "Just a minute. Hold it, hold it, stop it. We're doing different lyrics, son." Sherrill says he sang it correctly and Elvis jokes: "Is that the words? That's your version!" Mistakes and jokes aside, this is a melodically strong version and very well performed. "Thank you very much. Sherrill, thank you."
- 6. Jailhouse Rock: Elvis begins his 1950s hits medley and again delivers a more serious version that, like the night before, excites even the backing vocals.
- 7. All Shook Up: "Thank you. Thank you very much. I'd like to do a medley of some of my records for you." With so many fans asking for his attention and receiving it, it's only natural that Elvis doesn't sing part of the lyrics while he dedicates himself to the audience. Another average version, but good.
- 8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Overall, a good rendition. A fan tries to grab several scarves during the execution and Elvis even swears lightly at her.
- 9. And I Love You So: With a faster tempo than the night before, this version is very tasty due to the subtle tempo given by Ronnie Tutt's drums.
- 10. Steamroller Blues: "Let's do 'Steamroller', baby!" Elvis makes a spontaneous request to the band, a song that has not been performed for almost 5 months. The version is excellent, making it clear that both the singer and the band could surprise when the content of the concert was pleasant.
- 11. Band Introduction / Early Morning Rain:"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to introduce the members of my group to you." After interacting with a few fans and handing out scarves, Elvis does the routine intros to The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps, Kathy Westmoreland and Sherrill Nielsen.
- 12. Early Morning Rain: John Wilkinson follows with his solo and Elvis sings along.
- 13. What'd I Say: James Burton does his solo...
- 14. Johnny B. Goode: ... which is followed by Chuck Berry's hit, as usual.
- 15. Ronnie's Drum Solo: Tutt does his part.
- 16. Jerry's Bass Solo: Scheff plays the Blues.
- 17. Tony's Piano Solo: Brown does his solo.
- 18. David's Electric Piano Solo: Briggs does his thing.
- 19. Love Letters (Incomplete): "The first time that David and I worked together, it was his first recording session and we did a song called 'Love Letters'. I'd like to sing a little of that for you." This version has a fade at the very beginning, due to tape problems. Audio returns in the final section of the song.
- 20. School Days: Ending with the introductions, Elvis introduces Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra.
- 21. Hurt: "We have a kind of a new recording out, called 'Hurt'." Elvis does a very energetic version from start to finish and, to the audience's disappointment, decides to do just a quick rerun of the ending and not a full second rendition like the night before. He hits a pretty high note at the end, but isn't happy: "Mediocre."
- 22. Hound Dog: Again, a short version to entertain fans.
- 23. It's Now or Never: "I'd like to do a song that I did about 10 years ago, 'It's Now or Never'." Elvis still didn't ask Sherrill Nielsen to do his solo with "O Sole Mio," which is a bit of a relief. Her version is direct, friendly and very well sung.
- 24. Blue Christmas: "If I could, I'd like to turn the house lights up so I can see you. Good grief! You're really a great audience, really." Instead of doing what everyone expected, a rendition of "Funny How Time Slips Away", Elvis spontaneously starts singing "Blue Christmas" and the band follows. The version is short but very refreshing for the audience and our ears.
- 25. Can't Help Falling in Love: "I wanna tell you something. Any time you want us back here, just call us and we'll come back. Fantastic audience! Take it on home." It's the end of the show, time to distribute the last scarves and kisses.
- 26. Closing Vamp: Again, a long fade ends the final fanfare.
