Last Tango in Tahoe (CD - Fort Baxter, 2006)

Title:

Last Tango in Tahoe

Label:

Fort Baxter [FB CS 1002]

Format:

CD

Number of tracks:

24

Running time:

71:00

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

Unofficial discography

Year:

2006

Recording date:

May 27, 1974 CS

Release date:

2006

Singles:

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Last Tango in Tahoe is a CD by the Fort Baxter label. It contais the incomplete concert of May 27, 1974, Elvis' last in Lake Tahoe, Nevada until 1976, completed with tracks from his May 26th DS concert. The work is out of print.

1974 may have gotten off to a slow start with record releases of new material, but there was a sense of change to come in the air. The success of the compilation "A Legendary Performer, Volume 1", released on January 11th, was a great sign of this.

When the first Las Vegas season of the year began on the 26th of that month, Elvis was still reeling from his divorce three months earlier and his temper was as strong as it had been at the last show the year before. During the season, he would modify the repertoire to songs more to his liking and take the reins of the presentations.

It was in March 1974 that the best concert season of Elvis' entire career took place. It was also at this point, after living in Memphis for 26 years and 13 years after his last performance there, that the singer finally conquered the city.

From March 1st to March 20th, the singer performed his biggest tour yet, with 24 shows in 20 days, and the whole thing was a bang. These were some of the King of Rock's best performances since his return to the stage in 1969. Several cities were very blessed with up to 5 concerts. The crowds were incredible and the anticipation excited them. Arenas were sold out in every city for at least a month before Elvis took the stage.

From May 10 to July 2, performances on national tours and the season in Lake Tahoe were also of a high quality. The sense of change began to become more visible as Elvis added more and more songs of his personal preference to the shows, something that the Colonel disliked.

For Parker and RCA, many of these tracks were not concert material and were unlikely to sell well if released on live records. Among them there was a consensus that what would be heard on the LP "As Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis", which would be released on July 7 of that year, should be the synthesis of Elvis Presley from then on.

The King of Rock, of course, did not agree with this. So much so that the first Tahoe shows that year were filled with his favorites despite Parker's scowl.  "Let Me Be There" would gain prominence. Sherrrill Nielsen and hir group, Voice, would have even more space with their participation in "Spanish Eyes" and solos in "Killing Me Softly", "Bringin' it Back", "I Can't Live Without You" and "Aubrey".

But Elvis was Elvis and, when he didn't want to fight, he'd give other people a chance. By the end of his first of two seasons in Tahoe that year, the setlist was almost as the Colonel intended and Elvis sure sounded tired of it. In essence, we can say that it was at this point that Elvis began to lose interest in his concerts.

Below is our review of this CD.

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- 1. See See Rider: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" wasn't recorded, so we enter right into the part where Elvis is already on stage and ready to sing. The audience can't be heard a lot in this mix and this is a good thing, because the privilege is all in Elvis' voice and the band. The rendition goes as usual. "Thank you very much. Good morning! Sounds funny, 'good morning'." For a 3 am show, the King is in good mood and wide awake. After some vocalizations by Elvis, even Kathy Westmoreland joins the delightful chaos.

- 2. I Got a Woman / Amen: This is a standard rendition, but with a good kick. JD Sumner does his dive bombs twice and Elvis finishes it greatly. He promises a fan that he'll do "Jailhouse Rock" later in key. He would not sing it on this show.

- 3. Love Me: "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sammy Davis! Why do I keep saying 'evening'? It's morning!" Another standard and Elvis starts handing out scarves and kisses to his hysterical female fans. "If you didn't get a scarf, if you didn't get a kiss or whatever, I'll make the rounds. Just give me a little time, you know?"

- 4. Tryin' to Get to You: "This next song is one of my first records, that I did about fifteen years ago. And my voice was much higher, and I have to be careful or I'll sprain my ankle, you know?" Charlie Hodge tries to be funny saying "you'll sprain your butt", and Elvis scorches him: "You should be quiet, Charlie. Just hold it." The crowd claps in tune while the singer does his 1955 hit. This version is surely not as energetic as the March 20th one in Memphis, but a very good one.

- 5. All Shook Up: The second scarf-and-kiss throwaway.

- 6. Love Me Tender: "My first movie was 'Love Me Tender', I'd like to sing a little bit of that to you." This is one of the songs that were already sounding tiring by the time, but the mix really helps here by provileging John Wilkinson's guitar and Duke Bardwell's bass. It's a scarf-and-kiss throwaway, but very well done.

- 7. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: Elvis had reintroduced this song in his setlist on May 10 after exactly a year of it's last rendition on stage and it remained a standard through this Tahoe season. It's certainly refreshing to hear something other than the usual, but it doesn't compare to the 1970 versions.

- 8. Hound Dog: A very quick throwaway leads to two reprises of the end and Elvis shows why he's knows as "The Pelvis" (despite hating the "title").

- 9. Fever: While going through the scarf-and-kiss routine, Elvis sings a pretty good version filled with puns. The women seem to be going really crazy.

- 10. Polk Salad Annie: James Burton's guitar and Glen Hardin's piano shine through here. Elvis really put all his energy and karate chops in the extended instrumental ending.

- 11. Why Me Lord: Clearly needing some rest, Elvis asks JD and The Stamps to start one of his favorite Gospel songs. It's a pretty good version with a reprise of the last part.

- 12. Suspicious Minds: All things considered (it's 3 am, everybody is tired and so on), this is a under average version. Although it's an Elvis trademark, you can't really feel the vibe.

- 13. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps, Kathy Westmoreland, James Burton, John Wilkinson, Ronnie Tutt, Duke Bardwell, Glen Hardin, Charlie Hodge, the group Voice, Joe Guercio and the orchestra. The King also introduces singer Billy Eckstine, telling the audience that his style of singing was his major influence in music and that the high collars he uses are inspired in Billy's own outfits.

- 14. I Can't Stop Loving You: It looks that resting a little after "Polk Salad Annie" and "Suspicious Minds" was what Elvis really needed. Apart from the incredible March 20th version, this is perhaps one of the best ones in 1974.

- 15. Help Me: A little cut takes us right into Elvis introducing the song. Relatively new in the setlist, it's done just as in the studio version.  The violins sound absolutely heavenly.

- 16. Bridge Over Troubled Water: A powerful version, it's only spoiled by the level of Elvis' voice in the mix. There's a full reprise of the last part and the audience loves it.

- 17. Let Me Be There: Olivia Newton-John's hit is next and Elvis really goes into it. If you let the superb mixing of the March 20th version aside for a second, this sounds great with the orchestra leading the track in the background and JD's interactions.

- 18. The Wonder of You: The 1970 hit is next. Elvis always did it with the shortened intro from 1973 onwards and it sounds a lot more urgent and dramatic than the ones with a full intro. Being a not so common song by the time, it is very welcome and well prformed.

- 19. Big Boss Man: Another song relatively new to the set and an Elvis' favorite. The version is average.

- 20. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: Elvis had decided to introduce the song he had recorded in 1971 to his set just a few months earlier. The difference here is that he sings the part that was omitted in the studio version for some unknown reason. Its a very well done rendition.

- 21. An American Trilogy (May 26, 1974 DS): For some reason, the recording of the May 27 concert was not done to its end. To cover that, Fort Baxter decided to include the last songs from the May 26 DS show, as both had the same songs at their ending, in its original release back in 1996 in the box "A Profile - The King on Stage, Vol. 2". The difference in the mixing and the clarity of the recording is very noticeable. Elvis does a strong and very centered version.

- 22. It's Now or Never (May 26, 1974 DS): The audience asks and Elvis promptly does his 1960 hit. Fortunately, Sherrill Nielsen doesn't do his unbearable screaming here yet. The version is calm and really good to hear, with a Latin feel to it.

- 23. Can't Help Falling In Love (May 26, 1974 DS): Elvis talks about his new suit, the 1974 American Eagle: "We did a TV show called 'Aloha From Hawaii', and I wore an eagle outfit. That eagle that I had on that show lost all its feathers and got sick, you know... I'm lying. So I got a new eagle." The audience applauds while Elvis says his goodbyes: "I hope you've enjoyed the show tonight, ladies and gentlemen. We would stay longer, but, really, JD is the big grandfather and he's getting... We have to put him to bed between shows, you know." Elvis does his usual rendition of the 1961 hit while attending to the fans one last time.

- 24.  Closing Vamp (May 26, 1974 DS): As Elvis vanishes behind the curtains, the fanfare announces the end of the show.

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