Bicentennial Superstar
Label:
TNT Records [SB-19760630-19760831-2]
Format:
Double CD
Number of tracks:
58
Running time:
133:00
Type of album:
Concert
Linked to:
Unofficial discography
Year:
2014
Recording date:
June 30 & August 31, 1976
Release date:
2014
Singles:
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In 1976 Elvis was happy with how things were going, as the year had started with more ups than downs. His desire to record was still low, but the sessions at Graceland's Jungle Room were fun and very productive. In fact, the sessions held there between February 3 and 8 had produced 8 usable tracks for an album - 9 if we count "America", which was mistakingly erased from the tape. Elvis also rehearsed "Feelings", a smash hit by Brazilian singer and composer Morris Albert.
As the first days of the year went by, Elvis no longer seemed interested in Las Vegas; little did he know, Vegas was reciprocal. Instead of a 28-day stint at the old and monotonous Hilton Showroom, he prefered to rest and record at his mansion and then going right into the national tours in March and April. He then decided to do a 10-day season in Lake Tahoe, which would be his last at the place, in the beginning of May. His return to national tours short after that seemed to point that Elvis may have been feeling lost or bored with the same old routine he had been enduring for the past 6 years.
But by the middle of that year, it didn't look like Elvis had returned to his old form or that it 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.
Unfortunately, Elvis' performances were very questionable for most of the Summer and Autumn of 1976. The June 30th concert in Greensboro can be an exception, having a few great moments, but the August 31st concert in Macon wouldn't. Fans cheered anyway just for being able to witness a rock icon in the flesh as he sang, but his voice was often husky and out of tune.
Below is our review of this double CD.
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CD 1 - JUNE 30, 1976
- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra: The fanfare announces the start of the performance.
2. See See Rider: The crystal clear audio is impressive for the age of the tape. Elvis enters sounding tired, but the version is better than usual.
- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis is obviously tired, but the "well, well, well" routine is done in a brief way. He manages to notice - and complain about - that the sound on stage is very "dead". The Ray Charles classic is done in the usual way. The striptease routine is amazing, with Elvis saying he shouldn't have taken coffee before the show and that his back was "having a fit".
- 4. Love Me: After interacting with his fans, Elvis stops the song right in the beginning to complain again that the sound on stage is "dead", saying he sounds "like I'm in a cellar or something." He then focuses on the fans screaming for his attention and does a middling version.
- 5. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): Elvis' voice sounds rather weak, perhaps because of the dryness of the sound, but the version is standard for the time. The audio actually helps us to notice other things in the song, as we can clearly hear JD and John Wilkinson's rhythm guitar.
- 6. You Gave Me a Mountain: When a fan keeps asking for a "baby kiss", Elvis does a tongue-in-cheek joke: "You want a baby kiss or do you want to have a...?" Elvis is inspired and happy with the audience, making a great version.
- 7. All Shook Up: The 1950s hits medley begins and Elvis' boredom with the same old material is evident, despite all the screaming from the fans.
- 8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Elvis turns to his fans and his voice sounds weak.
- 9. And I Love You So: The melancholy in Elvis' voice really helps in this rendition.
- 10. Blue Suede Shoes: Elvis tries his 1956 hit and really does a good job.
- 11. Fever: This is a throwaway version, but Elvis has fun with it. After the song, he explains to the audience that what they hear is not the same he's hearing on stage - an annoying, "dead" sound.
- 12. America, the Beautiful: "Since it's our bicentennial year, I'd like to do our version of 'America the Beautiful' for you." This is a magnificent version, but it doesn't have the same shine as a few days before.
- 13. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps (individually), Kathy Westmoreland and Sherrill Nielsen.
- 14. Early Morning Rain: "On the rhythm guitar, from Springfield, Missouri, is John Wilkinson." Wilkinson's solo follows the pattern of the time.
- 15. What'd I Say: "On the lead guitar from Shreveport, Louisiana is James Burton." James does his job as usual.
- 16. Johnny B. Goode: James does a great solo.
- 17. Drum Solo: "On the drums from Dallas, Texas, is hard working Ronnie Tutt." Ronnie Tutt does his solo.
- 18. Bass Solo: "On the Fender bass, ladies and gentlemen, is Jerry Scheff." Jerry does a funky and unusual solo.
- 19. Bass Solo: "I like that Blues thing you used to play. Do it now." Jerry does his usual Blues solo. Elvis messes with him at the end: "I was wrong. I don't like it all that much."
- 20. Piano Solo: "On the piano, ladies and gentlemen, is Tony Brown." Tony does his solo while Elvis does bass notes. The king of Rock then introduces Tony to his city: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tony's hometown, Greensboro. His mother and father are here. Stand up and take a bow, Tony."
- 21. Electric Piano Solo: "On the electric piano is David Briggs." Elvis asks David to do his solo twice.
- 22. Love Letters: A small cut in the tape takes us right to the song. The version is average.
- 23. School Day: Elvis introduces Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra.
- 24. Love Me Tender: "You know, my first movie was Love Me Tender. So I'd like to do a little bit of that." The version is average, but the fans go wild while Elvis kisses and gives then scarves.
- 25. Hurt: "We have out a new record, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to sing for you right now." The performance is one of the good ones tonight, but with Elvis sounding totally lacking in vocal force.
- 26. Hurt: "Thank you. Want to hear that again?" Elvis sounds a little better.
- 27. Funny How Time Slips Away: "Now that you've had a chance to see us, I'd like to turn the house lights up so we can take a look at you." He is surprised by the 16,000 people who crammed the place.
One sign that Elvis is fed up with the same old shows is that he tries to get away from the mic to say, "Play, let's get the fuck out of here. We did about an hour." The 1971 classic is averagely rendered, but with Elvis in control and trying to please his fans. A girl tries to get near to him and Elvis tells her to calm down, then scorches a policeman who's trying to hold her. He reprises the end asking the audience to pay attention to JD.
- 28. Hound Dog: A throwaway version, as usual.
- 29. Can't Help Falling in Love: "I'd like to tell you that, uh, you know... Since I was in here last time, I was in the hospital for a little something, you know... It was nothing big and I'm over that, you know, and I'm glad to be working again. And any time you want us back here in Greensboro, just give us notice, you know." Elvis attends to fans and sings in parts.
- 30. Closing Vamp / Announcements: The fanfare ends the show and we hear the usual announcements.
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CD 2 - AUGUST 31, 1976
- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra: The fanfare announces the start of the show.
2. See See Rider: The audio was clearly improved from the past bootlegs. Elvis sounds tired, but does a smashing version.
- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis' voice cracks at times as he's obviously tired, but he pushes through anyway. The "striptease" routine goes as usual, but Elvis jokes that "I just threw my back."
- 4. Love Me: "I'd like to say that it's a pleasure to be back here in Atlanta. No! I'm only kidding, I'm only kidding. It's just my warped sense of humour." The fans are crazier than ever and scream at the mic for a kiss; histery and moaning ensues. Several minutes go by until Elvis decides to do the usual throwaway version among screaming fans and laughs.
- 5. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): Elvis' voice sounds better and the version is quite good as well.
- 6. You Gave Me a Mountain: Fans continue to scream for Elvis' attention, but he does an amazing version.
- 7. All Shook Up: "I'd like to do a medley of some of my records for you. Starting with Crying in the Chapel." That would be a wonderful surprise, but unfortunately Elvis decides to stay with his most known 1950s hits. His voice cracks and the air fails him sometimes, but he laughs and has fun with it and the audicence.
- 8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Elvis does his usual kiss-and-scarf throwaway.
- 9. And I Love You So: The melancholy in Elvis' voice helps the rendition once again. The rhythm guitar is more noticeable here, giving us a fresh vibe.
- 10. Jailhouse Rock: A throwaway version, but a good job. Ronnie Tutt's drumming shines through.
- 11. Fever: This is a throwaway version and Elvis sings softly while the female fans go wild.
- 12. America, the Beautiful: "Since it's our nation's bicentennial year, I'd like to do our version of 'America the Beautiful'." Elvis asks for the sound on stage to be turned a little louder so he can hear himself better and then proceeds to do a passionate version with an amazing ending for the time. He reprises the ending, but it doesn't shine so much.
- 13. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps (individually), Sherrill Nielsen and Kathy Westmoreland.
- 14. Early Morning Rain: John Wilkinson does his solo and Elvis sings.
- 15. What'd I Say: James does his thing.
- 16. Johnny B. Goode: Another great solo by James.
- 17. Drum Solo: Ronnie Tutt does his solo.
- 18. Bass Solo: Jerry does his Blues solo. The tape is faded at the end, probablye due to irreparable damage.
- 19. Electric Piano Solo: A fade in leads us to the last half of David Briggs' solo.
- 20. Love Letters: "The first that time David Briggs and I worked together, it was his first recording session and we did a song called 'Love Letters'. I'd like to sing that for you now." The version is average, but better than usual by that time.
- 21. School Day: Elvis introduces Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra.
- 22. Hurt: "We have a new record out. I'd like to sing for you." The rendition is quite similar to the studio version, but a distortion in the tape doesn't help us hearing properly in parts.
- 23. Hound Dog: Another throwaway version.
- 24. That's All Right: A fan asks for the song and Elvis likes the idea. He takes his time to strap his guitar, but finally gets ready. "This was my first record. I shouldn't do it, you know, because my voice was much higher back then." This shows how Elvis would go any lenghts to please his fans and get away from the boredom of doing the same songs over and over again. This is a phenomenal version, but the distortions in the tape really spoils it.
- 25. Blue Christmas: "'Blue Christmas in August? Okay." Not the best period of the year for this kind of request, but Elvis does a good version.
- 26. Mystery Train / Tiger Man: While saying his last goodbyes at exactly one hour of show, Charlie suggests the medley. Elvis sounds renewed for doing something that he realluy likes.
- 27. Can't Help Falling in Love: Elvis attends to fans and sings in parts again.
- 28. Closing Vamp: The fanfare ends the show as usual.
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