EAP Index World: An American Trilogy [Single/LP - RCA, 1972 - Canceled] (CD

Title:

An American Trilogy

Label:

RCA Victor [---] (canceled)

Format:

Number of tracks:

Running time:

40:00

Type of album:

Concert/ Compilation

Linked to:

Official discography

Year:

1972

Recording date:

February 14 - 17, 1972

Release date:

March 1972 (canceled)

Singles:

"Trilogy [16/02/72 MS] / First Time" (April 4, 1972)

An American Trilogy, If it had existed, would have been Elvis's 79th LP and 182nd audiophonic work (including singles and EPs). Based on the concept of combining excerpts from different shows as they did with "Elvis in Person at the International, Las Vegas, Nevada" and "On Stage - February, 1970", RCA would compile the best tracks recorded between February 14 and 17, 1972 in Las Vegas.

Elvis had never seen his name as prominent as in the period from 1968 to 1972 (and then until mid-1974), except for the days of his new rhythm explosion in the early 1950s.

"From Elvis in Memphis", the first album released on the occasion of his return in 1969 and shortly before the first shows in Vegas, showed that Elvis could change, being more aware of his vocal power and focusing on defending his roots of Rock, R&B and Country. "From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis", "On Stage - February, 1970", "Elvis Country", "Love Letters from Elvis" and "Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas", even with their ups and downs, only proved Elvis' artistic superiority and his ease in moving between genres.

In the Vegas sphere, it went without saying that the flame was getting higher and higher. Crowded audiences eagerly awaited the King of Rock's shows and Sin City was experiencing the height of its commercial boom. New songs were in Elvis' repertoire and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" was already established as the opening theme of all his shows.

With all the enthusiasm of the triumphant return that had not wavered after three years, and given the success of their two previous live albums, both Elvis, the Colonel and RCA came to the conclusion that, more than a year after the release of " On Stage", it was time for a new album with parts of shows or even a complete one.

And there's nothing better than recording it in a controlled environment, with an orderly and loyal audience: the stage at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, the former International Hotel. Elvis and RCA reached an agreement and decided that the best date to record the shows would be between February 14 and 17, 1972, a period when the movement in Vegas was lower and the audience present would be as calm as possible. It would be necessary to stop the song and start it again if there was an error, in addition to a longer interval between performances, which would probably not please the audience in the peak season.

With everything prepared, Elvis takes the stage with enthusiasm in the two shows on February 14th. Tonight RCA captures the first rendition of "An American Trilogy", but what ended up becoming the April 4, 1972 single version, which contained "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" on the B-side, and is the best known today was the midnight performance on February 16th. However, due to technical problems, only this song, "A Big Hunk O' Love" and the medley "Little Sister/Get Back", all from that midnight show, were used.

The two performances on the 15th were the ones that produced the most recordings, eight in total, practically completing the entire demand for tracks for a long play album. "Proud Mary" and "Never Been to Spain" shine in new arrangements, as does "You Gave Me a Mountain," presented here in only its sixth rendition.

At the shows on the 16th, recording continued, but without success in obtaining new tracks. Only the midnight one produced two usable songs, which have become somewhat rare items. "It's Impossible", a translated version of the Mexican original "Somos Novios", by Armando Manzanero, appears for the last time in an Elvis show and is the only one professionally recorded. Unused, it ended up included on the album "ELVIS (The Fool)", from 1973. Afterwards, "The Impossible Dream" gained supreme arrangements and ended up being released only in 1978; Furthermore, this would be the penultimate time Elvis would sing it (the last was at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 1972).

The shows on February 17th were the least productive for the recordings. Of them, only "It's Over", from the 8:15 pm performance, was used, but with the cancellation of the work it would only reach the general public in 2007 in the double edition of the CD "Viva Las Vegas".

The question of why the album was not produced and released remains to this day. There are claims that the tracks were not enough, but it is known that, in total, 17 songs were usable - more than necessary. Furthermore, RCA had unreleased material that could be included in the work. On the other hand, some say that Elvis didn't like the renditions and canceled the project, but as we know, he rarely listened to his records.

The most widely accepted theory is that RCA preferred to record an occasion with more fans and more unique - the shows at Madison Square Garden, which would take place between June 9th and 11th of that year - but the fact is that, apart from speculation, there is no known apparent reason for the cancellation of this project.

After 35 years of shelving, FTD finally released the album in 2007. This was one of the label's most anticipated works, since most of the tracks were unreleased until then. The label itself exceeded expectations at the end of 2023, when it released a 4-CD box entitled "Elvis Now in Person 1972", which brought all the unreleased tracks from the February 1972 recordings in Las Vegas.

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RECORDING SESSIONS

Date:
February 14 - 17, 1972

Studio:
Las Vegas Hilton Hotel

Location:
Las Vegas, Nevada

LAS VEGAS HILTON, HOTEL, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, FEBRUARY 14 - 17, 1972
Voice: Elvis Presley
Accoustic guitar: Elvis Presley, Charlie Hodge
Lead guitar: James Burton
Rhythm guitar: John Wilkinson
Bass: Jerry Scheff
Drums: Ronnie Tutt
Piano: Glen Hardin
Maestro: Joe Guercio
Orchestra: The Joe Guercio Orchestra
Backing Vocals: JD Summer, The Stamps Quartet, The Sweet Inspirations, Kathy Westmoreland

Sound engineer / Recording engineer:
Felton Jarvis

FEBRUARY 14, 1972 DS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 14, 1972 MS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 15, 1972 DS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 15, 1972 MS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 16, 1972 DS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 16, 1972 MS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Impossible
The Impossible Dream
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 17, 1972 DS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

FEBRUARY 17, 1972 MS
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
Proud Mary
Never Been to Spain
You Gave Me a Mountain
Until it's Time For You to Go
Polk Salad Annie
Love Me
Little Sister/Get Back
All Shook Up
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Hound Dog
A Big Hunk O' Love
I'ts Over
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Suspicious Minds
Band Introductions
An American Trilogy
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Vamp

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SESSION LOGS

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SINGLE AND PROPOSED LP TRACKS (RCA, 1972)

AN AMERICAN TRILOGY (LP)

March 1972 (cancelled)

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra (15/02/72 MS)
2. See See Rider (15/02/72 MS)
3. Proud Mary (15/02/72 MS)
4. Never Been to Spain (15/02/72 MS)
5. You Gave Me a Mountain (15/02/72 MS)
6. Love Me (15/02/72 MS)
7. All Shook Up (15/02/72 MS)
8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (15/02/72 MS)
9. Hound Dog (15/02/72 MS)
10. Little Sister / Get Back (14/02/72 MS)
11. It's Impossible (16/02/72 MS)
12. It's Over (17/02/72 DS)
13. The Impossible Dream (16/02/72 MS)
14. A Big Hunk O' Love (14/02/72 MS)
15. An American Trilogy (14/02/72 MS)
16. Can't Help Falling in Love (15/02/72 MS)
17. Closing Riff (15/02/72 MS)

AN AMERICAN TRILOGY (SINGLE)

April 4, 1972

1. An American Trilogy (16/02/72 MS)

2. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

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FTD VERSION

Title:

An American Trilogy, January - February 1972

Label:

FTD [FTD 061] [88697 03614 2]

Format:

Number of tracks:

Running time:

63:00

Type of album:

Concert / Compilation

Linked to:

FTD Discography

Year:

2007

Recording date:

January 26 - February 17, 1972

Release date:

April 2007

Singles:

---

If RCA left the project aside in 1972, 35 years later FTD recovered the tapes and put the album on the agenda again, achieving what the official record company had not achieved for a long time: releasing an Elvis album with completely new material.

Multi-track tapes are very reliable materials to work with, despite losing quality over time, but Lene Reidel's mastering managed to capture the essence of the performances, although the sound was not as full as we would have liked.

To produce "the album that never existed", FTD had access to RCA documents and took the proposed album's setlist from them. In addition, the record company made available as a bonus seven songs recorded during the opening show of the first season of 1972 in Las Vegas, on January 26th, without many audio adjustments as they came from a tape that was not multi-track.

FTD also made available an 8-page booklet with photos from the August/September 1972 season in Las Vegas, since there are no professional images of the shows used in the composition of the proposed LP.

The CD contains the following tracks:

ORIGINALLY PROPOSED ALBUM
1. Also Sprach Zarathustra (15/02/72 MS)
2. See See Rider (15/02/72 MS)
3. Proud Mary (15/02/72 MS)
4. Never Been to Spain (15/02/72 MS)
5. You Gave Me a Mountain (15/02/72 MS)
6. Love Me (15/02/72 MS)
7. All Shook Up (15/02/72 MS)
8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (15/02/72 MS)
9. Hound Dog (15/02/72 MS)
10. Little Sister / Get Back (14/02/72 MS)
11. It's Impossible (16/02/72 MS)
12. It's Over (14/02/72 DS)
13. The Impossible Dream (16/02/72 MS)
14. A Big Hunk O' Love (14/02/72 MS)
15. An American Trilogy (14/02/72 MS)
16. Can't Help Falling in Love (15/02/72 MS)
17. Closing Riff (15/02/72 MS)
JANUARY 26, 1972 OS

18. Until it's Time For You to Go

19. Polk Salad Annie

20. One Night

21. Bridge Over Troubled Water

22. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy

23. I'll Remember You

24. Suspicious Minds

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UPDATED VERSION (FTD)

Title:

Elvis Now in Person 1972

Label:

FTD [FTD 234] [506020 975181]

Format:

4x CD + 2 books + EP

Number of tracks:

100

Running time:

325:00

Tipo de álbum:

Rehearsal / Concert / Compilation

Linked to:

FTD discography

Year:

2023

Recording date:

February 14 - April 18, 1972

Release date:

November 2023

Singles:

---

FTD's last release in 2023 surprised fans in a spectacular way: the label produced a box with two books (totaling 504 pages) full of informations about the shows from January to April 1972 and also gave collectors 4 CDs with all the unreleased tracks recorded in Las Vegas in February 1972, excerpts from the March 30/31 rehearsals, the complete and unreleased rehearsal from the night of April 5, excerpts from shows from the April 1972 tour and a limited edition on 33 RPM vinyl with singles from the March sessions.

As it is a box with a high price, the CDs will be re-released separately in the future without the books.

The work includes the following tracks:

CD 1

FEBRUARY 1972

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra (February 15, 1972 MS)

2. See See Rider (February 15, 1972 MS)

3. Proud Mary (February 15, 1972 MS)

4. Never Been to Spain (Master) (February 16, 1972 MS)

5. You Gave Me a Mountain (Master) (February 16, 1972 MS)

6. It's Impossible (Master) (February 16, 1972 MS)

7. Love Me (February 15, 1972 MS)

8. All Shook Up (February 15, 1972 MS)

9. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (February 15, 1972 MS)

10. Hound Dog (February 14, 1972 MS)

11. Little Sister / Get Back (February 15, 1972 MS)

12. It's Over (Master) (February 17, 1972 DS)

13. The Impossible Dream (Master) (February 16, 1972 MS)

14. A Big Hunk O' Love (February 14, 1972 MS)

15. An American Trilogy (Master) (February 16, 1972 MS)

16. Can't Help Falling in Love (February 15, 1972 MS)

17. Closing Riff (February 15, 1972 MS)

18. Never Been to Spain (February 15, 1972 DS)*

19. You Gave Me a Mountain (February 15, 1972 DS)*

20. An American Trilogy (First Version) (February 14, 1972 DS)*

21. All Shook Up (February 14, 1972 MS)*

22. Never Been to Spain (February 17, 1972 MS)*

23. You Gave Me a Mountain (February 17, 1972 MS)*

24. An American Trilogy (February 17, 1972 MS)*

*previously unreleased

CD 2

MARCH 30/31, 1972 REHEARSALS

1. Burning Love (March 30, 1972)

2. For the Good Times (March 30, 1972)

3. Always On My Mind (March 30, 1972)

4. Separate Ways (March 30, 1972)

5. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (March 31, 1972)

6. See See Rider (March 31, 1972)

7. Proud Mary (March 31, 1972)

8. Never Been to Spain (March 31, 1972)

9. Until it's Time For You to Go (March 31, 1972)

10. Polk Salad Annie (March 31, 1972)

11. All Shook Up (March 31, 1972)

12. Heartbreak Hotel (March 31, 1972)

13. Help Me Make it Through the Night (March 31, 1972)

14. Young and Beautiful (March 31, 1972)

15. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (March 31, 1972)

16. Release Me (and Let Me Love Again) (March 31, 1972)

17. A Big Hunk O' Love (March 31, 1972)

18. Funny How Time Slips Away (March 31, 1972)

19. Can't Help Falling in Love (March 31, 1972)

20. I, John (March 31, 1972)

21. Bosom of Abraham (March 31, 1972)

22. You Better Run (March 31, 1972)

23. Lead Me, Guide Me (March 31, 1972)

24. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus / Nearer My God to Thee (March 31, 1972)

CD 3

APRIL 1972

1.Also Sprach Zarathustra (April 9, 1972 ES)

2. See See Rider (April 9, 1972 ES)

3. I Got a Woman / Amen (April 9, 1972 ES)

4. Never Been to Spain (April 9, 1972 ES)

5. You Gave Me a Mountain (April 9, 1972 ES)

6. Until it's Time For You to Go (April 9, 1972 ES)

7. Polk Salad Annie (April 9, 1972 ES)

8. Love Me (April 10, 1972)

9. All Shook Up (April 10, 1972)

10. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (April 10, 1972)

11. Heartbreak Hotel (April 10, 1972)

12. Hound Dog (April 10, 1972)

13. Bridge Over Troubled Water (April 10, 1972)

14. Love Me Tender (April 10, 1972)

15. It's Over (April 10, 1972)

16. Suspicious Minds (April 10, 1972)

17. Band Introductions (April 14, 1972)

18. For the Good Times (April 14, 1972)

19. An American Trilogy (April 14, 1972)

20. Burning Love (April 14, 1972)

21. Release Me (and Let Me Love Again) (April 14, 1972)

22. Funny How Time Slips Away (April 14, 1972)

23. Can't Help Falling in Love (April 14, 1972)

24. Closing Vamp (April 14, 1972)

25. Proud Mary (April 18, 1972)

26. How Great Thou Art (April 18, 1972)

27. I Can't Stop Loving You (April 18, 1972)

28. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (April 9, 1972 ES)

29. A Big Hunk O' Love (April 9, 1972 ES)

30. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (April 9, 1972 ES)

CD 4

EVENING REHEARSAL ON APRIL 5, 1972 (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

1. Burning Love (2 Versions - Charlie Hodge sings off-mic on Version 1)

2. Cattle Call (Few Lines)

3. For the Good Times

4. See See Rider

5. Never Been to Spain (Incomplete)

6. You Gave Me a Mountain

7. I'll Remember You (False Start)

8. Until it's Time For You to Go

9. Polk Salad Annie

10. Hound Dog

11. Bridge Over Troubled Water

12. A Big Hunk O' Love

13. I Can't Stop Loving You

14. An American Trilogy

15. Funny How Time Slips Away

16. The Lighthouse (Few Lines)

17. I, John

18. I Need Your Lovin' Everyday (Few Lines)

SIDE A

1. Burning Love

2. It's a Matter of Time

SIDE B

3. For the Good Times

4. Where Do I Go From Here

Gotta Find My Baby!

March 05, 2024

An American Trilogy [Single/LP - RCA, 1972 - Canceled] (CD - FTD, 2007)

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