Big Boss Man (CD - FTD, 2005)

Title:

Big Boss Man

Label:

FTD [FTD 045] [82876 67970 2]

Format:

CD

Number of tracks:

26

Running time:

78:00

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

FTD discography

Year:

2005

Recording date:

March 28, 1975 MS

Release date:

April 2005

Singles:

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Big Boss Man is FTD's forty-fifth CD. It contains the complete March 28, 1975 MS show in Las Vegas and bonus tracks from March 22 and 31 MS of the same year. The CD is currently out of print with the label.

1975 was the first year since 1970 that Elvis did not start his concert routine with the already famous and anticipated Las Vegas season in January. Since October 1974, the King of Rock had shown little desire to perform, which is why there was also no Las Vegas season later that year, and his health was in full decline as his 40th birthday began.

Things were even worse in the studio, where he had not set foot since December 1973, and with the release of the last available tracks from that session on the "Promised Land" LP on January 8, 1975, RCA was already beginning to see its plans for possible future releases drastically diminish.

On January 25, 1975, the day before the Las Vegas season began, Elvis was very unwell and there was a rush to cancel the shows and reschedule the dates. In the days that followed, the excuse was that Elvis had returned to Memphis to rest and recover from a stomach flu, but the truth was that he had been rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital on January 28 due to an overdose of medication.

Vernon would be admitted to the hospital on February 5 after suffering a heart attack, and father and son would share a room until they were both released on the 13th of that month. While there, Elvis and Vernon had the most serious talk of their lives, with the father begging his son to stop his deadly behavior and saying, "Son, you worried your mother to death."

After nearly a month of rest in his Malibu mansion and with RCA on his heels to produce new tracks, Elvis returned to RCA Studio C in Hollywood between the night of March 10 and the early morning of March 13 to record exactly ten songs, which would be released on the "Today" LP in May of that year.

The only thing left to know was whether Elvis would still be in the same mood for the postponed Las Vegas season, which was scheduled to begin on March 18. Fortunately, this would be one of the King of Rock's best seasons at the Hilton Hotel after a long time and many mediocre performances. The singer was enthusiastic, wanted to give his best and expected nothing less than the total satisfaction of the audience.

Although FTD previously released live material from 1975, it had only made available one performance from the first Las Vegas season that year in 2005.

"Big Boss Man" was sold as containing the performance of March 30, 1975 MS, a Sunday, but this was disputed from the beginning when a fan noticed Elvis telling someone in the audience to "come back on Saturday", which, since the season ended on Monday, April 1, would be March 29. The record company preferred to change the date of the show in its catalog to April 1 DS, but more in-depth studies indicate with more than 95% certainty that it is the concert of March 28, 1975 MS.

Below is a review of the content available on the CD.

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- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra: The already known fanfare begins with a somewhat strange sound due to the fact that the mixing on the soundboard had not yet been done.

- 2. See See Rider: The mix still sounds strange, but thankfully it improves once Elvis sings the first few lines. The King of Rock's voice is strong and radiant, which is a breath of fresh air after a shaky 1974.

- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen: After reviewing his jumpsuit, Elvis comments: "This thing just gone nuts. I mean, it just cracked on me. Is there something showing that shouldn't be?" A very brief "well, well, well" routine leads to a very powerful version of the already known medley.

"Thank you very much. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Ann-Margret." The singer addresses a fan who says to him, "I love you! Don't keep me waiting, I love you, I love you!" and jokes: "Honey, there are two thousand people listening to you, you know that, right?"

After hearing that she doesn't care about the audience and giving the horny fan a kiss, Elvis says he's "having a little problem" (the now famous observation about the "creeping crud") and asks her not to blame him if she catches something, only to hear from her: "You can have anything I've got, so I'll take whatever you got."

- 4. Love Me: The song is performed in a relaxed and humorous way as Elvis laughs and interacts with the more outgoing fans by distributing scarfs and kisses.

- 5. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): Without saying much, Elvis starts the song that was one of his most beloved at the time and the version shows it. He has fun and sings with a crystal clear voice.

- 6. And I Love You So: New to the repertoire, it is still performed as it was recorded in the studio a few days earlier. The version is good and gives Elvis the opportunity to rest a little.

- 7. Big Boss Man: Perhaps the most interesting song of the entire performance, it features the King of Rock really giving his all to the performance. The excitement of the band and the audience is perfectly audible.

- 8. It's Midnight: More seasoned in the repertoire, it calms the atmosphere so that Elvis can catch his breath a little, although he makes a point of finishing the performance in grand style.

- 9. Promised Land: Without hesitation, the singer launches into another fast-paced and lively rock song. This is one of the best versions of this song available, as it has a perfect mix that allows you to hear Elvis' crystal-clear voice - without missing a single word of the lyrics! - and James Burton's majestic solo.

- 10. Burning Love: "Okay. This next song we're gonna do is rough." Apparently, Elvis was probably going to do a new rendition of "You're the Reason I'm Living", performed only once in the show on March 22, 1975 MS, but ends up focusing on the audience who asks for "Fever", "Tryin' to Get to You" and "Burning Love", which ended up being his chosen one. And that was a huge success, because his voice that night would make it possible to create a version worthy of the most memorable of 1972.

- 11. Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps, Kathy Westmoreland and John Wilkinson.

- 12. Introductions Continued: Next, James Burton does a refreshing solo to the rhythm of "What'd I Say" and is followed without pause by Ronnie Tutt. Duke Bardwell does his solo for an unimpressed Elvis, followed by Glen Hardin and David Briggs. After introducing the Voice group, it is the turn of Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra.

The King of Rock then introduces actress Trish Stewart and actress and singer Barbra Streisand. It would be on this occasion, after the show, that Barbra would invite him to co-star in "A Star is Born", a proposal that Colonel Parker would make Elvis give up.

- 13. My Boy: It is noticeable in Elvis' voice and in his care in delivering a clean and emotional version that Lisa was in his thoughts. The final verses and the note that the singer releases from his core denote all his struggle and pain.

- 14. I'll Remember You: "It's a beautiful song that's out of Hawaii, that we did on the special 'Aloha From Hawaii'. It's called 'I'll Remember You'." Elvis takes the opportunity to rest his voice and give more kisses and scarfs to the audience. When he asks a fan her age and receives the answer, "I'll be 13 Sunday", he gives up on giving a kiss and says, "Come back Sunday." (proving that it is the midnight concert of March 28, 1975)

The version is the usual one and without news.

Kathy Westmoreland was to perform a solo of "My Heavenly Father" next, but this was cut from the tape due to audio problems.

- 15. Let Me Be There: Another of Elvis' favorites, this song also brings nothing new because it is always very well performed. As always, there is a reprise of the final part of the song.

- 16. Hound Dog: After chatting with fans for a few minutes, the singer performs one of his greatest hits to the delight of the audience. Even the kisses and scarfs flying everywhere don't distract him.

- 17. An American Trilogy: The song that would become increasingly rare in concerts from then on gets a powerful version with Elvis' excellent voice. His excitement with the impeccable rendition is palpable at the end.

- 18. Can't Help Falling in Love: As always, the song is the last opportunity to receive scarfs and kisses from Elvis.

BONUS

- 19. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me [March 31, 1975 MS]: Rare since May 1973 and absent since July 1974, the song is performed here for the first time this year.

Although considerably inferior to the 1970 versions, this rendition still showcases Elvis' vocal power and is a very welcome addition to the audience.

- 20. The Wonder of You [March 31, 1975 MS]: Despite being left out of the repertoire throughout 1973, this song was never really abandoned and always made special appearances. After 1970, 1975 was the year that saw the most renditions of it, this being the first.

The version begins with the first line of the lyrics and omits an entire verse, as would be the norm from then on, lasting less than a minute and a half. Being vocally more demanding than the previous one, it reveals a slight, but irrelevant, loss of register in the singer's voice.

- 21. Bridge Over Troubled Water [March 31, 1975 MS]: Another one that was never really abandoned, this is one of the highlights of this entire CD.

It's interesting to hear that Elvis' voice comes to life much more here than in the previous two songs and it's quite easy to imagine that this version could have been at any 1970 show without feeling inferior.

- 22. Little Darlin' [March 31, 1975 MS]: A newcomer to the repertoire, the hit by The Diamonds in 1959 makes its debut in Elvis' voice. Even after four false starts, neither the band nor the singer can find a consensus during the rendition. It is a song that should not be taken seriously and, in fact, Elvis would never take it as such.

- 23. Hawaiian Wedding Song [March 31, 1975 MS]: Despite having sporadic renditions in 1971 and 1972, the song only became part of the official concert repertoire in 1974, the year in which it had more versions sung.

Here, Elvis uses it as a quick rest period after "Little Darlin'" and before saying goodbye to the fans with "Can't Help Falling in Love".

- 24. Green, Green Grass of Home [March 22, 1975 MS]: The audio here is quite poor due to the condition of the tape, but it doesn't stop Elvis' rendition from sounding majestic. Performed for the second of only four times, this version is infinitely superior to the studio version and there are no flaws in the singer's voice.

When heard on "Las Vegas Happening", released in 2013 by Rock Legends from a crystal clear audio source, it becomes even more memorable.

- 25. Faiytale [March 22, 1975 MS]: Also superior to the studio version, it shows that Elvis was acquiring a vocal maturity more focused on Country, a style he would adopt on his albums from 1975 onwards.

- 26. You're the Reason I'm Living [March 22, 1975 MS]: Performed live this one time, it helped prove that the last three tracks really belonged to the show of March 22, 1975 MS.

Performed improvised, the version features Elvis directing the band during the rendition and declaring at the end: "That was, and you could probably tell, totally unrehearsed. We've never done that song in our natural life."

The track ends with Elvis introducing his father to the audience.