EAP Index World: Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (CD/LP

Title:

Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis

Label:

FTD [FTD 033] [82876 60987 2]

Format:

Number of tracks:

Running time:

69:00

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

FTD discography; Live On Stage in Memphis, 1974

Year:

2004

Recording date:

March 20, 1974

Release date:

March 2004

Singles:

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Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis is FTD's thirty-third CD. It contains the complete March 20, 1974 concert in Memphis, which marked Elvis' return to the city after 13 years, partially released on a single LP of the same title in 1974.

With the success of "Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite" already completing a year and without many singles and LPs topping the charts, RCA was concerned about the commercial future of its most prestigious artist. The end of 1973 had been a period in Elvis' life full of conflicts with the Hilton Hotel, outbursts of anger over his divorce and questionable shows, although nothing could compare to what would come in September 1974.

Parker had also had disagreements with his protégé, especially with regard to the Hiltons, and the atmosphere was one of total distance between agent and artist after the Colonel had sold Elvis' entire pre-1973 catalog to RCA without the singer's knowledge.

Having been in the studio only twice in 1973 and with most of the recordings already released in August of the same year, on the LP "Raised On Rock", RCA, which was investing only in singles and re-releases at the beginning of 1974, felt that the demand of the public for more new Elvis material was beginning to affect sales. As the singer would perform his first shows in Memphis since February 1961, the perfect opportunity arose to release an album with one of these performances, especially given the fact that the changes in Elvis' repertoire since "Aloha" had been pleasing the public. The Colonel, who at the time only knew how to talk about controlling expenses, miraculously agreed with the idea.

RCA took its best equipment to the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and recorded five shows on March 16, 17 and 20, 1974. Every day the place was packed with 12,300 people eager to see Elvis and the singer gave the your best.

However, it was undoubtedly the performance on March 20, which ended that tour, that caught the record company's attention the most. Elvis was looser, joking a lot with the audience and singing classics like "Trying to Get to You" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with a powerful voice that was as crystal clear as that of the original recordings. It was imperative that the complete show be released on a double LP, but this had to go through the Colonel first. Justifying a "necessary cost containment", Parker put his foot down: the album would only come out if it was made up of just one LP.

The record company found itself faced with an almost unrealizable task: of the 70 minutes of that concert, at least 25 needed to be cut. The solution was to choose only what would be welcomed by the public, such as new songs, indelible classics and the occasional song that might be of interest for one reason or another.

"Also Sprach Zarathustra" and dialogues between songs were the first things deleted, followed by tracks that were present on other live albums and films, more specifically on "Elvis On Tour" and "Aloha". There remained 15 songs that were relatively unreleased or that could not be left out of any album, which miraculously ran for exactly 43 minutes and did not require any other work on the part of RCA other than the final edition, which even cut out part of the "Closing Vamp".

Upon its release on July 7, 1974, "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis" reached the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 in the Country category, a mark that would only be repeated again by the album "Moody Blue" in 1977, and the version of "How Great Thou Art" present on the album earned Elvis his third and final Grammy. The LP was certified Gold on July 15, 1999 by the RIAA.

RCA re-released the album on vinyl in 1977 and on CD for the first time in 1990. The tracks cut from the original edition would only be heard 30 years later, in the release of the complete show by FTD in March 2004. In 2014, Sony released its Legacy double CD edition, with the entire concert on the first disc and the complete performance from two days earlier in Richmond, Virginia, as well as previously unpublished rehearsals from August 1974, on the second.

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

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- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra (previously unreleased): The fanfare that has opened every show since 1971 makes fans start to get euphoric.

- 2. See See Rider (original LP): Elvis enters the Mid-South Coliseum stage just 5 seconds after the intro. While the audience cheers, one of the best versions of the song is performed by the singer with a strong and intense voice.

- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen (original LP): "Thank you very much. Good evening!" Right from the start, Elvis plays with fans on the edge of the stage: "You called, honey?"Attempts to start the next song are interrupted and he gets confused: "Give me a 'chancth'... Chance... C-H-A-N-C-T-H'". The well-known "well, well, well" routine begins and a fan screams loudly, to which Elvis responds: "She's louder than I am, but I've got the microphone, you know what I mean?"

The version is fast and well-paced, somewhat different for the time. There's no striptease routine yet, but JD's dive bombs are already there. After the first, Elvis jokes: "That was average, just about an average, JD. You can do better than that. You're lower than that, you know that? No, I mean, you can sing lower than that." The second dive bomb leads to a spectacular ending. Unlike the LP version, which cuts part of the performance of "Amen", here it appears in its entirety.

- 4. Love Me (original LP): "Thank you very much. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! We hope you enjoy our show this afternoon." A fan asks Elvis to turn around (there were chairs around almost the entire stage): "Honey, I'll turn around as much as I can, but I'm geting dizzy and falling off the stage." Then he goes to Duke Bardwell and, for no reason (it is public knowledge that Elvis had something against Duke's style), dumps on him: "Duke... I'm not talking to you persunally, Duke, you know? Just killing time so I can drink water."

Afterwards we have a very light rendition of the 1956 classic, with Elvis distributing scarves and kisses to his fans.

- 5. Trying to Get to You (original LP): "Those binoculars look like a bunch of frogs up here", he observes. The song begins and already shows that Elvis' vocal power had not diminished since the original recording in 1955. High note after high note, the singer surprises and excites the audience.

- 6. All Shook Up (previously unreleased): Cut from the original LP to save time and because a live version was recently sold on "Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden", the song is performed quickly as Elvis returns to handing out scarves.

- 7. Steamroller Blues (previously unreleased): Cut because it was part of the LP "Aloha from Hawaii" and was released as a single a few months earlier, this is one that deserved to be on the original album. Elvis' animation is evident and the mix is much fuller than what was heard on "Aloha".

- 8. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (previously unreleased): Back to the scarves and kisses, Elvis does a quick and well-known rendition of the medley present since 1971.

- 9. Love Me Tender (previously unreleased): After the powerful edition of the song on "Elvis On Tour", RCA felt it was not necessary to leave it on the LP. In fact, there was nothing new about the rendition and Elvis just continued handing out gifts to his fans.

- 10. Medley (original LP): Existing in several formats, this medley appeared in 1969 with just "Long Tall Sally" and "Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On". Other songs were added to it until it reached its longer version in 1974, also featuring "Mama Don't Dance", "Flip, Flop and Fly", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog". In addition to livening up the audience, it was a way for Elvis to quickly perform those classics that were already tiring.

- 11. Fever (previously unreleased): Understanding that no version would surpass "Aloha"'s, which is somewhat debatable, RCA decided to leave this rendition off the original album. The fans really go crazy with Elvis' pelvic movements and one screams so much that he jokes: "Honey, don't have it here! Wait until the show is over, you know!" With this and other reactions, it is intelligible why the record company decided to cut it: Elvis was having too much fun for family standards.

- 12. Polk Salad Annie (previously unreleased): This is a real shame that it was left out. First, because it is a supreme rendition with solo and the demonstration of extended karate chops; second, because it is one of the first versions with the arrangements that would become common from 1975 onwards. Incredibly, Elvis doesn't sound tired at all after finishing it.

- 13. Why Me, Lord? (original LP): "I'd like to ask JD Sumner and The Stamps to sing one of my favorite songs." The audience listens in silence as JD does his part, bursting into applause when Elvis enters. Although Gospel is something different in a rock show, the audience has always loved these religious demonstrations in Elvis' voice.

- 14. How Great Thou Art (original LP): "I'd like to do, uh, one of my favorite Gospel songs, this features The Stamps also." The pearl of the show is delivered with true adoration and admiring silence from the audience. After the reprise of the last verse, the audience effusively applauded the version that would give Elvis his last Grammy.

- 15. Suspicious Minds (previously unreleased): Much better than the "Aloha" version, the song announces the arrival of the final part of the performance. The appropriate mix and Elvis' clearer voice give a special touch to the rendition, which legitimizes the audience's reaction.

- 16. Introductions by Elvis (previously unreleased): "I'd like to introduce you to the members of my group, before we go any further." 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 Voice group, Joe Guercio and his orchestra. Then, the singer thanks all members of the production team and RCA.

- 17. Blueberry Hill / I Can't Stop Loving You (original LP): After three minutes of introductions, Elvis goes straight to a 1957 classic and amends it to one of the most requested songs since 1969. The medley pleases the fans and it is clear that this was Elvis' choice due to his joy during the rendition.

- 18. Help Me (original LP): New to the repertoire, the song had been recorded in the December 1973 sessions and was not yet available for purchase. The audience seems to absorb the seriousness of the song, slowly transforming the euphoria into silence.

- 19. An American Trilogy (original LP): Some classics, especially when they generate a lot of sales, need to be maintained even if they appear frequently in other works, and that is what we have here. The medley that reflects a part of US history could not be left out and Elvis delivers it with total mastery to the fascination of his fans.

- 20. Let Me Be There (original LP): A success for Olivia Newton-John, the song had entered the repertoire in January of that year. One of the best versions of Elvis, it would be used to compose the LP "Moody Blue" in 1977.

- 21. My Baby Left Me (original LP): It's strange to have Elvis in Memphis for the first time in 13 years and not have a rendition of "That's All Right" at some point, but "My Baby Left Me" does a lot of justice to the Sun Studio days. Full of funk, the rendition lifts the fans and features the famous "dee-dee-dee-dee" as an Easter egg alluding to "That's All Right" in the middle of the song.

- 22. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (original LP): A rare gem rarely performed in its entirety, the song has a delicious backing vocal in a Gospel tone by The Sweet Inspirations and a delicious beat.

- 23. Funny How Time Slips Away (previously unreleased): "Now that you've seen us, I'd like to turn the house lights up and take a look at you." The song, present sporadically since 1969, would become an almost always present moment in the performances from 1974 to 1976 and, to the dismay of fans, it would announce the imminent end of the show while also providing yet another opportunity for Elvis to hand out scarves and kisses.

- 24. Can't Help Falling in Love (original LP): Before closing the show, Elvis addresses the audience with a sincere thank you: "It's always been said that a person cannot return to their hometowns, but you have disproved that theory completely, and you really made it worthwhile."

With the positive response from the audience, the last song begins. Amid euphoric screams from fans trying to get a last wave, kiss or scarf from Elvis, the rendition is one of the best of that year.

- 25. Closing Vamp (original LP / previously unreleased): Although it has an audible part on the original LP, the fanfare appears in full here for the first time.

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