A Day in Dayton (CD - Gravel Road, 2009)

Title:

A Day in Dayton

Label:

Gravel Road Music [GR CD 7401/2-2]

Format:

Double CD

Number of tracks:

46

Running time:

126:15

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

Unofficial discography

Year:

2009

Recording date:

October 6, 1974

Release date:

2009

Singles:

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A Day in Dayton is a bootleg release by Gravel Road Music. It brings us both October 6, 1974 concerts in Dayton, Ohio, in the same release for the first time.

Although Elvis performed some memorable shows in early 1974, the September / October tour of that year was not one of his best, with highlights sparsely scattered throughout the concerts. The famous College Park performance was during this tour, but by October 3, it was clear that Elvis was awake and having a good time.

Elvis's 1974 summer season in Las Vegas, a rollercoaster of emotional performances, ended with the infamous "Desert Storm". Just 3 weeks later, Elvis was back on his fourth tour of the year and the start was undoubtedly one of the low points of his career. His opening show in College Park (September 27) is often considered his worst performance ever!

Fortunately Elvis seemed to pull himself together and a few days later returned to his usual mischievous mood, laughing and teasing the crowd. Elvis' concert in South Bend on October 1 (released by FTD in 2003 as "Dragonheart") was better than expected, although it was notable that Elvis struggled a bit, as his voice still wavered at times.

This Gravel Road release focuses on the same tour, which ran from September 27 to October 9, 1974. With "Dragonheart" and these two Dayton performances on October 6 that were largely sold on bootlegs, we now have a more satisfying picture of the period. And the best: With two good soundboards with excellent sound quality.

Below is our review of this work.

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CD 1 - OCTOBER 6, 1974 AS

- 1. See See Rider: Opening immediately with Ma Rainey's 1924 hit and sounding excellent, Elvis really attacks the music. This is a different King of Rock than the one sedated in College Park a few days earlier. You can hear him complain about the height of the microphone stand and jokingly blaming comedian "Jackie Kahoon": "Who do you think I am? Wilt Chambewrlain!?"

- 2. I Got a Woman / Amen: The "well, well, well..." routine is brief. Elvis' performance is full of energy, working well with Ronnie Tutt and the band. After "Amen", JD performs his famous dive bomb in a somewhat contained manner, which gets Elvis going: "It's four o'clock in the afternoon, J. Can you do it better?" JD manages to sound like a plane landing and rattles the speakers.

- 3. Love Me: "This is a weird building, man! I mean, people are all over the place - on the ceiling..." A routine version with a large audience participation.

- 4. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): Despite being an Elvis favorite, this is a standard version with a reprise of the ending. "I' like to do the last few lines of it, because I goofed up on it... The singers goofed up on it, and James Burton messed on it. I don't like making mistakes on stage, so let's correct it."

- 5. It's Midnight: A song that Elvis often played after 1973, it makes the audience gasp. The rendition is amazing and the mix helps it a lot. Kathy Westmoreland shines.

- 6. Big Boss Man: This is a great version with an excellent audio mix. Elvis really digs into the music, being one of the best soundboard versions we have.

- 7. Fever: After a brief intro, Elvis does a nice rendition that was well appreciated by the audience.

- 8. Love Me Tender: As usual, it's a part of the performances where Elvis is focused on distributing as many scarves and kisses as possible.

- 9. Hound Dog: The version is surprisingly good, with Elvis sounding really more attentive to the music. He starts complaining about how he needs to pay attention to the conductor because he can't read music, but gets distracted and ends the song.

- 10. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces the group Voice, The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps (individuallly), Kathy Westmoreland and John Wilkinson. James Burton, Ronnie Tutt and Duke Bardwell do small solos.

- 11. Lawdy Miss Clawdy: Glen Hardin starts the 1952 hit by Lloyd Price, but Elvis cuts it: "Wait a minute, Glen. You see, he's supposed to play a solo first, and then we play the song. That's the way we rehearsed it back in 1922, remember that?" The version is standard for the period.

- 12. Band Introductions (Continued): Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra are introduced.

- 13. All Shook Up: It is simply a throwaway version.

- 14. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Likewise, the song is a traditional version that pleases the crowds as Elvis distributes kisses and scarves.

- 15. Heartbreak Hotel: Throwaway version, saved by beautiful piano work and a great guitar solo.

- 16. Why Me Lord: While we appreciate the serious versions of this song, it's a fact that jokes between Elvis and JD were always welcome. After reciting the stanza "Tell me, Lord, if You think there's a way I can ever repay all I'm taking from You", Elvis shoots: "No way! All that booze you drink, you're kidding?!"

- 17. Promised Land: Elvis sounds unsure of the lyrics and tempo at the start, but finishes with a good rendition overall.

- 18. You Gave Me a Mountain: A showstopper that always delivers.

- 19. Let Me Be There: New to the setlist since January 1974, it is again an excellent choice for Elvis. The crowd cheers and Elvis does a nice reprise.

- 20. Hawaiian Wedding Song: A delightful version, it features Kathy breaking and laughing at Elvis' quips at the end. "Damn it, you ruined the ending! The prettiest part of the whole thing!" The singer reprises the last part and laughs, making Kathy lose it again.

- 21. Can't Help Falling in Love: Well driven by Ronnie Tutt's drums, it's a very good version and helped a lot by the excellent mix.

- 22. Closing Vamp: A snippet of the fanfarre plays.

CD 2 - OCTOBER 6, 1974 ES

- 1. See See Rider: Opening mid-song, the concert starts and the vewrsion is standard. Elvis once again complains about the microphone stand, and this time is Charlie Hodge who takes the blame.

- 2. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis' performance is lacky when compared with the one he did hours earlier, but it's still pretty standard for the time. JD's dive bomb causes feedback on his mic, but Elvis wants more - and gets it.

- 3. Love Me: Again, this sounds just like a throwaway, very different from the afternoon version.

- 4. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): The piano really shines through this rendition. Elvis sounds good as well. There's no reprise at the end, though.

- 5. Fever: A nice setlist change for the night, putting "It's Midnight" aside. Elvis does a nice rendition that was well appreciated by the audience.

- 6. Big Boss Man: Elvis starts the song and then stops it: "Could you take these lights off these people's faces down here? Because they can't see, they're saying they can't see. There you go." He is, after all, the big boss man. The rendition is fairly good.

- 7. Love Me Tender: The usual kiss-and-scarf throwaway.

- 8. Hound Dog: A nice rendition of the 1957 hit, with the standard 1974-77 ending.

- 9. The Wonder of You: The song starts in it's new arrangement. Elvis sounds really good, but it's James Burton's guitar and Kathy Westmoreland's high notes that stand out.

- 10. Blue Suede Shoes: A quick reminder of the 1956 hit, done very professionally but with a loose feel.

- 11. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces the group Voice, The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps (individuallly), Kathy Westmoreland and John Wilkinson. James Burton, Ronnie Tutt and Duke Bardwell do small solos.

- 12. Lawdy Miss Clawdy: Following Elvis' advert during the afternoon concert, Glen Hardin improvises for a few saeconds before properly going into the song. The version is standard, though it reminds us of those from 1972.

- 13. Band Introductions (Continued): Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra are introduced.

- 14. All Shook Up: Another throwaway version.

- 15. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Likewise, the song continues the kiss-and-scarf dynamics.

- 16. Heartbreak Hotel: Throwaway version, but Elvis has fun.

- 17. Why Me Lord: This is another "funny Elvis" version. The comebacks between the singer and JD are just cute. The ending is reprised in a serious way.

- 18. That's All Right: "Let me have my guitar. I have a lot of people ask me if I could play the guitar, the answer is no - I mean, yes, I can! Let me show you." The 1954 hit that introduced Elvis to the world is nicely done, even though it's quite short.

- 19. Blue Christmas: Since he's with a guitar in his hands and October is near enough to the Christmas season, Elvis goes right into an intimate but funny, very well done rendition of his 1957 hit.

- 20. Let Me Be There: An excellent of one of Elvis' favorites. The singer is enthusiastic and does different vocal approaches, making it count. The crowd cheers and Elvis again does a nice reprise.

- 21. Hawaiian Wedding Song: We all know there was a time when Elvis was determined to tease Kathy Westmoreland in every way he could. This was the perfect opportunity—just as he had with JD in "Why Me, Lord"—where she plays a prominent role in the song’s ending. Everything goes smoothly until Elvis purposely "misses" the tempo, prompting Kathy to burst into giggles. In this delightful version, you can hear Kathy break character and laugh at Elvis' playful quips at the end.

"The whole ending was wrong. It wasn't romantic at all, we'd have to reshoot it. Wait a minute!" The reprised ending goes downhill, and Kathy loses her composure again.

- 22. Johnny B. Goode: Just a quick throwaway version to keep the standard duration of the show.

- 23. Can't Help Falling in Love: "Until we see you the next time, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. God bless you!" With no time to waste, Elvis asks for the beginning of the last song of the night.

- 24. Closing Vamp: The usual closing fanfare is accompanied by hysterical screams from the fans.