A Double Date at the Gate
Label:
Mickey Alba Records [---]
Format:
Double CD
Number of tracks:
56
Running time:
135:00
Type of album:
Concert
Linked to:
Unofficial discography
Year:
2016
Recording date:
November 28 & 29, 1976
Release date:
2016
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.
Before his last Vegas season, Elvis did a small 7-day tour by the West Coast. Starting on November 24 in Reno, Nevada, the singer would do a quick run through another 2 cities in Oregon and 2 more in California.
Undoubtedly some of the best concerts of those days were the last two in San Francisco on November 28 and 29, 1976. Although the setlists of diferent shows were very similar by that point, it seemed that Elvis was actually trying to enjoy himself and do his best. His voice was a little stronger than in October and he would care about the show and try to change the setlist now and then - even if only by changing the positions of a few songs.
Below is our review of this double CD.
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CD 1 - NOVEMBER 28, 1976
- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra: The fanfare announces the beginning of the show. The audio isn't the best, but it's very similar to the FTD soundboards at the shows on the 29th and 30th of November.
2. See See Rider: Elvis legitimately sounds great here and the audience takes it with full enthusiasm. Although subtly, you can hear the fans screaming at the top of their lungs. The rendition is standard, but very good.
- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis is in good spirits and comments on the "thousands of flashes going off" and what it does to his eyesight. The "well, well, well" routine is very similar to that of In Concert in June 1977. The medley is standard for the time and we have a great "striptease" before JD's dive bombs finish the song.
- 4. Love Me: A little more interaction with the fans leads to a pleasant version of this throwaway song that he kept playing because it was a hit in the past and allowed Elvis to start his scarf-and-kiss routine.
- 5. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): Elvis' voice sounds weak in this Olivia Newton-John classic, but it may be that the quality of the tape influences our listening experience a little. Anyway, the singer gives it his all in this one of his favorite songs.
- 6. You Gave Me a Mountain: One of the biggest showstoppers in Elvis performances, this classic entered the repertoire in 1972 and remained solid until the end. The version is very good.
- 7. Jailhouse Rock: "My third movie, that I did, was 'Jailhouse Rock'. I thought I could..." When the 1950s medley started, Elvis usually lost a little interest and started making half-hearted versions. Here it's different and he really has fun with the music, delivering a solid rendition.
- 8. It's Now or Never: "There's a song that I did in 1960, when I got out the Service, it was taken from 'O Sole Mio', we had the words changed to 'It's Now or Never'. So I'd like to do it." Nothing new about it, just a good version.
- 9. All Shook Up: The medley of 1950s hits continues and Elvis' boredom with the same old material is evident despite all the screaming fans.
- 10. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Elvis turns to his fans and his voice sounds weak.
- 11. And I Love You So: There is a small cut right at the start of the rendition due to tape issues, but nothing to get in the way. Elvis sings well, his voice sounds strong and centered in the music. The version is good, but standard.
- 12. Fever: This is a throwaway version where the mic's feedback and Elvis' weak voice are parte of the problem, but he has fun with it.
- 13. America, the Beautiful: "Ladies and gentlemen, since it's our nation's bicentennial year, I'd like to do our version of 'America the Beautiful'." After interacting with the most eager fans, Elvis makes a solid and very beautiful version.
- 14. Polk Salad Annie: This song is often not among the best at concerts thst year, especially when Elvis is tired. Here, despite the slightly weak voice, the singer surrenders and makes a version with many karate moves and a fantastic finish.
- 15. Band Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps (individually), Kathy Westmoreland and Sherrill Nielsen.
- 16. Early Morning Rain: "On the rhythm guitar, from Springfield, Missouri, is John Wilkinson." Wilkinson's solo follows the pattern of the time.
- 17. What'd I Say: "On the lead guitar from Shreveport, Louisiana is James Burton." James does his job as usual.
- 18. Johnny B. Goode: James does a great solo.
- 19. Drum Solo: "On the drums from down in Dallas, Texas, is hard working Ronnie Tutt." Ronnie Tutt does his solo.
- 20. Bass Solo: "On the Fender bass, from Los Angeles, is Jerry Scheff." Jerry does his Blues solo.
- 21. Piano Solo: "On the piano, from Nashville, is Tony Brown." Tony does his solo while Elvis does bass notes.
- 22. Electric Piano Solo: "On the electric clavinet and electric piano, from Nashville, is David Briggs." Elvis asks David to do his solo twice.
- 23. Love Letters: "The first time that David and I worked together, ladies and gentlemen, we did a song called 'Love Letters' and I'd like to sing it for you." A good version.
- 24. School Day: Elvis introduces Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra.
- 25. Hurt: "Our latest record is called 'Hurt', ladies and gentlemen." The performance is one of the good ones tonight, and Elvis tries his best to do a great ending (his voice fails, though).
- 27. Hound dog (Incomplete): Elvis' voice clearly starts to break, which is evidence that the show really should end.
Due to technical problems, the sound engineer did not record the last part of the show. The final part of "Hound Dog" and the songs "Hawaiian Wedding Song", "Blue Christmas", "That's All Right", "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the "Closing Vamp" are missing.
BONUS
The bonuses on this CD are the same versions heard above, with the difference being they're on binaural audio.
- 27. America, the Beautiful
- 28. Polk Salad Annie
- 29. Early Morning Rain
- 30. Hurt
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CD 2 - NOVEMBER 29, 1976
- 1. See See Rider: As usual at the time, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is absent because it was rarely recorded. Elvis' voice is similar to that of October, but he is already tired, probably caused by this being the sixth consecutive day of shows. The version is average.
- 2. I Got a Woman / Amen: Elvis does his "well, well, well" routine and goes straight to the music. It's a middling version where Elvis is clearly more focused on his fans and without much singing inspiration. The striptease routine has Elvis commenting that "I'm gonna break something someday, I know it" and the song ends with a good dive bomb by JD.
- 3. Love Me: After teasing the audience a little and saying that he needed to drink "about 900 tons of water" (probably because of the dry mouth effect caused by some of his meds), Elvis sings with more enthusiasm. Even so, it's just a song to move the show forward and deliver some scarves and kisses.
- 4. If You Love Me (Let Me Know): The rendition is the best of the show so far, though Elvis appears not to have fully woken up yet.
- 5. You Gave Me a Mountain: Elvis does an excellent rendition of one of the most requested songs by fans since 1972.
- 6. Blue Suede Shoes: "Last night we did 'Jailhouse Rock', so tonight let’s do 'Blue Suede Shoes'." Elvis isn't really into it yet, but it's a fine version. It even sounds fresh for being driven by the piano and not the guitar.
- 7. It's Now or Never: Elvis kicks off a rather interesting version of his 1960 hit. The song has a more Latin tone than usual and includes the rhythm guitar-only beginning of the original Master. Fortunately for our ears, Sherrill Nielsen is not called upon to do his version of "O Sole Mio".
- 8. All Shook Up: "I'd like to do a medley of some of my old and stablished songs." The band laughs at the inside joke. Elvis tries to start the song a few times, but always ends up getting the giggles: "If I get tickled, I lose it, you know. I really do." This is of course a show filler to please the crowd.
- 9. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: Short and disposable version for the singer to continue to cheer the fans.
- 10. And I Love You So: This is actually the first song where Elvis is really focused and one of the highlights of the show. Fans keep kicking and screaming for his attention and he laughs deliciously at them. This is an average but really well done version.
- 11. Fever: Elvis continues to revel in the music and the reaction of his fans. In retrospect, this is perhaps the best version of that November.
- 12. Bridge Over Troubled Water: Elvis talks to his band about the possibility of doing his 1970 hit and then adresses the audience: "We haven't rehearsed this song, so if we make mistakes, you know..." The lyrics can't be found, but he wants to sing it any way he can: "Okay, just take it from the top. I'll ad lib." The mix makes the music sound very good, privileging some instruments that really make it wonderful. In the end, Elvis didn't even need the lyrics to make an impressive rendition.
- 13. Introductions: Elvis introduces The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner and The Stamps, Sherrill Nielsen and Kathy Westmoreland.
- 14. Early Morninf Rain: John Wilkinson does his solo and Elvis sings along.
- 15. What'd I Say: James Burton plays while Elvis sings.
- 16. Johnny B. Goode: James plays guitar behind his head.
- 17. Drum Solo: Ronnie Tutt does his usual solo.
- 18. Bass Solo 1: Jerry Scheff plays the Blues.
- 19. Bass Solo 2: Elvis asks Jerry to play somethiung else; he does "Battle of New Orleans".
- 20. Piano Solo: Tony Brown does his part.
- 21. Electric Piano Solo: David Briggs does his psychedelic arrangement.
- 22. Love Letters: "The first time that David and I worked together, ladies and gentlemen, we did a song called 'Love Letters' and I'd like to sing it for you." The rendition is okay.
- 23. School Days: Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orquestra are introduced.
- 24. Hurt: "Our latest record is called 'Hurt', so I'd like to hurt for you." Apart from some damage in the tape, this is a very enjoyable version with Elvis going really up at the end.
- 25. Hound Dog: Throwaway version to please fans.
- 26. Funny How Time Slips Away: After doing his "house lights up" routine, Elvis does a very good and intimate version of this 1970 hit.
Unfortunately, due to damage in the tape or lost sections, the concert wraps up at the end of the song. "Mystery Train / Tiger Man", "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and "Can't Help Falling in Love / Closing Vamp" are missing.
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