Elvis at the International Hotel Las Vegas 1969 Box Set

Having heard the show, there is probably a reason why the show has remained in the vaults until now. It's a very good show but Elvis appears to be be less focused than any of the other recorded shows.

 

That unreleased version of "Mystery Train/Tiger Man" absolutely cooks! James, Jerry, and Ronnie are locked in that groove.

 

Those guys were so tight it's just amazing.

 

They've released a 1970 box set, a 1968 Comeback box, a 1969 box set is coming...if they don't release the 1972 Elvis On Tour concerts in a box set in 2022 for the 50th anniversary I officially give up.

 

The ongoing perpetual delay of an EOT is baffling and frustrating. The material loses commercial, retail value every passing year.

 

As with any movie tie-in recording - Zeppelin’s The Song Remains The Same, U2’s Rattle and Hum, etc. - there may be legal complications keeping Sony/RCA from doing whatever they want with the On Tour material.

 

Ernst has alluded to complications due to a number of parties having an interest in the EOT material, yet, none of it seems insurmountable. EOT material has been issued in the past, and there is no reason to think that any party will have an issue with the audio being issued. Sometimes negotiating and coordinating between multiple interested parties is seen as a nuisance, but as far as I can tell, neither Sony, MGM, nor EPE has ever expressed a strong position that they are against releasing the audio.

 

One of the reasons may possibly be that there simply is not a big enough market for it for an EOT CD boxset. Sure the fans or some fans want it and the fan base is diminishing each year, but I don’t think "joe public" would give a damn about it. A release may work better if the film and any outtakes are included, but there might be a copyright/royalty problem going down that route. We know what happened with Johnny B Goode

 

I simply don't believe that is the case anymore. There is no reason why a '72 box set wouldn't do as well or worse than a '69 box set. The '72 shows at least has a film to push the marketing.

 

As I indicated, getting a tie in for the audio and the film may well be a problem.

Regarding your comparison between this upcoming box and a possible On Tour one, there is a big difference between Elvis in ‘69 and ‘72 with the main thing being that his return to "live’ performances was a historic part of his career and in ‘69, he was at the top of his game. By ‘72, Elvis was getting into ‘autopilot’ mode "good show, good show" and Elvis On Tour has no real historical context ~ it was just another tour. The public will not interested in an audio box...if they want to hear Elvis on Tour in ‘72, they can buy the MSG album. The only hope of an EOT box is a 50th Anniversary set with the film, but by then, I doubt the long terms fans who grew up with him will get that excited at the prospect of an On Tour box nor will they get depressed that nothing has come out. The set should have come out 7 years ago on the 40th Anniversary when there was still a fanbase of a reasonable size to ensure a decent return.

 

Agreed. Elvis box sets have limited general public appeal, especially in 2019. A box set of live performances, either from 1969 or 1972, is going to appeal to a narrow consumer-base at retail, e.g. deep Elvis enthusiasts and collectors. In fact, I would argue that a relatively complete EOT box set would have a stronger performance at retail because most Elvis enthusiasts, particularly the ones that support box sets, really want an official release of that material.

 

Frankly, I don't see any of those details really being relevant to the mass public. Most people don't know anything about 1969 in regards to Elvis; regardless if he was at the top of his game.

"That's The Way It Is" has just as much historical context as "Elvis On Tour" and a box set was released chronicling those shows.

 

Then you are missing the point. SONY will market the ‘69 Box for exactly what it is....something that has historical context and this is what will get reviewers interested.
Regarding TTWII, that box was released 5 years ago and I know several long time fans who are already winding down on their Elvis purchases. In another 3 years time, they will have probably stopped either because they are no longer interested or are, unfortunately, simply not on this planet. If the demand or market is not there, then Sony and Warners will simply not take the risk of losing money on it. Just because you may want it does not mean that the project is viable. There must be a reason why such a set has not already come out and if Sony and Warners recognise a big market is there to tap into, thus providing them with a decent return, the bean counters would be pushing for it.

 

You never made your point about TTWII. What is the "historical context" that justified Sony to release that box set?

 

There isn’t one and there isn’t one for EOT. Warner’s wanted to do a deal with Sony to help shift some of the DVDs of the films so it was a pretty good business decision for both parties. It covered far more material which was a lot better than what Elvis was doing in ‘72 and also included both versions of the film TTWII. That was also 5 years ago and the fan base has shrunk since then. It will be even smaller in three years time for the consideration of a 50th Anniversary set. As I said, if the money men thought there was a good deal to be had, producing a decent return for them, they would have done something about it by now.

At the moment, we have no idea what this forthcoming box set will contain. Some are assuming that it will be all shows from August whilst others think it will be some shows and a compilation of songs that were not regularly performed.

 

I've been an Elvis fan for 50 years, but seriously doubt I'll be buying any more. The American Studios stuff would be the only thing to really tempt me at this point.

 

I don't even think that could tempt me. There's not much left in the vaults that isn't on the three FTD sets, save for some false starts.

 

I never would've dreamed I'd someday own every take of Suspicious Minds, and Kentucky Rain. Love those FTDs.

 

Some people would disagree with you.

Despite the appetite for physical media declining, I suspect we will continue to see more 50th Anniversary box sets from various artists in 2022. There are still many classic albums coming from this period that will no doubt be given the lavish box set treatment in the next few years. If there is an opportunity for Sony to participate in that I am sure that they will.

 

ICONIC!!

 

and it wouldn't be the "same" without the incomparable ronnie tutt holdin' it down.

i've seen that before. this version was a weird mix?

 

I’m sure there are some fans who would disagree, but not necessarily from the general public. We are getting to a point where there is a fine line where Sony cannot just rely on the fanbase for sales and will look at the general record buying public to support ventures. Unfortunately, Elvis was never really regarded as an album artist and there are probably just a handful of Elvis albums that are truly recognised as being great by those outside of the fanbase. The fact that Sony/FTD have released so much product over the last 20 years diminishes the viability of big mainstream releases and that is why I doubt they will do a 50th Anniversary for ‘From Elvis In Memphis’ or the Memphis sessions as on top of the 6 CDs from FTD, we have also had the Legacy release from a few years back, so in all honesty, I cannot see much on the horizon after this forthcoming box.

And yes, I am sure there will be 50th Anniversary releases of classic albums from various artists between now and whenever, and there will be a very big 50th Anniversary one coming this September from Apple. However, I do not see Elvis being amongst them and they certainly cannot release a 50th Anniversary album of `Elvis in Tour as there never was one.

 

My appetite for physical media is escalating and intensifying.
Especially box-sets.

 

The band sounds great, but where's Elvis in the mix? People had issues with Elvis' voice being pushed back too far on the Legacy Edition remix of the Memphis show, but this is just as bad, imo.