Elvis at the International Hotel Las Vegas 1969 Box Set

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by emjel, Apr 9, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Perfect, glad to know. Thank you, sir. :tiphat:
     
    PacificOceanBlue likes this.
  2. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Well, at least he was amazed with the results. ;)
     
    monkboughtlunch likes this.
  3. Matthew

    Matthew Senior Member

    Credited to Steve Rosenthal and Kabir Hernon, mastered by Vic Anesini.
     
    minkahed likes this.
  4. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    (London UK)
    I was excited to go get it yesterday, but all copies had strong ring marks on the sleeve already. Presumably from cheap card stock being used, which can't cope with 2 x LPs? No way was I handing over £25 because of that. Way Down in the Jungle Room 2LP was £16.99... King in the Ring 2LP £19.99... £25.00 is too much now if it isn't IMO quality.
     
    Mazzy likes this.
  5. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    I remember being very concerned prior to the release because of Rosenthal’s terrible mix of the 1974 Memphis concert.
     
    minkahed likes this.
  6. I think Steve Rosenthal is/was the owner of a studio in NYC (Magic Shop or some such) and worked extensively on the Abkco Rolling Stones SACD project in 2001. Some amazing work on that series, that’s for sure.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  7. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    I had a chance to pick up the Lp this morning, but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. Unfortunately my system is pretty basic but at least I can listen through my JBL headphones.

    I'll let you all know what I think.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  8. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    Except for “Ruby Tuesday,” which was an awful mistake.
     
  9. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    So, in your estimation, is the 8 Disc box version better than Dennis Ferrante's mix ?

    I ask because I never bothered to purchase that set.
     
  10. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    Thanks !!! :)
     
  11. Matthew

    Matthew Senior Member

    Personally, I don't much care for the work done on the 8 disc set, but I know others prefer it and feel it's a step up.

    My issues with the sound:
    + Oddly thin tambre to Elvis' vocal track
    + Compression within the mix giving a bit of a restricted sound, particularly on the bass and drums
    + Mixing out parts that ought to be in the mix, like Charlie's vocal harmonies (like it or loath it) and the oboe on the introduction of some performances of I've Lost You (a poor attempt to mask the piano and oboe being out of sync with each other on those performances).
    + Editing out the audio of the famous microphones sequence that appears in the movie itself, which is included in the set.

    One improvement over the Ferrante mixes was taking care of the bass buzzes here and there, like on the intro to You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.

    My other issue with the set was the rehearsals disc, which didn't do much to replicate a rehearsal at all, but instead weighed heavy on throw-away jams and goofing off, despite the fact that many decent and genuine rehearsal performances were available to include. The audio was also just ported over from earlier titles, rather than worked on from scratch.

    Oh, and DVD only discs, when a HD remaster (of the Special Edition at least) was issued separately on Blu-Ray around the same time. The set came out in 2014, not 2004. A Blu-Ray option ought to have been available for the box-set.

    I bought the set eventually on a deal, but I've barely pulled it out since and have considered just selling it on.

    The earlier 2000 3CD set on the other hand, I ended up seeking out the vinyl edition as well, which I'm very pleased with. It's not perfect, but as a concept I felt better worked as a mainstream title focusing on That's The Way It Is.
     
  12. So to recap because now I’m a little confused, everything on the 3 disc set was included on the 8 disc box, correct?
     
  13. I vaguely recall the uproar. What was it that he did/didn’t do?
     
  14. Matthew

    Matthew Senior Member

    Just the live material and the original LP masters. Some of the rehearsals on the 3CD set are not duplicated on the 8CD set, and there are some studio masters from the Love Letters from Elvis LP that were used as bonus tracks on the 3CD set that aren't included on the 8CD set (that's not a negative in my view, I think the 8CD set's disc 1 is better than the 3CD set's disc 1).
     
    Shvartze Shabbos likes this.
  15. :tiphat:
     
    Matthew likes this.
  16. MaestroDavros

    MaestroDavros Forum Resident

    Location:
    D.C. Metro Area
    Sadly Magic Shop was forced to close shortly after the TTWII box (which is probably why Steve Rosenthal has not worked on an Elvis set since). Rosenthal has since moved into the world of archival audio restoration with the new company MARS (MagicShop Archive & Restoration Studios) along with Kabir Hernon who is on staff as a mixing engineer. They’ve been doing quite well which as a proponent of quality audio conservation and restoration I am happy to hear.

    In any case after that happened Rob Santos was referred to Matt Ross-Spang and the rest as they say is history.
     
    Shvartze Shabbos likes this.
  17. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    I don’t know if it is better. I think any advantages of one over the other is nominal. I tend to reach for the 8 disc version when I spin the 8/12/70 m.s. concert because I do like the mastering (and I greatly prefer the remaster of the original album with mono singles on the 8 disc set over the Ferrante/Jorgensen 2000 configuration).
     
    RSteven and minkahed like this.
  18. Matthew

    Matthew Senior Member

    I agree (on the original album). I actually like the Legacy Edition that came out alongside the box-set, which is basically Disc 1 and Disc 5 of the 8CD box-set, which can be found for around $10-12.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    I know it sounds crazy, but I absolutely loved the Mono tracks included on the Legacy Edition of "That's The Way It Is" !!!

    Ok, well like I said, somehow somewhere that second disc is roaming about and not in my collection anymore but since you said that maybe I'll save up for the big box and skip repurchasing the 2000 version.

    Thanks for everyone who replied.
     
  20. ClausH

    ClausH Senior Member

    Location:
    Denmark
  21. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    Good to see Ernst talkin about the Elvis set.

    I met him twice at Graceland and I found him to be a really cool guy.

    He's very passionate about what he does and about Elvis' artistry and career. A big big fan just like all of us.

    I really hope this set does well at retail and stirs up a little (Good) buzz concerning the myth about Elvis Vegas.
     
  22. RoyalPineapple

    RoyalPineapple It ain't me in the photo, babe.

    Location:
    England
    On this forum, people (self included) are sometimes guilty of taking their own views and falsely extrapolating them to the wider audience.

    For example, The Wonder Of You: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a release I have absolutely no interest in. But so what? The market disagrees with me. On Amazon, 88% of people who cared enough to write a review gave it a perfect 5 out of 5. That's incredibly high.

    Clearly, I'm not part of the intended audience. But for those who are, it was both popular and flawless.

    A similar effect can be seen with the controversial Live In Las Vegas box set. "Controversial", that is, on this forum: the average score for regular contributers to this forum might well be 2/5. But on Amazon, there's no controversy: the average review is once again a perfect 5. Yet another different section of the market, with very different preferences.

    That's why Vic Anesini's mixes are on the collectors label while Prince From Another Planet (I dislike it; a lot of people love it) is released by mainstream Sony.

    I think the main takeaway from the comparisons between the various 1969 live albums available is that there is now something there for everybody. Not every release suits every corner of the market, but then again, I don't think that was ever the intention.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2019
    RSteven and CBackley like this.
  23. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    I do not like the added reverb. I would have also preferred a wider stereo and individual instruments to be more delineated. I actually prefer the vintage mixes.
     
    vivresavie and Sebastian like this.
  24. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    I do not like how the discs are stored deeply in pockets. I actually had to use a tweezers to get some of the discs out, to avoid ripping the pockets if I used my fingers. Same goes for The Complete Masters, A Boy From Tupelo, Elvis At Stax and The Searcher. TTWII is much easier to access the discs.
     
    artfromtex and CBackley like this.
  25. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    If adding reverb and narrowing the soundstage is "enjoying music" count me out. His choices seem to be for commercial purposes rather than "enjoying music". There is nothing he has done when it comes to Elvis recordings that enhances my enjoyment of the music, nay, it decreases my enjoying the music. If you screw up the sound, you also screw up the music.
     
    vivresavie likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine