Elvis at the International Hotel Las Vegas 1969 Box Set

They were also used on The Complete 50s Masters, and with good reason.

 

Has anyone tried to piece together a ‘straight’ version of the Monologue without all the bad jokes and laughing? Can it even be done?

 

I think that would miss the whole point...

 

Ordered the CD Boxset today, cannot wait for this to arrive. I am really interested in the sound of these concerts. Elvis I know, will be great.

 

i dont know if hes alive or ever been interviewed ! im not sure he'd have much interest but who knows !

i already answered the recording query - supposedly on & off the whole engagement!

we will never know or get to hear all the best soundboards - they we're stolen, lost, thrown away, mis-filed etc etc !

its amazing what happens to tapes ! if im not mistaken it was well over 30yrs until someone discovered that every single SECOND of 'woodstock' existed on untouched mastertapes and was just sitting there on shelfs - you can now own that ! but imagine whats just lost over the years ! we know elvis master tapes we're literally thrown in the trash

(i still believe we would be blown away if we had access to those kansas salt mines too)

i truly believe the SBD gatekeeper was Bruce Jackson - he was quoted as saying something like "i kept all the best ones " - thats not verbatim - its from memory !

Ernst was instructed a long long time ago to stop answering questions especially with regards to soundboards etc = thats why his column stopped in TMHM magazine which is a real shame and honestly, in the world at large whats the big bloody deal ???
would it kill anyone to say " yes we have that tape - NO we lost that one" i believe we are owed that little !

say what you like about the DOORS management but for a while there he was fantastic: interacting, communicating and answering just such questions - i would beg & plead for Ernst to interact in such a way !

 

Hey - for a cool $224.99, you can have all of these recordings in glorious 192/24!

https://www.hdtracks.com/live-1969

Usually, I am a sucker for this stuff, but I am happy with the CD Box and I have the option to stream the 24/192 via Qobuz Studio.

 

I believe Al Pachucki is in his mid-80's and has always declined interviews. Such a shame, as he did most of Elvis Nashville and Memphis sessions from 1966-1973. I'm sure he'd have a lot of great stories to tell if he did.

 

indeed, as i stated on the last page, he was there from how great thou art , american sound right thru to stax ! but whats most important to me - at EVERY single LIVE recording - from 69 up to aloha !
he clearly knew his job ! TBH hes probably declined interviews because to him it was probably just another day at work & a paycheck ! whats to tell about setting up the recording truck at madison Sq Garden ???? besides no offence but its over 40yrs ago what would he remember !

ive always believed that if anyone Bruce Jackson was the 1 with not only the tales to tell but the actual goldmine of sbd tapes that lets face it, he stole anyway ! do you think he asked elvis 1 day " hey elvis mind if i record all your shows & keep them for myself "

his family are no better, if they had an ounce of dignity & integrity they would simply hand them over to Ernst & let us who would enjoy them do just that ! not hide them away cos theyre not interested !
This is wrong on so many levels !

This is NOT the same as someone who pays substantial money for rare footage/acetates etc & then we all moan cos they dont just give them away !!

 

actually MONK. i was gonna leave this cos i didnt want to get too pedantic lol
i wasnt actually referring to his vocals but the lack of spark in the actual RECORDINGS !!!
they sound nothing like for example the "elvis is Back " sessions & again im talking about clarity etc

tho his vocals & generally LIVE shows could be all over the place - especially after the JUNE 72 Tour!

(i threw away that long beach 72 gig cos i was shocked how bad it was - no wonder Marty Pasetta watched this & told Elvis it was boring & he was fat lol - big balls that guy but good for him - by all accounts th0 Red & Sonny were ready to draw their guns at this conversation - tho elvis laughed & hugged him)

Tho his 1971 summer engagement & especially his winter tour was quite outstanding by all accounts - (i dont believe the Boston SBD is a great example)

i believe tho , his drug use was a HUGE part in his vocal ability but infact it was 1970 not 71 - (confirmed by Billy Smith & Joyce bova + others ) where he moved up from pills to injections of amphetamines & demoral etc etc - any & all drugs have a huge effect on vocals ! its already interfering
in the sept 70 sessions

listen to most of 1973 & 74 (after memphis ) then listen to the TODAY sessions right after a serious detox - the difference is astounding & its the best he sounded in years - id go as far back as 1970 = when you really study the 72 sessions (even the beloved Burning Love) his voice is not that stunning !

sorry i do tend to Ramble !

 

Yes, there was a vocal change in September 1970. The biggest change I think was from March to May 1971. In March, he still sounded OK, but comparing his vocals to the year before, there is a big difference. May & June '71, his voice became whiny and he just belted out the vocals. No subtlety at all. It's almost like he forgot how to use nuance when singing.

 

His vocals ultimately became "constricted", to my ears -- I suspect due to a change in breathing capabilities.

 

Not in the UK I have to say from HD Tracks. Shame I would have bought it. No sign of the Memphis studio stuff either.

 

i dont think he forgot - the drugs seriously diminished his ability, they do that big time ! especially the kind he favored ! the "ON TOUR " rehearsals prove this perfectly ! i think he had to start using the "bellow " to make up for the graceful full of silk he had during 1960 for example !
as mentioned the "today " sessions proved the voice was still there after a detox & not being suffocated by mountains of drugs!

 

Agreed! That silky voice from 1959 to early 1964 shows how much was lost by the seventies. I can't imagine a '70's rendition of a song such as "I Met Her Today" sounding anywhere like the original. Elvis was a totally different person with a different voice after the drugs took full effect. Even if he had stopped completely and lost a bit of weight, the voice still wouldn't have come back fully. He did sound great at the December 1973 Stax sessions though.

 

With exercise and medication free, his voice would have come back fine. Sadly it wasn't to be.

 

no disrespect mark but its not just that simple ! speaking as an alcoholic in recovery who has dabbled in any drugs i can get my hands on, whilst i can "sometimes" still play guitar my voice (especially with cocaine funnily enough) the throat will tighten , range will falter & its just not there !

none of it really matters now but its interesting to me that in most of the studio 72 sessions he sounded inferior yet through the spring & ESPECIALLY the june tour (listen to how he rips into " well ive never been to spaiiinnnnnn " ! aloha is a weird 1 for me cos when hes into it & committed hes on top form - what now my love & ill remember you are the best EVER versions = i would also put trilogy in that league - no doubt what so ever !!! but hound dog, blue suede & S/minds are some of the poorest versions he EVER performed ! so the voice WAS there but something else wasnt !
i honestly believe the pre aloha diet screwed him up quite bad , he was running on empty - despite a shot of amphetmine b4 the gig would if nothing else should have made him chatty but he talks like hes just come round from an operation !!!!

his fitness DID certainly play a part tho and as who spends a good 6 hrs in the gym a week i can see how it affects lung & breath control = he may have been thin as a rake in 69 & all of 1970 - he clearly wasnt running 10K every morning and he was seriously out of shape from a physical cardio point of view ! his breathing after polk salad & S/minds was shocking for a man so slim & in his prime = i can do 170 flights of stairs & not breath that heavy !

the STAX sessions were a mixed bag as far as vocals but generally very good!!

as i said the big revelation for me was the spring 75 detox, cos not only did he sound great in vegas (such a richness & depth to green green grass) he sounded brilliant on the sessions (shake a hand )

just months later and of course a year later his voice didnt have half the ability , depth or control !
the detox was a huge sign & showed exactly how the drugs we're screwing his voice along with his body ! it would have been better had he been a whisky drinker ! NOTHING screws your voice more than drugs - i can take 1/2 a dozen valium to sleep & barely talk to my cat lol

 

im glad youre enjoying it after the **** storm you created when i encouraged you lol - im just kidding !
but it IS a great set - repetitive or not and again who honestly EVER thought we would get 1nig box of every single 69 show ! thats not to be dismissed !

 

I can appreciate what your saying, but particularly cocaine is ruining to vocal chords. With all due respect and love for both, refer to Stevie Nicks and Elton John.
I understand the whole deal with drugs and alcohol. I started working in a bank at 15, and was drinking a bottle of bourbon a day by sixteen, and was admitted into hospital in an alcohol induced coma at nineteen. I smoked enough weed from the age of nineteen to be an honourary Wailer or Doobie ... and so it goes.
I maintain that with exercise and being free of medication, would make a lot of difference to the point of being barely noticeable.
I think a lot of Elvis vocal issues were deeper seated than just medication. I have burnt my throat out pushing too hard too long, just like Elvis did in 69-7o tours, and you recover from that too, but when your health and interest are waning it is much more difficult.

 

s'all good.
I certainly don't try to, but seem to create trouble everywhere I go ... I think I need to become a recluse

 

On the contrary, if that's your idea of trouble then I think you need to get out more!

 

lol i know the feeling - us pommys & aussies tend to tell it as it is & not be so diplomatic BUT
it was a misunderstanding amongst quite few parties i think mate , i think you severely over reacted to the mere mention of "reverb " - skattterbrain seems extremely & unfairly disappointed at the set full time - which i think is deeply unfair 50yrs later and i think myself trying to reassure you proved it was not only acceptable but a bloody great set which was also kinda questioned !

funnily enough i actually did record an acoustic demo in a cambridge university demo once and that was reverb was full of reverb/echo

im the first person to find fault in either a cd or live gig & us on here are not exactly the usual spotify/ipod listeners !

i trust youre not regretting taking the plunge & are enjoying the set ?
im not even skipping the monologues which i thought was non negotiable lol

 

are you aware that stevie nicks used to have cocaine blown thru a straw up her anus, lol for the precise reason she didnt want to screw her voice!????

elvis had DEEP DEEP depression from 73 if not sooner, something else ive experienced !
but i think his biggest problem was the pure volume AND variety of drugs he consumed
no ones gonna sing perfectly full of amphets or downers like Demoral

let not forget he did a lot of shows - twice a day, and i very much doubt he did any warming up exercises & practiced his scales etc ! he was his own worst enemy but i know all about addiction and its just not that easy ! he COULD have kept his voice (tom jones has) had he cleaned up, looked after it & kept his lungs/diaphragm in good order !

as much as i love the summer 70 sessions & engagement its a shocking difference to the american sound Voice and i dont believe that a conscience change of style at all !

ive seen don henley & Tom Jones both in their 70's and they both sounded amazing = no loss of talent at all !!!

 

It all comes down to what you put in is going to come out, one way or another. Perhaps I misunderstand Elvis' particular medications, but although they suppress the respiratory system, that can be worked on, generally, with exercise and general healthy living. The Amphetamines are something else again, and generally the heart is the biggest to suffer, depending how they are applied.
I think Stevie changed her application method due to damage, but I could be wrong.

All in all it is just very sad that so many of us are so unhappy that we take self destructive paths

 

I am certainly happy with the set. Skatter is a great guy, he just really hates reverb, and I don't think it is a case of varying degrees, he just hates it.

 

Fresh Air For Sept. 3, 2019: Elvis' Guitarist James Burton