Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Considering some of the things that I've read that was going on in John Lennon's life around 1977, watching Elvis (if he did that) at his end may have been a catalyst to get himself straightened out.

 

I wonder what Elvis would have really thought about the crazy stuff some artists do today like flying around the arenas by small cables, trashing hotel rooms, having pyrotechnics and wild videos playing while the singer performs on stage.

 

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Written By :
Pino Donaggio, Simon Napier-Bell, Vicki Wickham & Vito Pallavicini

Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 10, 1972 (Evening Show)

This is a nice run through of this song. I guess Elvis or the record company really liked this song, as it made it on to a lot of albums, live and studio and also a single. One of the things listening to live recordings from this era of Elvis stuff, he must have had one of the most sonically powerful bands going around at the time.
I think Kathy Westmoreland gets mixed slightly loud at one particular point, but it's nothing that
I can't deal with.

 

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
Written By :
Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann & Phil Spector

Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 10, 1972 (Evening Show)

I personally have always like this song, and Elvis does a great job of it ... of course we get the obligatory "Suits too tight" vocal, but I have no problem with that.
One thing that always strikes me about this song is the bowel rattling low horn notes on this. I believe this album got a quad release, and I would certainly get that.
There are some great vocals here. The band really smashes this out of the park.

 

Polk Salad Annie
Written By :
Tony Joe White

Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 10, 1972 Evening Show

I enjoy this, but it is a little faster than optimal, and I actually really like the story intro from On Stage.
Still a great track, and the momentum of the album is left excellent and intact.

 

Love Me
Written By :
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

Live Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 10, 1972

This is one of my favourite early Elvis songs, and he seemed to do the song all through the seventies, but I'm not sure why, because his interest in it seems at best negligible. I have so many throw away live versions of it now, that it has devalued the song to some extent.

 

Go listen to the '56 version. I mean really listen to it. Blast it through speakers or put on your headphones. Forget all about those live versions and everything else for three minutes if you can. The magic is still there and I reckon it will amaze you once again...
'Treat me like a fool...'

 

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me was a massive disappointment when I first heard the MSG concerts. It's grown on me somewhat since then, but the fast pace and Elvis' sometimes-engaged-sometimes-not vocal strip the song of all of its meaning. The studio version is a towering piece of pop desperation; the live versions are mere entertaining diversions.

I know that a lot of fans adore this version of Polk Salad Annie, but for me, it's at best a watered-down version of the perfect On Stage performance. As with YDHTSYLM, speeding it up kills the drama, and truncating the introduction doesn't help.

The studio version of Love Me is a complete bore, imo. I'll take even the most rushed, most thrown-away live version (ditto for Love Me Tender).

 

I will certainly do that. It just surprises me, that's all.
That was in the first ten Elvis songs I knew and loved, so it won't be discarded ... I just find the live versions so tiresome, and disappointing.

 

They are a little 'throwaway' to be fair...

 

You never fail to surprise me mate lol

 

The Fifties Easy Reference guide
Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread *

1959 - Feb 10 1964 - Reference guide -
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

April 1964 - Sept 1967
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

October 1967 - December 1969
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

 

Reference Guide

Jan 27 1970
Kentucky Rain/ My Little Friend Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Apr 1970
Lets Be Friends - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Stay Away Joe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 If I'm A Fool For Loving you Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Lets Be Friends Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Lets Forget About The Stars Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Mama Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 I'll Be There Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Almost Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Change Of Habit Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Have A Happy Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Apr 20 1970
The Wonder Of You/ Mama Liked the Roses Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 1970
On Stage - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 See See Rider Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Release Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Sweet Caroline Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Runaway Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 The Wonder Of You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 Polk Salad Annie Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Yesterday Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Proud Mary Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Walk A Mile In My Shoes Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Let It Be Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

July 1970
I've Lost You/ The Next Step Is Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

August 1970
Worldwide Fifty Gold Award Hits vol 1 - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

August 1970
Elvis Christmas Album (Camden) - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Almost In Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 6 1970
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me/Patch It Up Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Elvis in Person Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Back In Memphis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

November 11 1970
That's The Way It Is Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 I Just Can't Help Believin' Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Twenty Days And Twenty Nights Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 How The Web Was Woven Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Patch It Up Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Mary In The Morning Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 I've Lost You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Just Pretend Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Stranger In The Crowd Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 The Next Step Is Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 12 Bridge Over Troubled Water Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

December 8 1970
I Don't Really Want To Know/ There Goes My Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

January 7 1971
Elvis Country (I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago) - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Snowbird Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Tomorrow Never Comes Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Little Cabin On the Hill Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Whole Lotta Shakin Going On Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Funny How Time Slips Away Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 I Really Don't Want To Know Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 There Goes My Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 It's Your Baby, You Rock It Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 The Fool Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Faded Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 12 Make The World Go Away Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

February 23 1971
Rags To Riches/Where Did They Go Lord Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

March 22 1971
You'll Never Walk Alone - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Who Am I Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Let Us Pray Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

March 1971
Life/Only Believe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 16 1971
Love Letters From Elvis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Love Letters Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 When I'm Over You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 If I Were You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off It Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Heart Of Rome Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 Only Believe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 This Is Our Dance Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Cindy Cindy Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 I'll Never Know Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 It Ain't No Big Thing Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 Life Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 22 1971
I'm Leavin/ Heart Of Rome Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

July 1971
C'mon Everybody - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

August 1971
The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Vol. 2 - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Sept 21 1971
It's Only Love/The Sound Of Your Cry Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Oct 1971 I Got Lucky Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Oct 20 1971 The Wonderful World Of Christmas Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 O Come All Ye Faithful Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 The First Noel Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 On a Snowy Christmas Night Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Winter Wonderland Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 The Wonderful World Of Christmas Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 I'll Be Home On Christmas Day Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 It I Get Home On Christmas Day Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Merry Christmas Baby Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 Silver Bells Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Nov 9 1971
Merry Christmas Baby/ O Come All Ye Faithful Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Jan 4 1972
Until It's Time For You To Go/ We Can Make The Morning Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Feb 1972 Elvis Now Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Help Me Make It Through The Night Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Miracle Of The Rosary Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Hey Jude Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Put Your Hand In The Hand Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Until It's Time For You To Go Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 We Can Make The Morning Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Early Morning Rain Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Sylvia Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Fools Rush In Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Feb 29 1972
He Touched Me/ Bosom Of Abraham

April 1 1972 He Touched Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 He Touched Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track to
track 2 I've Got Confidence Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Amazing Grace Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Seeing Is Believing Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 He Is My Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 Bosom Of Abraham Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 An Evening Prayer Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Lead Me, Guide Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 There Is No God But God Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Thing Called Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 I John Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 12 Reach Out To Jesus Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

MSG press conference and other bits and pieces Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

April 4 1972
American Trilogy/The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 1972 Elvis Sings His Hits From The Movies Vol 1 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 1972 Elvis As Recorded at MSG Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Also Sprach Zarathustra Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 That's Alright Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Proud Mary Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Never Been To Spain Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Polk Salad Annie Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Love Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

 

Love Me seems to have been a permanent placement in the show. I view it not so much as a throwaway song but a mingling song. The lyrics and tempo are perfect for it. This is the song where Elvis doesn't really "do" a performance but kisses the ladies and shakes the hands. I think it was used to signal the band and security that "hey I'm going to interact with the audience now. Just keep playing if my vocals drop out while I kiss the ladies and mingle a bit". Just like there's parts of Suspicious Minds where Elvis performs and then mingles a bit. I think someone said "A well oiled machine" by this point.

 

I can see why you felt that way about YDHTSYLM. It is more superficial than the studio version but still, as you said, entertaining.

I like the first time Elvis sings "baby" in You've Lost That Lovin' Feeing. It shows he could still summon his rock voice when he wanted to.

The On Stage version of PSA is certainly the best, but I enjoy Polk Salad any time Elvis and his band served it up; 1970, here or 1974 Memphis. Got to love the funky Jerry Scheff bass solo here.

 

"Elvis as recorded at MSG"
This is a truely controversial release through my eyes. On one hand, Elvis looked gorgeous at that time, specially compared to that awfully pale aspect during the April tour. The pictures taken during the NY visit are great to (re-)watch. And what about that press conference? He looks so cool, so confident and funny that you wish he had run directly to the 1697–1699 Broadway to make a fourth appearance at the "Ed Sullivan Show", some 15 years after the previous one. Of course, the "Ed Sullivan Show" had already been cancelled but who cares: that would have been something as, in june 1972, Elvis still sounded fantastic.
Now, on the other hand, no matter how much electricity there was in the air during those nights at the Garden, Elvis had changed. Once again. And after 3 years of a rivetting return to live performances, the man was using more and more the auto-pilote while saving extra energy for those numbers that were considered of special interest. In other words, Presley was denigrating his own - rock'n'roll / r&b - legacy to show (through MOR and adult C&W material) how good a singer he was. If we had not realized yet. To my own disapointment, all the great rock "Elvis" tracks - with the exception of THAT'S ALL RIGHT, maybe - were treated like trash (listen back to back SUSPICIOUS MINDS as performed in 1969 and his MSG counterpart: it is heartbreaking.) The rest was rushed at sonic speed so everything was over in less than an hour. If there was some magic in the Garden, it just did not get that clear through my headphones.
All in all, I must have listened to that record in full three or four times. The one and only highlight, IMO, was recorded earlier in the afternoon, when Elvis surprised everybody with an unexpected RECONSIDER BABY. But that was it. At the end, I really wish he had the nerves to present a different show, with a different repertoire and a different feel too. Or maybe should he have rushed to the Ed Sullivan theatre to perform BURNING LOVE live with his blue press conference suit. That could have been something.

 

This is exactly the point that strikes me every time I play the MSG album. Wow, that band was just on fire and Ronnie Tutt's drumming is just kicking Elvis right in his posterior. He's probably taking these songs a tad too fast, but I think Elvis was feeding off that frantic pace during these times. He would slow things down for the Aloha shows and that was probably a good thing musically, but maybe not so great for the physicality he once brought to his game as an entertainer. I like his whole opening song set list so far. Did Elvis ever sing a bad version of You've Lost That Loving Feeling? I really like the version from An Afternoon In The Garden, when Ronnie Tutt hits his cymbals so hard after the first chorus that it makes Elvis start to laugh. Just a fantastic performance all around, but I sure wish I could have been there for it in person.

 

Just to hear That's All Right Mamma and You've Lost That Loving Feeling is worth the price of the album. Sure there was lots of legendary work being done in studios by many artists at that time. When I hear Elvis performing a song like YLTLF, I can't think of any other entertainer that could so completely take command of the stage during a performance. With songs like YLTLF, American Trilogy, and Bridge Over Troubled Water, I can't help but to just sit there and try to take it all in.

 

I re-listened to As Recorded at MSG and it was better than I remembered, since my first encounter with the album had been underwhelming. The band is in very good form and energized by the special venue, and though Elvis isn't as wild and masterful as he was in 69-70, he rises to the occasion and sings with discipline, avoiding the flaccidity that plagues much of Aloha From Hawaii. He and the band are a very well-oiled machine, despite being on the cusp of autopilot. I can see why this gig was so well-reviewed, though in the end all of the songs on the album were done better elsewhere, aside perhaps from "The Impossible Dream." As an event, MSG is the last glimpse of Elvis near his prime, even if the bloom had gone off the rose.

 

Not all the reviews were good, some of them were even saying that Elvis was being "lazy":
Media Overview - Elvis Presley at Madison Square Garden MSG 1972

 

All Shook Up
We get a light speed All Shook Up, it is a solid rendering and it is certainly full of energy but barely long enough to notice.

 

Heartbreak Hotel
This is fairly faithful to the original, and really it's just a shame they didn't put the piano rolls in at the end of the lead break.

 

Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
These also are pretty faithful renditions of the original singles. They are shortened and fitted together nicely for the purpose of getting through them. If there is a problem with this album, it is the want/need to get through the songs rather than give them a seriously good version.

 

Love Me Tender
This track became somewhat infamous as one of the kissing songs. Elvis wanders around half singing and kissing the girls/ladies in the crowd, and without the visual aspect it makes the track sound super half-baked. Now knowing what is going on, it must sound like the singer is waiting to leave or something.