Absolutely. The original "Memphis to Vegas" album is close to the comeback special in terms of catching Elvis at absolute peak level. The version of the Bee Gees "Words" on there would have been a Top Ten single if released as one. Apparently he only did that one a couple of times.
My understanding is the set will include a Blu-ray, and Johnny B Good is back . I’ve also heard that there is a second set including the 1972 studio sessions , rehearsals and Feb 72 live stuff . That’s the rumor from another site. We’ll know soon , as Ernst Jorgensen has promised a preview in about 2 weeks.
Hard to think of too many professionally recorded and released according to a plan in their time live rock albums of the '50s. Lots of jazz; some R&B (Atlantic did well by Ray Charles live recordings); some gospel (been listening a lot this past week to the Specialty package show from the Shrine in LA in 1955, if any fans of Sam Cooke haven't heard that one, they're in for a treat)...but I can't think of any rock and roll equivalent of Sonny Rollin's A Night at the Village Vanguard; or Art Blakey' s A Night at Birdland or Ray Charles or Duke Ellington's Newport albums or the Weavers at Carnegie Hall. We do have some radio broadcast airchecks and non-pro or semi pro recordings, like Elvis in '56 in Little Rock, but there's not much. Well, 1961 was the year of the great John Coltrane and Bill Evans live recordings at the Vanguard and Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall; October '62 was when JB Live at the Apollo was recorded, the year before you had the live album of Muddy Waters at Newport. '61 wasn't so early to be recording a live album generally, just not so much what people were thinking about when they thought about rock and roll.
In the US you can cover anyone's published composition as long as you pay the appropriate royalty rate as determined by the Copyright Royalty Board, per the nation's long standing compulsory licensing laws. Using the recordings would be a different story.
You mean the 2014 re-mix is better than the Ferrante 2000 mix ??? I'm definitely gonna have to check that out.
The Colonel was a huckster not a Visionary. If he had any inkling of the vaule of early recorded shows, he would have had a sound crew following Elvis 24/7.
I never liked the sound/mix of Elvis’ voice on the original Madison Square Garden album or ”An Afternoon In The Garden”. I thought he just didn’t sing too good during these shows - until I heard ”Prince From Another Planet”. His voice sounds fantastic on those CDs and the DVD is pure entertainment. Nice booklet too. Highly recommended! My favourites of the original live albums are ”On Stage” and Memphis ’74. Both sound wonderful on vinyl.
Yeah, it's hard to remember that before Elvis there was no such thing as a "rock star." And that hitting as a teen idol pop music star wasn't necessarily expected to be a long and lucrative career so the move was to leverage the stardom and earning power by going into more established, bigger money generating areas of entertainment like movies. Or that live rock and roll appearances were anything more than promotion. Or that there was a career to be had as a touring rock and roll performer playing 20K seat arenas and grossing $300 million. Many were skeptical that rock and roll as a music style would have commercial legs into the mid 1960s, never mind that a whole album of rock and roll music or concert recording would ever be thought of a long-lived object of art that people would be returning to for half a century. Not that great live albums weren't being made of jazz music in the era, but, you know, that was a half century old genre at that point.
Easier said than done, even in hindsight. No artist or manager would have financed such a venture on their own, so it would have been up to RCA to fund it, and RCA would only have financed recording if it was earmarked for a commercial release, therefore, it is unlikely RCA would have spent the money to record endless shows and Elvis on a 24/7 basis.
For me, the best live performances are on this amazing collection - A Golden Celebration Elvis - A Golden Celebration
I just got the recently released 3 CD Aloha From Hawaii set and the sound is great, particularly the main show . Despite it’s historic significance, this is not Elvis’s best live show , but it is very good and it’s nice to have it in this sound quality!
I was joking for this one even though I do get actual enjoyment from “Having Fun On Stage.” However my favorite Elvis live album is “From Memphis to Vegas.” The 1969 (and 1970) live material is his best
I don't know how I could have left off Tiger Man from my list of posthumous contenders. It contains some of the greatest rock and roll ever captured on tape.
My favorite along with Madison Square Garden. Aloha is great as well, however, Elvis started softening his sound starting around this time.
The FTD remix has been out a few months and it sounds really good ( the best I’ve heard). I believe BMg will be doing a 50th anniversary edition in December or January which will have the remix as well. I’m sure a vinyl version will be released as well.
A Aloha is the only complete live performance released during Elvis lifetime. The MSG and 74 Graceland album came close.
