Elvis in Concert (album)

Contents

The show was recorded over two days at concerts in Omaha on June 19 and Rapid City, South Dakota on the 21st. Longtime RCA/Elvis producer Felton Jarvis produced the recordings, which were done to 4-track multitrack. According to Elvis: The Illustrated Record by Roy Carr and Mick Farren, the shows were taped with the intent of producing a television special, but Presley's deteriorating physical condition put the project on hold. After his death, they write, it was decided to go ahead with the special as a tribute. Although both the June 19 and 21 concerts are the last official live professional ones ever recorded of Presley alive, Vernon Presley, Elvis' father, recorded a message that was broadcast at the end of the special and included on the soundtrack album, in which he erroneously states that the performance featured was his son's last appearance; in fact Elvis made five more concert appearances after the filming of the special. Elvis' last concert was in fact on Sunday, June 26, 1977 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. No professional recording of this last performance has ever been issued, but bootlegs of amateur recordings have.

During the special, Presley performs a selection of his hits, along with songs not normally associated with him. Although it was a regular part of his repertoire for years, Presley requires a lyric sheet when he performs Paul Anka's "My Way" (noted for its opening lyric, "And now the end is near/And so I face the final curtain"). He also loses his train of thought during "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", although Darrin Memmer's book "Elvis Presley – The 1977 CBS Television Special," published in 2001 by Morris Publishing, makes a strong case that Elvis regularly played around with the words during the spoken portion of the song when performing it on stage, rather than it being a case of poor memory. Indeed, a concert recording of Presley similarly joking around during the monologue section of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" dating from 1969 has been reissued by RCA several times (dubbed the "Laughing Version", it even made the UK charts after Presley's death), and he also poked fun at the song during his 1968 Comeback Special. Nonetheless, the documentary This is Elvis uses this performance to illustrate Presley's poor condition at the time.

The soundtrack album was issued as a 2-LP package, including a second disc of performances that were not included in the TV special. It was also released on 8-track. On May 22, 1992, the special saw its first release on a single-disc CD. Unfortunately the CD barely improved on the somewhat poor sound quality of the original album.

Track listing

1. Elvis Fans Comments (Pt. 1)/Opening Riff
2. "Also Sprach Zarathustra"
3. "See See Rider"
4. "That's All Right"
5. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
6. "Teddy Bear"/"Don't Be Cruel"
7. Elvis Fans Comments (Pt. 2)
8. "You Gave Me a Mountain"
9. "Jailhouse Rock"
10. Elvis Fans Comments (Pt. 3)
11. "How Great Thou Art"
12. Elvis fans comments (Pt. 4)
13. "I Really Don't Want To Know"
14. Elvis Introduces his Father
15. "Hurt"
16. "Hound Dog"
17. "My Way"
18. "Can't Help Falling in Love"
19. Closing Riff/Special Message from Elvis's Father
20. "I Got A Woman/Amen"
21. Elvis Talks
22. "Love Me"
23. "If You Love Me"
24. "'O Sole Mio/It's Now or Never"
25. "Trying to Get to You"
26. "Hawaiian Wedding Song"
27. "Fairytale"
28. "Little Sister"
29. "Early Morning Rain"
30. "What'd I Say"
31. "Johnny B. Goode"
32. "And I Love You So"

Professional reviews

About.com gave the album a positive review, but conceded that "this album is not a standout Elvis concert. What it is, however, is a vitally important piece of Elvis lore." Their review went on to say that the record is "Elvis Presley's least effort, as well as his last."

Personnel