A Squirrel Loose at the Big, Freaky International Hotel (Part 4: The Epic Conclusion) [Playlist Recipes #7]

September 24, 2020February 22, 2022 / TY / 4 Comments

This is the finale of a 4-part look at Sony’s 2019 Elvis Live 1969 boxed set, which contains all 11 concerts RCA recorded during Elvis Presley’s August 1969 engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.

[Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 | Read Part 3]

To paraphrase Elvis, there ain’t no end to this post, baby! I have committed not to push this review to five parts, however, as to move on to other topics next week.

That said, I still want to delve into some song and show specifics for the 1969 engagement, so today’s post is going to run long, amounting to a double ride. No extra charge. To help with this portion of the discussion, my analytical side provided the following infochart.

Elvis Presley Summer 1969 Setlists Infochart | Click image for larger version | Compiled by Tygrrius

Though not part of the 11-CD Elvis Live 1969 boxed set, which focuses on RCA’s multitrack recordings, I included the informal soundboard recording from the early days of the engagement for reference as well. To date, its only official CD release as a more-or-less “full” show remains FTD’s The Return To Vegas. It would have made a great bonus disc on the Elvis Live 1969 set, as the overall feel of this show is slightly different than a few weeks later, and it even features an extended version of “Mystery Train” and a couple of alternate arrangements. Perhaps it was a cost-saving measure.

Anyway, focusing on the 11 shows that RCA recorded, Elvis performed 13 of the songs every single night – most of which formed the beginning and end of the shows. Of these, the strongest are “Suspicious Minds,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “Runaway,” “In The Ghetto,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “All Shook Up.” With the studio version released as a single during this engagement and destined to become Elvis’ last number one hit, “Suspicious Minds” is particularly stunning. The 1969 live version stands as an incredible example of how Elvis reinvented his sound for these shows.

Most disappointing among the core songs are “Jailhouse Rock/Don’t Be Cruel” and “Baby, What You Want Me To Do.” “Jailhouse Rock” pales in comparison to the 1957 studio master as well as the 1968 live master. Both it and “Baby, What You Want Me To Do” notably lack the raw power and punch of the ELVIS television special performances from the previous summer. Understandably, there is a difference between performing 4 shows in 2 nights for a television special versus 57 shows in 29 nights for this Vegas engagement. Elvis no doubt needed to save his voice, but these performances in particular come up short.

Though many others are nearly as good, the one song Elvis improves in 1969 over his 1968 rendition is the “Tiger Man” portion of “Mystery Train/Tiger Man,” fueled by James Burton on lead guitar and Ronnie Tutt on drums. Like “Suspicious Minds,” the powerhouse “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” is a true highlight of this engagement. Unfortunately, Elvis drops it in favor of “Johnny B. Goode” for a couple of the shows. Now, one of those “Johnny B. Goode” performances was quite incredible and made it onto Elvis In Person, but I wish Elvis had dropped something else on those two occasions to make room for it, such as “Runaway.” That is no slam on “Runaway,” which I absolutely love and is among the highlights of the engagement for me.

A better substitution that Elvis provides on four nights is replacing the weak “Memories” with “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” I enjoy the studio versions of “Memories,” as recorded for the 1968 ELVIS special, but it just never worked live.

Additional highlights of the overall 11-concert span include three performances of “My Babe” and several of “Are You Lonesome Tonight.”

Of the one-off songs, the only one that really stands out from a performance perspective is “Reconsider Baby,” the blues song that Elvis returned to time and again over the years. “Rubberneckin’,” “Inherit The Wind,” and the abysmal “This Is The Story” are notable solely because these are the only live versions available. “Rubberneckin'” would have worked better with an arrangement closer to the funky studio master.

Though released as a limited edition 2-record set earlier in 2019, the August 23 Dinner Show makes its CD debut here. Not a single performance had previously been released on CD from this show – the only such concert on the set. The show is also unusual in that the Imperials backing group is not present, leaving full duties to the Sweet Inspirations – my preference, anyway. The show features exceptional versions of “Mystery Train/Tiger Man,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “I Got A Woman,” and “What’d I Say” – the last of which benefits from a shorter rendition than the other shows.

“I had sideburns. Long hair. Fourteen years ago, it was weird. You think it’s weird now? Fourteen years ago, I couldn’t walk around the street: ‘Get him! Get him! […] He’s a squirrel.’ So I was […] shaking. In fact, that’s how I got in this business was shaking. It may be how I get out of it, too.”
–Elvis Presley, 1969

Four weeks ago now, I decided to write a post where I would share what I consider the best version of every song that RCA recorded during the Summer 1969 engagement. “I will kick it off by mentioning the Elvis Live 1969 boxed set from last year,” I thought – not intending to write a review. It would be a couple paragraphs and then the song list. Done. An easy post to warm up the engine of The Mystery Train Blog again.

Well, here we are, 4 weeks, 4 posts, and over 4,500 words later, and I am finally coming to the original intent of that very first post (after, of course, having written a rather haphazard review after all).

Before I backed up these shows to iTunes, I separated out the majority of the talking portions as their own tracks (oh, if only Sony would do this, it would save me so much time). This allows me to create playlists more focused on the music – which improves the 1969 experience to a huge degree. To an extent, you can replicate this by pressing skip at the end of most tracks, as Sony normally places all of the talking at the end of a track (even if that talking introduces the next song, another pet peeve of mine — but that’s why I just save them the way I want them).

Here is my “August 1969 Ultimate Show” playlist recipe for this concert engagement. As we just discussed, Elvis’ setlist varied to some extent each night, so no single show actually contained all of these songs.

Disc references are to the Elvis Live 1969 set, but of course, you could use any available previous release as well. This playlist clocks in at about 71 minutes, keeping in mind my iTunes versions of the tracks have most of the talking trimmed out to separate tracks.

Opening Riff/Blue Suede Shoes (8/25/1969 Dinner Show [DS]) 2:36 (Disc 8)
I Got A Woman (8/23/1969 DS) 3:05 (Disc 4)
All Shook Up (8/26/1969 Midnight Show [MS]) 1:32 (Disc 11)
Love Me Tender (8/26/1969 MS) 2:21 (Disc 11)
Jailhouse Rock/Don’t Be Cruel (8/24/1969 DS) 2:12 (Disc 6)
Heartbreak Hotel (8/24/1969 DS) 1:56 (Disc 6)
Hound Dog (8/22/1969 DS) 1:48 (Disc 2)
Memories (8/25/1969 DS) 2:50 (Disc 8)
I Can’t Stop Loving You (8/25/1969 MS) 2:36 (Disc 9)
My Babe (8/22/1969 MS) 2:00 (Disc 3)
Mystery Train/Tiger Man (8/22/1969 MS) 3:21 (Disc 3)
Johnny B. Goode (8/24/1969 MS) 2:10 (Disc 7)
Baby, What You Want Me To Do (8/25/1969 MS) 1:52 (Disc 9)
Funny How Time Slips Away (8/22/1969 MS) 2:21 (Disc 3)
Surrender (8/21/1969 MS) 0:29 (Disc 1)
Runaway (8/23/1969 MS) 2:16 (Disc 5)
Loving You (8/23/1969 DS) 0:21 (Disc 4)
Are You Laughing Tonight (8/26/1969 MS) 2:53 (Disc 11)
Reconsider Baby (8/23/1969 MS) 3:28 (Disc 5)
Words (8/24/1969 MS) 2:31 (Disc 7)
Yesterday/Hey Jude (8/25/1969 DS) 4:15 (Disc 8)
Inherit The Wind (8/26/1969 DS) 2:52 (Disc 10)
Rubberneckin’ (8/26/1969 MS) 2:21 (Disc 11)
This Is The Story (8/26/1969 MS) 2:46 (Disc 11)
In The Ghetto (8/25/1969 DS) 2:47 (Disc 8)
Suspicious Minds (8/25/1969 MS) 7:14 (Disc 9)
What’d I Say (8/23/1969 DS) 1:57 (Disc 4)
Can’t Help Falling In Love (8/26/1969 DS) 2:10 (Disc 10)

While it was not my intent, nor even a consideration in crafting this list, it turns out that all 11 shows are represented – an indication of Elvis’ strength and consistency during this Vegas engagement (though the August 21 Midnight Show barely squeaks in with a short version of “Surrender”).

For those of you who want to include them (you know who you are), you could slot in the “Monologue” career retrospective from the August 24 Dinner Show before “Baby, What You Want Me To Do” and add “Introductions By Elvis” from the August 21 Midnight Show prior to “In The Ghetto.” This adds less than nine minutes, resulting in a total length of just under 80 minutes for the August 1969 Ultimate Show. That’s right in line with the length of the August 23 Midnight Show, but with nine more songs due to less talking throughout.

After careful analysis, my favorite show of the 1969 engagement is the August 25 Midnight Show, disc 9 of Elvis Live 1969 and previously released on FTD’s excellent Hot August Night. It features top-notch versions of “Mystery Train/Tiger Man,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Runaway,” “My Babe,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “Hound Dog,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “All Shook Up,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” among others. In fact, 7 of the 12 masters that RCA chose for Elvis In Person came from this show. That is probably the only reason it is not better represented in my August 1969 Ultimate Show playlist above, as I was tending to avoid master versions in the event of a tie with another version. Elvis may have put a little extra into this particular show due to the celebrities in attendance, including Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buddy Hackett, and Shelley Fabares.

ELVIS LIVE 1969 (Sony, 2019) | Click image for larger, full-color version | Original image credit: Sony

“If I take time out to drink water, just look at me and say, ‘Is that him? I thought he was bigger than that. Squirrelly-looking guy.'”
–Elvis Presley, 1969

If you’re not in for the whole Elvis Live 1969 boxed set, 2010’s On Stage: Legacy Edition (Sony) is probably sufficient for casual or budget-minded fans, as it neatly highlights Elvis’ Summer 1969 and Winter 1970 Vegas engagements on 2 CDs and can still be found for about $12 US. CD 2 features Elvis In Person as well as additional songs recorded live in 1969. Keep in mind that both “Runaway” and “Yesterday” on the On Stage album, featured on CD 1, are from August 1969 as well.

If you are more on the obsessive side like me, but don’t already have most of these shows, I can definitely recommend Elvis Live 1969. Just be sure to shop around, as Elvis Live 1969 can often be found quite reasonably priced – considering the number of included shows. For example, Graceland is charging full list price as of this writing, but you can find it elsewhere for less than 60% of that price.

Among Elvis’ Las Vegas engagements at the International/Hilton Hotel, Summer 1969 ranks second only to Summer 1970 for me. I place Winter 1970 third. While the number of available shows in official releases is significantly less and disallows detailed comparisons, subsequent Vegas seasons in 1971-1976 are nowhere close to the 3 of 1969 & 1970.

To see one of these 1969 shows must have been something really special.

Blessings,
TY

“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”
Proverb 19:21

A Squirrel Loose at the Big, Freaky International Hotel (Part 3)

September 17, 2020March 23, 2021 / TY / 5 Comments

This is Part 3 of a look at Sony’s 2019 Elvis Live 1969 boxed set, which contains all 11 concerts RCA recorded in Elvis Presley’s August 1969 concert engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas.

[Read Part 1 | Read Part 2]

International Hotel marquee as displayed on back of a CD holder from Sony Legacy’s ELVIS LIVE 1969 boxed set (2019, from Tygrrius’ collection)

“When I was in the Army, the guys would say […], ‘Watch him, boy, he’s a squirrel, he’s just out of the trees.'”
–Elvis Presley, 1969

I mentioned last week that I prefer Elvis Presley’s overall Summer 1970 Las Vegas shows over the Summer 1969 Vegas shows – even though the 1969 versions of songs performed in both seasons win out in most cases.

One of the reasons I prefer the Summer 1970 engagement is the expanded setlist. Newly added songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”, “Just Pretend”, and “I’ve Lost You” expanded the dimensions of the show for his third concert engagement at the International Hotel. Not to mention songs that Elvis retained after first introducing them in his second concert engagement earlier that year, like “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” and the show-stopping “Polk Salad Annie.”

Another reason I prefer the Summer 1970 engagement over the previous year is the amount of talking by Elvis in 1969. Though I prefer a “talkative Elvis” over the “all business Elvis” of, say, June 1972’s Madison Square Garden concerts, where he barely says a word between songs beyond the customary “thank you,” in the 1969 shows Elvis simply talks too much. Way too much.

Don’t believe me? Here are a couple of examples, using the shortest and the longest shows on the 1969 set:

The August 23 Midnight Show clocks in at just under 80 minutes (in fact, I wonder if Sony edited any bits out to get it to fit the 80-minute capacity of a CD). The actual musical content on this show is just over 56 minutes. Elvis talks for a whopping 24 minutes during this show – about 30% of the time!
The shortest show on the set is actually the very next night, the August 24 Midnight Show. I suspect management complained to Elvis about keeping the audience away from the casino too long the previous night, as he alludes to such conversations a couple days later in the engagement. This show is nearly 63 minutes long and features about 45 minutes of music. Elvis talks for about 18 minutes during this show – about 29% of the time.

The worst offender in driving up the talking times in 1969 is the “monologue” in the middle of each show where Elvis provides a joke-infused retrospective of his career for about ten minutes. While I’m sure it was entertaining to audiences in the showroom, it becomes a tough listen show after show on CD.

I understand he probably needed a cool down after “Tiger Man” or “Johnny B. Goode,” but the energy of the show is completely sapped each time before Elvis finally resumes singing – with an often uninspired version of “Baby, What You Want Me To Do,” completely lacking the raw magic of his versions from the previous year’s ELVIS special. For these Vegas shows, if only Elvis had bought himself a Gibson Super 400 CES like he borrowed from Scotty Moore in the special’s “sit down” shows, as Elvis accompanied himself so well on that electric guitar compared to anything else I have ever heard him play.

Overly long and bizarre introductions to “Hound Dog” and similar bits also detract from the listening experience when heard show after show. Repetitive jokes with the lyrics of “Jailhouse Rock,” “Yesterday,” and others become tiring, too. I imagine poor Felton Jarvis (producer), trying to capture material for the Elvis In Person album, getting his hopes up, thinking, “He’s going to sing it straight this time” and then, “Nope, not this time. Maybe tomorrow night.” Elvis did eventually perform straight versions of each song, probably after being asked to “clean up the act” as he mentions in some of the later shows as well.

Occasional lyrics twists are fun, don’t get me wrong. It is just hearing the same ones over and over that gets old. Of course, Elvis never intended or envisioned that someone like me would be listening to a complete collection of these shows over 50 years after the fact. From Elvis’ perspective, these shows served their purpose at the time in entertaining those audiences (of course) and supplying the 12 songs featured as masters on Elvis In Person. Yet, here I am, blessed to hear them all, so I might as well comment on them.

Anyway, it is actually a lyric twist on “Are You Lonesome Tonight” during the August 26 Midnight Show that results in one of my all-time favorite Elvis recordings – the “laughing version” of the song or, as I like to call it, “Are You Laughing Tonight.” If only movie cameras had been rolling like they were the next summer. Incidentally, the other eight versions of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” on this set are serious. I suspect if he performed a laughing version night after night, it would have lost much of its appeal.

I first heard “Are You Laughing Tonight” on the radio for what would have been Elvis’ 50th birthday in 1985. I recorded a radio special with a little cassette tape player my older sister gave me a Christmas or two before that, so Mom and I must have listened to that tape 500 times in the car before I finally found and bought a proper version of the song in 1991 (Collectors Gold).

I don’t have a tape player anymore, but I still have that cassette (below). It was one of the cheapest tape brands you could buy, yet it has survived all these years. I even played it several years ago so I could write down the song titles (of course, I have lost that list).

1985 cassette tape of “Elvis On The Air” radio special, including “Are You Laughing Tonight”

Mom went to see Jesus over a year ago now, but every time I hear “Are You Laughing Tonight,” I remember her laughing right along with Elvis. I still feel her with me sometimes, and I turn this one up for her.

Next week, (I promise) I’ll wrap up my unintended review of Elvis Live 1969, and we’ll even get to my original idea for this post!

Blessings,
TY

[Read Part 4]

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!”
Psalm 30:11-12

A Squirrel Loose at the Big, Freaky International Hotel (Part 1)

September 3, 2020September 29, 2020 / TY / 13 Comments

“Welcome to the big, freaky International Hotel, with these little, weirdo dolls on the walls and these little funky angels on the ceiling. You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen a funky angel, boy. I tell you for sure.”
–Elvis Presley, 1969, on the ornate design of the hotel’s concert showroom

Sony Legacy last year released Elvis Live 1969, a boxed set containing all 11 concerts RCA recorded during Elvis Presley’s August 1969 engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The concert series, which spanned 57 shows from July 31 to August 28, represented the singer’s first appearance on a public stage in nearly 9 years – though he had performed 4 shows in front of small audiences at NBC’s studio in Burbank, California, as part of taping his ELVIS television special the previous summer.

RCA cherry-picked 12 of the strongest performances from 3 of the 1969 shows to form the Elvis In Person portion of the From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis double album, released in November 1969. A year later, RCA re-released Elvis In Person as a stand-alone album with the same content.

As for the rest of the performances, they amazingly remained in the vault until after Elvis’ death. While RCA released several individual songs over the years, including a compilation disc on 1991’s Collectors Gold boxed set, a complete 1969 show did not officially surface until 2001’s Live In Las Vegas boxed set.

By the time of Elvis Live 1969 last year, however, 7 of the 11 shows had already been released in their entireties on CD, with a good portion of songs from 3 of the 4 remaining shows having been released as well – many of them on Sony’s Follow That Dream (FTD) collectors label for Elvis fans.

Elvis Live 1969 stands out among the previous releases because it gathers all of the recordings in one place for the first time, with homogeneous sound quality. The recordings capture the August 21-26 portion of the engagement.

Sony Legacy’s ELVIS LIVE 1969 boxed set (2019, from Tygrrius’ collection)

Mixed by Matt Ross-Spang in what was apparently a marathon session, Elvis Live 1969 features a “slapback” echo effect mimicking the sound of Elvis’ first recordings in 1954 & 1955 at Sun Studio in Memphis. Ross-Spang had applied the same effect to alternate takes on 2016’s Way Down in the Jungle Room, an overview of Elvis’ last formal recordings in 1976 at Graceland.

As it was not representative of the original intent in 1976 or 1969, some fans have been quite critical of Ross-Spang’s slapback effect. As for me, I don’t mind it at all. It breathed some life into the 1976 studio recordings and brought Elvis’ music full-circle, in a sense, with an homage to the Sun sound. Though less effective on the 1969 live recordings, it’s not too distracting. On a few songs, such as “Mystery Train,” which of course originated in the Sun era anyway, the effect can actually be phenomenal.

Where I differ from Ross-Spang on Elvis Live 1969 is on some of his mixing choices, especially as far as which instruments are prominent. For instance, horns overwhelm a portion of James Burton’s lead guitar solo in the middle of the “Blue Suede Shoes” opener on all 11 shows. The horns weren’t even audible at all during Burton’s solo on the original Elvis In Person album and most of the subsequent revisits of this material.

The horns distracting from the lead guitar vaguely reminds me of Elvis’ February 11, 1956, appearance on Stage Show (CBS), the Jackie Gleason-produced television series hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. In his third of six appearances on the program, Elvis debuts “Heartbreak Hotel” for the national TV audience. At the point where Scotty Moore would normally rip into his now classic electric guitar solo, a trumpeter improvises a jazz-inspired solo instead. While I enjoy jazz, it did not work in the context of this rock ‘n’ roll song. Fortunately, Moore is able to let loose in performances of “Heartbreak Hotel” on two subsequent shows. The 1969 “Blue Suede Shoes” is thankfully not affected to nearly this extent, though, for Burton is at least playing his solo!

Another example is that Larry Muhoberac’s piano is mixed far too loudly on certain shows, especially the August 26 Midnight Show, the last 1969 concert captured. Was Ross-Spang running out of time or is this truly how he felt the show should sound? “Mystery Train/Tiger Man,” which should be a showcase for the guitar and drums, suffers greatly from the distracting and overbearing piano in this particular show.

The August 25 Dinner Show and August 26 Dinner Show versions of “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” are similarly impacted by too much piano in the mix. Five of the remaining shows that include this medley fortunately keep the piano at low or moderate volumes, while the August 25 Midnight Show version, which was the performance used as the master on Elvis In Person, actually strikes a great balance – having the piano quite present but at an appropriate level.

Of course, it is all a matter of taste. For an Elvis live show, I want the lead guitar (Burton), Elvis guitar (when applicable), drums (Ronnie Tutt), and bass (Jerry Scheff) prominent in the mix among the instruments, generally in that order of priority, but certainly varying to some extent per song.

The rock ‘n’ roll numbers, at least, should heavily feature guitar, drums, and bass. That is the core of rock ‘n’ roll, Elvis style. The piano, other guitars, and orchestra should be present as needed, but not so much as to overwhelm that core. The piano is far less annoying on a slow song like “Love Me Tender,” for instance, where it better suits being prominent in the mix.

To be clear, the mixing on the majority of these shows is great. For example, “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” is mixed to perfection on the August 22 Midnight Show and is of course buoyed by a committed and powerful vocal performance by Elvis, as with many of the songs in this boxed set. This version of “Mystery Train” I can’t help but crank up every single time it comes on, much as I do with the 1955 Sun studio master.

Ross-Spang also tends to favor the Sweet Inspirations over the Imperials, as far as the background vocalists – an approach I heartily support. Millie Kirkham notwithstanding, Elvis sounds better with female voices behind him instead of males, and I love the Gospel-infused quality of the Sweet Inspirations. I should note that I intend no disrespect to any of the musicians and singers involved, all of whom are very talented. I am just talking about how I best feel the music when it comes to Elvis.

Before I get too far off track here, I think that covers it for the technical aspects of the set. I actually wasn’t even intending for this to become a review per se, but I just go where the writing leads me.

Next week, we’ll continue our look at Elvis Live 1969 and, possibly, get to the actual reason I started this post.

Blessings,
TY

[Read Part 2]

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”
Proverb 31:8-9

Dreams You Won’t Recapture: A journey through Sony’s 10-disc THAT’S THE WAY IT IS: DELUXE EDITION

August 24, 2014January 28, 2023 / TY / 5 Comments

Introduction: Woven In My Soul

Three months–June, July, and August 1970–contain, for me, the very best of Elvis Presley. It is the Elvis of 1970, specifically of That’s The Way It Is, that my mind normally conjures up first when thinking of him.

Not the Elvis of 1956, 1960, 1968, 1969, or any other Elvis.

1970. That is my Elvis. That is the Elvis I connect to more than any other Elvis. Scratch that, more than any other entertainer, period. Even though I was not on this planet for nearly another five years after the events of That’s The Way It Is. Even though I did not make it to three-years-old before Elvis was gone, and the universe had robbed me, like most of my generation, from ever having the privilege of seeing the man in person.

His voice remained with us, though, on countless recordings. The universe granted that much, at least.

Released on August 5, the eight CDs of Sony’s That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition include almost nine hours of music recorded by Elvis Presley during those three months.

The set also contains two DVDs of material filmed for the 1970 documentary Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and an 80-page book. All of this is packaged in a 12×12 box that harkens back to the days of vinyl LPs from which the album in question originally sprang.

Released at the same time is That’s The Way It Is: Legacy Edition, a more economical option that features two of the same CDs.

Three months. One might be tempted to think that the eight CDs of the Deluxe Edition are surely enough to contain the entire recorded output of Elvis in the timeframe covered by this set. The truth is, it would take more than eight CDs. A lot more. In terms of professional recordings made, when accounting for formal studio sessions, rehearsals, and live performances, this is the most-documented three-month span of his life.

Three months. Take them away, and I am not as big of an Elvis fan as I am today. I would not say that about losing any other three-month span of his career.

I state all of this by way of introduction, to lay my cards right out on the table for you, patient reader, that this boxed set means something to me. This is not just another Elvis release for me, and this is not just another review for my little blog.

That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition is a boxed set 44-years in the making. His record label has tried to capture this period many times in the past, yet never quite achieved the last word on the potential of this material.

In the latest and most expansive attempt, has Sony made that definitive statement? Has Sony at last made a release that honors the brilliance of this material?

Settle back for a long journey, and we’ll find out together. Don’t want all the details? Then skip straight to the Final Verdict.

Disc One [CD]

[Also Disc One of That’s The Way It Is: Legacy Edition]
That's The Way It Is (1970)
The original That’s The Way It Is album makes up the first twelve tracks of this CD. My favorite album released during Elvis’s lifetime is That’s The Way It Is, but it could have been so much better.

Unfortunately, That’s The Way It Is tries to be two things at once–a live album and a studio album. While this hybrid approach combining Nashville studio masters from June with Las Vegas live masters from August brings variety to the listening experience, it ultimately detracts from the overall album.

The compiler of the original album passed over strong studio cuts of “I’ve Lost You” and “Patch It Up” in favor of inferior live versions. While the live versions were certainly a bonus to fans that collected the songs in 45-RPM format via their studio singles, the album as a whole suffered from an artistic standpoint because of this decision.

To make matters worse, RCA overdubbed applause at the end of Elvis’s incredible studio version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in order to bookend the album with “live” songs. RCA did not release a clean version of the song until nearly 25 years later.

My ideal That’s The Way It Is album would present the songs in a different sequence (10, 8, 3, 6, 12, 1; 7, 2, 9, 11, 5, 7), use the studio versions of “I’ve Lost You” and “Patch It Up” instead, and not include overdubbed applause on the studio version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Forty-four years later, of course, the original album is what it is, and it opens the Deluxe Edition as the historical foundation for the remainder of the set. The album is presented in its vintage mix and, no matter the sequence, you will find some of Elvis’s finest music here.

The pinnacles of the album are studio cuts “How The Web Was Woven” and “Just Pretend,” as well as a live reinvention of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” that destroys all other versions by Elvis or anyone else.

Also strong are Winfield Scott’s “Stranger In The Crowd,” which brings the often slower-paced album some much-needed rhythm, and “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights,” which features beautiful guitar work and an exquisite vocal.

Alleviating some of my criticisms of the original presentation, the CD continues with the singles associated with the album. While the live versions are still present, the studio versions of “I’ve Lost You” and “Patch It Up” are now represented.

Though Elvis began recording in true stereo upon his return from the Army in 1960, most of his singles through 1971 featured dedicated mono mixes. In modern times, Elvis album compilers tend to favor the stereo mixes of these songs–even if identified as a “single”–so many of these mono versions have yet to be released on CD.

It was a listening pleasure to hear the true single mixes of “I’ve Lost You,” “The Next Step Is Love,” “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” and “Patch It Up” in glorious mono. The standouts here are “Patch It Up,” which completely rocks, and “I’ve Lost You,” which is just a tremendous song no matter in stereo or mono.

The first CD concludes with early studio takes of a few songs from the June Nashville session. These alternate takes and accompanying studio chatter provide some insight into the making of the album and singles. The absolute highlight is take 1 of “How The Web Was Woven,” though take 1 of “Patch It Up” also shines.

The sound of his voice in 1970 was just so . . . comforting. There was nothing quite like it in his previous or subsequent years.

Since much of the material on this set is previously released, I decided to randomly choose a track from each CD to compare to a previous release. For the comparisons to be fair, I volume-matched the tracks.

Keep in mind, however, that I am neither an audiophile nor a musician. I also do not own reference grade audio equipment. There are probably subtle, or even some not-so-subtle, audio nuances that I missed. I can only present you my humble opinions as a lifelong Elvis fan.

For Disc One, I chose Track 20, take 1 of “Patch It Up,” and compared it with the same take on the 2008 FTD edition of That’s The Way It Is. No differences noted.

While all of the material on Disc One is previously released, it is extremely well-compiled. This makes for a perfect opening to the set.

Disc Two: August 10 – Opening Night [CD]

August 10, 1970, Opening Show

After an absence of several years, Elvis had returned to performing live in 1969. From July 31 to August 28 of that year, he performed 57 concerts at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. This yielded the Elvis In Person portion of the From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis double album. The set lists from these concerts focused primarily on newly energized versions of his hits.

Just a few months later, he returned to Vegas for another 57-show engagement from January 26 through February 23, 1970. The album On Stage resulted from this series, whose set lists focused primarily on interpreting the hits of others.

MGM’s camera crews were rolling for the Elvis: That’s The Way It Is documentary as he began his third engagement at the International on August 10, 1970. Marketed as the “Elvis Summer Festival,” this one ran through September 8 and included 59 shows.

While MGM stuck around to film visuals through August 15, RCA apparently only recorded audio of the first six concerts–concluding with the August 13 Dinner Show. These six shows make up the majority of That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition.

All six concerts feature new mixes by Steven Rosenthal and Kabir Hernon. The vintage That’s The Way It Is era mixes presumably approved by Elvis appear on tracks 1 through 16 of Disc One, so I have absolutely no issues with new mixes being applied to these concerts. Sometimes, it is nice to hear something a little different–particularly since the majority of this set’s content has been released before anyway.

For the six That’s The Way It Is concerts, Elvis assembled ideal set lists that combined highlights from the first two engagements, material from his recent studio sessions, and a few surprises.

Disc Two presents the full August 10 Opening Show, previously released in 2000 on the FTD One Night In Vegas. This 2014 release includes an introductions segment cut in 2000, however.

The concert begins in dramatic fashion with Ronnie Tutt pounding away on his drums–and I suppose Eddie Graham on the kettle drums, too–as a signal that Elvis is about to take the stage. The drums sound tight, and the new mix is impressive right from the start.

The opening numbers are thrilling. Elvis launches into a rocking version of “That’s All Right,” his very first single, and then moves quickly into the “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” medley. For me, there is no better opening sequence for an Elvis concert than this particular 1-2 punch.

While Elvis delivers a fine version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” it feels out of place as the next number and takes away from the momentum created by the previous songs.

After “Love Me Tender,” the remainder of the concert until the “Can’t Help Falling In Love” close focuses on new songs from the Nashville session and recent From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis and On Stage albums. Elvis also debuts his versions of “I Just Can’t Help Believin’,” “Something,” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.”

The microphone feedback problems that plagued this show are no longer as prevalent. It makes for a much more enjoyable listening experience.

Regarding individual performances, the concert features fantastic versions of many songs. This might be Elvis’s best version of “Something,” and it is certainly his best live version of “Patch It Up.” “Polk Salad Annie” benefits as being the least jokey version on this set, though renditions from the earlier 1970 engagement are superior. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is stunning, and even “I’ve Lost You” stands out despite some mistakes near the end.

Among the six shows, “The Next Step Is Love” is unique to this one. This is one case where I prefer the live version over the studio cut.

I can’t say enough about the sound quality. It is as if Glen Hardin is playing piano in my living room as “Can’t Help Falling In Love” launches.

Is the sound really that different, though? Or am I just fooling myself?

For Disc Two, I decided to compare “I’ve Lost You” (Track 14) against the 2000 One Night In Vegas edition. The 2014 mix favors the piano, and the drums have a lot more punch than on the 2000 mix. The biggest difference is notable at the instrumental break at 1:30, when the 2014 edition brings the orchestral strings up in the mix. Beautiful.

However, taken as a whole, there is something unfulfilling about the Opening Show as a concert experience. As much as I love the new material, I think the lack of previous hits makes this concert feel less than stellar. Even “Suspicious Minds,” a number one hit just a year before, is notably missing. While I am glad that Elvis never turned his concerts into “Oldies Acts,” I prefer a better sprinkling of his past glories than present here.

Disc Three: August 11 – Dinner Show [CD]

August 11, 1970, Dinner Show

Again, the drums knock you back as Ronnie Tutt pounds the opening riff. They are really tight! Disc Three marks the first “complete” release of the August 11 Dinner Show. Elvis immediately kicks into high gear with “That’s All Right.”

“I Got A Woman” is strong, though I definitely miss “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” as the second song.

A breakneck version of “Hound Dog” follows. Despite the speed, this is actually a strong version. From the recordings I have heard, this appears to be the last concert series where “Hound Dog” was not a complete throwaway (yes, even the 1972 versions). For me, “Hound Dog” does not work well as the third song, either, though. Though more suitable than “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” it still seems out-of-place.

“Heartbreak Hotel” is next, which I think Elvis should have traded positions in the set with “Hound Dog.” Then again, who am I to question the likes of Elvis? I like the bluesy “Well, well, well” beginning on this version, and the crowd obviously loves the song once he gets going on it. “Love Me Tender” is an okay version.

“I’ve Lost You” and “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” from this concert were used for the live masters on the original album. It is significant to have them in proper context without overdubbed applause.

The alternate mixes continue to impress. This set seems to be “saving” the live versions of “I’ve Lost You” for me, as I have long ignored them in favor of the studio version. “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” is another alluring version. The funny thing is, I used to dislike this song – but it has very much grown on me over the years.

After a typical version of “Something,” Elvis says, “Forget ‘Patch It Up,’ let’s do ‘Can’t Stop Loving You.'” After a brief reprise of “Something” and clowning around with the band a bit, he launches into an outstanding version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”

“Sweet Caroline” is good, very energetic. Microphone feedback near the beginning of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” causes Elvis to restart the song. It is fortunate he did not do that on the Opening Show or he never would have finished the concert. “That squealing just ruined our mood completely,” he says.

Sony chooses to correct a minor lyric flub on “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” despite the fact that it can still be heard in the accompanying DVDs. The unaltered version is also available on CD One of FTD’s Writing For The King.

He plays around at the beginning of “Polk Salad Annie” but ultimately delivers a decent version.

“When I first came to Las Vegas, I was like 19-years-old, and I played the New Frontier, or the Last Frontier, whatever you call it, and I bombed, boy, you wouldn’t believe how I bombed, really” Elvis notes after introducing the band.

This is the only time I can recall Elvis discussing his May 1956 Vegas engagement at the New Frontier Hotel (he was actually 21)–the last show of which can be heard on a number of releases, including Elvis Aron Presley, ELVIS: The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50s Masters, and Live In Las Vegas. This was one of the few misfires of Elvis’s early career.

Elvis turns in another wonderful rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” certainly a contender for his greatest live version. The power of his 1970 voice is ideal for his take on this song.

“Suspicious Minds” is another winner, second only to the August 12 Midnight Show for this engagement. It definitely makes for a more compelling conclusion to the concert versus the Opening Show.

After all of that, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” disappoints by being only an okay version. It is certainly better than subsequent years, but not as strong as on some of the other shows represented on the Deluxe Edition.

I compared Disc Three’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Track 14) to its original release on Platinum: A Life In Music from 1997.

The most obvious difference is that the piano is now in the left channel instead of the right. This standardizes the recording to where the piano was placed on stage, so this makes sense.

Elvis also sounds slightly left of center in the Platinum version, while here his vocals sound more centered to me.

I lean towards the 2014 mix, but there really are not striking differences beyond the placement of the piano and, possibly, Elvis.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable show. Offering no unique performances, it is essentially the “standard” That’s The Way It Is show, which I do not intend as an insult since I love these concerts.

Disc Four: August 11 – Midnight Show [CD]

August 11, 1970, Midnight Show

I always seem to gravitate towards Elvis’s Midnight Shows over his Dinner Shows, and this engagement is no exception. I assume it is because, as a night owl, Elvis truly seemed to come alive during the later shows.

First released on the Live In Las Vegas boxed set, the August 11 Midnight Show represented here on Disc Four is easily the finest of the three That’s The Way It Is shows recorded to that point.

“That’s All Right” and “I Got A Woman” are both magnificent. Elvis is obviously very much engaged in both songs. Up next is another super-fast but entertaining version of “Hound Dog.”

In the first nod to his upcoming Elvis Country album, recorded at the same session as the That’s The Way It Is studio tracks, Elvis sings “There Goes My Everything.”

This show features the greatest live version of “Just Pretend.” It is right up there with the studio version. One of my all-time favorite Elvis songs.

Before singing Joe South’s “Walk A Mile In My Shoes,” which Elvis had introduced in his On Stage album, he recites from the song “Men With Broken Hearts,” first recorded by Hank Williams, Sr., under the name of Luke the Drifter.

Elvis states, “There was a guy who said one time, he said, ‘You never stood in that man’s shoes or saw things through his eyes; or stood and watched with helpless hands while the heart inside you dies. So, help your brother along the way, no matter where he starts, for the same God that made you made him, too–these men with broken hearts.’ I’d like to sing a song along the same line–‘Walk a Mile.'”

I love that Elvis makes this thematic connection between a 1969 rock number and a 1950 country song. The sound of his voice during the recitation is inspiring. Even when talking, there was sometimes this musical quality. The first time I heard this portion was on 1992’s Elvis: The Lost Performances video – which I credit as making me the obsessive Elvis fan I am today. Sure, I was an Elvis fan before that video, but everything was different after that.

Unfortunately, the version of “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” that follows is abbreviated compared to the February version, but it is still enjoyable.

“Okay, we’re gonna get dirty now,” Elvis says, which cues the band into “Polk Salad Annie.” He keeps the introductory joking to a minimum, so this turns out to be a solid version–definitely among the top three of these six shows.

“We start doing those, man, we’ll be up here all night,” says Elvis after a loose version of “One Night.” He then launches into an acceptable version of “Don’t Be Cruel,” which would all too soon become a throwaway.

Next up is “Love Me,” which Elvis introduces as one of his favorite songs. In this engagement, I tend to believe him. In future years, he unfortunately put less effort into this song. Outstanding version here, though.

Elvis performs another quality version of “Heartbreak Hotel” to close out this segment of the show. As the audience continues to shout requests, he even makes a brief reference to “U.S. Male,” his 1968 single.

This show finishes in spectacular fashion, with top-notch versions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

I compared “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” from Disc Four (Track 7) against the version on 2001’s Live In Las Vegas. One difference right away is that there is a buzzing sound while Elvis is introducing the song on the 2001 version, whereas the 2014 edition has eliminated this.

As far as the actual song, the main difference is that Charlie Hodge’s harmony vocals have been either eliminated or significantly reduced on the 2014 mix. The 2001 mix also seems to feature Elvis’s vocal ever-so-slightly higher in the mix. I prefer the 2001 mix for this performance, but it is a close call.

Unique to this show among the six are the “Men With Broken Hearts” recitation and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

You can’t ask for a better concert than this, yet . . . Elvis still had more to give for That’s The Way It Is.

Disc Five: August 12 – Dinner Show [CD]

[Also Disc Two of That’s The Way It Is: Legacy Edition]

August 12, 1970, Dinner Show

This set also marks the debut of the “complete” August 12 Dinner Show. Things get off to a rousing start and then they stop. The opening riff begins with the jungle rhythm, the band kicks into “That’s All Right,” but Elvis does not join in.

Are there audio problems? Is Elvis late coming to the stage? Sony does not bother to provide answers, never mentioning the incident in the accompanying book.

Eventually, a shortened version of the opening riff begins again and Elvis jokingly starts to sing “Love Me Tender” before tearing into “That’s All Right.” A bizarre start to the show and this is the one Sony chose as Disc Two of the Legacy Edition–meaning more mainstream/general public audiences will hear this, rather than just the obsessive types like me.

As for me, I enjoy having a stand-alone version of the opening riff. It is a fun novelty, and one that could be used to re-create in a fashion the original That’s The Way It Is documentary ending–which featured a reprise of the riff shortly after “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” It did not reflect how the shows actually ended back then, but was still pretty cool.

“I Got A Woman” is an okay version. He lowers the pitch and then raises it near the end, and while it is an interesting approach, the song loses something.

“Hound Dog” is another fast version, though maybe not quite as fast as the previous two concerts. Elvis plays around a bit after the song, and whatever is going on makes the audience laugh.

A satisfactory version of “Heartbreak Hotel” eventually follows. Sony then edits out the wireless microphone issues that occurred prior to “Love Me Tender.” Given that the previous joking segment was left in, this is a strange choice.

First, though the moment certainly works more in a visual context, it would have been very evident from the audio that there were microphone issues.

Second, the moment is captured on the 1970 theatrical version of That’s The Way It Is, presented on DVD as Disc Ten of this very set. People who watch the movie might wonder why they do not hear this humorous moment in any of the “complete” shows included here.

After “Heartbreak Hotel,” Sony picks back up with Elvis quipping, “I made my first movie . . . I’m gonna bring in the Supremes tomorrow night, you know, with Mahalia Jackson singing lead with them,” to the Sweet Inspirations who were laughing at him for holding two microphones.

Anyway, “Love Me Tender” turns out to be a pretty exciting version in the sense that the audience is going absolutely wild. Unfortunately, it has been edited to remove Elvis in the crowd. Portions of this can be seen in the Special Edition of the That’s The Way It Is movie, included in this set as Disc Nine–so it is certainly yet another odd decision to cut it. While I am sure the intent was to make for a better listening experience, there are other overly long tracks on this release. Why not truly make this a “complete” show, especially on the Deluxe Edition?

“How do you like it so far?” asks Elvis of the audience as the piano intro of his latest record, “I’ve Lost You,” begins. It is nice finally to have this particular version on CD, which is well-known from the 1970 documentary.

After “I’ve Lost You,” Elvis acknowledges a group in the audience. “Before I go any further,” he says, “I’d like to say hello to all the people from the Ford Company with us here tonight. I understand there’s about 400 of you out there. Thank you for coming in, thank you. I expect a new Lincoln outside of my thing tomorrow.”

He then sings a beautiful version of “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” that makes the set for me. I love the portion of the instrumental break that begins at about 2:30, featuring orchestral strings higher in the mix than normal. Then, there is the ending with Elvis whisper-singing along with the Sweet Inspirations, which is nothing short of astonishing. Listen to this with headphones, and it is as if Elvis is whispering right in your ears. How could this have gone unreleased for 44 years?

Next is the version of “Patch It Up” that was used for the live master on the original album. Here, of course, it has an alternate mix. The audio is very clear, and Elvis pulls off another fine version of this lightweight number.

“I gotta explain to you something,” says Elvis after a “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” false start, “We had to learn like 50 songs for this show. We were supposed to learn 50 songs; we only learned 5. So, we were short about 45 songs. Anyway, this is one of them that we don’t know.” This is another moment that I loved from The Lost Performances video, and on homemade concert compilations, this often crops up as song number six. Though Elvis jokes that he doesn’t “really particularly dig singing it,” I sure dig hearing it. Among the six shows, it is unique to this concert.

Up next is a nice “in the groove” version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” “Polk Salad Annie” is one of the “hup two three four” joking versions. Presumably, Elvis was starting to get bored with the opening narration of this song. He would eventually drop the narration all together in favor of a new arrangement. While this is not the strongest version, it is still enjoyable. “Polk Salad Annie” is just a likable song, particularly in 1970.

Elvis improvises “don’t you step on my white glove shoe” when singing a lackluster “Blue Suede Shoes.” There is not much time for reminiscing at this show, though, for he then kicks right into “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.” I enjoy the 1970 live versions of this song more than the studio cut.

Elvis turns in another strong “Bridge Over Troubled Water” then revs up the pace with another killer version of “Suspicious Minds.” Unfortunately, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is unremarkable, for he sounds distracted.

Though noted as previously released on FTD’s The Way It Was, this version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is actually previously unreleased. The flip side of Sony’s mistake, though, is that, though noted as previously unreleased, this version of “Blue Suede Shoes” was actually previously released on The Way It Was.

I compared Disc Five’s “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” (Track 9) to the version found on 2000’s That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition CD set. While Elvis is introducing the song, as well as a bit during the song, there is a buzzing sound on the 2000 edition, which the 2014 edition has resolved.

Individual components–Elvis, the bass guitar, the Sweet Inspirations, etc.–sound crisper on the 2014 mix. The bass guitar is much more prominent than in 2000. Charlie Hodge’s harmony vocals are now lower in the mix, though still there. The orchestra also seems a bit lower in the mix for 2014. Overall, I prefer the 2014 mix, though the orchestra could be a tad louder for my tastes.

Either of the two previously unreleased concerts would have worked as Disc Two of the Legacy Edition. I am sure Sony chose this one because it had more unreleased songs than the other had. The main drawback of this one being presented to mainstream audiences is the aforementioned false start on the opening song. Considering the other questionable edits on this set, that is one that probably should have been edited–at least for the Legacy Edition, if not for the Deluxe Edition. Kudos to Sony, by the way, for providing one of the two unreleased concerts in the economical Legacy Edition to fans unable or unwilling to splurge on the Deluxe Edition. Classy move.

Disc Six: August 12 – Midnight Show [CD]

August 12, 1970, Midnight Show

Elvis had now performed four strong shows, captured by both MGM and RCA. If That’s The Way It Is had ended right here, it would still have been an excellent project.

Elvis was not done yet, though. For the August 12 Midnight Show, first released in audio form on the 3-CD set That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition in 2000, Elvis performed what I consider the greatest concert of his career.

For this show, after another heart-pounding opening with “That’s All Right,” Elvis returns to the “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” medley for the last time among the That’s The Way It Is shows. Outstanding version. Unfortunately, he never quite did either song justice again after this engagement.

“Welcome to the International, my name is Fats Domino,” Elvis says before launching into just a half-line of “Blueberry Hill.”

Not long after another lightning-fast “Hound Dog,” an irritating audience member begins growling a request to Elvis for “Trouble.” The growling man can be heard making this demand between most songs of this show, in fact.

Elvis eventually deals with him, though, and not by singing “Trouble.”

The ultimate version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” is found on this show. RCA wisely used it as the That’s The Way It Is album master, but here it also contains a nice reprise. This was a wonderful surprise back in 2000, and I am glad that it remains intact here.

While he messes around on the opening, “Polk Salad Annie” is Elvis’s best rendition of this engagement. Incidentally, the “authentic” opening (“What are you looking at back there, huh?”) makes its CD debut on this Deluxe Edition, as the 2000 edition used a few seconds from the Opening Show (“Yeah, lord!”) instead.

After “Polk Salad Annie,” Sony cuts out a long segment with Elvis in the crowd. Though I would have preferred at least an edited version of this be included, I will not fault them too much on this one since there would not have been enough space on the CD to include the complete crowd walk.

Instead, Sony skips straight to the introductions, which also made their CD debut here after having been unnecessarily left out of the 2000 version. After calling himself “Fats Domino” earlier, Elvis accordingly makes up new names for some of the band on this one, so it is definitely worth a listen.

Elvis now begins the nostalgic portion of the show with “Heartbreak Hotel.” A sensational performance and the sound is so crisp. The “off-the-cuff” feel for this segment is what makes it work so well. The band had to be ready to play whatever came to Elvis’s mind.

On “One Night,” the band and Elvis sound much tighter than when attempting the song the previous night. This is the top version of “One Night” of the 1970s. 1957 and 1968 versions are untouchable, though.

Check out James Burton on “Blue Suede Shoes,” he really rocks it.

Though not evident on the audio, by the time he has finished “All Shook Up,” Elvis appears absolutely exhausted on film. He still seems to be recovering from his grueling “Polk Salad Annie” workout as well as his walk through the crowd.

To this point, it has been a top-notch show – though not necessarily anything above and beyond the previous night’s Midnight Show, as captured on Disc Four.

If this had been any other That’s The Way It Is show, Elvis would have started closing out the concert by going into “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Suspicious Minds,” and, finally, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

Elvis does not do this, though, for this is not just any other show. This is not just any other night.

Instead, he says, “Get my little stool over here for a second.” While Charlie Hodge helps get things in place, Elvis picks up his electric guitar and takes a seat as the audience applauds.

He strums the guitar, but it is barely audible. “It’s not loud enough, Charlie,” he says. Meanwhile, he introduces “Little Sister” as the next song, but his electric guitar is still barely audible. “No volume on it, man. . . No, it’s up there,” Elvis says, trying to help Charlie.

Charlie makes the proper adjustment, and then, Elvis strums a loud chord.

“Hot damn, boy, there it is!” he exclaims and launches into a medley of “Little Sister” combined effortlessly with “Get Back.” It is an incredible version, never matched by him again.

Continuing to play the guitar, he moves into “I Was The One,” the flip-side of “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956. He forgets some of the words, but the lyrics are not the point by now. He is having a wonderful time.

Still not done with the guitar, he then performs his best 1970s version of “Love Me.”

Continuing to play the guitar while sitting on his little stool, Elvis next tries out “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” even including the “Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair?” ad-lib that had helped throw him into fits of laughter on the very same stage just a year before. Tonight, he keeps his composure, though, turning in a short but fun version.

Finally, he is done with his mini jam session. “Well, we got that out of the way, now we can go on with the show,” he says, either being humble or not realizing what he had just achieved.

He also mentions that there are about 26 songs that he has forgotten to sing.

“Do ‘Trouble’!” insists the ever-present growling man. Even back then, Elvis fans could be demanding and feel entitled.

“Punt! We’ll punt is what we’ll do,” Elvis tells him, once and for all silencing the growling man.

Meanwhile, Elvis treats the rest of the audience to “Bridge Over Trouble Water.” This is possibly the ideal live version, though it is really hard to make that distinction because of how solid all five versions have been to this point in the engagement.

Without a doubt, though, Elvis next performs his greatest 1970s versions of “Suspicious Minds” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

It was, in many ways, the perfect show, and much of it was captured on film.

This time, I decided to compare “Heartbreak Hotel” (Track 13) from Disc Six of this 2014 That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition set against the 2000 That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition CD set.

The 2014 mix has now placed the piano in the left channel and the lead guitar in the right channel, whereas they were reversed in 2000. This, again, matches how the band was arranged if facing the stage, so I support this change. Other than that, sound quality is about the same.

Overall, this concert runs about five minutes longer than the previous edition. About half of the extra time is the introductions track, but the other half is made up of additional dialogue scattered throughout the show. Though still not quite unedited, it is at least closer than before.

Unique to this show among the six concerts are “Little Sister/Get Back,” “I Was The One,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.”

I call this concert his “greatest,” but of course, a caveat is that it the best for which I have heard audio. Perhaps he performed even better shows at other times, but I can only base it on what I have heard. For the record, here is my current top five:

#1 August 12, 1970 Midnight Show, Las Vegas
#2 June 27, 1968 6 PM Show, Burbank
#3 December 15, 1956, Shreveport
#4 August 25, 1969 Midnight Show, Las Vegas
#5 February 23, 1970 Closing Show, Las Vegas

Disc Seven: August 13 – Dinner Show [CD]

August 13, 1970, Dinner Show

It’s another high-octane opening as the drums sound and Elvis arrives. Now, I have already stated that the previous concert was the greatest of his career, so, of course, this one is not up to that par.

This show, first released in full on FTD’s The Wonder Of You, still has much to offer, though, including a few songs not present on the other five concerts.

Though each is a complete version, Elvis performs “Don’t Cry Daddy” in a medley with “In The Ghetto”–the common threads being both were written by Mac Davis and hits for Elvis that he recorded in 1969 at American Sound Studio in Memphis. The sound quality is impressive here, and the mix features some different instruments.

Though it does not reach the heights of the studio version, “Stranger In The Crowd” is an exciting live performance that Elvis should have kept in his repertoire.

Elvis mentions his upcoming country album before singing a heartfelt rendition of “Make The World Go Away.”

“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” sounds nice, even if he does sing the wrong words.

Be sure to listen through the introductions track to hear Elvis introduce television legend Art Carney (The Honeymooners) in the audience.

Elvis had released a live version of “The Wonder Of You” as a single in April, which had risen into the Top Ten. Here, just four months later, he introduces it as, “I had a record out last year that–this year . . . this year, wasn’t it–that did pretty good for me. I’d like to sing it for you.” Not as powerful as the single version from the previous engagement, but definitely a treat to have. It is surprising, actually, that he did not perform this one at any of the other five shows.

The nostalgic segment of the show is mostly disappointing this time, with “Blue Suede Shoes” being a particularly poor version. “One Night” stands out, though, in a slightly slower version.

The audience cheers when Elvis tells them, “We’ve only got 42 more to go.” He quickly follows this up with, “Not really!”

Elvis closes out the show with adequate versions of “Suspicious Minds” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

Among the six shows, “Don’t Cry Daddy/In The Ghetto,” “Stranger In The Crowd,” “Make The World Go Away,” and “The Wonder Of You” are all unique to this concert.

For Disc Seven, I decided to compare “Stranger In The Crowd” (Track 8) against one of its previous releases on FTD’s The Wonder Of You. This 2009 CD was actually the most recent full release of a That’s The Way It Is concert.

The drums are in the left channel on the 2009 release, reflecting a vintage style, but are centered in the 2014 release, reflecting their approximate stage position. One of the guitars has switched from the right channel to the left channel. The horns are more prevalent in the 2014 mix during James Burton’s guitar solo about two-thirds of the way through the song than the 2009 edition. With only about a minute to go, additional guitar work is much more prevalent in the 2014 edition than the 2009 edition. Overall, the 2014 release has a “fuller” sound. For my listening preferences, it manages to be much improved over what I already considered a quality mix.

Vocally, Elvis is not nearly as powerful during this concert as the previous ones. He had truly given all during the August 12 Midnight Show, and he still seems to be recovering. Of course, the show has to go on, and he does a commendable job. The rarities also add something special to this concert.

Upon first hearing it in full a few years ago, I actually considered this the second-best show of That’s The Way It Is. Opinions change, of course, and I also believe some of my previous enthusiasm for this concert was built on hearing the rarities in context.

Hearing all six shows so close together and in comparable sound quality now, though, reveals that this show overall is weaker than the others. Ask me again in a few years and I might tell you different, but as I write this, I would rank them:

#1 August 12 Midnight Show (Disc Six)
#2 August 11 Midnight Show (Disc Four)
#3 August 12 Dinner Show (Disc Five)
#4 August 11 Dinner Show (Disc Three)
#5 August 10 Opening Show (Disc Two)
#6 August 13 Dinner Show (Disc Seven)

All six concerts are amazing, though, so it is not really worth debating the order.

In the course of only 3 days, Elvis had performed live 36 different songs in 106 individual versions. For those who mistakenly believe that the set lists are too similar on a collection like this, Elvis performed only the following at all six of the shows:

That’s All Right
Love Me Tender
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Polk Salad Annie
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Can’t Help Falling In Love

[2021 Update: Read further analysis of Elvis’ That’s The Way It Is setlists here.]

Listen out after “Can’t Help Falling In Love” on Disc Seven and you’ll hear Elvis yelling, “Bye!” An appropriate way to end the live portion of this Deluxe Edition.

Disc Eight: The Rehearsals [CD]

August 4, 1970, Rehearsal

Just five weeks after Elvis’s marathon studio sessions in Nashville, filming began for That’s The Way It Is on July 14. At their Culver City studios in California, MGM captured Elvis in rehearsal with his band. The film crew was also on hand for rehearsals there on July 15 and 29. Away from the MGM cameras, Elvis also rehearsed on July 24 at RCA’s studio in Hollywood.

On July 31, Elvis took a chartered jet to Las Vegas, where rehearsals continued at the International Hotel’s Convention Center on August 4, with background vocalists now joining in–also captured by MGM.

On August 7, MGM’s cameras were still rolling as Elvis conducted a rehearsal on stage of the Showroom Internationale, where the actual concerts would soon take place. The stage rehearsals included the orchestra, now led by Joe Guercio for the first time. All elements of the Elvis Presley Show were in place.

About three hours worth of That’s The Way It Is rehearsal material has been officially released on audio to this point. Based upon lists of recorded songs, there is probably about three more hours of material still sitting in the vaults.

For this Deluxe Edition, Sony chose to release no new rehearsal material. In addition, this rehearsal CD contains only 50 minutes of the previously available material. A full 30 minutes of capacity remained on this CD in which either new or more interesting performances should have been included.

Sony selected most of the tracks here not because they represent the cream of the crop of rehearsals previously released, but simply because they are different songs than already represented on Discs One through Seven.

As far as what Sony deigned to actually give us, despite my misgivings, the jam quality of “Alla En El Rancho Grande” going into “Ghost Riders In The Sky” actually works as an amusing way to start Disc Eight, which would have been better named as “Foolin’ Around” than “The Rehearsals.”

Any momentum is lost by including “Cotton Fields” as the next track. Other than showing what Elvis could achieve with subpar or outdated material, why does this belong on yet another boxed set?

“Cotton Fields” seems like gold in comparison to the next track, though. “Froggy Went A-Courtin’”, one of the much-heralded “new songs” of 1995’s ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters, makes an extremely unfortunate appearance here as well. It is okay for a single listen, and made sense for warming up the band, but this is one of the few Elvis tracks that I detest. Incidentally, the end of the “Froggy” track includes an uncredited instance of “The Cattle Call.”

Things finally get going with “Baby, Let’s Play House” as Elvis performs a string of his hits and other recordings on July 29. The effect is still more of a jam than a rehearsal, but at least the material is quality. I love hearing Elvis review his career in his 1970 voice. The lyrics are half-remembered, but it is a treat–perhaps even more so than if he had did “proper” versions.

A poor run-through of “Yesterday” from July 15 is unfortunately inserted in the middle of the July 29 jam, though, likely to tie in with part of the medley on the next track. It appears that Elvis’s only decent version of “Yesterday” was the 1969 live master released for On Stage. At least Elvis does not tag “Hey Jude” at the end of the song here as he did on his 1969 live versions.

The highlight of Disc Eight is the “Little Sister/Get Back” medley from July 29. It is awesome! Clocking in at nearly six minutes, the full jam is included. This is even better than the shorter version that he would perform at the August 12 Midnight Show.

For some reason, 15-seconds of “Don’t It Make You Wanna Go Home” earns a separate track this time out, while it was uncredited at the end of the “Little Sister/Get Back” track on 2000’s That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition CD set. Perhaps this was to pad out the overall number of song titles on this Deluxe Edition set or to pad out the number of tracks on Disc Eight.

“Stranger In My Own Home Town” is still edited for language, while “Farther Along” still features all of the acoustic quality of a tape recording made in a restroom. While the performance is of interest, the poor sound just takes away from it.

I enjoy “Oh Happy Day,” and it is too bad he never introduced it during one of the six shows, but I sure wish it were in improved sound quality here.

For Disc Eight, I compared “Little Sister/Get Back” (Track 14) against its previous CD release on 2000’s That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition. No differences noted.

Overall, this disc is a missed opportunity. Even if limiting to previously released performances, a longer and better disc could have easily been made. For example, here is a compilation I might have assembled in that scenario:

Disc Eight (Imaginary Version)

Foolin’ Around
01. Johnny B. Goode [July 24, Hollywood]
02. That’s All Right [July 15, Culver City]
03. Baby, Let’s Play House [July 29, Culver City]
04. Money Honey [July 29, Culver City]
05. I Was The One [July 29, Culver City]
06. Love Me [July 15, Culver City]
07. Don’t [July 29, Culver City]
08. A Fool Such As I [July 29, Culver City]
09. Little Sister/Get Back [July 29, Culver City]
10. What’d I Say [July 29, Culver City]
11. Ghost Riders In The Sky [July 15, Culver City]
12. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water [July 29, Culver City]
13. Stranger In My Own Home Town [July 24, Hollywood]
Rehearsing
14. I’ve Lost You [July 24, Hollywood]
15. Just Pretend [July 24, Hollywood]
16. I Can’t Stop Loving You [July 15, Culver City]
17. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ [July 29, Culver City]
18. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights [August 4, Las Vegas]
19. Oh Happy Day [August 7, Las Vegas]
20. Words [August 4, Las Vegas]
21. Polk Salad Annie [August 7, Las Vegas]
22. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me [August 10, Las Vegas (Version 1)]
23. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ [August 10, Las Vegas]
24. Bridge Over Troubled Water [August 10, Las Vegas]

Disc Nine: 2001 Special Edition [DVD]

Elvis: That's The Way It Is - Special Edition (2000)

Other than the disc art, this DVD is the same as Disc One of the Warner Brothers 2007 re-issue–which was the same as the 2001 stand-alone disc.

Disc Ten: 1970 Original Theatrical Version [DVD]

Elvis: That's The Way It Is (1970)

Other than the disc art, this DVD is the same as Disc Two of the Warner Brothers 2007 re-issue.

Inclusion of the 2007 DVDs on this set is of questionable value, though I still suspect there is a behind-the-scenes negotiation reason between Sony and Warner Brothers that resulted in adding the Warner Brothers movies to this Sony audio set. I will say that I bought That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition only for the eight CDs, so having backup copies of the DVDs was simply a bonus to me.

Book

The main reasons I love the 80-page Elvis: That’s The Way It Is softcover book included with the set are the pictures. While I had seen many of the Elvis photos before, there were still quite a few that were new to me. In addition, it is nice having even familiar photos together in one place. The images of vintage That’s The Way It Is memorabilia and record sleeves from all over the world also contribute immensely to the book, and most of these items I had not seen before.

Another highlight of the book is hearing from Denis Sanders (1929-1987), director of the Elvis: That’s The Way It Is documentary. A September 1970 interview of Sanders by Ann Moses is included, as well as a 1970 promotional piece called “What’s Elvis All About?” that was written by Sanders. From his interview with Moses, here are some of the director’s thoughts on Elvis:

“Every time the cameras were rolling [Elvis] knew it. He’s very suave about it. He’s made too many movies to not know whether the camera is on or off. […] I think he’s fantastic [as a performer]. I knew he was fantastic the very first time I saw him in rehearsal. I knew where he was. From then on I knew what I wanted to go after. He’s got what Brando had at that perfect moment in his career where you couldn’t anticipate Brando as an actor. That’s what Presley has. The audience can’t anticipate him. […] To the extent that I’m ever a fan, I’d say, yes, I am [an Elvis] fan. […] I’m a professional fan. He moves me as a member of an audience. I admire his great sense of theatrics, and so I’m a fan in that sense. But I don’t fall in love with entertainers.”

The book also contains more contemporary quotes from members of Elvis’s band and writers of many of the key That’s The Way It Is songs. All of this serves to provide more insight into the material presented within the set.

An opening essay by Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon places the material within the context of Elvis’s overall comeback. The book’s primary essay, by Warren Zanes, offers little of value until near the end, where Zanes gives some personal thoughts on why That’s The Way It Is might seem so special and different from much of Elvis’s other work.

The book ambitiously includes song lists for the complete rehearsals and concerts captured for the documentary and album. The That’s The Way It Is portions of the Nashville sessions are also covered. When applicable, the first audio and visual release for each performance is noted.

The full track listing for each CD is also included, where the first audio release is noted again for each performance.

While I did not fact-check these sections closely, some errors jumped out at a glance. For instance, the “Introductions” tracks on the August 10 Opening Show and the August 12 Midnight Show are actually previously unreleased, yet the book notes they first appeared on One Night In Vegas and That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition respectively. Is it a big deal? No, but I would prefer the information be correct in a book of this nature. As it is, it is an absorbing picture book but a questionable reference book.

Art Design & Packaging

With art design by Amy Knowles of Peacock, That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition represents, at long last, an Elvis boxed set for the 1970s that looks as cool as what I consider the “gold standard” of Elvis releases in terms of art design–the vinyl LP version of 1992’s ELVIS: The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50s Masters. It seems the 1970s always gets shafted in terms of art design, but this time, they got it right.

With a striking cover and excellent art design throughout–including the book, the CD holder, the CDs, and the DVD holder–the overall Deluxe Edition package is stunning.

I do wish Sony could find a better way to protect the actual discs on these multi-disc sets, though, but that is my only complaint about the packaging.

Final Verdict: Closer Than We’ve Ever Been

There is no question that Sony has lived up to the title of “deluxe” in the 10-disc That’s The Way It Is: Deluxe Edition. However, is this the definitive release?

When it comes to the live concerts, this release finally offers a definitive examination. While I would have preferred that each show be truly “complete” and that a lyric flub by Elvis on the August 11 Dinner Show version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” not be edited, the presentation is otherwise flawless.

Sound quality is phenomenal and uniform across the six shows, and they will each become my “go-to” versions. I especially love how the drums and bass sound on each concert, evident right from the start on the opening riffs of each show.

The rehearsals disc unfortunately fails to be definitive, even within the acknowledged confines of a single disc. The liner notes indicate that priority was given to rarity of performance, but perhaps some other criteria should have been used. The disc does not feel representative of what it pretends to portray.

The studio masters are presented as pristine as the day they first rolled off the record plant in 1970. Given the space constraints, the studio outtakes are well-selected and as definitive as can be. For this Deluxe Edition, though, I regret that more space was not available for exploring the That’s The Way It Is portions of the June session. I would have preferred a second disc devoted to this, for instance, over the half-baked rehearsals disc.

Both versions of the documentary are included on the two DVD discs, so the film portion of this set can certainly be viewed as definitive–even if I would have preferred high-definition Blu-ray presentations for both films and a third Blu-ray full of high-quality outtakes. Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of Warner Brothers on the documentary footage, so I am not going to waste more space on this review of what is primarily a Sony product complaining about the inadequacies of Warner Brothers when it comes to handling Elvis.

The Deluxe Edition may not be perfect, but it delivers where it counts. The original album and singles are finally given the spotlight they deserve as artistic achievements. The six concerts, including some of the best of his career, shine in their new mixes.

I now have the That’s The Way It Is set that I have longed for since first discovering this material in the late 1980s. This one makes up for the shortcomings of the past.

For a number of reasons, Elvis was never quite the same after the events of That’s The Way It Is. It is only a fortunate twist of fate that June, July, and August 1970 were documented in such a comprehensive way.

What really conspired to erode away the absolute exuberance Elvis took in making music and touching his fans, as documented by That’s The Way It Is?

“Softly, without pain, the joy is over, though why it’s gone, we neither of us know,” Elvis once sang.

Maybe that is the only answer we will ever have.

Cover of THAT'S THE WAY IT IS: DELUXE EDITION (2014)

For additional analysis of this release by Elvis fans from all over the world, be sure to check out the “That’s The Way It Is 8 CD (SONY) Box Set” thread on the For Elvis CD Collectors Forum.

Tracks for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Deluxe Edition

Disc One [CD]

The Original Album
01. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
02. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
03. How The Web Was Woven
04. Patch It Up
05. Mary In The Morning
06. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
07. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
08. I’ve Lost You
09. Just Pretend
10. Stranger In The Crowd
11. The Next Step Is Love
12. Bridge Over Troubled Water
The Original Singles
13. I’ve Lost You (single version)
14. The Next Step Is Love (single version)
15. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (single version)
16. Patch It Up (single version)
The Outtakes
17. How The Web Was Woven (take 1)
18. I’ve Lost You (take 1)
19. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (take 2)
20. Patch It Up (take 1)
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water (take 1)

Disc Two [CD]

August 10 – Opening Night
01. That’s All Right
02. Mystery Train/Tiger Man
03. I Can’t Stop Loving You
04. Love Me Tender
05. The Next Step Is Love
06. Words
07. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
08. Something
09. Sweet Caroline
10. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
11. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. Introductions *
14. I’ve Lost You
15. Bridge Over Troubled Water
16. Patch It Up
17. Can’t Help Falling In Love

Disc Three [CD]

August 11 – Dinner Show
01. That’s All Right
02. I Got A Woman *
03. Hound Dog
04. Heartbreak Hotel
05. Love Me Tender *
06. I’ve Lost You
07. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
08. Something
09. I Can’t Stop Loving You *
10. Sweet Caroline *
11. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
12. Polk Salad Annie *
13. Introductions *
14. Bridge Over Troubled Water
15. Suspicious Minds *
16. Can’t Help Falling In Love *

Disc Four [CD]

August 11 – Midnight Show
01. That’s All Right
02. I Got A Woman
03. Hound Dog
04. Love Me Tender
05. There Goes My Everything
06. Just Pretend
07. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
08. Something
09. Men With Broken Hearts
10. Walk A Mile In My Shoes
11. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. One Night
14. Don’t Be Cruel
15. Love Me
16. Instrumental Vamp
17. Heartbreak Hotel
18. Introductions
19. Bridge Over Troubled Water
20. Suspicious Minds
21. Can’t Help Falling In Love

Disc Five [CD]

August 12 – Dinner Show
01. That’s All Right *
02. I Got A Woman *
03. Hound Dog *
04. Heartbreak Hotel *
05. Love Me Tender *
06. I’ve Lost You *
07. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ *
08. Patch It Up
09. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
10. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ *
11. Polk Salad Annie *
12. Introductions *
13. Blue Suede Shoes
14. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
15. Bridge Over Troubled Water *
16. Suspicious Minds *
17. Can’t Help Falling In Love *

Disc Six [CD]

August 12 – Midnight Show
01. That’s All Right
02. Mystery Train/Tiger Man
03. Hound Dog
04. Love Me Tender
05. Just Pretend
06. Walk A Mile In My Shoes
07. There Goes My Everything
08. Words
09. Sweet Caroline
10. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
11. Polk Salad Annie
12. Introductions *
13. Heartbreak Hotel
14. One Night
15. Blue Suede Shoes
16. All Shook Up
17. Little Sister/Get Back
18. I Was The One
19. Love Me
20. Are You Lonesome Tonight?
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water
22. Suspicious Minds
23. Can’t Help Falling In Love

Disc Seven [CD]

August 13 – Dinner Show
01. That’s All Right
02. I Got A Woman
03. Hound Dog
04. Love Me Tender
05. Don’t Cry Daddy/
06. In The Ghetto
07. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
08. Stranger In The Crowd
09. Make The World Go Away
10. Sweet Caroline
11. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. Introductions
14. The Wonder Of You
15. Heartbreak Hotel
16. Blue Suede Shoes
17. One Night
18. All Shook Up
19. Bridge Over Troubled Water
20. Suspicious Minds
21. Can’t Help Falling In Love

Disc Eight [CD]

The Rehearsals
01. Alla En El Rancho Grande [July 15, Culver City]
02. Ghost Riders In The Sky [July 15, Culver City]
03. Cotton Fields [July 15, Culver City]
04. Froggy Went A-Courtin’ [July 29, Culver City]
05. Baby Let’s Play House [July 29, Culver City]
06. I Was The One [July 29, Culver City]
07. Money Honey [July 29, Culver City]
08. Don’t [July 29, Culver City]
09. (Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I [July 29, Culver City]
10. Such A Night [July 29, Culver City]
11. It’s Now Or Never [July 29, Culver City]
12. What’d I Say [July 29, Culver City]
13. Yesterday [July 15, Culver City]
14. Little Sister/Get Back [July 29, Culver City]
15. Don’t It Make You Wanna Go Home [July 29, Culver City]
16. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water [July 29, Culver City]
17. Stranger In My Own Home Town [July 24, Culver City]
18. Farther Along [August 4, Las Vegas]
19. Santa Claus Is Back In Town [August 4, Las Vegas]
20. Oh Happy Day [August 7, Las Vegas]

Disc Nine [DVD]

2001 Special Edition
Restoration Featurette: Patch It Up
Presley Career Highlights
Director / Restorer Filmographies
Theatrical Trailer

Disc Ten [DVD]

1970 Original Theatrical Version
Outtakes

* Previously unreleased

ELVIS: THAT’S THE WAY IT IS – DELUXE EDITION (2014)

Elvis embarks on THE RETURN TO VEGAS

July 31, 2014October 17, 2020 / TY / 4 Comments

Forty-five years ago tonight, only eleven days after astronaut Neil Armstrong took his famous “one small step” on the moon, Elvis Presley took his own giant leap.

On that July 31st night in 1969, the singer stepped onto the stage of the International Hotel in Las Vegas and firmly reestablished himself as one of the world’s most dynamic performers.

His comeback after years of making movies had already revved into high gear back in December, with NBC’s broadcast of the highly-rated and critically-acclaimed ELVIS TV special.

He rode the tide of that success into his first Memphis recording sessions in nearly 15 years, resulting in smash hits “Suspicious Minds,” “In The Ghetto,” and “Don’t Cry, Daddy.”

Elvis was on fire again, and his Vegas engagement was another crown jewel in his comeback. With two shows a night, seven days a week, for four weeks, the concerts represented his first live appearances in nearly nine years – outside of four studio audience shows for his TV special.

RCA started recording the Vegas shows on August 21, capturing eleven complete concerts in all that summer. At that time, some of the best tracks were selected for an album, From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (Elvis In Person). More recently, several of the shows have been released in full:

August 21 Midnight Show (MS) on Elvis: Viva Las Vegas (2007 Limited Edition)
August 22 Dinner Show (DS) on Elvis In Person (2008 FTD Edition)
August 23 MS on Elvis At The International
August 24 DS on Live In Las Vegas
August 25 MS on Hot August Night
August 26 DS on Live In Vegas
August 26 MS on All Shook Up

To commemorate the forty-fifth anniversary of this engagement, Sony’s collectors label for Elvis fans recently released on CD The Return To Vegas, the earliest known recording from this concert series.

The shows listed above are all multitrack recordings, meaning they were professionally captured for potential commercial release and can be properly mixed after the fact for optimum sound quality.

By contrast, Follow That Dream’s The Return To Vegas is a soundboard recording – an informal reference tape made in-line from the showroom’s soundboard console – never intended for release.

While the sound quality can be improved in certain ways, soundboard mixes are pretty much stuck as to how they were originally recorded. Some bootlegs are copies of copies, though, so sometimes there can be improved sound quality versus previous releases if an earlier generation source is used.

The Return To Vegas is actually one of the better-sounding soundboard CDs I have purchased.

THE RETURN TO VEGAS booklet cover

I must admit, however, that I am surprised. I was expecting to be blown away by The Return To Vegas. After all, this recording from an unconfirmed date in August is probably the closest we will ever come to hearing the legendary July 31 show that opened the engagement.

To be clear, like all 1969 Elvis shows released thus far, The Return To Vegas represents one of his best concerts. Yet, I found it slightly disappointing.

With that being said, The Return To Vegas does have many strong points. “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” is inspired, for instance, with the guitar portion of the lead-off song sounding closer to the 1955 SUN version than it ever would again on later recordings. I wish James Burton had kept playing it this way. An overbearing train whistle effect ruins some of that for me, though, and the performances on Hot August Night and Live In Vegas will remain my go-to versions.

The versions of “Love Me Tender” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” are strong enough to contend for best of the season, at least out of what has been released thus far. “Don’t Be Cruel” is also strong.

During this engagement, Elvis took several minutes out of each show to talk about his career. This is, by far, my favorite of these “monologues.” It is actually the only previously released track on this CD, though, having been released in an edited form way back in 1974 for the infamous Having Fun With Elvis On Stage “talking” album. While the concept behind that particular album may have been poor, this monologue was actually pretty funny and gave some credibility to the Having Fun title.

“Are You Lonesome Tonight” features a slightly different arrangement than later versions, with strings instead of Sweet Inspiration Cissy Houston’s soaring vocals. It makes for a nice alternative, but I much prefer the versions with Houston. In addition, Elvis sounds uncomfortable during the spoken portions.

On “Blue Suedes Shoes,” Elvis also seems unsure of himself, plodding through it with slow and deliberate vocals. “All Shook Up” starts in fine form but degrades near the end due to Elvis going into a, dare I say, imitator-style quality on his vocals.

While I normally enjoy the bluesy arrangement of “Heartbreak Hotel” that made its debut at this engagement, the version here is lacking. It sounds off from the start and never really gains momentum. He sounds nearly manic on “Hound Dog,” and this version becomes tiresome on repeat listens. “Suspicious Minds” is decent, but not particularly memorable.

All-in-all, The Return To Vegas is a mixed bag. Audio quality aside, it certainly cannot compete as the strongest overall 1969 show released thus far.

So, when exactly did the show (or shows) presented on this CD take place? The accompanying booklet is sparse on information, focusing instead on photos of Elvis from the time.

Though FTD’s press release indicated this was originally prepared for release as a double album by RCA in the late 1970s before being cancelled, no associated paperwork is included in the booklet.

A brief essay by Ken Sharp (author of Elvis: Vegas ’69) fails to even mention this particular performance, speaking only in generalities about the overall engagement.

We do know that it is not the July 31 Opening Show as previously thought both by RCA and a subsequent bootlegger. They apparently keyed in on the line, “This is my first live appearance in nine years,” which Elvis actually stated at every full show thus far released at this engagement, while skipping his “It’s hard to get going on these dinner shows” comment that makes it clear some fatigue is already setting in for Elvis in Vegas.

Certainly he would not have said this at his first-ever Dinner Show on August 1, nor was he likely even to say it at the August 2 Dinner Show. Assuming this is not a splice of two shows, the August 3 Dinner Show seems to be the prevailing hypothesis among many fans. That still seems too early to me.

Since I refrain from bootlegs, I am no expert on the unofficial recordings available from this era. Certainly the arrangement of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” is a clue here, since it differs from the later versions. That may indicate an upper end to the range of possible dates, but I do not know exactly when that arrangement changed.

There is another clue. When introducing “Suspicious Minds,” Elvis states that it “should be out in a week or 10 days or so.” RCA released “Suspicious Minds” on August 26. Though Elvis was probably not speaking literally, a week to 10 days before the release would put us in the range of August 16 to 19. If it turned out that this concert took place closer to those dates and farther from August 3, it would not surprise me at all.

No matter the date, this is an enjoyable release, and it is definitely of historic value to Elvis fans. If you already have the multitrack shows, then you should purchase this CD. If not, I recommend you buy the professional multitrack shows from this engagement first. Each of these concerts has provided me hours of enjoyment, and I have no doubt that The Return To Vegas will ultimately do the same.

While the 1969 concerts are incredible, my favorite Vegas engagement took place a year later. With a more varied set list, Elvis seemed more relaxed in August 1970. For me, the shows captured for That’s The Way It Is are somehow even better than 1969. The Dinner Show presented on The Return To Vegas is actually but an appetizer for what is to come next week. I am ready for the main course!

Tracks

01. Blue Suede Shoes
02. I Got A Woman
03. All Shook Up
04. Love Me Tender
05. Jailhouse Rock/Don’t Be Cruel
06. Heartbreak Hotel
07. Hound Dog
08. Memories
09. Mystery Train/Tiger Man
10. Monologue *
11. Baby, What You Want Me To Do
12. Are You Lonesome Tonight
13. Yesterday/Hey Jude
14. Introductions
15. In The Ghetto
16. Suspicious Minds
17. What’d I Say
18. Can’t Help Falling In Love

* Previously released

Scoring the win by a knockout, the new Elvis Song Champion of the World. . . .

April 7, 2014September 9, 2020 / TY / 7 Comments

It has been a grueling contest, but sixty-four songs have finally been narrowed to one. Thank you to everyone who participated. Votes came in from all over the world, making this a truly international event.

I also want to thank everyone who took the time in this final round to submit suggestions about the site. Since the replies are anonymous, I am unable to thank you individually, but please know your comments are appreciated. Some of them validated plans I already had in the works, while others were new concepts that I will take under consideration. One of them, I have already implemented, but more on that later.

Back to the Elvis Mania 2014 tournament, it came down to “Mystery Train” versus “Suspicious Minds.” As Colin commented when the championship round began, “This is the hardest choice yet!”

However, the readers of The Mystery Train Blog have spoken, in overwhelming fashion.

In an 84% to 16% victory, scoring the win by a knockout, the new Elvis Song Champion of the World . . . “Suspicious Minds”!

In his lifetime, Elvis released five main versions of “Suspicious Minds.” His original, January 1969 studio recording of the song was backed with “You’ll Think Of Me” and released as a single that August. “Suspicious Minds” became his first number one hit since “Good Luck Charm” in 1962.

Barbara McNair and Elvis Presley in CHANGE OF HABIT (1969)

Just as “Suspicious Minds” hit the airwaves and record shops, Elvis was appearing throughout August in Las Vegas at the International Hotel. RCA recorded several of his concerts, including his August 26, 1969, Dinner Show. At this concert, Elvis performed a nearly eight-minute version of the song, which he dedicated to Barbara McNair, his Change of Habit co-star who was in the audience. Though his dedication was edited out, the performance was featured on the Elvis In Person portion of the double LP From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis.

Captured live at the August 12, 1970, Midnight Show, a six-minute version of “Suspicious Minds” in Vegas became a setpiece of the documentary film Elvis-That’s The Way It Is. Elvis fans had to watch the movie to enjoy it, though, for the performance remained otherwise unreleased until 2000 – 23 years after the singer’s death.

Live versions of “Suspicious Minds” also featured prominently on the albums As Recorded At Madison Square Garden (1972) and Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (1973) as well as the Aloha From Hawaii TV broadcast. The song even appeared briefly in the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour.

In Ken Sharp’s Writing For The King (2006), songwriter Mark James described how he came up with the song: “I had the idea for ‘Suspicious Minds’ and it started coming to me one night. First the title came and I thought about it and lived with it for a while. Then the lyric came to me, ‘caught in a trap, I can’t walk out because I love you too much, baby.’ What I was trying to say is we can’t live together or attain our dreams or build on anything if we don’t trust one another” (p. 213). James released his version as a single in 1968, but it failed to find an audience.

Many other artists have recorded “Suspicious Minds” since Elvis, including Waylon Jennings (1970), Dee Dee Warwick (1971), Fine Young Cannibals (1985), Dwight Yoakam (1992), and Daughtry (2007). With an arrangement inspired by Warwick’s recording, Martina McBride has a version of “Suspicious Minds” coming out tomorrow on her new album, Everlasting.

To view the full results of Elvis Mania 2014, check out the tournament’s page on Challonge.com. Among those eligible (i.e., not including me), “JakeMarston” earned the highest score for his predictions. He will receive a Legacy Edition CD of an Elvis title of his choice, courtesy of The Mystery Train Blog.

Only it is no longer The Mystery Train Blog. One of the suggestions that came in during the last round was, “After crowning Suspicious Minds as the best Elvis song, rename blog to The Suspicious Minds Blog.” The person went on to explain that he or she was only joking, but I have decided to move forward with the suggestion anyway.

For the next month, The Mystery Train Blog will now be known as The Suspicious Minds Blog. Until then, we’re caught in a trap.

Elvis Presley in 1969

New and upcoming Elvis releases focus on slices of a diverse career

May 16, 2013September 9, 2020 / TY / 2 Comments

Get those sound systems (and wallets) ready, folks, new Elvis releases are on the way.

Stay Away, Joe (concept cover art)

May 2013

Follow That Dream Records, Sony’s collectors label for Elvis fans, is releasing this month:

From Elvis In Memphis (2-CD): One of Elvis’ best albums finally receives the FTD Classic Album treatment. This should make an excellent companion to the recent Back In Memphis release. Surely an “imaginary album” will be in the works at some point to feature the rest of the recordings from the 1969 American Sound Studio sessions.
Stay Away, Joe (CD): Speaking of imaginary albums, here is one that compiles October 1967 and January 1968 sessions. In addition to the Stay Away, Joe soundtrack, it includes “Too Much Monkey Business” and “US Male.” The January session features Jerry Reed on guitar, which is why I consider this a follow-up of sorts to the fantastic Elvis Sings Guitar Man.
On Stage-February 1970 (2-LP): This vinyl release includes the original On Stage-February 1970 album, recorded live in 1969 and 1970, as well as additional material Elvis recorded during his early 1970 Las Vegas engagement.
Summer of ’61 (Book & CD): In conjunction with Flaming Star publications, this book primarily focuses on the making of the movie Follow That Dream. A brief CD containing previously released Elvis tracks and two demos for “What A Wonderful Life” is also included.

June 2013

FTD has scheduled the following for release in June:

Sold Out! (2-CD): The ambiguous title of this one could refer to almost any Elvis concert from 1956 and beyond. [May 19, 2013, Update: The concerts on this release will be March 1, 1974, Tulsa, Oklahoma and June 21, 1974, Cleveland, Ohio.] This one is from the creative team behind Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis: Recorded Live On Stage In Richmond, Virginia – March 18, 1974 and 3000 South Paradise Road, so a quality presentation is expected.
Hot August Night (CD): This one features the August 25, 1969, Midnight Show in Las Vegas. The 1969 shows are all must-haves. Portions of this one contributed to the From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (Elvis In Person) release in 1969. Many tracks are previously unreleased, however.
Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (2-LP): This vinyl release features the complete March 20, 1974, Memphis concert, from which selections made up the original 1974 version of this album. I have to admit, I enjoy the truncated version of this show more than the full version. Other than “Steamroller Blues,” the songs edited out of the 1974 1-LP release featured some disappointing performances by Elvis.
Best of British: The HMV Years (Book): This is a reprint of the popular book exploring Elvis’ 1956-1958 releases on the HMV label in Great Britain, which sold out upon release in February. Though not noted in the press release, presumably the two CDs of previously released Elvis material from the original printing are also included.

The only physical store in the US authorized to sell FTD releases is Good Rockin’ Tonight, a Graceland gift shop in Memphis. However, FTD products may be obtained online from a variety of other Elvis stores, including Graceland’s ShopElvis.com.

August 2013

Sony has scheduled Elvis At Stax: Deluxe Edition, a 3-CD boxed set, as a main label, wide release in August. The set will include all of the masters Elvis recorded in Memphis at Stax Recording Studio in July and December of 1973. It will also include alternate takes of many of the songs. Here is the track listing:

DISC 1: The R&B and Country Sessions – The Outtakes

1. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body – take 1
2. Find Out What’s Happening – take 8/7
3. Promised Land – take 4
4. For Ol’ Times Sake – take 4
5. I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby – take 14
6. It’s Midnight – take 7
7. If You Talk In Your Sleep – take 5
8. Loving Arms – take 2
9. You Asked Me To – take 3A
10. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues – take 8
11. Talk About The Good Times – take 3
12. There’s A Honky Tonk Angel – take 1
13. She Wears My Ring – take 8
14. Three Corn Patches – take 14
15. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body – take 4
16. If You Don’t Come Back – take 3
17. Promised Land – take 5

DISC 2

Part 1 – The Pop Sessions – The Outtakes

1. Mr. Songman – take 2
2. Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming – take 4
3. Spanish Eyes – take 2
4. Take Good Care Of Her – takes 1,2,3
5. It’s Diff’rent Now (unfinished recording)
6. Thinking About You – take 4
7. My Boy – take 1
8. Girl Of Mine – take 9
9. Love Song Of The Year – take 1
10. If That Isn’t Love – take 1

Part 2 – The July 1973 Masters

11. Raised On Rock
12. For Ol’ Time Sake
13. I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby
14. Take Good Care Of Her
15. If You Don’t Come Back
16. Three Corn Patches
17. Girl Of Mine
18. Just A Little Bit
19. Find Out What’s Happening
20. Sweet Angeline

DISC 3: The December 1973 Masters

1. Promised Land
2. It’s Midnight
3. If You Talk In Your Sleep
4. Help Me
5. My Boy
6. Thinking About You
7. Mr. Songman
8. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body
9. Loving Arms
10. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues
11. You Asked Me To
12. There’s A Honky Tonk Angel
13. Talk About The Good Times
14. She Wears My Ring
15. Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
16. Love Song Of The Year
17. Spanish Eyes
18. If That Isn’t Love

I have mixed feelings on this release. I think it is wonderful for the main label to focus on an overlooked period in the recording career of Elvis Presley. For those fans who do not already have the corresponding FTD Classic Album 2-CD sets (Raised On Rock, Good Times, and Promised Land), this is an excellent, budget-conscious alternative to hear highlights of this material.

However, the first thing I noticed is that Sony really blew the sequencing of these tracks. Why, oh, why would the compiler of this collection choose to kick things off with the dreadful “I Got A Feelin’ In My Body”? Especially when “Promised Land” is sitting there, practically begging to begin this set in the right manner?

Short of starting from scratch, one simple alternative that I can suggest would be the following:

Swap Disc 1 with Disc 3
Swap Disc 2 – Part 1 with Disc 2 – Part 2

Just making the simple changes above would result in a much better listening experience from start to finish. Again, it is great to see a release focusing on 1973, but it should not just be grudgingly thrown together. While Sony’s Elvis team may disagree, some of us love this material. Treat it right.

Sony is also releasing in August a 1-CD version and a 2-LP version collecting some of the above Stax material.

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Introduction: Woven In My Soul

Disc One [CD]

Disc Two: August 10 – Opening Night [CD]

Disc Three: August 11 – Dinner Show [CD]

Disc Four: August 11 – Midnight Show [CD]

Disc Five: August 12 – Dinner Show [CD]

Disc Six: August 12 – Midnight Show [CD]

Disc Seven: August 13 – Dinner Show [CD]

Disc Eight: The Rehearsals [CD]

Disc Eight (Imaginary Version)

Disc Nine: 2001 Special Edition [DVD]

Disc Ten: 1970 Original Theatrical Version [DVD]

Book

Art Design & Packaging

Final Verdict: Closer Than We’ve Ever Been

Tracks for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Deluxe Edition

Disc One [CD]

Disc Two [CD]

Disc Three [CD]

Disc Four [CD]

Disc Five [CD]

Disc Six [CD]

Disc Seven [CD]

Disc Eight [CD]

Disc Nine [DVD]

Disc Ten [DVD]

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Tracks

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May 2013

June 2013

August 2013

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