Virginia

48 Hours To Memphis: Recorded Live On Stage In Richmond available for pre-order

/ TY

Available now for pre-order is the anticipated-turned-controversial CD 48 Hours To Memphis: Recorded Live On Stage In Richmond, Virginia — March 18, 1974.

The North America/Worldwide version of Elvis Presley Enterprise’s ShopElvis.com reports that the CD should arrive to US addresses on or around October 31. I know what’s going to be cranked up at my house Halloween night!

Direct link: Pre-Order Elvis Forty Eight Hours to Memphis FTD CD (Mono) — ShopElvis.com

As with other releases on Sony’s Follow That Dream collectors label for Elvis fans, the only physical store in the US authorized to sell the CD is Good Rockin’ Tonight, a Graceland gift shop in Memphis.

Online, FTD CDs can be obtained from a variety of other Elvis stores.

In the 1970s, Elvis performed live on four dates at the Richmond Coliseum, spanning 1972 through 1976. The March 18, 1974, concert was only six days after his March 12 appearance there. The tour swung back through Richmond due to a rapid sell out of the earlier show.

Elvis fans around the world highly anticipated the CD after revelations several weeks ago that it would feature a previously unknown multi-track recording of the event.

However, a more recent announcement that the source of the CD is a mono tape thought to have been mixed down from the apparently lost multi-track has made the release controversial and anti-climactic for some. As for me, I’m still excited about it.

48 Hours To Memphis (concept cover art)

The 48 Hours To Memphis title reflects that Elvis closed out his tour two days later with a concert in Memphis. An edited version of the Memphis show became the July 1974 album Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. A song from that album earned Elvis his third and final Grammy Award.

48 Hours To Memphis marks the first official audio release of an Elvis concert in Richmond. Though MGM filmed a 1972 concert at the Richmond Coliseum for the movie Elvis On Tour, it used only a tiny portion of it in the documentary. Warner Brothers has never released the remaining Richmond footage, nor has Sony made any plans as of yet to release the audio. Elvis On Tour instead prominently featured a concert in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

From ShopElvis.com, here is the full product description:

Please note: Contrary to previous informal information given, please be advised that this is a MONO release.

Derived from what must have been a full professional 16-track multi track recording, the sound is absolutely great, and Elvis is in top form. The booklet is full of great pictures from the actual show and informative notes. The CD comes in a 7″ digi format with a 16 page booklet.

Recorded Live on stage in Richmond, Virginia. March 18, 1974″

Tracklisting

Live At The Richmond Coliseum: March 18, 1974
01) Also Sprach Zarathustra/
02) See See Rider
03) I Got A Woman/Amen [edited with Memphis, March 20, 1974]
04) Love Me
05) Tryin’ To Get To You
06) All Shook Up
07) Steamroller Blues
08) Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
09) Love Me Tender
10) Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On/Your Mama Don’t Dance/Flip, Flop & Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
11) Fever
12) Polk Salad Annie
13) Why Me
14) Suspicious Minds
15) Introductions By Elvis
16) I Can’t Stop Loving You
17) Help Me
18) An American Trilogy
19) Let Me Be There
20) Funny How Time Slips Away
21) Can’t Help Falling In Love/
22) Closing Vamp

Bonus Songs
23) Sweet Caroline [Tulsa, March 1, 1974]
24) Johnny B. Goode [Memphis, March 17, 1974]
25) That’s All Right [Memphis, March 17, 1974]

Elvis Shocker: 1974 Richmond concert is a multi-track recording

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48 Hours To Memphis, capturing Elvis’ March 18, 1974, concert at the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia, will feature a recently discovered 16-track recording of the event.

48 Hours To Memphis (concept cover art)

48 Hours To Memphis (concept cover art)

Instead of the typical soundboard recording most fans expected, it turns out that this is actually a fully mixed, professionally-recorded show. “Taken from a tape copy (2 channels mix-down) of a 16-track recording, the show is complete (with some tape damage that has been fixed/altered),” notes the Elvis In Norway site.

Two days after the Richmond concert, Elvis closed out his tour with a live appearance in Memphis. RCA also recorded that performance at the Mid-South Coliseum in multi-track. It appeared in an edited form a few months later as the album Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.

Questions abound. Did RCA record Richmond as preparation for that Memphis concert album? Or did RCA originally conceive the album as a tour compilation? How did RCA seemingly lose this multi-track recording and any record that it ever existed?

Sony’s Follow That Dream collectors label will release the CD in September, packaged in an oversized, 7-inch digipack and including a 16-page booklet with photographs from the show.

See below for the tracklisting. Is it September yet? Elvis is coming to town!

Live At The Richmond Coliseum: March 18, 1974
01) Also Sprach Zarathustra/
02) See See Rider
03) I Got A Woman/Amen [edited with Memphis, March 20, 1974]
04) Love Me
05) Tryin’ To Get To You
06) All Shook Up
07) Steamroller Blues
08) Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
09) Love Me Tender
10) Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On/Your Mama Don’t Dance/Flip, Flop & Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
11) Fever
12) Polk Salad Annie
13) Why Me
14) Suspicious Minds
15) Introductions By Elvis
16) I Can’t Stop Loving You
17) Help Me
18) An American Trilogy
19) Let Me Be There
20) Funny How Time Slips Away
21) Can’t Help Falling In Love/
22) Closing Vamp

Bonus Songs
23) Sweet Caroline [Tulsa, March 1, 1974]
24) Johnny B. Goode [Memphis, March 17, 1974]
25) That’s All Right [Memphis, March 17, 1974]

FTD releases are official products and available from various online stores. They originate in Denmark and then ship to retailers, so there is sometimes a two or three week delay after the release date before the CDs arrive for those of us in the US.

Back In Richmond

/ TY

An Elvis Presley concert recorded in Richmond, Virginia, will soon become an official album. In September, Sony’s Follow That Dream collectors label will release 48 Hours To Memphis, a CD that captures Elvis’ March 18, 1974, concert at the Richmond Coliseum.

In the 1970s, Elvis performed live on four dates at the Richmond Coliseum. The March 18 concert was only six days after his March 12 appearance there that same year. The tour swung back through Richmond due to a rapid sell out of the earlier show. An audience sign in 1972’s Elvis On Tour modified the state tourism slogan to say, “Virginia Is For Elvis Lovers.” This clearly was still the case two years later.

I’m glad that they gave this CD a creative title, rather than just slapping a song name on it. Richmond is about 13 hours from Memphis by car – and much shorter, obviously, by plane. The 48 Hours To Memphis title reflects that Elvis closed out the tour two days later with a concert in Memphis on March 20. An edited version of the Memphis show became the July 1974 album Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.

To the point of sounding like a broken record, I’ve noted several times here that I missed out on seeing Elvis perform live due to being only two years old when he passed away. I have intentionally avoided the bootleg versions of concerts like this for years in hopes of someday enjoying official releases. 48 Hours To Memphis will be a very special way to think of what might have been. Thank you, FTD.

Hey Sony, isn’t it about time for an Elvis On Tour boxed set?

/ TY / 7 Comments

I started to do this in reply to Mike Hermenet’s comment on my Trilogy post, but decided to make a new post about it instead.

Though the 40th anniversary of That’s The Way It Is in 2010 essentially went unobserved by both the main Sony label and its Follow That Dream collectors label, I’m with Mike in hoping that the 40th anniversary of 1972’s Elvis On Tour will capture Sony’s imagination in 2012.

Elvis On Tour deserves a 3-CD treatment on the main label:

Disc 1: April 9, 1972, Evening Show, Hampton Roads, VA
Disc 2: April 10, 1972, Richmond, VA
Disc 3: April 16, 1972, Greensboro, NC

And then, to complement the above, there should be an Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals – Volume II CD on the FTD label.

Or perhaps swap out one of the concerts from the set and release it on FTD, and put the disc of newly released rehearsals on the main label boxed set instead – since some may find three concerts from the same week to be too repetitive for a mainstream release (who are these imbeciles?).

After last year’s poorly handled Blu-ray release of the film, I’m not holding my breath for Warner Brothers to release anything new as far as Elvis On Tour video footage next year. I hope I’m wrong on that account, though.

There is, at least, some hope for additional audio releases to go with those from the past.

Thanks for commenting, Mike, and for the quick post idea.

Elvis On Tour, VHS Style

/ TY

Elvis On Tour Countdown: 20 days to theater event, 25 days to Blu

You may find this hard to believe, but I often associate Elvis On Tour with Christmas. That’s because the first time I ever saw the movie was on Christmas Day 1989. I was 14-years-old, and Elvis On Tour on VHS tape was one of the gifts my Mom gave me that day.

Elvis On Tour VHS box, 1988

Elvis On Tour VHS box, 1988

While waiting for my family to finish unwrapping their presents, I studied the box art. I noticed that the box featured images from That’s The Way It Is. As soon as all the presents were done, I placed the VHS tape in the VCR and fired it up.

Elvis On Tour was the first Elvis video I ever owned. The ’68 Comeback Special, One Night With You, That’s The Way It Is, and Aloha From Hawaii videos that I had already so often watched actually belonged to my brother.

Elvis On Tour was different from the others, though. It featured Elvis on the road across the country, performing in sold-out coliseums. While the crowds in the other videos were often reserved, these fans treated Elvis to thunderous applause and cheers. During a montage sequence, we were all shocked to see images of our hometown.

Seeing Elvis On Tour for the first time was special to me. Now that it is going to show in US theaters as well as be released for the first time on Blu-ray and DVD, there are other Elvis fans out there who have never seen it before who will finally get the chance. Christmas or otherwise, they will be in for a real treat.

Elvis On Tour Countdown

  • 20 days until Elvis On Tour 75th Anniversary Celebration theater event
  • 25 days until Elvis On Tour Blu-ray and DVD releases

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For more information:

One Night: More Elvis On Tour Theater Event and Blu-Ray Details

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Elvis On Tour Countdown: 26 days to theater event, 1 month to Blu

The Mystery Train Elvis Blog didn’t even exist yet when I first posted in January about Elvis On Tour coming to Blu-ray over on my sci-fi blog. Now, over six months later, the Blu-ray release of the Golden Globe winner for best documentary of 1972 is just a month away. The film, featuring Elvis on stage and off during the spring of that year, makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut on August 3 from Warner Home Video.

What I never could have predicted back then is that in even less time than that, fans here in the United States will be able to experience the Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration in theaters across the country. Only 26 days away, the event will feature the entire Elvis On Tour movie as recently restored and remastered for high definition, as well as an introduction by Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley and never-before-seen footage. Sponsored by Fathom Events, Warner Home Video, and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration hits theaters one night only on July 29.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending two Fathom events before. The first, and most spectacular, was a special edit of ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special to promote the deluxe edition DVD release. I was born in 1975, so I never had a chance to see Elvis in concert. Not only that, but I had never even seen him on the big screen in a movie theater. Fathom Events changed that with this incredible presentation. As an Elvis fan, it was a night I’ll never forget – the closest I’ll ever come to seeing him live.

I’m sure Elvis On Tour will feel much the same way. In fact, if I was born 10 or 15 years earlier, I very well may have attended a concert or two from that very tour, which had stops in my home state.

Be sure to check out Warner Home Video’s www.elvisthemovies.com, which is currently promoting Elvis On Tour and will soon have downloads and a photo gallery.

In case you missed them, here are some of the previous posts on Elvis On Tour from The Mystery Train:

Elvis on stage in 1972 during production of Elvis On Tour

Elvis on stage in 1972 during production of Elvis On Tour

See below for a full press release with even more Elvis On Tour details. Note that it mentions “Teddy Bear,” “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” none of which are actually in the original Elvis On Tour movie and, thus, may be part of the “never-before-seen footage” portion of the event. We’ll find out on July 29.

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Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration to Hit Big Screens Nationwide for Exclusive One-Night Event with Never-Before-Seen Footage This July

NCM Fathom, Warner Home Video and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Bring Golden Globe®- Winning Concert Documentary to Select Movie Theaters on July 29th featuring Exclusive Segments with Priscilla Presley

Centennial, Colo. – June 30, 2010 – Commemorating the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, Warner Home Video, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and NCM Fathom are teaming up to present Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration special in-theater event that celebrates the timeless music of the rock ‘n’ roll icon. The event, featuring remastered film footage shot with The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll ™ on tour and in concert, will be broadcast to more than 460 select movie theaters on Thursday, July 29th at 7:00 p.m. local time.  In addition, this exclusive event will feature performances and interviews from the 1972 Golden Globe® Best Documentary winner, “Elvis on Tour,” and a specially-produced, exclusive retrospective from Priscilla Presley.  Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration includes never-before-seen Elvis tour footage as well as montage sequences produced by Academy Award®-winning director Martin Scorsese that showcase The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s early career and movies.

Tickets for Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration are available at participating box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the website (theaters and participants may be subject to change).

Since Elvis’s passing, Priscilla Presley has helped keep his legacy alive as an advocate for his music and as the founder of Elvis Presley Enterprises. As someone who knew the king better than almost anyone, her introduction at the beginning of the event promises to express the depth to which Elvis touched the lives of not just those who knew him, but the whole world.

“I was thrilled when I heard fans will be gathering in theaters across America on July 29 for this Elvis experience, and again in August during Elvis Week in Memphis,” said Priscilla Presley. “Those of us who witnessed Elvis in concert know how incredible it was to see him performing live. Now, through this in-theater event and DVD, millions more will get to experience that magic.”

“Elvis on Tour,” Elvis’ last film before his death in 1977, follows The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll as he embarked on a 15-city U.S. tour in April 1972.  More than 25 performances spotlight Elvis’ talent, range and showmanship in captivating on-stage performances and intimate backstage rehearsals with his band.  Shot with multi-cameras and presented in a split-screen format similar to “Woodstock” the movie, “Elvis on Tour” combines concert, rehearsal and backstage footage to provide all the excitement of having a front-row seat at the show. Concert performances include “Burning Love,” “Don’t be Cruel,” “Teddy Bear,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and many more favorites.

Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration also features Elvis’ infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and his first performance of “Burning Love,” which was so new, he referred to the lyric sheet during the song.

“Elvis is an American pop culture icon and lives on in the hearts of millions and will return to the silver screen for a command performance at this historic event,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “Elvis fans of all ages can experience The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll again in this restored and stunning presentation of the award-winning music documentary.”

Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration will appear in 467 select U.S. movie theaters, including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements, Rave Motion Pictures and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as Bainbridge 5 (Seattle, WA), The Carolina (Asheville, NC), The Grand Theatre (Bismarck, ND), the Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT), Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA) and El Raton Theatre (Raton, NM) through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

During Elvis Week events in August of 2010, a special screening will also take place at The Orpheum Theater in Memphis, the same movie house Elvis frequented as a teenager. Tickets to the Elvis Week showing in Memphis are available by going to www.ElvisWeek.com.

“Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection,” available from Warner Home Video on August 3, features 17 of The King of Rock ‘n Roll’s films, including the new “Elvis on Tour” and fan favorites “Jailhouse Rock” and “Viva Las Vegas.” Visit the Warner Home Video official website http://www.elvisthemovies.com/ for more information on events and products.

About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater network covers 171 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes approximately 17,100 screens (15,500 digital). During 2009, approximately 680 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters currently included in NCM’s network (excluding Consolidated Theatres). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing approximately 40 entertainment-related web sites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 38.3% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.fathomevents.com.

About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.elvis.com . EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (www.ckx.com), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market® under the ticker symbol CKXE.

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Original image and press release courtesy of Goodman Media International, Inc. Used with permission.

Elvis On Tour: The Official Audio Releases

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Elvis On Tour (1972)

Elvis On Tour (1972)

This is an updated re-posting of an item I first placed on my sci fi/pop culture blog back in January – prior to rolling out The Mystery Train Elvis Blog.

Warner Home Video is releasing Elvis On Tour on Blu-ray and DVD on August 3. The MGM movie features Elvis on the road and in rehearsals in the spring of 1972.

Sandwiched between 1970’s colossal That’s The Way It Is and 1973’s Aloha From Hawaii, the Golden-Globe-winning documentary often seems to be overlooked among Elvis events.

At the time, Elvis On Tour ultimately did not even garner a soundtrack album release – trumped by the As Recorded At Madison Square Garden and Aloha live albums.

Nevertheless, Elvis On Tour shows Elvis in good form, with the effects of his marriage problems with Priscilla only beginning to show their toll. It is a well-assembled film, capturing an important moment in the entertainer’s life. The second documentary produced about him, Elvis On Tour also represents Elvis’ 33rd and final completed movie.

When Warner Home Video remade That’s The Way It Is in 2000, RCA/BMG released a corresponding boxed set of audio material recorded during the filming of the movie. There have since been a number of other That’s The Way It Is themed audio releases.

Since the record label also recorded many of the rehearsals and concerts during the filming of Elvis On Tour, it seems likely that this Blu-ray release will open the floodgates for related audio material.

To celebrate the Blu-ray release, this is one of a series of Elvis On Tour related posts this year. Today, I want to take a look back at what has been officially released to this point on audio from the material recorded for this movie.

Most of these performances were not used in the actual film, though some were. Believe it or not, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the audio recordings made for Elvis On Tour. 2010 may turn out to be a very good year indeed for Elvis fans.

This Is Elvis (1981)
Always On My Mind (Rehearsal)
An American Trilogy (Live-April 9, 1972, Hampton Roads, Virginia)

Amazing Grace (1994)
Bosom of Abraham (Rehearsal)
I, John (Rehearsal)
Lead Me, Guide Me (Rehearsal)
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus/Nearer My God To Thee (Rehearsal)
You Better Run (Rehearsal)

From The Heart (1998)
Separate Ways (Rehearsal)

6363 Sunset (2001)
A Big Hunk O’ Love (Rehearsal)
All Shook Up (Rehearsal)
Heartbreak Hotel (Rehearsal)
See See Rider (Rehearsal)
Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel (Rehearsal)
Until It’s Time For You To Go (Rehearsal)

Close Up: Live In Texas 1972 (2002)
(Live-April 18, 1972, San Antonio, Texas)
All Shook Up
An American Trilogy
Burning Love
Can’t Help Falling In Love
For The Good Times
Funny How Time Slips Away
Heartbreak Hotel
Hound Dog
How Great Thou Art
I Can’t Stop Loving You
Love Me
Love Me Tender
Never Been To Spain
Polk Salad Annie
Proud Mary
See See Rider
Suspicious Minds
Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
Until It’s Time For You To Go
You Gave Me A Mountain

Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals (2005)
A Big Hunk O’ Love
Burning Love
For The Good Times
Funny How Time Slips Away
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Hound Dog
Johnny B. Goode
Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
Love Me
Never Been To Spain
Polk Salad Annie
Proud Mary
Release Me
See See Rider
Separate Ways
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Young And Beautiful

(The Elvis Session Notes by Oven Egeland site was a valuable resource in compiling this information.)