giovedì 2 aprile 2009

Free Download: ELVIS PRESLEY - Las Vegas, 13 Agosto 1970


Un soundboard in mono per il "dinner show" di Elvis Presley all'International Hotel di Las Vegas, 13 Agosto 1970. Qui di seguito alcune note (in inglese, non avevo tempo per tradurle) che vi aiuteranno a contestualizzare meglio la preziosa registrazione, tuttora inedita. In linea generale, sappiate che, in quella estate, il Re si esibì per una serie di concerti a Las Vegas, dai quali venne ricavato il documentario "Elvis - That's The Way It Is":

Michael Jackson will be performing 50 shows at London’s 02 Arena. Almost 40 years ago, Elvis’ manager The Colonel decided to move his “boy” to Las Vegas and stick him in the desert oasis to perform night after night for a sit-down dining audience. The bold move made Elvis and The Colonel rich. It also made Elvis dependent on The Colonel. No one else in Elvis’ entourage had the Colonel’s enterprise.
To top that bold move, The Colonel decided to film all the shows from August 10 to August 13, a total of six shows [the final midnight show on August 13 was never recorded or filmed]. The purpose was to show Elvis claiming back the crown as King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. And, of course, to make even more money from the film and soundtrack.
Each show starts with a quick run of catalog hits - Elvis hollers the intro to Hound Dog like he was saying “I still am the one”. Just as quickly, he displays his continuing ability to sing hits when he performs a slew of current singles like In The Ghetto, I Can’t Stop Loving You, I’ve Lost You and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. Not a filler in sight.
For this August 13 dinner show, Elvis offers even more. This is among the longer shows in the boxset and includes The Wonder Of You and then another section of his early hits Blue Suede Shoes, One Night and All Shook Up and finally cruises to the climax with Bridge Over Troubled Waters, the country pop Suspicious Minds and his signature tune to close the show, Can’t Help Falling In Love. It would also be the format for all his shows to come.
This show together with another five have recently been released as a 6CD-3DVD set by International Records. Three of the shows have been shared on the net by RamesesII who said:
“These are the three missing soundboards from the new That’s The Way It Is Complete Works box set. They have never been released by BMG. Why is a mystery, as they are wonderful recordings. They were very kindly copied from the original CDs by Aussiemick a very generous Elvis fan who spent a lot of money to buy this set. A huge thank you to him and also for his permission to torrent these recordings.”
Three of the shows Aug 10, Aug 11 [midnight show] and Aug 12 [midnight show] have all been officially released in stereo. Hopefully some day, Elvis’ record label will decide to release stereo versions of these lost soundboard recordings. Altogether, Elvis was in Las Vegas from August 10 to Sept 7 taking a one week break at the end of August.
Generally, the 1970 run of shows in Las Vegas are regarded by fans as his best - a talented man at his prime. Elvis didn’t need to ride an elephant on stage either.

Track 01. Opening Theme (3.8MB)
Track 02. That’s Alright Mama (2.8MB)r
Track 03. I Got A Woman (3.4MB)
Track 04. Hound Dog (3.2MB)
Track 05. Monologue (1.3MB)
Track 06. Love Me Tender (6.2MB)
Track 07. Don’t Cry Daddy (3.5MB)
Track 08. In The Ghetto (3.7MB)
Track 09. I Can’t Stop Loving You (5.2MB)
Track 10. Stranger In The Crowd (5.5MB)
Track 11. Make The World Go Away (4.6MB)
Track 12. Sweet Caroline (4.5MB)
Track 13. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (5.8MB)
Track 14. Polk Salad Annie (7.6MB)
Track 15. Instrumental Break (4.1MB)
Track 16. Introductions (5.0MB)
Track 17. The Wonder Of You (3.6MB)
Track 18. Heartbreak Hotel (2.3MB)
Track 19. Blue Suede Shoes (1.6MB)
Track 20. One Night (2.8MB)
Track 21. All Shook Up (1.6MB)
Track 22. Bridge Over Troubled Water (6.0MB)
Track 23. Suspicious Minds (8.4MB)
Track 24. Can’t Help Falling In Love (3.3MB)

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