Review by Oven Egeland - Elvis In Norway
A Milestone!
Through the years, Elvis fans have asked for a soundboard recording to be released officially. Sure we have had many decent bootlegs containing such material, but never from BMG since 1980 (Elvis Aron Presley). Now twenty years later, BMG finally decides to release a concert recording from the mixing console.
One can only thank and congratulate BMG for this decision! Eventually, I guess there was no other way around this matter. If BMG should be able to maintain the rather high frequency of new releases, the large amount of soundboard recordings had to be used, on way or the other.
What about BMG then...can they "compete" with the bootleggers on quality and sound mixing? Judging from this release, they can. However, it is not a masterpiece production. Look at the front cover, and you will immediately understand that! It is actually also a bit strange that BMG decided to release a recording from 1976 as the debut. The year 1976 does not offer Elvis in his prime, rather the opposite! However, most soundboards from 1976 have great sound quality. And this is important, after all!
There is one performance that makes up for all the waiting, all the flaws at the rest of the concert, and lousy cover work - 'Danny Boy'! Listen to this song, and your previous disappointments are washed away. It is the ultimate surprise, and a breathtaking delivery!
A closer look:
The concert begins right in the middle of the opening riff. Elvis throws himself into a mediocre version of 'C.C. Rider'. This one is lifted from a soundboard recording two days before Tucson, namely Odessa, May 30 1976. I suppose 'C.C. Rider' from the Tucson concert was not recorded. I cannot understand why BMG decided not to include also the opening number, 'Also Sprach Zarathustra'. I find this number so essential; without it I never really get the right "concert mood".
OK, the total running time is over 74 minutes already, so there might not be a place for it... It is all a matter of giving priority. I certainly prefer 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' to the drum solo by Ronnie Tutt, or other band solos!
The sound on the numbers from Odessa is very different from the sound on the Tucson concert. VERY different! Strange that BMG did not find a soundboard tape with a similar sound to the Tucson tape. When the CD goes from 'C.C. Rider', then right over to 'I Got A Woman' it sounds unnatural. The fact that BMG decided not to include Elvis' "well, well, well" monologue before this last song, makes it even more artificial! Sloppy work there, BMG!
The Tucson concert reminds very much about the one Elvis held in Memphis one month later. Not only Elvis’ performance, but also the sound picture. A bit hollow, narrow and flat, though still very clear! Overall, the sound quality on this disc is very good, but not as fresh as on, for example, Luxor's and DAE's releases. I doubt that BMG spent much time on the mixing of this release, but the source seems good.
The mentioned 'I Got A Woman’/’Amen' holds no surprises. Neither does 'Love Me' nor 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know)' (or "If you love me let me go" as Elvis names the song).
'You Gave Me A Mountain' is a typical "1976 version". Unfortunately BMG has not managed to remove the terrible voice of Bill Baize at the end of the song. Jeez...he is way out, this guy! If I said that the medley sequence was the best part of the concert, would you believe me? Probably not! Well, it isn't either... Standard delivery this day also, but Elvis also sings a few seconds of 'When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again'!
'And I Love You So' is performed a bit slower than usual, otherwise nothing to report. 'Jailhouse Rock'...Yeah right!
Nice that Elvis sung 'Help Me' this evening. Unfortunately, the tempo is excessively slow. It sounds a bit off-key when performed at this tempo. A disappointment!
'Fever' is as usual. Elvis rarely did a bad performance of this song. Today's version holds no surprises in any direction. Finally, the tempo is raised a bit: 'Polk Salad Annie' is a great song in any version. This particular version is a refreshing contribution to the show. After this Elvis goes into the introduction of the band... or does he? There is an edit right after 'Polk Salad Annie', and I wonder if BMG has removed a song or two...Perhaps ‘America’ is edited out? I don't know, but it seems the CD is tampered with after 'Polk Salad Annie'.
Sorry to say BMG has decided not to sequence the introduction of the band to several CD-tracks. This means that track number 13 runs for thirteen and a half minutes, and contains 'Early Mornin’ Rain', ‘What'd I Say’, 'Love Letters' and 'School Days'. I wonder why they have done it this way. After all it is nice to be able to select the song you want to hear without much "work". Anyway, the actual band introduction is coherent and partly fun. Not too drawn out, as it could be sometimes.
'Love Letters' is not from Tucson, rather from Odessa (like 'C.C. Rider'). BMG probably found this to be a better version than the Tucson version. If so, it certainly says a few things about the Tucson version of the song. The version on this CD is bloody awful! It is so slow and painful that you wish you could speed it up while playing it. The sound quality on this Odessa number is not as good as on 'C.C. Rider' (recorded some hours earlier on the afternoon concert), however it is still good!
Elvis sings two versions of 'Hurt' this day. Both are very typical for summer 1976! I'm not quite sure I follow Tony Brown's piano playing, though. However, Elvis does two good deliveries of this "stunt".
'Burning Love' is a nice addition to an otherwise predictable set list. However, it is predictable that Elvis forgets the lyrics to the song! Another nice addition is also 'Help Me Make It Through The Night'. This is a good performance. Unfortunately, it is only one verse long when Elvis decides to conclude it. A pity!
Then - the core essence of this concert - and probably the ONLY reason for releasing this otherwise mediocre concert...'Danny Boy'. The reason that Elvis sings this song, is because of a request he gets from the audience for 'The Last Farewell', or any other song from his new album (From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee). Elvis starts singing 'Danny Boy' almost by instinct, though he is not fully aware that this song was on the same album as 'The Last Farewell'. It ends up as a breathtaking performance. One word...ELVIS! This song alone is worth the price of the whole release, there is no doubt about it!
After this, Elvis throws away 'Hound Dog'. Then it is time for lights to be turned on, and a look at the audience before ending the show with 'Funny How Time Slips Away' and 'Can't Help Falling In Love'.
Final notes
This release is in many ways a milestone. Not that the concert is great (rather the opposite), but the fact that BMG finally decided to release a soundboard recording. Hopefully - and most likely - more will follow. A bit strange that BMG chose to release a concert from 1976, but as said, I guess it all depends on one song: 'Danny Boy'.
BMG's editing of 'C.C. Rider' and 'Love Letters' does not impress me, though. It would have made more sense to use versions from other soundboards where the sound picture was more or less the same as on the main concert. The sound mix on 'C.C. Rider' is way off the rest of the concert. On the other hand, I would like a complete release of the Odessa show, too. I rather like the up-front keyboard sound!
Well, I guess we must wait in anticipation for the next soundboard release from BMG. Support this one, and it will definitely come!
