Review by Piers Beagley - Elvis Information Network
For Elvis 1974 was an emotionally turbulent year. This was his sixth year singing to the Las Vegas casino audiences, still doing two shows a night, and he was really feeling the loss of Priscilla.
The dinner shows were beginning to bore him (people rattling cutlery) and who could blame him? Yet this inner turmoil helped produce the most fascinating Las Vegas season of his career. He gave some of his longest performances and with an incredibly varied set-list.
The season started with some exceptionally good shows, yet somehow Elvis managed to hit an all-time low by September. However, when he was in a good mood, his voice sounded better than ever and the shows were excellent.
RCA must have kicked themselves because Elvis, for the last time, introduced a new set list here, yet they had only just released the “regular” set on the March Live on Stage in Memphis LP.
On opening night, Elvis bravely dropped many of his standard repertoire introducing a bunch of new songs and great oldies like 'Down In The Alley'. Sadly the audience just wanted the same old fare and showed lacklustre response and by Show 2 Elvis had gone back to his basic set list.
Opening night is featured on the Nevada Nights FTD.
Beforehand, Elvis arrived on August 12 at RCA’s Hollywood studio to begin several days of rehearsals for the first scheduled show on August 19. These are the focus of the FTD From Sunset To Las Vegas.
This concert is the eleventh of the season. 'C.C. Rider', 'I Got A Woman', 'Love Me' and 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know)' are all ok versions where Elvis is warming up, but track 5 is where the real interest starts. Elvis has already announced that he'd like to swing on a vine, like Tarzan, to get up to the balcony so you know he's on good form!
'It's Midnight' was recorded the previous December, but had only just been released and Elvis mentions it as his new single. His voice is warmed up by now and he sings a lovely, affectionate and deliberate version.
'Big Boss Man' sounds fine (thankfully a newly introduced song that he didn't drop) and a great 'Fever' follows. Elvis has a lot of fun with the words (which works!) and is obviously having fun on stage - After the line "She said Daddy oh don't you dare".. he sings "She had a deep voice" (instead of "He gives me Fever") - clever, and it fits perfectly!
'The Wonder Of You' is rare for 1974 and Elvis confuses the band by coming in late.
'Softly As I Leave You' is a delicious version and you can hear the really appreciative audience response. 'Spanish Eyes' is a nice surprise with Elvis and Sherrill Neilsen duetting - and it is a real highlight. This would be the very last time Elvis sang this song on stage - and the only time he sang the song in this whole season!
I even like the version of 'Hound Dog' that follows where Elvis plays delightfully with the start (you can really hear the echo of the showroom) and the band play it funkier than usual.
'You Gave Me A Mountain' is fascinating as in '74 Elvis was certainly struggling with a few ‘mountains’ of his own. This makes it very relevant and an interesting listen - In the final show (the Desert Storm bootleg) Elvis denied that this song had anything to do with his personal life, but then directly sings it to Priscilla!
'Polk Salad Annie' follows, a song he never seemed to tire of - (but what a shame he didn't do 'Promised Land' that night)
However Elvis is in a chatty mood and for once even the 'Introductions' are fascinating! Elvis explains to the audience how he and Red climbed over fences to paint the Showroom's “Fat, funky angels” black! This nicely shows that the wild boy spirit of the ‘50s was still within him. There is also some more funny dialogue where Elvis laughs and, believe it or not, mentions “Stay-free” pads and explains what he uses for nosebleeds!
He then slams into another gem, the funky and excellent 'If You Talk In Your Sleep'. This was his last single released in the USA at the time (it made the Top 20) and the band do a great call and response, making it a real highlight of the CD (funkier and better than the Live in Las Vegas version). At this point the original tape ran out and the CD is completed with the August 29 dinner show.
'Why Me Lord' and '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’/‘Don't Be Cruel' are given the regular work-outs but we are back on track with a great version of 'How Great Thou Art', done very well. This song understandably won him a Grammy in 1974 and shows off his beautiful, rich voice.
Elvis also introduced Olivia Newton John's songs 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know)' and 'Let Me Be There' into his shows in 1974, not my favourites I admit, but Elvis is really enjoying himself and adds a reprise to 'Let Me Be There'.
Sung "for my Daddy" 'Early Mornin’ Rain' is sadly incomplete, but it is a great version. (Oddly at this point the CD and cover track listing begins to differ by one track).
As we head to the end Elvis explains that The Hilton only liked him to perform for fifty-five minutes but that he's been on for one hour and twenty minutes already and he's going to sing some more!
'Hawaiian Wedding Song' is a lovely duet and there's more great banter before the final 'Can't Help Falling In Love'. Here Elvis talks about his suit and his diamond rings - "You helped pay for them"!! - all in a friendly tease with the audience and he honestly explains that he loves being on stage as it's "My life blood and I love it".
Verdict - Overall, maybe we don't need more average versions of his oldies and later Las Vegas shows never carried the sparkle you could hear in response from the larger audiences (Dixieland Rocks). However, at eighty minutes, this is an amazingly packed CD with an interesting selection of songs, as well as some great dialogue which captures Elvis in 1974 in a far more satisfying way than CD4 of the Live in Las Vegas box-set.
