Review by Armond Joseph & Piers Beagley - Elvis Information Network
Las Vegas, season six, ran from January 26 through February 23 1972. Elvis was in great shape both physically and vocally, and he was once again serious about performing. Some critics noted that the oldies were delivered at lightning speed; and all the songs, both new and old, were executed back to back without Elvis hardly saying a word between them to the audience. Billboard magazine however characterized the season best by saying, "The tight, fast paced, just long enough show had no weak spots, well worth the showroom’s minimum. Presley gave the audience what they came to see."
RCA was also there to do some multi-track recordings from February 14-17, for a live album that was to be titled, Standing Room Only. A combination of new songs from seasons five and six, ‘You Gave Me A Mountain’, ‘Never Been To Spain’, ‘The Impossible Dream’, ‘It’s Impossible’, ‘It’s Over‘, and ‘An American Trilogy’ were coupled with new interpretations of ‘Hound Dog’, ‘A Big Hunk O’ Love‘ and ‘Little Sister’/‘Get Back’ for what would’ve been a great live album.
On the opening night, January 26 1972, Elvis also premiered 'I'll Remember You', as well as this being the first time that Elvis used 'C.C. Rider' as his opening number - although coincidentally it had been used as the first track on his On Stage LP. Also included were 'Polk Salad Annie', 'Proud Mary' and 'Suspicious Minds' so the set-list was one of Elvis' very best.
The Standing Room Only album although advertised on the jacket of the An American Trilogy single "for summer release," never saw the light of day.
It was first held back when RCA considered changing course in order to release a soundtrack of the On Tour documentary film, but that too was canned when it was finally decided that a rush job of the recording made at Madison Square Garden in June of 1972 would be the next live album.
Other than the ‘An American Trilogy’ single released in 1972, the live recording of 'It's Impossible' was released in 1973 on the album titled Elvis and the rest of the recordings remained officially "in the vault," until after Elvis’ death. Subsequently, some of the recordings made for Standing Room Only have appeared on various RCA releases, most notably on the excellent compilation CD Burning Love (1999). To date, FTD’s An American Trilogy serves as the most complete representation of what was to be the Standing Room Only album. Given its history, it would’ve been appropriate for FTD to give this release that honorary title.
There are twenty-four tracks in all. The seventeen songs that make up the main body of this release are multi-track, real stereo recordings! Tracks 10-14 are previously released, and they mysteriously sound flat on this CD in comparison to the other releases of the same tracks found on Walk A Mile In My Shoes - The Essential '70's Masters, Burning Love and Inspirational, (which has an incredible mix of ‘The Impossible Dream‘ by audio wizard Vic Anesini).
The rocking new 1972 version of ‘A Big Hunk O’ Love‘ was also recently released on the Writing For The King FTD package. The lesser mix of the previously released tracks not withstanding, you’re treated to twelve totally new tracks (not counting the bonus tracks) of what is arguably some of Elvis’ best work on stage. Furthermore Elvis was accompanied by a full orchestra, (sadly not always the case, especially later on) which gives every song added depth and an "in studio" quality. Just listen to the string section on ‘It’s Impossible’ and you’ll know what I mean.
There are songs from each recorded concert performance, with the majority being from the midnight show on February 15. Except for a couple of edits, the sound engineer seamlessly combines the songs to give the feel of a complete concert. However, the sound level drops considerably in spots, which is noticeable when the CD is played at a lower volume. Some basic normalizing may have resolved that minor problem.
The songs are well known, so I won’t "introduce them to you individually." However, as expected, Elvis was more inspired by the newer songs and of course these early arrangements are different, often more subtle, than the final more "regular" versions that we are used to. It is worth noting Elvis' extremely gentle approach to 'You Gave Me A Mountain' where he adds a special touch @02.00 to his "She took my pride and my joy, she took my reason for living". Similarly on these early versions of 'An American Trilogy', Elvis joins in during the Stamps solo from the line "Take my stand" - again it's a lovely understated version. Characteristic of the overall period, Elvis' on stage banter is almost non-existent with Elvis showing little audience interaction and without his usual happy jokes - a point accentuated on this CD by the absence of the band introductions (they were probably not recorded).
There is also no doubt that other things were on Elvis' mind. With Priscilla leaving Elvis for good only four weeks previously, and taking Lisa Marie with her to Los Angeles, his world had been emotionally rocked. While Elvis had been having a relationship with Joyce Bova and others it wasn't until August that he would meet Linda Thompson. With Elvis' personal turmoil in mind, it is his interpretation of the emotional ballads that really captures his mood at the time.
'It's Impossible' is of course so familiar to us from this released performance that it is fascinating to realise that this was the last time Elvis would ever sing it. This was his only version from this Vegas season and yet he had been performing it since August 1971.
Similarly 'It's Over', which Elvis had started singing in the summer of 1971, was only performed a handful times in 1972 and only once in this season. Although we are so familiar with the song from Elvis' 1973 Aloha performances, again Elvis only sang it a four times that year and never returned to it again.
Elvis has some trouble with a slight cough during the lead in to ‘Hound Dog’, (the infamous Vegas throat?) and he is obviously irritated with himself when he messes up ‘It’s Impossible’. This false start has not been released before and it is a fascinating bonus. "Blew it, Blew it! Go back, go back, go back... Start the son-of-a-bitch over," is Elvis' statement just prior to the well known, beautiful rendition of this song.
This was also the first season that Elvis began using the 2001 opening theme (’Also Sprach Zarathustra’) followed by the brilliant start of 'C.C. Rider' and it packs a punch. So if you’re a fan of Elvis circa 1972 (my personal favorite Elvis period) you
will really enjoy this CD. Except for minor sound inconsistencies, the stereo quality pars with RCA’s An Afternoon In The Garden, Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, and the fourth disc of Elvis - Close Up, (a complete concert from April 1972).
The only real downside to this CD is paying again for previously released tracks; something which seems to be counter-intuitive to the mission of the FTD label. I’d of rather had more unreleased songs from the recorded dates, even if they were repeats, than having five songs that were previously released (and in superior mix elsewhere).
The CD is rounded off by seven (only available on a bootleg until now) bonus tracks from the soundboard recording of the season opening show, January 26. The sound quality on the bonus tracks is less than average for a soundboard, but good enough. ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ is a highlight - with Sammy Davis Jr. leading a standing ovation. Elvis' very first version of 'I'll Remember You' is also delightful in its simplicity - and this time dedicated to singer Don Ho.
The original 2001 bootleg Opening Night (January 26 1972) has always been a fan favourite so is a shame that the two stunning debuts of both 'You Gave Me A Mountain' (sung even more delicately and with a lighter arrangement still) and 'An American Trilogy' (where Elvis sings very softly at the start with his vocal slowly building up through the song) have been missed out. With space to spare - and with tracks repeated elsewhere on other FTDs - this seems a missed opportunity.
As for the artwork, FTD continues with its minimalist, "less is more" approach. And while the cover photo is impressive with Elvis nicely framed in the blackness, seemingly alone and singing emotionally from the heart - the pictures are actually from the later August 1972 Summer Festival, the same as the Summer Festival FTD!
This January/February season was very different in that Elvis for once took a break from the jumpsuits and wore his very cool looking multi-coloured paisley shirts with stylish trousers.
There are some great Ed Bonja photos from the time, so it seems ridiculous to place this January/February concert CD within the incorrect setting by using a summer picture.
Verdict
This Las Vegas concert season was an all-important step as Elvis headed towards his On Tour filmed performances and finally to Madison Square Garden. So with the plethora of poor quality soundboards, audience recordings and trash that floods today’s Elvis market, having a (mostly) previously unreleased, professionally recorded Elvis concert from 1972 makes An American Trilogy worth the price. It is one of the better releases by FTD in a while, and it is refreshing to be pleased once again by a new Elvis CD.
