Review by Geoffrey McDonnell
Elvis' second tour of 1977 kicked off in Tempe, Arizona on March 23. He had just returned from his final vacation in Hawaii and was hopefully rested and recuperated.
This previously unreleased March 24 Amarillo concert was the second concert in the two-week tour and hopefully Elvis would be in better form than was often the case in 1977. In fact, Felton Jarvis started recording some songs professionally for the Moody Blue album from Norman, Oklahoma the very next day.
The new Amarillo ‘77 FTD focuses on this second tour and includes eleven bonus tracks, creating a very packed CD.
The cover sports a picture from Austin, Texas on 28 March 1977! In his King of Spades Suit he wore alternately during this tour with the Mexican Sundial Suit.
Anyhow it shows how Elvis related to the audience and he certainly takes to the audience with much banter on 24 March 1977 show.
Inside are three shots of Elvis on stage at the Abilene March 27 show, and it looks like Marty Harrell (who replaced Joe Guercio on several 1977 tours) behind Ronnie Tutt conducting.
Behind the CD tray and on the back of the CD we see pictures of Elvis in Tempe, Arizona on the first day of the tour March 23 and not looking good with very puffy eyes.
The actual CD compilation comprises (mostly) songs from the Amarillo show on March 24, but including bonus songs completely fills up the CD space, all seventy-nine minutes, with thirty different songs from his March tour.
The five mono soundboards used here for the CD are all decent sounding in the mix of Elvis’ vocal up-front, then vocalists and band members behind. A pleasing mix for the listener on this FTD.
Of the bonus tracks, two songs, ‘Tryin' To Get To You’ from Abilene on March 27, and ‘Fever’ from Alexandria on March 30, have been heard before on the multi-track Spring Tours ‘77 FTD. This is a little strange, to create a whole “new” CD - why didn’t we get ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ from Norman on March 25 and either ‘Love Me Tender’ from Norman on March 26 or ‘Fever’ from Austin on March 28? Anyway, that’s a very small complaint about this really well put together CD that truly DOES represent Elvis during his March 1977 Tour.
It was three years since his last Amarillo show and tonight he appeared in front of 7,389 Fans.
The soundboard from Amarillo is incomplete, missing at least ‘C.C. Rider’ and ‘I Got a Woman’/‘Amen’ and if you believe the newspaper review (?), then maybe ‘Love Me Tender’ as well? The sound is not bad and with Elvis up-front, the singers, then the band, all audible.
‘That’s All Right’, which kicks off the CD is a similar sort of good version to the Elvis In Concert version from June 21 and I liked it (apart from the start not being recorded).
Elvis then engages with the fans and says his mouth feels like "a cotton-patch back home"! He then jokes about a female fan in the audience wanting his cup - "I'm not wearing one" he jests.
However, although he sounds in fine form, as soon as he starts ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ it reminded me of the error he made in his Charlotte, February 21 1977 show as he embarrassingly had to be fed the words to the song. He forgets the words and even hums the tune (reacting to a fan‘s suggestion) before starting it for a second time.
Once he starts, he gets the first part right, except that doing his “Gay” routine with Charlie Hodge, misses the last line before the “spoken part”. The spoken part is awful when, if Elvis is not laughing, he’s missing the words out and changes them such as “Kiss You” changed to "Kicked You" - and he also doesn’t sound anywhere near as good vocally as the Rapid City version. To be honest, I was extremely thankful when he ended his worst ever performed version - that makes both Norman on March 26 1977 and Rapid City on June 21 1977 versions sound “not bad” at all by comparison. Also a bit of hiss is heard in the quiet parts on the soundboard.
Then Elvis attempts to start ‘Reconsider Baby’, "We did a blues song" before losing interest and chatting with the audience (what a crying shame! If only the crowd hadn't distracted him), before eventually singing ‘Love Me’, which is better.
‘If You Love Me (Let Me Know)’ (or "let me know or move it", as Elvis says) is fair, ’You Gave Me A Mountain’ is better - even average, as Elvis puts some extra power into the ending, causing fan screams. ‘Jailhouse Rock’ that follows is just about “passable”, considering it is 1977.
‘O Sole Mio’/‘It's Now or Never’ is ok and the next one - ‘Little Sister’ - is quite good! Elvis then stops and starts Tony Brown on the ‘(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’/’Don’t Be Cruel’ medley "That's the first time you have ever been late" which is forgettable, as per usual.
‘My Way’, which is performed next, before the intros, truly shows us that Elvis is sounding NOT drugged or slurred (as some have suggested), but basically just worn-out and tired; sounding weak and lacking his usual power. The tiredness in his voice adds a sadness and emphasis - lending the song a very different emotion to the earlier 1973 versions. The crowd certainly give Elvis a rapturous reaction.
The introductions are next up, but are actually from the Abilene show on March 27 (presumably the Amarillo tape was stopped) and Elvis sounds a bit better here.
‘Early Mornin’ Rain’ is fair, ‘What'd I Say’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ are passable. Ronnie Tutt played really well on this whole tour and his solo here is outstanding - and you can hear Elvis' appreciation! Bobby Ogdin also seems like he’s fun and trying his best as a “newbie” on this tour. Jerry Scheff plays his ‘Battle of New Orleans’ bass solo - with Elvis saying "I like that ending".
And Marty Harrell plays ‘School Day’.
Back to Amarillo. Disappointingly ‘Hurt’ is only a fair version. And, despite being loud at the ending, Elvis sounds like he is struggling at times. ‘Hound Dog’ is completely forgettable!
At the end of the show Elvis mentions that he has appreciated the good audience and also apologised for being late due to a "little personal problem"!?
‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ is fair and it’s clear that Elvis did enjoy himself during this show, but one wonders about the press and fans who labelled the show as "He's fat and 42, but he's still got it," and Missy Turner, who got a white scarf from the show, remembers Elvis as "swollen"
It is worth noting that Elvis was no doubt unwell and he should not have been on stage, since he had to cancel the last four shows of the tour. No wonder he was worn-out. And supposedly slept twenty-four hours upon being treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
The bonus tracks? Well, so far really only ‘That’s All Right’ and ‘Little Sister’ stood out as good performances, so what do the bonus tracks offer?
We start with four from Alexandria on March 30 with Elvis disgruntled with his sound engineers Bruce Jackson and Felton Jarvis before ‘And I Love You So’ - in which Elvis changes the lines to “how bad the sound has been” (which gets Elvis giggling). It’s NOT a good performance. ‘Fever' is actually very good (but then I already knew that from hearing it on the Spring Tours ’77 FTD!), both ‘Love me Tender’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ are instantly forgettable performances; and then it’s on to Austin, Texas on March 28 for two more unheard performances.
‘Steamroller Blues’ is “super rare” being his only and last-ever version in 1977 and it’s a decent version with a bit of fire at the end. It was a highlight and great it was captured on soundboard.
‘Help Me’ next, pales compared to the Ann Arbor version one month later.
Four gospel performances are next from Alexandria on March 29 and these are ok as Elvis breaks up J.D. Sumner on ‘Why Me Lord’, and although the medley of ‘Bosom of Abraham’ and ‘You Better Run’ is a nice addition, this third live performance is easily the least good one. It is worth adding that while this pairing was also sung once in 1975 and 1976, this is the only official release of this live pairing.
‘How Great Thou Art’ is ok (apart from Elvis shouting out "Dammit") and a so-so performance of ‘Tryin' To Get To You’ from Abilene on March 27 - the only time Elvis would sing this song on this tour - finishes off this packed CD.
Overall Verdict
Having heard this tour represented here, one sadly realises this isn’t as good a CD as the Spring Tours ‘77 FTD CD because the performances are weaker. No ‘Polk Salad Annie’, ‘Unchained Melody’ and really it’s only ‘How Great Thou Art’, ‘My Way’ or ‘Hurt’ as the powerful songs left. Elvis getting back to basic guitar songs in about half of the shows is what makes this March tour memorable, and yet unfortunately ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ nearly ruins the whole Amarillo show - it’s that bad!
Hearing his performances it's clear why RCA had no choice to save ‘Little Darlin’ and ‘Unchained Melody’ from the next better tour. This tour may be the only one he didn’t have a female companion with him and he seems much worse in overall health because of this. Not sleeping much, he sounds tired most of the time and simply worn out. I wonder whether this tour was Elvis’s worst overall 1977 tour? Still this is Elvis and it’s how he was during the March 1977 tour. Thank you FTD for giving us the chance to listen!
