Review by Piers Beagley & Geoffrey McDonnell
Mid 1975 has always been a popular period with Elvis fans with Elvis back in fine form and having fun on stage. It was a positive comeback from the emotional roller-coaster of 1974 and before the slide of 1976.
The Dallas June 6 1975 show was the first official soundboard release for fans, featured in the Elvis Aron Presley silver box-set, while Dixieland Rocks from the end of Elvis’ April tour in Murfreesboro was one of the first FTD issued concerts. Since then we have also had Dixieland Delight focusing on Elvis' Huntsville shows and the alternate Southern Nights FTD compilation from this period.
As the Memphis Commercial Appeal noted at the time about the final show…
"It didn't seem to matter what Elvis sang, the audience went wild every time he moved and he made if clear he knew what was turning them on."
Well about thirty-seven years after the concert my FTD arrives and how is it? Through the years we have had two FTD compilations of Southern Nights and Dixieland Delight, so what does a near complete previously unreleased concert offer us we didn’t already have?
Opening the CD case an eight-page booklet is included, featuring photos from this June tour. As a presentation it is ok but nothing more than ok. A positive, however, is that the double-page spread of photos are actually from the concert itself - which were apparently hard to find.
The cover photo appears to be of Elvis wearing my favourite jumpsuit the Indian Feather jumpsuit from the actual show, other photos inside also come from the evening show in Mobile, Alabama on June 2, with one photo on page 4 from the afternoon show in Shreveport. Photos are, however, a bit small.
The bonus tracks are well chosen as highlights from other June shows.
Prior to this FTD release this Shreveport performance was the only show from this twelve-day tour that we had never heard via soundboard or audience recording. Now all but the opening and Shreveport afternoon show have been released on soundboard and all the concerts represent a quality tour with no “bad shows”.
(Note: The June 7 1975 Shreveport afternoon show was issued on the bootleg The Creeping Crud Express which was released after this review was written.)
With the Shreveport soundboard recording missing the concert's start, the opening songs ‘C.C. Rider’ and ‘I Got A Women’/‘Amen’ all come in great sound from the Memphis show of June 10.
The Memphis June 10 closing show concert has been released on bootleg many times before but this is the first time that three tracks from this great show have been released officially.
Being an evening concert, Elvis doesn't need to wake-up, and an energetic 'C.C. Rider' with its playful, soulful ending shows him firing from the start. 'I Got A Woman’/’Amen' is again the punchy short version and Elvis is having fun.
The CD cuts into the Shreveport show right after ‘Amen’ when Elvis remarks that "we blew a speaker".
The soundboard quality is fine and there is hardly any change in the sound quality from the very good indeed Memphis show audio, to more very good indeed! There is a beautifully balanced sound on this release, balancing the band and orchestra, and showcasing the sheer warmth of Elvis - a joy to listen to indeed.
Elvis clearly knows exactly where he is and what it means to his career. He is obviously in a good mood, chatty and relating very well with his adoring fans, and there is no slur in his voice at all tonight.
Elvis acknowledges, "It’s a pleasure to be back in Shreveport. Because as you know my first job was in Shreveport."
The recording demonstrates Elvis in great humour throughout and really enjoying being on stage before his adoring fans.
The crowd is excited and he teases a fan he kissed, "Anything else you want while I’m down here baby? You’re gonna’ have to work for it baby, I ain’t giving it away for nothing!" This has the crowd screaming in delight.
The first part of the show is as always, the kiss-the-girls and expected crowd pleasers. ‘Love Me’ is purely routine scarf-giving, before a solid ‘If You Love Me (Let Me Know)’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘All Shook Up’ and ‘(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’/’Don’t Be Cruel’ are all routine but still sung properly. ‘Hound Dog’ seems to be sung because it is expected from Elvis and extremely “routine”.
‘The Wonder Of You’ is a very nice version with a gutsy ending and shows us Elvis is in fine form this evening. As often in these shows, once Elvis has got warmed up and the oldies out of the way his enthusiasm and his energy level cranks up.
So the following ‘Burning Love’ might be noted as the first true highlight of the concert and it is a very good version indeed. It has a real punch to it, with Elvis really pushing the band along all the way. It’s a faster and more rockin’ version than the Huntsville FTD release.
It is interesting to note that Elvis never performed this classic rocker in 1974 at all, completely dropping it off his setlist from January 1973 until bringing it back in March 1975. It was, however, a regular on this tour.
The intros are (thankfully) NOT too long and James Burton gets a “special” mention being from Shreveport. Elvis notes, "This is James’ home-town and I did my first job here. It’s strange how things work out." A decent ‘Johnny B. Goode’ follows with James playing a longer solo than usual.
After the odd joke about regular conductor Joe Guercio being away keeping the flies off "a bride at a Polish wedding", we are treated to one of the absolute VERY BEST versions of ‘T-R-O-U-B-L-E’ I have ever heard.
Taken at a perfect tempo and with not one blown lyric, Elvis rocks out ‘T-R-O-U-B-L-E’ his new single. Check out the great ending with Elvis getting down with The Sweet Inspirations call and response - another highlight.
‘Why Me Lord?’ serves the purpose of Elvis trying to break J.D. up laughing, but still sounding very committed and singing along prominently in the choruses.
‘How Great Thou Art’ next, is very well performed and another highlight. Before the reprise Elvis notes, "I can do it a little bit better" and produces a stunning power ending with the crowd going wild in admiration.
‘Let Me Be There’ is good, yet sounds a little routine with the regular double-ending.
In some ways ‘An American Trilogy’ is annoying since if it wasn’t for the "Disneyland" and joke of telling The Stamps they are in Dixie in the first section, it would be a fantastic version.
However, the southern audience do cheer at the Dixieland reference and the atmosphere is stunning with an impassioned “All My Trials” section. With a fabulous falsetto ending and Elvis noting "Take it" @3.10, this has the near strength of a 1972 version.
Elvis has the house-lights turned up and notes, "I see you. We got people hanging from the rafters" before a standard kiss-the-girls ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’. Elvis, however, does get the giggles and you can feel his sheer happiness of being on stage.
It's worth noting that before ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ Elvis CLEARLY acknowledges a hand shake with a fan saying, “Hi, how are you doing?” and it is moments like this that convey the warmth and personal touch Elvis has with his fans this tour - reason enough alone to buy this release. Author Christopher Brown mentions a similar incident from the Shreveport afternoon concert in his book On Tour with Elvis.
‘Little Darlin’ is fun and fairly routine, before a rocking ‘Mystery Train’/’Tiger Man’. "One of my first records," Elvis tells the crowd and enthusiastically rocks along to James Burton’s solos. You can hear the crowd shriek as he tries out some karate moves.
"God Bless you and be careful going home" takes us to the closing ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’.
The bonus tracks have a different sound image but are a good selection.
‘I’ll Remember You’ is a nice version from Mobile on the afternoon show from June 2 1975.
By now Elvis has almost dropped this delightful song from his setlist entirely, and would only perform it a handful more times in his last two years on tour. He only sang it four times on this tour.
‘Hawaiian Wedding Song’ is a good version. This was another surprisingly rare song for his 1975 setlist. Sung only three times on this tour and probably only one more time in the rest of 1975. Both this, and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ that follows, are in good sound from the Tuscaloosa, June 3 show.
‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, sung less than ten times in the whole of 1975, is particularly good version with a tender pacing. Only sung twice on this tour, this is a lovely 1975 version with Elvis giving his all at the end. "Whoo" notes Elvis, "Thank you very much."
The whole CD runs for seventy-seven minutes and is “extremely listenable” due to its excellent sound balance, solid performance, and enjoyable feeling apparent throughout.
Yes, there are also the typical June 1975 comments about the “Creeping Crud” as well as kissing a thirteen-year old fan, "She’s gotta start somewhere folks" Elvis teases - but they all add to the fun.
And while Elvis continued his “jokes” about the flies the next day in Jackson, clearly there are NO FLIES on Elvis in this good performance, sounding just as strong and in great sound as the Dallas and Memphis shows from this great 1975 tour.
It is also great to see concert expert “Ciscoking” (a.k.a. Joachim Bernecker, as credited in the sleeve notes) working with FTD on which soundboards should be released. This one was a very fine choice.
