Title: America's Own (released in 2003)

Label: Ampex

Date: July 19, 1975, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York (afternoon show) + bonus tracks - same date (evening show)

Sound Quality: * * - - / * * * * * +

Concert Rating: * * * * * / * * * * * +

Tracks:

CD 1

1.Also Sprach Zarathustra 2.See See Rider 3.I Got A Woman / Amen 04.Big Boss Man 5.Elvis Says Hello 6.Love Me 7.If You Love Me ( Let me Know ) 8.Love Me Tender 9.All Shook Up 10.Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel 11.Hound Dog 12.The Wonder Of You 13.Trying To Get To You 14.Burning Love 15.Introductions by Elvis of Vocalists, Band 16.Johnny B. Goode (James Burton) 17.Chicken Pickin' (James Burton) 18.Drums Solo (Ronnie Tutt) 19.Bass Solo (Jerry Scheff) 20.Piano Solo (Glen D. Hardin) 21.Introductions by Elvis of voclists, orchestra 22.School Day (Joe Guercio Orchestra) 23.T-R-O-U-B-L-E 24.Heartbreak Hotel 25.Killing Me Softly (sung by Voice) 26.Let Me Be There (with reprise) 27.Bosom Of Abraham / You Better Run 28.You Gave Me A Mountain 29.Little Darlin' (Duration: 67 min. 29 sec.)

CD2

1.Mystery Train / Tiger Man 2.Funny How Time Slips Away (with reprise) 3.Can't Help Falling In Love 4.Closing Vamp and announcement 5.I Got A Woman / Amen 6.Big Boss Man 7.Love Me Tender 8.The Wonder Of You 9.Polk Salad Annie 10.T-R-O-U-B-L-E 11.Why Me Lord ? 12.How Great Thou Art (with reprise) 13.Let Me Be There (with reprise) 14.You'll Never Walk Alone (Elvis alone on piano) 15.Little Darlin' 16.I'm Leavin' (Duration: 51 min. 07 sec.)

Package: The package is outstanding, the inside notes are very enthusiastic, the numerous photos are very good. The front cover picture is a special different layer on a more "glassy" paper, a beautiful move by the designers. Good color choices. This CD's design is a real work of art!

Elvis: July 1975' tour was one of the best in Elvis' career, and for sure this concert is among the best ones since 1970. The energy level is very close to the comeback period and so the more upsetting is how everything turned out to be in Elvis' life in the next few months.

Highlights: The way in which Elvis delivers the songs is outstanding - even the usual songs get an unusual approach. For example, Elvis asks to raise the key of Funny How Time Slips Away, which itself is very unusual. This afternoon performance lasts for about 80 minutes which is also very surprising to say the least!

Review: [One of] the most energetic tour[s] in Elvis' career since November 1970 was as well critically well acclaimed. No doubt about it, Elvis Presley was very inspired during the summer of that year and we all know the price he had to pay for his energy in the middle of August.

Since this concert has been previously released on Elvismania Sound's CD with the same title the producers of the CD decided to make some remastering job. Unfortunately, they didn't match their goal - the noise all through the concert is annoying and the sound only became worse. Also, it's really a strange decision to break the afternoon performance into two CDs since one CD has enough time for it to fit. But anyway, that's the way the producers have decided. The last bars of Also Sprach Zarathustra come to an end and with Ronnie Tutt's drum roll, Elvis hits the stage. The performance of C.C. Rider is maybe a little vocally unbalanced, but Elvis' energy level with all the phrasing changes makes your heart tremble. Surprisingly Elvis manages to forget the words during the following I Got A Woman, but this doesn't spoil the energetic performance, with Elvis not wanting to end Amen, raising the key 3 times and adding "Hallelujah"-s all through it's performance. The audience is as excited as we are. As the band gives Elvis an F-chord (which means that they are expecting Love Me to be performed), Elvis says: "No, no, Big Boss..." The performance is absolutely FANTASTIC, Elvis shows wonderful vocal control and some really powerful high notes. Having the time taken to greet the audience, Elvis launches into a rather weak performance of Love Me (this is easy explained since Elvis is concentrated in giving the scarves :)) followed by a really good If You Love Me. Love Me Tender is a nice rendition this afternoon, Elvis' voice is gentle and well controlled. The oldies are rushed and only Hound Dog gets a good shot, though Elvis' voice is weak on some the high notes. The Wonder Of You is one of the best 75' versions, Elvis makes some interesting changes in the phrasing. An enthusiastic and unexpected rendition of Trying To Get To You follows with some real vocal power from Elvis follows and the concert continues with an energetic version Burning Love, with a very long ending and Elvis probably making some kind of movement close to Polk Salad Annie.

Having his breath back after a ten-minutes long introduction of the band, Elvis congratulates Joe Guercio with his (previous day's) 37-th birthday and launches into a very good rendition of T-R-O-U-B-L-E followed by an enthusiastic Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis then asks Voice to do Killing Me Softly, which they deliver very well, and as he declares "Let Me Be There" the band launches into the song which is a great rendition, Elvis' voice is very well controlled, and we get to hear some great high notes. "I always appreciated bass singing," Elvis says as Charlie takes the piano solo to do a rarely performed medley of Bosom Abraham / You'd Better Run, a great addition to the already fantastic concert. An unexpected rendition of You Gave Me A Mountain follows with [some word changes and] fantastic phrasing, Elvis really shines here, some vibrato in Elvis' voice mixed with great vocal control result one of the best renditions of this song ever. Little Darlin' is a yet another crazy rendition, and the audience likes it. Mystery Train / Tiger Man medley begins with a few off notes by Elvis (maybe he's standing in the so-called "dead zone" where the monitors do not allow the performer to hear himself onstage) but the performance progresses and in the middle of the song you can hear what people call Power in the voice. Having the lights turned up, Elvis greets the audience and the band expects Funny How Time Slips Away to begin, but he then announces that he wants to sing the song in a different key to have it in his baritone voice and "Impress Ed Enoch and Bill Baize," and this version is (vocally) the best ever! Unfortunately, that's the point when the concert comes to an end.

That's not all, however, since we are also treated with highlights of the evening performance at the same venue. The I Got A Woman / Amen segment is featured mostly because of the very long Amen (7 verses in a total, with 5 modulations!), a rare performance with Elvis throwing several "Hallelujah"-s. Big Boss Man is the next song and it is as wild as the afternoon performance. Love Me Tender features one a-capela verse which is very close to the original 1956' recording and contains the line "For my darling I love you, 'cause you took the pill," the audience reacts immediately with hysteria, a fantastic performance in one word! The Wonder Of You is probably more powerful than the afternoon performance. Elvis asks what song the audience would prefer to hear - Polk Salad Annie or Burning Love. As the audience chooses (in Elvis' point of view) Polk Salad Annie he performs a very energetic version of it. T-R-O-U-B-L-E is a yet another very inspired rendition. Why Me Lord? is a very funny version once again, as in case with all this post 74' versions, but the following How Great Thou Art is dead serious and Elvis delivers a tremendous performance with a no less tremendous reprise. The following Let Me Be There seems to be an easy ride after the previous song, but the Jam of the evening is coming next - the only live version of You'll Never Walk Alone, a song Elvis had so many trouble to record at the studio is here in it's naked unrehearsed beauty! Little Darling is a yet another funny performance and finally I'm Leaving - a very rare by 75 performance - closes this two CD set.

The performance on both of these CD's is outstanding, the package is fantastic but there minuses as well - the sound quality is unfortunately not as good as this concerts deserve, and the decision of splitting the Afternoon performance into two CDs (as it was easy to put it on one) and re-releasing only the highlights of the evening performance (which also easily fits into a one 80-minutes CD) is a strange decision. It is still a must-have in case you have missed the original release(s) since the concert(s) is(are) fantastic.

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