Title: Las Vegas In Gypsy Style (released in 2004)

Label: Memory Records

Date: August 18, 1975, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada (opening show) + bonuses: tracks 22,23 - July 23, 1975, Asheville, tracks 24,25 - July 24, 1975, Asheville, tracks 26,27 - December 2, 1975, Las Vegas, Nevada, tracks 28,29 - December 10, 1975, Las Vegas, Nevada

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

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

Tracks: 1.Opening Vamp / C.C. Rider 2.I Got A Woman / Amen 3.Love Me 4.If You Love Me 5.Blue Suede Shoes 6.Suspicious Minds 7.My Boy 8.Heartbreak Hotel 9.Polk Salad Annie 10.Band Introductions 11.Johnny B. Goode 12.Drums Solo 13.Bass Solo 14.Piano Solo 15.School Days 16.T.R.O.U.B.L.E. 17.The Wonder Of You 18.Why Me Lord? 19.How Great Thou Art 20.Can't Help Falling In Love 21.Closing Vamp Bonus tracks: 22.Promised Land 23.Turn Around, Look At Me 24.Return To Sender 25.Pieces Of My Life 26.Early Mornin' Rain 27.You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 28.When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again 29.Can't Help Falling In Love (Duration: 77 min. 09 sec.)

Package: The package is nice, with nice liner notes and fine technical data. Inside the package you will find two small scans of the menus from Summer 1975. The only minus is that it seems like most of the photographs were taken from the internet, but at least they are from the actual show.

Elvis: It is still a big question how could he be in top form for so much time with all the endless tours in the summer of that year. He is talkative this evening, and does his best to entertain the audience, being concentrated on singing too.

Highlights: How Great Thou Art makes this CD worth listening even for those who can live without the audience recorded tapes.

Review: The complete opening night from August 18, 1975 featured on this Memory Records release could well be called one of the calmest openings, but at the same time - a very interesting one. Having completed three long and energetic tours in 1975, Elvis was back in Vegas for the Summer Festival. He had brought the practice of the "Request box" from his July appearances in Ashville, having fans to write down the names of their favorite songs, so he could perform them. This brought spontaneity to the regular concerts, but it was not to last long.

The sound quality on this release is very good (above average) for an audience recording and thanks to Memory Records for their remastering job. The tape begins from the middle of the opening vamp, and Elvis does a very good rendition of C.C. Rider, featuring some fine improvisation. Having thanked the audience and said that they were very easy for an opening show he declares that "That's the end of our show. You liked it?". During the "well, well" intro Elvis tries to muddle up James Burton, but it seems to be impossible - James is one of the best guitar players in the world (Rolling Stone placed him 20-th in the list of the Best Guitar Players of the 20-th century), and picks the notes easily, repeating them after Elvis to the delight of the audience. I Got A Woman is a standard version, nothing outstanding here, the Amen segment is very long and the band seems confused when Elvis decides to continue it, J.D.'s tricks are long too, but that pays off when Elvis, having thanked and greeted the audience after the song says: "Charlie's gonna do a strip in a few minutes" to big laugh of the present people. Love Me is very long too, but at least it is well performed (contrary to what we are used to). Having accepted a gift from somebody in the audience, Elvis goes into a very good version of If You Love Me, the refrain is sung very beautifully, Jerry Scheff's bass guitar is wonderful after the first refrain. Having the song finished, Elvis takes the first request from his "request box" and he finds it to be Blue Suede Shoes, which he does, in the standard rushed manner. Declaring "Next," Elvis reads that it is "Kentucky Rain," and confesses that he doesn't know it. Next (this time picked up) request is Suspicious Minds. This is the second to last performance of this song, and it had been almost a year since Elvis had last performed it. This version is better than most versions from the post 72 concerts. My Boy is next in the list of requests, and it is a great rendition too, very emotional and carefully delivered. Heartbreak Hotel is the next song of the evening, maybe the bluesy rhythm of it that made Elvis never get tired of singing it. Polk Salad Annie is very energetic and it takes so much from Elvis that he has to accept "mouth to mouth resuscitation" from a female fan.

Catching his breath back, Elvis introduces his band members. The following T.R.O.U.B.L.E. has somebody from the back-vocalists singing too much in front, otherwise the song is very good and energetic. Next in line is The Wonder Of You, which can't compare to the February 1970's versions, but is a fine 1975 version. Why Me Lord? is as funny as all the other 75' versions, that's a fantastic moment, with the audience laughing along with J.D. How Great Thou Art follows in this little (two-song) gospel segment, and it is one of the best versions of the song ever (maybe just a little worse than on the Memphis concert). The song gets the biggest applause of the evening and there's no question - it's the culmination of the show. But instead of continuing Elvis quickly leaves the stage, a strange decision, especially hearing the inspiration in his voice. Probably he has just given everything he had and needed some rest.

That's not all, as very often, Memory Records provides a little bonus for the fans' pleasure. The last live version of Promised Land and a fantastic (but short) rendition of Turn Around, Look At Me (previously released on the Gyrating Ashville CD) both from the July 23 concert are giving a good example of Elvis' fantastic voice form. Two songs from the tour closer (next night) follow, the very rare Return To Sender and an ultra rare and fantastic only known live version of Pieces Of My Love. Unfortunately, the tape is suffering from trouble on the second song, and it's a real pity. We then move to December's opening night and the rare Early Morning Rain rendition, it is a great version, very close to the Aloha From Hawaii broadcast, with Elvis carefully hitting all the low notes. It's great to have You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' live probably for the first time in almost two years, but it can't compete the original 1970 version. A short When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again is here too, and finally a tender and sincere Can't Help Falling In Love, being performed in the very beginning of the concert of December 10, it is the "surely find the key" version and it ends the CD. This performance is slightly different from what we are used to, almost as if it is 1968 once again (as Otto Meszaros, the author of the liner notes, suggests).

This CD will find it's way into our player often because of the content. The sound is good for an audience recording and the performance is great on this concert.

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