Title: Live in Las Vegas (4 CD box set)
Label: BMG
Dates: May 6, 1956; August 24, 1969; February 16, 1970; February 17, 1970; February 18, 1970; February 19, 1970; August 11, 1970; February 14, 1972; February 16, 1972; February 17, 1972; August 19, 1974; August 20, 1974; August 21, 1974; August 22, 1974; August 27, 1974; March 22, 1975; March 30, 1975; December 6, 1975
CD 1: Dinner show from August 24, 1969
Sound quality: * * * * * - / * * * * * +
Concert rating: * * * * * + / * * * * * +
Tracks: 1.Blue Suede Shoes 2.I Got A Woman 3.All Shook Up 4.Elvis welcomes the audience 5.Love Me Tender 6.Jailhouse Rock/Don't Be Cruel 7.Heartbreak Hotel 8.Hound Dog 9.I Can't Stop Loving You 10.Johnny B. Goode 11.Baby What You Want Me To Do 12.Runaway 13.Are You Lonesome Tonight 14.Yesterday/Hey Jude 15.Introductions 16.In The Ghetto 17.Suspicious Minds 18.What'd I Say 19.Can't Help Falling In Love 20.Elvis talks about his career
CD 2: Midnight show from August 11, 1970 + bonus (track 22) recorded on August 24 (audience recording)
Sound quality: * * * * * / * * * * * +
Concert rating: * * * * * + / * * * * * +
Tracks: 1.That's All Right 2.I Got A Woman 3.Hound Dog 4.Love Me Tender 5.There Goes My Everything 6.Just Pretend 7.I Just Can't Help Believing 8.Something 9.Men With Broken Hearts 10.Walk A Mile In My Shoes 11.You've Lost That Loving Feeling 12.Polk Salad Annie 13.One Night 14.Don't Be Cruel 15.Love Me 16.Instrumental Vamp 17.Heartbreak Hotel 18.Introductions 19.Bridge Over Troubled Water 20..Suspicious Minds 21.Can't Help Falling In Love 22.When The Snow Is On The Roses
CD 3: Live recordings from February 1970 and February 1972
Sound quality: * * * * * / * * * * * +
Contents rating (taking in account that ALL these recordings were released 2 years earlier on Burning Love and On Stage SE CDs): * * / * * * * * +
Contents rating (not taking in account that ALL these recordings were released 2 years earlier on Burning Love and On Stage SE CDs): * * * * * / * * * * * +
Tracks: 1.See See Rider 2.Release Me 3.Sweet Caroline 4.The Wonder Of You 5.Polk Salad Annie 6.Proud Mary 7.Walk A Mile In My Shoes 8.In The Ghetto 9.Let It Be Me 10.Don't Cry Daddy 11.Kentucky Rain 12.Long Tally Sally 13.I Can't Stop Loving You 14.Suspicious Minds 15.Never Been To Spain 16.You Gave Me A Mountain 17.It's Impossible 18.It's Over 19.Hound Dog 20.Little Sister / Get Back 21.A Big Hunk O' Love 22.The Impossible 23.American Trilogy
CD 4: Different soundboard recordings from 1974 and 1975, and the live performance in 1956
Sound quality: from * * * to * * * * - / * * * * * +
Content rating: * * * * - / * * * * * +
Tracks: 1.Heartbreak Hotel (May 6, 1956) 2.Long Tall Sally (May 6, 1956) 3.Blue Suede Shoes (May 6, 1956) 4.Money Honey (May 6, 1956) 5.Promised Land (August 19, 1974) 6.It's Midnight (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 7.If You Talk In Your Sleep (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 8.I'm Leavin' (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 9.Why Me, Lord (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 10.Help Me (August 22, 1974 M.S.) 11.Softly As I Leave You (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 12.My Baby Left Me (August 19, 1974) 13.It's Now Or Never (August 27, 1974 M.S.) 14.Hawaiian Wedding Song (August 21, 1974 M.S.) 15.Trying To Get To You (August 20, 1974 D.S.) 16.Green, Green Grass Of Home (March 22, 1975 M.S.) 17.You're The Reason I'm Living (March 22, 1975 M.S.) 18.Big Boss Man (March 30, 1975 D.S.) 19.Burning Love (March 30, 1975 D.S.) 20.My Boy (March 30, 1975 D.S.) 21.And I Love You So (December 6, 1975 M.S) 22.Just Pretend (December 6, 1975 M.S) 23.How Great Thou Art (December 6 1975 M.S) 24.America (December 6, 1975 M.S)
Package: It's rather nice, with many color photographs from all the Vegas years (including those that are not represented on this box set) and well written notes by Colin Escott.
Elvis: CD 1 and CD 2 represent Elvis in his top form, interested in what he is doing and delivering great versions of all songs.
Review: This recently released 4 CD box-set is something we had here in the former Soviet Union. When you were going to buy something you need, for example some deficit, they simply added some garbage to your purchase. And you had to pay for everything if you wanted to have the deficit. Well, as a resident of the former Evil empire, I can confirm that BMG does the same. In fact CD 3 is a complete re-release of the 1970 and 1972 tracks.
As you can see from the dates missed are 1971, 1973 and 1976 years. Not the poorest ones, but one of the best! Especially 1973 rock'n'roll medleys and Trouble versions. What was the reason for excluding that? I really can't find the answer. May be BMG is going to have a follow up. In fact 1971 is a year when very less shows were recorded in good quality. I think the main idea of the creators was to show what tapes are in the RCA - BMG vaults (like they had already done with the Collector's Gold release in 1991 and Platinum - A Life in Music in 1997). Well, this box was made in a big hurry just to put one all in mix without any logic at all. I can't find it. Of course, they could not spoil the great material, but when done this way it really hurts. If I were Ernst Jorgensen I'd better release a 7 (or may be 5 as it was done with complete "X" - masters) CD box set with songs (or complete shows) from each year Elvis performed on stage in Vegas in the chronological order.
However the real collectors will buy this set for CDs 1 & 2 which are worth the price of this set.
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