Title: Shining In Portland (West Coast Tour Volume 2) (released in 2004)

Label: Memory Records

Date: April 27, 1973, Portland, Oregon + Bonus tracks 26-31 - April 29, 1973, Seattle, Washington

Sound Quality (Concert): * * + / * * * * * +

Concerts Rating: * * * * / * * * * * +

Tracks: 1.Also Sprach Zarathustra 2.See See Rider 3.I Got A Woman / Amen 4.Love Me Tender 5.You Gave Me A Mountain 6.Steamroller Blues 7.You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 8.Love Me 9.Blue Suede Shoes 10.Heartbreak Hotel 11.Little Sister / Get Back 12.Help Me Make It Through The Night 13.Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 14.I'm Leavin' 15.Hound Dog 16.Fever 17.What Now My Love 18.Suspicious Minds 19.Band Introductions 20.I'll Remember You 21.I Can't Stop Loving You 22.American Trilogy 23.A Big Hunk O'Love 24.Can't Help Falling In Love 25.Closing Vamp Bonus: 26.You Gave Me A Mountain (spoken version) 27.Steamroller Blues 28.You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 29.I'll Remember You 30.Help Me Make It Through The Night 31.An American Trilogy (Duration: 78 min. 41 sec.)

Package: Memory Records has done a beautiful job on this CD - the design is very attractive, all the necessary information (band members, technical data, good liner notes) is there plus high quality photographs (from April 28, though) and even the Memorial Coliseum's plan is there.

Elvis: He is relaxed, and doing a work-out concert, since the tour is going on and he still needs forces for the "tomorrow-concerts".

Highlights: Steamroller Blues which is featured in a very good arrangement with a very good organ line and the very emotional What Now My Love. The inclusion of the spoken version of You Gave Me A Mountain is a good decision too, since the song is a beauty.

Review: 1973 begun with triumph for Elvis - the worldwide success of Aloha From Hawaii seemed to be a good start, but as soon as the filming ended Elvis' weight raised and mind condition became worse. He was still suffering from his divorce, his show in Vegas was pretty boring (see Don't Think Twice for instance). And being honest, many of the problems of the Aloha concert seemed to escape from people's attention because of the grandiosity of the event. Elvis was mostly standing still, there was no energy that we have seen in That's The Way It Is, for example. His eyes show a suffering man, he seems tired and mostly uninterested.

Another question that raises often when listening to any post 1970 concert or recording is: what's happened with Elvis' voice? You don't have to be an expert to notice the difference between the August 1970' concerts and Elvis' voice condition as early as March 1971 studio recordings and later on. For example, in Aloha From Hawaii Elvis' voice is pretty powerful on the strong high notes, but it is thin on the quite high notes. The answer, as it seems, lies in the prescription drugs that Mr. Presley was taking, for example, in February 1973 Elvis lost his voice during one of the Vegas concerts (most probably) because of a mixture of drugs.

After almost two months off Elvis was back on tour, and the situation seemed to become a little better than in Vegas, but Elvis still sounded weaker and there were other problems too. Emory Gordy, replacing Jerry Scheff on the Fender Bass for the rest of the year, confessed later: "I was really let down by the whole thing. Everybody had been there for so many years they were very set in their ways; I think they sent me about five hundred tunes to learn in a two-week period and then we ended up doing the same show they had been doing in Vegas for the last [four] years. Occasionally, he'd get up there and start feeling real good and be very spontaneous, [but mostly] all the tunes were done so fast we just literally ran over them. There was no feeling involved."

Memory Records offers to switch our attention to the April 27 concert in Portland, Oregon. Is Elvis really shining in Portland this day?

First of all about the sound quality, as the cover boasts this is a stereo audience recording. This results an average sounding tape, the music is sometimes lost behind the audience's screams, otherwise the sound is fine (for an audience recording). Having 2001 theme completed Elvis walks onstage to start with See See Rider, this version seems to be really close to the Aloha version, maybe a little different because of Emory Gordy's bass playing. Elvis' voice seems tired and the same can be said about the following I Got A Woman, which is very slow for whatever reason, and Elvis doesn't seem to be inspired performing this number, unfortunately - a looser. "Thank you, good evening ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to be back in Portland," Elvis says and soon goes into Love Me Tender which is surprisingly a decent and tender version. You Gave Me A Mountain is next, the flute gives a beautiful touch to the arrangement here, Elvis vocal performance seems really close to the Aloha version. "My latest record," Elvis simply announces before going into a very good rendition of Steamroller Blues which is a winner because of so many factors: the organ in the first part of the song fits in perfectly, James Burton's solo is very good and Emory Gordy's jazzy playing style is a great addition for this song. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me is next, a fine rendition in overall, but a looser comparing to any 1970' version. "Thank you very much, I'd like to do a medley of some of my records for you," Elvis announces, starting with Love Me, which is a fine version, Blue Suede Shoes can be considered as boring, while Heartbreak Hotel brings some uncontrolled laughter from Elvis. Little Sister / Get Back is a fine number, though not as rocking as some 3 years before. Help Me Make It Through The Night is a good addition to the predictable concert, but Elvis' voice is really thin here, we've heard better versions of this song. Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On medley is next, it features the "I saw J.B., a bald-headed Sally" line, and some fine James Burton's licks. "I'm leaving," Elvis announces and the band begins the intro of this sad song which seems to fit Elvis' mood at the time. The organ used in the beginning of the song fits in very well, the only problem is that Elvis is saving his voice, it sounds a little thin. Hound Dog and the following Fever are just fans' pleasers, but the later really makes the crowd go crazy. What Now My Love is really touching - the phrasing is great here and the emotions in Elvis' singing are indescribable, what amazes even more is the seriousness - none of the fans' screams can break the dedication with which this song is performed. Suspicious Minds is a rather a looser version, Elvis' voice is thin here again.

Having the band introduced, Elvis goes into a very romantic and accurate rendition of I'll Remember You, with a very beautiful bass line from Emory Gordy at the very end. "You know what I can't do?" Elvis asks before going into I Can't Stop Loving You, which is a rather mediocre version, but with a very good ending. An American Trilogy is known to have been a showstopper, but it seems, only not on this evening, this is an average rendition, followed by an OK A Big Hunk O' Love. After asking the house lights to be turned up, Elvis chooses to end the concert.

As a bonus we get to hear a few tracks from Seattle's concert some two days later. Elvis' voice seems to be better here, You Gave Me A Mountain is a wonderful version, half of the second chorus is spoken, and it really is heartbreaking and thrilling. Steamroller is performed in much of the same mood as on the Portland's concert, and the organ proves to be fitting in very well for this song once again. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me is quite similar to the Portland's version, it's inclusion on this release is not much understandable. I'll Remember You sounds very intimate here, the flute is way up in front, as is the piano and the organ on parts. As in case with the main concert, Help Me Make It Through The Night is rather boring, while An American Trilogy is much better received by the audience in Seattle, and the song is really better performed here.

We can conclude by saying that Elvis is rather working out than shining in Portland on April 27, 1973. This doesn't mean that the concert is bad, it is a fine 1973 concert, but it is miles away from the quality of the performance Elvis had given some 3 years before in the same venue. If you are not a "I want to have it all" collector, you can for sure skip this one.

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