Title: Something Old, Something New

Label: Memory Records

Date: January 26, 1974 (opening show)

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

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

Tracks: 1.Intro 2.C.C. Rider 3.I Got A Women / Amen 4.Love Me 5.Let Me Be There 6.You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling 7.Sweet Caroline 8.Love Me Tender 9.Medley: Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On / Flip Flop And Fly / Jailhouse Rock / Hound Dog 10.Fever 11.Polk Salad Annie 12.Introduction of The Voice 13.Killing Me Softly 14.Blue Spanish Eyes 15.Suspicious Minds 16.Band Introductions 17.I Can't Stop Loving You 18.Help Me 19.American Trilogy 20.Big Hunk Of Love 21.Can't Help Falling In Love 22.Closing

Package: A standard Memory Records design with fine liner notes.

Elvis: He seems to be relaxed although it's a known fact that he was always nervous on opening nights. He manages, however, to deliver a very calm and fantastic concert - one of the best in the later years, for sure. The lineup is great, the voice is very good, the reaction is fine... Complete success!

Highlights: You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, I Can't Stop Loving You and Help Me seem to be the biggest highlights.

Review: It was 5 months after the scandal closing night in Vegas, 5 months with no tours. Elvis had an overdose in this 5-month period and almost died. He, however, strained himself and made his way into the studio in December 1973 to produce some of his best studio work. Now it was time to go back to Las Vegas for his engagement and this is the last time that the winter season starts in January.

Now we have one more opening night and as always it features something extra for the fans. Here we have Duke Bardwell playing on bass for the first time, since Emory Gordy had left the group after the closing night on September 3, 1973 to concentrate on studio recordings and the first time The Voice perform with Elvis.

A few words about the sound quality. This is an audience recording. To my ears it has too much "highs". In fact this is a medium quality audience recording.

The CD starts starts from the middle of 2001 theme and leads into a fine C.C. Rider, followed by the "Well, well ..." intro of I Got A Woman. "It's been a long day... Just give a chance and I'll get the song for you... ," Elvis says throwing a couple more "Wells" and launching into I Got A Woman, which sounds better than it will in the future. Elvis then thanks the audience and tells that he had been to hospital, suddenly launching into Love Me (one more scarf-giving version). With no introduction Elvis goes into Let Me Be There - and this is it's premiere since it is the first ever live version of the song. Elvis forgets only one line but manages to sing the title instead, so it's not really bad. The version is very close to the Memphis' from some two moths later, with the exception that there is no reprise. Elvis quickly goes into You've Lost That Loving Feeling, song excluded from the regular program in August 1972. It's another very good addition to the program. "I'd like to do a song that we did her when we first opened in, uh, two weeks ago... No, about five years ago," Elvis says and the band begins to play another "oldie" - the fantastic Sweet Caroline, for some reason excluded from the program and performed rarely in the later years. With no comments Elvis goes into another version of Love Me Tender, nothing special here, as always. Next is the rock'n'roll medley and in my humble opinion this was a good idea to have all the oldies in one long medley, Uriah Heep was performing such medley of rock'n'roll songs during this period too. "Let's do fever," Elvis says quickly after ending the song. Excluding Duke Bardwell' mistakes on bass, it's as funny as always and Elvis seems to be enjoying it. Polk Salad Annie was always a show stopper and Elvis throws himself so much into the song that he has to ask his new vocal group The Voice to sing Killing Me Softly. A very nice rendition though. What follows is the first live version Spanish Eyes, with an additional verse not included into the studio master for whatever reason and a trumpet solo instead of a guitar's. Suspicious Minds is next and Elvis is on top form here, teasing the audience and winning their love one more time. The band introductions follow.

"You know what I can' do?" Elvis says throwing himself into a great rendition of I Can't Stop Loving You. Help Me is next and it's a one more premiere for the evening. A very calm and close to studio version. Trilogy is next and it is a one more showstopper for the evening. On A Big Hunk Of Love J.D. Sumner does a bass part so low that I really got confused - whether this is the bass guitar or J.D.! But to my ears this is J.D. Next is I Can't Help Falling In Love, which ends the concert.

What can I say as a conclusion? This is a great 1974' concert, with a very interesting lineup (as the title claims - Something Old, Something New). If it was a soundboard recording I would recommend it to everyone, since it's an average audience recording, it's a very recommended item for the die-hard fans only.

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