Title: Spring Fever (released in 2005)

Label: Unicorn

Date: May 22, 1974, Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, Midnight Show + May 21, same place, midnight show (tracks 22 - 27)

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

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

Tracks: 1.Instrumental Intro / Also Sprach Zarathustra 2.C. C. Rider 3.I Got A Woman / Amen (medley) 4.Love Me 5.Trying To Get To You 6.All Shook Up 7.Love Me Tender 8.You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 9.Hound Dog 10.Fever 11.Polk Salad Annie 12.Why Me Lord 13.Suspicious Minds 14.Band Introductions 15.I Can't Stop Loving You (with last part reprise) 16.Help Me (incomplete) 17.Bridge Over Troubled Water 18.Let Me Be There 19.The Wonder Of You 20.Big Boss Man (with last part reprise) 21.My Way 22.Can't Help Falling In Love 23.Closing Vamp Bonus tracks: 24.You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 25.Help Me 26.Bridge Over Troubled Water 27.The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Duration: 77 min. 04 sec.)

Package: It gives a strange de-javu feeling, as it is very similar to some of the Memory Records' CDs. Some liner notes from the owner of the tape (who had actually recorded it) and a few photographs are available. The cover is nice as is the CD itself.

Elvis: Elvis is very calm this night, he clearly is not enjoying the whole thing too much, but the concert doesn't have that kind of run-through feeling on the other hand. There are no long monologues, straight work.

Highlights: Wonderful versions of newer songs in the repertoire (Let Me Be There, Big Boss Man, Trying To Get To You and a few others) and rather boring of the more common (C.C. Rider, rock'n'roll songs and on and on). My Way is a real knock-out performance - the best song of the evening.

Review: San Francisco Examiner reviewed the Tahoe opening as "listless, uninspired and downright tired". However, these days, when we got hold of so many document-records from the first half of 1974 we can say that these reporters were wrong. So many bad things would happened in the months to come, that these concerts could easily be described as masterpieces.

The sound quality? A yet another average sounding audience recording - we became so used to with them in the past few years. Very unnoticed this evening is the lead guitar of James Burton - a big pity, though Duke's bass is very in front in the mix, here on audience recording he sounds much better than on any soundboard.

Is it really spring fever?

C.C. Rider takes some time to get started, but Elvis delivers it passionately, a fine performance in overall, but nothing fantastic. I Got A Woman is a rather boring rendition, with a too long Amen segment. Elvis then takes the time to greet the audience, when talking he is unfortunately not too well heard. Another show pleaser is the following Love Me, fortunately a short version, as it gives no "spring fever" at all. Trying To Get You is as often introduced as one of the first records Elvis had made and this song (contrary to most 50-s material) never got what is called "run-through" treatment - a fantastic job and the first real highlight of the evening. The rock'n'roll medleys have changed to short renditions of old hits at this point of the year and it's rather sad, since All Shook Up is not good at all. It's a big pity that the sound quality doesn't let us fully enjoy a very 72-a-like rendition of Love Me Tender. It takes a while for Elvis to get started after getting the F-minor chord from Glen Hardin right before You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. This rendition is miles away from the master ad any 1970 version, but is of the same level if not higher than in 1972. A yet another rushed Hound Dog, with the long ending for one of the first times, is followed by a standard for 1974 version of Fever. A real thrilling "Elvis!" shout after the line "I light up when you call my name" is a standard joke as is "She had a deep voice" after the line "Daddy, oh, don't you dare", but still brings a smile on our faces.

Polk Salad Annie is a fine rendition, but we have heard better even in 1974' form. A dead serious Why Me Lord? (with some tape damages on it) precedes a run-though and non-enthusiastic Suspicious Minds. Having the band introduced Elvis launches into a very good I Can't Stop Loving You, he unfortunately looses control of his voice on the last few notes, but manages to hit them right on the reprise, noting later the he "Just had to get it right". The tape is damaged in the middle of Help Me, so we don't have a couple of seconds of the song, still this doesn't spoil the moment - the performances is very good. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a yet another fantastic rendition - Elvis' voice is very well controlled (probably he looses this control only once during the performance, where he breaks into screaming, however, it is great). Let Me Be There - an Elvis favorite at the time - is next and is a fine rendition with good James Burton guitar phrases. A fine rendition of The Wonder Of You follows, it's much more better than any 75' version, Elvis' voice is very accurate and the phrasing is nice. The concert is coming to an end, but next we get to hear an early version of Big Boss Man, with a much more obvious guitar solo in the middle than it would be later that year. Elvis however takes the time to entertain the audience, remaking the ending two times, one of which is an incomplete attempt, the second almost doesn't differ from the first. A request of My Way is accepted instead of another request (of Burning Love). This rendition (one of the few if not the only from year 1974) is great, Elvis' phrasing and the way the group emphasizes the third and the last verses is great, makes our hearts tremble. The concert ends with a standard Can't Help Falling In Love.

The bonus tracks start with You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, the inclusion of which is very strange, since it features nothing really special, a good rendition but a doubtful addition since we already had a good version of it during the show itself. Help Me is added to be presented in it's complete form, since the main show's version is edited. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a very good rendition as well, but we see no reason for adding it as we already had a good version from the main show. The greatest bonus track is the rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face with the additional "And the first time ever I lay with you..." verse.

For sure, those present at the show had a Spring Fever. As for us - despite some thrilling moments, this is only an audience recording, an average one (with some noise on it) and you will doubtfully play it often. Strictly collectors' material.

S bootleg index