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Note: | | Press note:
All die-hard fans know that Elvis‘ last Las Vegas season was an up &
down experience. After a strong Dec. 2nd opening night, followed by 4
solid shows on Dec. 3 & 4, he gave a different kind of concert. Perhaps
it was his first partial „sit-down“ show, since the famous June 1968
one.
An English super-fan Jennet was there and here are excerpts from her
memories:
„The first indication that something unusual was afoot was when, during
Jackie Kahane's comedy routine, Charlie Hodge called out to him from the
wings. Kahane made a jokey comment about Elvis spraining his ankle after
falling off his wallet, and would be starting his show a little late.
Eventually Charlie appeared and explained that Elvis had sprained his
ankle, hence the delay.
Following "C. C. Rider", Elvis made his apologies, stressing that he had
twisted his ankle, in case there were any doubters. There were sorne
changes to his song list. "I did a song called 'Are You Lonesome
Tonight'", he said, adding humorously, "And did you sprain your ankle
the day before?" He asked for a chair and water and crutch, and finally
Charlie brought a chair onstage. He settled himself on the chair and
Charlie held a microphone to Elvis' guitar.
Some of the crowd further back in the showroom were getting impatient
and began a slow handclap. "They got a tap dance going back there, "
remarked Elvis, but the banter ceased and he at last returned to the job
in hand - singing - to do a request for "Sweet Caroline", trying to
recall the lyrics He got up off his chair during this song, and it was
later taken off stage.
A diverse selection of tunes was proof that Elvis had 'something for
everybody': his versatility was underlined when he performed the
emotional "You Gave Me A Mountain", following on with a short, raucous
"Jailhouse Rock", the Neapolitan-flavoured "It's Now Or Never", the '55
Sun classic 'Tryin' To Get To You", and a throwaway "Blue Suede Shoes".
Then, "Fever" was, frankly, sexy (even with Elvis' restricted
leg-twitching), while "America" was proudly, patriotically performed.
As per usual this season, the King's powerhouse delivery of "Hurt" was a
show highlight. The ankle injury may have curtailed some of the leg
action, but the quality of Elvis' voice was undiminished. Although he
tore through "Hound Dog", his committed performance of "How Great Thou
Art" was another high point in the show, and featured the Stamps
Quartet.“
Most of us know the review by Ger Rijff, which was fairly harsh.
Opinions differ on this show, and this CD enables you to judge it for
yourself. This CD is taken directly from an original audience master
tape and it’s complete. Sound quality is very good for an audience
recording. Previous CD release ed „PRESLEY AT THE HILTON“ (1994) was of
inferior sound, missing some dialogues, „Blue Suede Shoes“ and a major
chunk of „Fever“.
This special release is presented in de-luxe digipak accompanied by a
24-page booklet filled with previously unseen photos from December 1976
as well as liner notes written by the English super-fan, who taped the
show. Do not miss this unique opportunity to get the ultimate release of
this unusual show!
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