2025 in 2025: Day 79

F is for FTD!

FTD020: Elvis at the International, Las Vegas, 23 August 1969 - Elvis Presley

Bah gawd this is a fantastic live show. Elvis' return to the stage after 9 years and he is sure having fun. Suspicious Minds here is a bit more on the same pace as the studio version (unlike later versions where they basically have a challenge to see how fast they can play it). Hmmm... I need to rethink my lack of the 1969 live boxset in my collection...

Highlights: Suspicious Minds, What'd I Say, Baby What You Want Me to Do

7/10

FTD022: Studio B Nashville Outtakes 1961-64 - Elvis Presley

It is in the name. Outtakes of some of the most generic songs Elvis could have recorded in the 60s. I mean, it is all still fine and dandy, but there is not much that distinguishes anything these from the final masters.

Highlights: 

6/10

FTD031: So High - Nashville 1966-68

More Nashville outtakes? I must have a whole decade's worth by now. This at least has come great gospel tracks, because I loves me some Elvis gospel numbers. But, honestly, these last couple of FTD releases have felt more like compilations with some added studio chatter and possibly better mixes.

Highlights: Too Much Monkey Business [Take 4, 10], Run On [Take 6]

7/10

FTD032: The Impossible Dream, January 1971 - Elvis Presley

This is mostly one live show, but really a compilation of live shows edited together to give the feel of a single live show from Elvis' Las Vegas shows in January 1971. Because they were likely all the same setlist. Did you know that during the dinner shows (Elvis performed twice a day - first during dinner and the second at midnight), Elvis was under contract to limit his performance to an hour so that guests would go back to blowing their money at the casino? Interesting? Possibly more interesting than this album? The performances are fine, but the recordings are pretty blah.

Highlights: Johnny B. Goode, Release Me, It's Now or Never

5/10

FTD036: Polk Salad Annie, Las Vegas, February 1970 - Elvis Presley

More Elvis in Vegas? It really should not be that surprising that there are so many live concerts from Las Vegas, because Elvis spent a bunch of his post-film career doing residencies there. And at least this is good quality. And a few songs that I don't always see in the setlist, like Kentucky Rain. Which starts off awesome, but Elvis is too busy having fun to sing a ballad without laughing. A lot of the songs are a little bit of a slower tempo, which actually improves the groove. The introductions are hilarious; Elvis tells the crowd he "can't wait for this show to be over" and then gets completely confused between a lead guitar and a piano. Oh, there is a different drummer! That's why things are much tighter - they should have replaced Ronnie with this dude. Even the rehearsals are a fun listen.

Highlights: Walk a Mile in My Shoes, In the Ghetto, Suspicious Minds

7/10

FTD053: Made In Memphis - Elvis Presley

More outtakes from the From Elvis in Memphis/Back in Memphis sessions? Nope, just a mix of outtakes that were recorded in Memphis. That's also fine by me, because that includes the Stax sessions. And then it all ends with some home recordings and Elvis reciting a heartfelt poem for his friends.

Highlights: You'll Think of Me [Take 8], Solitaire [Take 7], Bitter They Are Harder They Fall [Take 1]

6/10

FTD058: Live in Las Vegas 1969-72 - Elvis Presley

Another compilation of live tracks in Las Vegas. The 1969 stuff is seriously fantastic and Elvis' banter is at all-time hilarious high. This might be the only live version of Love Me Tender that does not involve Elvis kissing every woman in the audience. Upon further investigation, I have no idea what this album actually is... but it is great?

Highlights: Jailhouse Rock/Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog, I Just Can't Help Believing, Suspicious Minds

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 640

2025 in 2025: Day 63

It's an Easter Elvis Extravaganza!

Elvis On Tour: April 9, 1972, Hampton Roads - Elvis Presley

Oh, you thought we were done with Elvis? Silly amateurs. Of course I have the Elvis On Tour boxset, with the original film on blu-ray + 6 CDs of concerts and rehearsals. This, obviously, is the first concert in the set. We lose Elvis' vocals for most of I Got a Woman, so that's not fun. But the rest of this show is a delight. Elvis has some difficulties with the crowd and then gives his piano player some stick for playing Teddy Bear too fast. This rendition of Bridge over Troubled Water is killer, but someone tell Ronnie Tutt to calm down! Suspicious Minds also goes off the rails, but that's because Elvis is getting attacked by female fans or something. They brought more photo albums from the plane...

Highlights: You Gave Me a Mountain, I Can't Stop Loving You, Bridge Over Troubled Water, An American Trilogy, How Great Thou Art

8/10

Elvis On Tour: April 10, 1972, Richmond - Elvis Presley

Concert number two! Never Been to Spain is such an awesome song - I even found a live performance by Three Dog Night that was very enjoyable. Those dudes could sing. Some woman just yelled like she was having a minor orgasm. This show is certainly better in some ways, and not as great in others. The piano seems a bit more defined in the mix (often hard left) and it really lifts a few of the songs, because the playing is fantastic. I never enjoy when Elvis mocks Charlie Hodge - he is your dear friend, you should be nicer and not make the crowd think he's a dork. And his harmonies are perfect. Holy balls that ending for Can't Help Falling In Love is the stuff! The Elvis souvenirs are items you will treasure...

Highlights: Never Been to Spain, You Gave Me a Mountain, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I Can't Stop Loving You, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Can't Help Falling in Love

8/10

Elvis On Tour: April 14, 1972, Greensboro - Elvis Presley

Something is up with the mix on this album; it sounds a bit dull and I've had to kick up the volume a notch. Which is not what I need when I'm still recovering from a loud concert. So maybe it is just my ears getting tired after two similar sounding concerts? Hawtdam Elvis' voice on Bridge Over Troubled Water is phenomenal, but again Ronnie Tutt gets carried away. The setlist actually gets a bit of a change and a couple of new songs are added; Burning Love is performed with the caveat of "We don't know this one too well" and then they proceed to completely lose it halfway through. Man, Release Me is hilariously unkind. An Elvis button for $0.25? Get me four, please.

Highlights: Never Been to Spain, You Gave Me a Mountain, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, A Big Hunk O' Love, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Can't Help Falling in Love

7.5/10

Elvis On Tour: April 18, 1972, San Antonio - Elvis Presley

By chance, today is the 53rd Anniversary of this show! Let's hope it's a good one...
It is largely just a complete no-nonsense performance - very little jibber jabber or joking around and a big focus on putting on great performances. That is, until Suspicious Minds and Elvis completely loses the plot. They only make minor mistakes in Burning Love this time, and instead save that for An American Trilogy. They dropped Release Me? Bummer, I would have taken that over Funny How Time Slips Away yet again. A wonderful memento of this evening's show.

Highlights: Never Been to Spain, You Gave Me a Mountain, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, How Great Thou Art, I Can't Stop Loving You, Burning Love

8/10

Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals - Elvis Presley

This is all very... here. Clearly even in rehearsal Elvis could not remember the words to Burning Love. I would guess it didn't last too long in the setlist after this tour. One thing this demonstrates that Elvis between songs, Elvis clearly enjoyed just randomly singing some of his old 50s numbers. If you want to hear Elvis and the band mess around with For the Good Times for an hour, then these discs are for you! The final takes are pretty impressive performances and are basically how Elvis and crew would have sounded in concert without an orchestra. I wish he had been around long enough to try that. The gospel jams here are again a standout.

Highlights: Burning Love [Version 1], Burning Love [Version 2], Never Been to Spain [Take 2], I John, Bosom of Abraham, You Better Run

6/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 502

2025 in 2025: Day 43

The Complete Elvis Presley Masters - Elvis Presley

1967 to 1977

Clambake... yeah... these songs are... songs? Maybe? Confidence is just bad, I can't even pretend anything else. The soundtrack for Speedway is better. Marginally. Crazy that someone heard this version of Guitar Man and thought 'this needs to be the central song to the 68 special!'; it isn't bad, but it certainly doesn't match the version recorded for the '68 Comeback Special. Anyways, I think we are done with soundtracks now. I have a few different versions of Elvis doing Too Much Monkey Business - they all are quite different - and this version has some pretty funky acoustic guitar and really subtle drums. It's pretty groovy. Clean Up Your Own Back Yard is about people being hypocrites telling other people how to live when they are doing the bad things - the irony of The King singing that is not lost on me. We hit 1969 for the brief tracks on here; I have these in some form as part of the From Elvis in Memphis reissue, but they are the mono masters there and I should have full stereo versions of Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain at all times. Strangely, I never got around to getting the On Stage reissue, so that pops in here. I can always take some 1970 live Elvis in Vegas fun. Interesting they abandoned the chronological order for the recording date and put this album in original tracklisting instead. I have not really listened to this album much, but I do enjoy that some of the songs have quite slower tempos to how they were performed on That's The Way It Is. I am yet to pick up the From Elvis in Nashville box set (despite having the follow up set, Back in Nashville), so from here we move on to the legendary first Nashville sessions. Well, except for the gospel recordings (I have those in a separate set as well). I'm not as in love with these as Elvis world would demand I be; they're okay, but mostly very country and I'm not the biggest country fan. It's fine, but I prefer rockin' Elvis. Or just straight up ballad Elvis. Or gospel Elvis. Huh, I guess I didn't remove the Back in Nashville tracks, because I am now Back in Nashville? Perhaps because these are the original masters and that set is all the overdubs removed. Interesting. I should put them on back to back and see which I prefer. But not right now, I still have about 20,000 other songs to listen to... like Elvis singing Christmas songs. The cowbell in Burning Love is life. I've finally made it to 1976, when Elvis is far from his physical peak. But his voice is more powerful than ever. I love the massive harmonies in Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall. This is a reminder I need to get that Jungle Room compilation so I can separate out all his final recordings and enjoy those outtakes as well. FUN FACT: the final live masters were recorded on my birthday... just 3 years before I was born. And because nothing is ever easy with me, these are all followed by bonus live masters. I'm guessing these weren't included in the main section because they are rarites than anything; some are poor quality (and I'm pretty sure a few of them are in the Boy From Tupelo set), some are different renditions not found elsewhere, and then there is the "laughing version" of Are You Lonesome Tonight, in which Elvis just breaks in to hysterics and derails the entire performance. I love that for him. The overdubbed version of Unchained Melody is certainly much cheesier than the original performance found on the main set (and recorded as a pre-birthday present to me!).

Highlights: Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, Walk A Mile in My Shoes, Just Pretend, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Where Did They Go Lord, Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On, Burning Love, Always On My Mind, Way Down

"Albums" listened to so far: 334