Having fun with Elvis on stage

[cripes]

Elvis Sept 2, 1974

I just downloaded Desert Storm--Elvis Presley Closing Night at the Hilton September 2, 1974. He was in a mood on this night, I tell you what...

Here's a little copy & paste job with MP3s for ya from the 'Elvis In Norway' website
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"This is REQUIRED listening for any Elvis fan. It's stunning! Almost everything he sings is done drastically different than it has ever been done before. The versions of ‘It’s Midnight’ and ‘You Gave Me A Mountain’ are downright frightening in their desolation. Priscilla was in the audience and she must have been beside herself. I mean, I like both these songs and always have, but can you imagine being the woman character in the songs?

From that point of view, the two songs can be a little disconcerting, and Elvis sang both of them with Priscilla in the audience. He even says, "listen Cilla" during 'It's Midnight'. Sure, after "Mountain" he explains that the song is not about him and Priscilla, but his rendition on this night is the most personal reading he has ever gave. When he screams, "she took my reason for living!" (and he does scream it) it's extremely creepy!

Anyone who says Elvis was in a good mood this night is crazy. I've never heard Elvis slip into profanity so much onstage. There's some fun in parts of the show, but there is a serious edge to Elvis' voice during this show that is scary. He mentions having a toothache at one point, and I wonder if he is perhaps taking a little something to kill the pain. Well... more than a little something.

The "I'll break your goddamned neck you son of a bitch!" line during the "Drugs Dialogue" is just unbelievable. I can't believe he stood onstage in front of people and said these things. I'd read about this for years, and somehow never really believed it was quite as bad as it is when you finally hear it. I constantly found myself saying "Oh my God Elvis! What the Hell are you thinking?" This show is constantly shocking. In the beginning of 'Softly As I Leave You' he actually seems annoyed with the audience and asks that they be quiet so he can tell the story of the song. Of course, after that, he goes on to praise the audience for the rest of the show. He's just so strange throughout this show. He doesn't even sound like himself towards the end when he tells the audience that they paid for his jewelry. I do kinda like the fact that he says he knows that Col. Parker is off playing Roulette. That was a great little aside.

Then, Elvis actually mentioning Mike Stone by name and saying that he's no stud! Good God! And with Priscilla and Lisa Marie in the audience. Unbelievable!

This is like the Barbara Walters Interview Elvis never gave. It's extremely revealing and eye opening and incredible. I recommend this disc very highly on shock value alone. The sound is good and Elvis' voice is fine, but the star of this show is his personal life, which is on display. I'm not surprised Bill Cosby disappeared before Elvis could introduce him..."

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And so ended this fascinating run of shows. What began as a promising new direction skidded to a halt two weeks later in the mess of paranoia and raw emotions heard here. After taking a short break he was back on the road by the end of the month, in a state that would make this show seem positively coherent in comparison...

[Cat Stevens]

I posted the complete gig in mp3 format about a year ago on the Pool.

Soundboard recording, awful setlist, great dialogue.

[Cat Stevens]

so I guess this is the El thread now. great. Elvis in 1974 did some pretty shitty shows, worse than in 1977.

my fav moment has to be from a '77 show tho, when he left the stage for 20 minutes to take a crap.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO3eEX1jGoY

[tronno]

I'll pull your tongue out by the roots. Thank you very much.


haha.

[Steve]

www.hungercity.org/details.php?id=5539

Elvis show with an interesting setlist from 74

[Steve]

www.hungercity.org/details.php?id=5550

a third Elvis 74 show.
At 85 minutes a LOOOng show for E. Lotsa crazy talking.

[Cat Stevens]

hey lenbru.

not a member there, so not sure what those are (the one where he started with "Big boss man" instead of "See see rider"?), but I'm looking for the "Led Zepp" one:

www.elvis.com.au/presley/led_zeppelin_elvis_presley.shtml

help!

anyhow, that's my fav El site (norwegian, of course) that Glen posted above.

[Cat Stevens]

like, it's my birthday today? (so much for that thread)

Elvis & Led Zepp?

Mp3s, anyone?

[Cat Stevens]

I see the Irish cnut is already 30 minutes online.

I guess he's searching the torrent sites?

[Cat Stevens]

the good-for-nothing paddy's gone, but now I see an "invisible user" online (hehehe, that means blair or nick of course, funny fellas)

anyhow, let's hope it's the cripeman. nick's the man, but glen knows his torrent stuff.

[manho]

there are actually at least 3 invisible users.

[manho]

Finger O'Flarhety Wills wrote <<it's my birthday today>>

here's a special birthday message from el:
www.sendspace.com/file/l2six4

[Cat Stevens]

ha, ha!





"why thankyou, thankyouverymuch"

[Steve]

yeah it was the big boss man one.

[owen]

i dont do torrent sites

too many spotty dorks about

i also have feck all spare time as it is

[Cat Stevens]

"yeah it was the big boss man one."


that sounds like the great one:

"The opening concert reveals much of Elvis' willing to do it different. The concert, I think, is good but reports say that the response he got from the audience was mediocre. The day after, the concert program fell into the old pattern except from a few new songs that changed from concert to concert.

Elvis starts the show on August 19 very differently. When everyone expected Joe Guercio to initiate 'Also Sprach Zarathustra', Ronnie Tutt instead started banging on his drums. Elvis enters the stage and begins to sing 'Big Boss Man'. Right after Elvis jumps into 'Proud Mary', just like he did in many concerts in 1972. Elvis hadn't sung this song for a "long" time. After 'Proud Mary' it was time to introduce himself, before another rarity, 'Down In The Alley', is accomplished. Allegedly, this song was not met with huge applause. It was the only time Elvis ever performed it on stage. 'Good Times Charlie's Got The Blues' is performed very well. Personally', I prefer this one to the studio version. Follows does 'Never Been To Spain', also a classic 1972 song. This version is great!

Another new song, not recorded long time ago was next. The song, 'It's Midnight', became a regular song on Elvis' show for almost a year. 'If You Talk In Your Sleep' was also a new song, recorded at the same session as 'It's Midnight'. However, this one didn't survive as long as the first mentioned. The same goes for 'Promised Land'. Elvis never quite got the right spirit with this song on stage. Elvis never got tired of 'Polk Salad Annie', however. He sang this song from 1970 to 1977. As the years went by Elvis changed the song quite noticeably. On August 19, Elvis sang a typical "1974-version", to put it that way.

For the first time Elvis introduced the Vegas audience to 'Softly As I Leave You'. Although Elvis recited the lyrics on one occasion in Las Vegas September 3, 1973, this is the first real attempt to move the audience with this "hold your breath" - song. He succeeded, and the song became a regular number in his Las Vegas shows for over a year. Only one time did Elvis sing this song outside Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe - in Memphis July 5 1976.

At the end of the concert Elvis also does a solid version of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'."


Youtube has few clips from it, here's the opening number, BBM (for the first time in 5 years it isn't CC Rider):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m6MSsuqFPg

audio synched to the footage from the gig, and it's different than on this source:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WbZUtHckvI

[tronno]

Thanks for the 14 minute "don't thing twice".....funny thing is that it fades in and fades out. Who knows how long it really lasted. A day, maybe two?

[manho]

the clovers, down in the alley, 1957:
www.sendspace.com/file/glvpl2

written by the truly great jesse stone.

[cripes]

Here's a Down In The Alley from 1930 by the great Frankie 'Half Pint' Jaxon (the original Little Richard).

Here's Memphis Minnie doing a song called Down In The Alley but it's a different song.

[cripes]

While I'm at it....this thing rocks like a bitch. One more from the Frankie Jaxon/Tampa Red sessions from 1930 It's Tight Like That.