Review and comparison of the two bootlegs from Omaha, June 19 1977.
CANDID ELVIS ON CAMERA
(Capt. Marvel Jr 2001-3) (Released 1998)
Tracklist:
Intro by Felton Jarvis - See See Rider - I Got A Woman/Amen - That's Alright - Are You Lonesome Tonight - Love Me - Fairytale - Little Sister - Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel - And I Love You So - Jailhouse Rock - How Great Thou Art - Band Intro - Early Morning Rain - What'd I Say - Johnny B. Goode - Drum Solo - Bass Guitar Solo - Piano Solo - I Really Don't Want To Know - Electric Clavinet Solo - Joe Guercio's Orchestra Solo - Hurt - Hound Dog - O Sole Mio - It's Now Or Never - Closing Vamp
*Bonus: You're Life Has Just Begun (Home 1974)
Content: 4 Sound: 3 Artwork: 4
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SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU
(Ecolordo 170596 - 2) (Released 1998)
Tracklist:
See See Rider - I Got A Woman/Amen - That's Alright - Are You Lonesome Tonight - Love Me - Fairytale - Little Sister - Teddy Bear - Don't Be Cruel - And I Love You So - Jailhouse Rock - How Great Thou Art - Band Intro - Early Morning Rain - What'd I Say - Johnny B. Goode - Band Intro - I Really Don't Want To Know - Band Intro - Hurt - Hound Dog - O Sole Mio/It's Now Or Never - Closing Vamp
*Bonus: Rapid City interview
Content: 4 Sound: 3 Artwork: 3
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I have been waiting for this release for a long time. So many words have been said about this concert, that it is a relief to finally listen to it in its completeness.
Actually I was a bit surprised the first time I listen to it. I though it would be worse than it is. 'See See Rider' is an ok version, better than many in 1976, that's for sure. 'I Got A Woman' and 'Amen' is more than ok. 'That's All Right' is all right! Parts of 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' is plain good!! This is my impression so far, mainly because of the very low anticipation I had. The problem still is there; Elvis is drugged more than ever, slurred and struggles to focus. False start on Are You Lonesome Tonight', and a messy ending of it.
Love Me is destroyed because of heavy sound problems. And there are a lot of sound-problems on this show. The problem is not repairable for bootleggers and hardly for BMG either. The tape legend has lots of notes from Felton Jarvis saying "Bad Sound".
We know 'Fairytale' already, since it was picked out by RCA for the LP Elvis In Concert. This version is not good; Elvis sings much of it off-key. 'Little Sister' however is much better, also featured on Elvis In Concert. Featured on this are also the next numbers from Omaha, 'Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel' and 'And I Love You So'. Both of low standard, although the last mentioned gets better as it goes along.
Jailhouse Rock? Well...what can you say...'How Great Thou Art' is another chapter. This shows how Elvis could rise when he felt challenged. Still in June 1977. Not the best version, but very good! This one was also used in the TV-Special and the Album Elvis In Concert.
Now also we can hear Elvis introduce the band in 1977 in soundboard quality...
Early Mornin' Rain was used in the TV-Special Elvis In Concert, but not on the Album (they used the version from Rapid City on this). 'I Really Don't Want To Know' is the weakest I have heard Elvis do it. The beginning is of-key, nothing more, and nothing less.
Then Elvis feels challenged again, and performs 'Hurt' very good.
'It's Now Or Never' is an ok version, while 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was used on Elvis In Concert, both the album and the TV-Special.
Conclusion:
Many people will dislike this release. Not the fact that it was released, but the fact that they spent money on it. For many it will be a typical - play once and place in shelf - CD.
Not to me. To me this release is as important as the A Hot Winter Night In Dallas released at the same time. The story of the man Elvis Presley makes more sense when you listen to this one. Of course it is a bad show, and of course only days later he would be better, but then again earlier he had been worse. It is Elvis in late 70's. You never know what to get before the show starts.
Times when everything was good, even in bad days, were gone. All of us who know much about the life of Elvis will find it natural that it turned out this way. In that perspective I rank this release as one of the most important ones. Release the Rapid City show from June 21, two days later, and I will welcome it very much. If you, on the other hand, have little experience with bootleg releases, please try some others first...
The differences between the two releases!!
It is the same tape that is used for these releases, except for the fact that Ecolorado has used a copy of the original tape. There are noticeable differences in the sound. I assume that Capt. Marvel has spent most time of the two on their release. If that is so, did it pay off? Well, I'm not sure. Others have stated that the sound on Ecolorado's release is better. In general I could agree with that. Elvis is more up front on 'As I Leave You', than on 'Candid Elvis On Camera'. On the other hand the sound is cleaner and fresh on the last mentioned. So there are no definitive conclusion to make here. I guess that on a very good stereo, on high volume, Candid Elvis On Camera sounds best. (I don't have one....)
However the release from Ecolorado runs at wrong speed. It runs about 6 % to slow, while Capt. Marvel Jr has the right speed. Although 6 % is not much, it is very noticeable, and besides that it is not correct, it also make the sound picture more dirty.
The concert runs longer on Capt. Marvels release. Now we are really talking about small things, but still. The intro of 'See See Rider' runs longer. Another thing is that the release from Ecolorado does not feature the complete introductions of the band. Right after 'Early Morning Rain' some seconds are missing, before it jumps into "..eadguitar is James Burton". This due to the fact that the source is a copy of the original tape, not the original itself.
On both releases the ending of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' has been edited. The editing that Ecolorado has done is really amateurish. It breaks the pattern of the song, and it is shortened down. Capt. Marvel however has managed to put together the different sources in the right place. It shouldn't be difficult, so I'm surprised of the work from Ecolorado. It reminds very much about the clumsy editing that Rock Legends did on 'I Got A Woman/Amen on' Sold Out In Dixie.
Also Candid Elvis On Camera has a short intro from Felton Jarvis. This is copied directly from the video - Elvis In Concert, as you can hear the plane in the background (When Elvis is presented with the award for Moody Blue).
Let's focus on the bonus tracks; both have one. No big deal any of them, but at least Capt. Marvels' could be considered as a "bonus", while Ecolorado's hardly can. Ecolorado has a presentation for Elvis in Rapid City. The sound is really bad, and you can barely hear Elvis say "thanks", and "that's nice" a couple of times. Captain Marvel have used 'You're Life Has Just Begun' from A Private Moment With The King.
The CD itself features different track splicing. Ecolorado has divided 'Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel' into two tracks. This is something others have done too, but I don't see the point in doing so. It is a medley that behaves itself like one song, not two. Better, I like the idea of splicing up 'O Sole Mio' and 'It's Now Or Never', like Capt. Marvel has done. This way you can skip the Shrillness and jump straight to Elvis... this last release has also divided the different band solos into separate tracks.
The inner sleeve of 'Candid Elvis On Camera' has "Candid Elvis On Camera 2001-3" printed in. This I like, because it makes it easier to point out fakes (counterfeits) These "2001" signs though, have really gone out of control. 2001-3 is the same as on Opening Night 1972 (from Label 2001), and even more, the 2001-6 covers both Make The World Go Away (From Capt. Marvel) and Come What May (from Label 2001). And it does not stop here. 2001-7 was used for Good Times Never Seemed So Good' (Capt. Marvel) and A Hot Winter Night In Dallas by Fort Baxter... It is an early stage to run out of numbers...Sure "2001" is a special number, as it is a alternative name for "Also Sprach Zarathustra", but still.
Ecolorado does not have any tag in the inner sleeve, but have used a more than adequate number for their release, 170596 - 2... (why the "2" in the end I don't understand, since it is their first release ever!?).
What about the artwork, then? Capt. Marvel has included the tape-legends made by Felton Jarvis. This is a nice touch, and should be a standard for other releases. On the back they have used a drawing made by "Leroy". Nice, but don't make it a habit. I prefer real pictures. Ecolorado's cover pictures are not from Omaha, but at least they features Elvis in the "Mexican Sundial Suit", and they are very clear.
Finally, one thing I don't like with the release from Ecolorado. The warning at the back of the CD: "Beware of inferior imitations" it says, and I guess it is directed to the release from Capt. Marvel. If any could be called an "inferior imitation" it is in fact the release from Ecolorado itself!! I would not use the word "inferior", but at least it is an imitation, meaning not the original.... This show was set up for release for over a year ago, first by the label 2001, then it was decided that Capt. Marvel should release it.
Which one is best?
Personally I like the release from Captain Marvel best. Captain Marvel wins because of a more solid work on their release, and that they have used a better source. The CD runs at correct speed, the editing (on Can't Help Falling..) is done well, and both artwork and bonus track is better.
The sound is more clean and fresh, but more distant on Capt. Marvels release, while Ecolorado wins at "upfront" Elvis, when it comes to sound.
Reviewed by Oven Egeland, Elvis In Norway. |
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