ELVIS ON STAGE - BMG 07863 67741 2
 
 |
Original album, plus bonus songs
1: See See Rider
2: Release Me
3: Sweet Caroline
4: Runaway* (August 23 M.S)
5: The Wonder Of You
6: Polk Salad Annie
7: Yesterday/Hey Jude*
8: Proud Mary
9: Walk A Mile In My Shoes/
10: In The Ghetto (First released on 'Elvis - The Concert')
11: Don't Cry Daddy*
12: Kentucky Rain*
13: I Can't Stop Loving You*
14: Suspicious Minds (First released on 'Elvis - The Concert')
15: Long Tally Sally*
16: Let It Be Me
* Denotes previously unreleased versions |
This new upgraded version of the classic "Elvis On Stage" album features some dialog not present on the original album. For instance when Elvis introduces Fats Domino, and sings a few lines of 'Blueberry Hill'. Or when Elvis excuse himself saying they only can sing 16 songs, and therefor can not take requests. (This album features exactly 16 songs. I wonder if we would have more if Elvis had said 17 or 18 instead of 16??).
It features 'The Wonder Of You' "as is" (First released on 'Elvis - The Concert'), meaning the version with Sweet Inspirations, and not the overdubbed single version. Of more interest is the unreleased versions on this album. BMG has not explicit mentioned which ones are new here, but we have in fact 6 in all. Out first is 'Runaway'. BMG has replaced the original version from August 25 (D.S.) with a new version from August 23 (M.S.). I believe this must be unintentional! Then there is the 'Hey Jude' segment (which is awful in my opinion, not of the same quality as the one on Fort Baxter's Opening Night '69). For the first time we get the masters of 'Don't Cry Daddy' and 'Kentucky Rain'. Both were recorded on the midnight show on February 17. They are slightly better than the previously released outtakes (on the Silver Box and Greatest Hits Vol. 1 respectively).
'I Can't Stop Loving You' is also new, together with 'Long Tall Sally'. The first one is very good in my point of view, while the latter is badly mixed and has lots of mic-overload. Not a class performance, but nice to have 29 years after it was recorded. Not new, but for the first time, we also get the complete medley of 'Walk A Mile In My Shoes' and 'In The Ghetto'. About time!!
The mixing is in general good. More rough than before, and BMG has also changed the channels. 'Suspicious Minds' is, however badly mixed. Maybe it was badly recorded? This version also lacks the 100% commitment from Elvis, and several times he is "out of focus". Why BMG decided not to release the master, I can't figure out!
The recording level is very low when Elvis speaks, which is a bit annoying. BMG should have turned up the volume at these points.
Now that On Stage has been reconfigured, it is about time that BMG starts to release a complete concert from August 1969 or 1970 (note #). Bits and pieces won't do in the long run, but On Stage is a "good" substitute until then...
Reviewed by Oven Egeland, Elvis In Norway. Thanks to Philippe Turquois!!
# 1. See the 30th anniversy release of "That's The Way It Is"
# 2. See volume 7 of Follow That Dream releases; One Night In Vegas
# 3. See CD-1 and CD-2 on the 4-CD box called Live In Las Vegas
# 4. See the FTD release called Elvis At The International
# 5. See the FTD release called All Shook Up |
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