Search - Elvis Presley :: Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals

Elvis in top form, destroying the myth

elvistrek | Richmond, VA | 04/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a long-time Elvis fan, I've found this CD to be one of my all-time favorites. Full of rehearsals recorded during the making of the "Elvis On Tour" documentary, it contains optimum versions of many of his circa-1972 songs.



Two songs make this CD a must-have:

"Young And Beautiful" - a full-length version of the 1957 classic, given an updated treatment for 1972. This is not just a line or two (unlike "El Paso," unfortunately).



"Always On My Mind" - although this performance was previously released on "The Great Performances" CD (and as an overdubbed, edited performance on the "This Is Elvis" album), the version here for "Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals" has far better sound quality. For me, this is the best recording of the song by anyone. This version is my second-favorite Elvis song, next only to "If I Can Dream.""

1970's Elvis at his best!!!

Brandon Mattingly | 02/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There have been a lot of "rehearsal" Elvis CDs to come out, but this by far the best. First of all, it almost sounds like a studio album. The songs are done all the way through without a bunch of mistakes and a do-overs and most sound really great. There isn't any joking around, each track pretty much jumps strait to the next song. What I really like is on this disc you get to really hear James Burton's guitar licks and Ronnie Tutts drums shine through without them being drowned out by an orchestra and backing vocals. True, JD Sumner and his vocal group is there, but their vocals are faint. What you hear is Elvis and the rythmn group. The way it should be. This is how his 1970's albums should have sounded. Elvis doesn't really stretch his voice on this disc (i.e hold any incredibly long powerful notes as he does on most of his 70's work), but his voice is rich and full of confindence as he gets his rythmn band ready for the upcoming tour. My only question is why "El Paso' is included, since it runs 1:06 and Elvis only sings one line. The rest of the track is just the band playing the music, and it really disrupts the flow of the CD. The major surprise is "Young And Beautiful", the song from Jailhouse Rock in 1957. The 1972 version sounds really nice, especially since it was probably the first time he had done that song since the 50s. I have over 100 Elvis Cd's, and am generally more of a fan of his 70's work than anything, and this is my favorite Elvis CD that I own. Its a shame that RCA doesn't release something like this for us here in the U.S, instead we keep getting new CD's of the same songs and same versions with different covers over and over. I had to pay extra to get this disc (it is an import), but it was definatelly worth the money. If you wanted to introduce someone to Elvis's music who's not a fan of 50's rock, 60's doo-wop, or the typical 70's music full of orchestra overdubbs that plagued almost all 70's artist (not just Elvis) then this is the album to do it. ALL ELVIS FANS MUST HAVE THIS!!!!!"

Elvis in rehearsal

Marc Haegeman | Gent, Belgium | 02/22/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Taped at the RCA studios in Hollywood in March 1972 this new Follow That Dream release features a selection of Elvis Presley's rehearsals for his upcoming tour (which would also be covered by the "Elvis On Tour" rockumentary). Elvis with his stage band (minus bass player Jerry Scheff, unfortunately replaced here by Emory Gordy) and JD Sumner and the Stamps run through their standard live repertoire of that moment, adding a few of the recently recorded studio cuts ("Always On My Mind", "Separate Ways", "Help Me Make It Through The Night"). A spontaneous version of "Young and Beautiful" is the only rarity.



The absence of the orchestration used for the concerts gives mixed results. Some songs sound better, others just don't, while actually none on this release surpass the master takes. Although Elvis seemed extremely focused in these rehearsals with very little fooling around and no audience to distract him, the quality of his voice is variable and he hardly ever sings full out. But, hey, these were only rehearsals anyway.



Sound quality and mix are excellent, yet the artwork is amateurish and the CD with 19 songs runs barely over a meagre 51 minutes.



Amazon's listing of this CD under "Rehearsals" make it extremely hard to find. "Elvis On Tour" is far preferable.

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