Search - Elvis Presley :: Live From Las Vegas

Elvis struts his stuff in live recordings from Vegas !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elvis Presley could indeed take others' material and infuse it with his own style and singular talents to make their songs far better than ever before. Elvis' voice commanded attention with its sensitivity and masculine warmth both at the same time. This CD allows us to experience Elvis performing live for his audiences over several nights in 1970 and 1972.



The CD opens with the electric rendition of "See See Rider" which has a special arrangement by Presley himself. What a strong opener--it leaves you wanting more! Of course, more is what you get. The CD next goes into "Release Me," a slower ballad but the band "(plays) it harder" to give it an extra special impact that will mesmerize you. Elvis and his backup group, The Sweet Inspirations with Millie Kirkham, join forces to make this ballad quite powerful.



"The Wonder Of You" is one of Elvis' signature songs; and he will not disappoint you as he belts out this ballad with passion and sensitivity. The backup singers, again The Sweet Inspirations with Millie Kirkham, sing beautifully to add to the brilliance of this number. The flawless musical arrangement complements Elvis' voice to perfection! Great!



Other wonderful songs on this CD include the classic "Proud Mary" by John Fogerty; "Proud Mary" sounds like a mixture of rock and country styles blended into one. Awesome! "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Don Gibson glows with even more electricity as Elvis takes this easy listening ballad and infuses it with a distinctly rock and country style arrangement. Elvis also works his magic for "Never Been To Spain;" Elvis gets vocal backups from J. D. Sumner & The Stamps as well as Kathy Westmoreland. The band jams so sweetly for "Never Been To Spain;" and I like the way the arrangement uses the horns to enhance the dramatic effect of this number.



"It's Impossible" gives Elvis the chance to take the most romantic of ballads and make it his own with a beautiful arrangement and a slightly faster tempo than we are used to hearing on this number. The album closes with a medley of songs from America's history; and the grand flourish at the end of the track serves as another reminder of the singular talents of Elvis Presley.



The liner notes include great pictures of Elvis in concert; and Ernst Mikael Jorgensen adds an informative essay about Elvis' performances in Vegas.



One reviewer notes correctly that the track set on this CD comes from several different nights in February 1970 and February 1972. That's true; this is not a CD recording of an entire single concert. Nevertheless, the mixing and mastering job by Dennis Ferrante never lets on that the CD tracks have been pasted together from several different performances. The tracks have been connected so seamlessly that it truly sounds like a single performance. Moreover, the quality of the sound is excellent--even on my portable CD player. Impressive!



I highly recommend this for Elvis fans. People who enjoy classic pop vocals will also love this CD.



Enjoy!

"