[NightRider]

"Elvis In Concert" Definetly a TV special


In his career Elvis Presley only made 3 TV specials of his own. The first in 1968 being the highly acclaimed “Elvis” or as it’s more widely known now as The 68 Comeback. In this special Elvis reinvented himself and proved he was still a natural and innovative performer to huge critical acclaim.
The second special was the Aloha Show in 1973 broadcast via satellite to an audience of approximately 500 million people this showcased Elvis in a superb live performance, totally in control, the polished showman.
The third and final TV special “Elvis in Concert” came in 1977,and consists of excerpts filmed from Elvis’ last ever tour from the Omaha Nebraska and Rapid City South Dakota shows. The show itself reached No1 in the U.S TV ratings and the soundtrack album went gold.
Both the 68 Special and the Aloha Show (though they have been available for many years) have been recently re-released on DVD having been digitally remastered and packed with extra never before seen footage. However the “Elvis in Concert” special has had no such official release since it was aired on TV all those years ago in 1977.The reasons being as the Elvis estate more or less puts it that due to his obvious ill health and poor physical condition it’s detrimental to Elvis’ legacy to present him in such a light. That said fans across the globe continually request that it be given an official release stating that looking past the fact of Elvis’ health he was still able to pull off some outstanding performances during the special.
And in this article I would like to discuss in detail (omitting the usual “run through” description of the special) why I also feel that Elvis’ final TV special should be given the full release it deserves.
The fact that Elvis agreed to be filmed in the first place to me shows that he wanted a new challenge. At this time in his life he had accepted (probably with great difficulty) his weight problem and on watching the special he is obviously very ill and tired although his “spirit” is high. And I believe this initial shock when first viewing the special clouds many peoples opinion of this show. This being the case it tends to detract from the real importance of the show, the music and its evaluation. Elvis’ ability to rise to the occasion and elevate what to him must have been grueling shows to perform, and had it not been for the extra effort and will given by him, would have by Elvis’ past standards been inferior. However it is the music and his genius that transcends this sad and upsetting sight of Elvis, (I still feel for him whenever I watch it).
That said, for me the special represents a time when Elvis was becoming very much more involved in his music, apparently after the Omaha show Elvis was very concerned about his performance, even to the extent of going on a crash diet and two days later his show in Rapid City was a great improvement. Indeed the special, aside from “My Way” consists entirely of footage from the Rapid City show.
The special reveals Elvis as being much more aware and responsive of his musical roots the rhythm section of the band are more prominent and the unnecessary orchestra less conspicuous. The now diminished horns, strings and backing vocals not only make the old songs sound more like the originals, but also make Elvis less dependent on them. Thus he works a lot harder and Elvis is simply in magnificent voice. His singing is best described as peerless. His eloquent and emphatic delivery of “Mountain”, “How Great Thou Art” and “Hurt”, and the two country songs “I Really Don’t Want To Know” and “Early Morning Rain” with their evocative and sensitive renditions clearly illustrate the point. His expressive hands, the swinging arms and painful facial expressions grab the viewer into his painful and sorrowful world, just as his choice of material does. What about the inclusion again in his repertoire of the heart aching “My Way”. If Sinatra had not recorded it first, so the song must have surely been written for Elvis.
These are the reasons why the special must be ranked with the other two. I think Elvis, had he lived, would have used the CBS Special as a stepping stone in reaffirming his rare artistic genius, and the fact that he did make a conscious effort to try and regain his recognition once again as an artiste to be taken seriously (had anyone except the short sighted critics (and CBS) who had recently been dismissing him as a “parody of himself” ever thought so?). His musical interest and ambitions may have sometimes been lost somewhere along the last 4 years of his life, but when presented with a new challenge, and this is what the CBS Special offered him, he could easily and effortlessly fall back on his natural talent and musical instinct.

POST BY PACER

[NightRider]

The above post was copied from the old Nightrider Forum...posted by Pacer...

[kenotess]

Hi!!,
Elvis in Concert has been the subject of many debates and discussions ..Should it be released?,if not ,why?
Personally,in my view,this should NEVER have been made in the first place back in 77.What on earth was the Colonel thinking of,and why did those closest to Elvis,including band members,not protest enough against the project,and refuse to back Elvis on stage point blank, knowing just what such a terrible state of health Elvis was in!!! To quote one of the Sweets,`We were wearing blinders`I have read over and over Elvis was in great voice,well compare his vocals here to 69 sessions,the early vegas concerts,and tours,Aloha from Hawaii,and i have to strongly disagree..There are maybe 2 performances in which Elvis truly shows his once magnificent vocals,`How great thou Art` and `My Way`,the rest,even `Early morning rain` and the haunting `I really dont want to know`leave you feeling nothing but sadness and pity that such a magnificent talent and had been so abused and literaly worked to death,as Elvis would be a few weeks after this footage.. Elvis once exciting karate kicks and stage movements have gone,and if you look closely,you can see the odd wince of pain from a tired and lonely Elvis trying so hard to please the fans,which he does,as he always did..Watching the full Omaha and Rapid city concerts shows even more how ill Elvis really was.This footage,had it been released at the time,would have caused more damage to Elvis than a 1000 books could ever do,and even today,if it is released,would be a great source of damage to the memory and respect of Elvis..Most of us will have this footage,but how often do we view it,its much too painful to watch,and on the odd occassion i have shown it to others,its always the same comments,`doesent Elvis look ill`,you bet,he was dead soon after!!!,PERHAPS IF HELP COULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO ELVIS,HE WOULD BE STILL WITH US,..what we see here in this footage is an omen of doom,Elvis` rapidly looming death.For those who have this footage,remember Elvis with dignity,for those who have still to see Elvis in Concert,DONT,its a very powerful heartbreaking image of the worlds greatest gift being exploited and paraded like a wounded animal,it will break your heart,the tragedy isnt Elvis,..its the greed of those around him,and the shame they must carry forever.. Elvis was crying for help,many ignored his cry,this is the truth in every aspect of Elvis in Concert..

[Guest_The Batman_*]

mmmm the debate continues. I for 1 love the CBS TV Special An Over weight Elvis and not all there but saying that we had some great perfromances from him he got up on stage and did what he had done for so many years before, although all the fast action wasnt there for him all the feeling and emotion was still foremost in all the songs, In my opinion compairing it to 69 (the comeback special) or 72 (aloha from Hawaii) is the wrong thing to do, Elvis did what he did without trying it was all natural to him. I feel the 69 although it was very good was also well staged the banter between the other band members was well rehearesed and as for the Aloha concert you could tell that Elvis was playing for the camera and not the fans, where as in 77 I dont think it really mattered that the cameras where there to him he was just there to be himself and to perform the way he did

[hounddogone2000]

i'm another one that loves the cbs special and want to see it released.
it was damn near 30 years ago now, surely it's time to release it.
it's like elvis was the only star to ever put on weight, did anyone really expect him to look the way he did in 68 forever.
i totally accept elvis as he was, whether he was overweight or not, he still put on a helluva show and gave his all.
it's about time epe realised elvis died in 1977, they seem to believe it was 1973 as we rarely see any images after 73 from them.
elvis accepted how he looked we all do, so why can't epe ?

[Leroy]

In boths stories (pro or contra) you can find some truth. I can go along with Jeff in his point that the special never should have been made. In fact, at the and of 1975 it would have been better if Elvis had wave the stage goodbye for a while to create a chance to put himself back together. Or maybe, like many other stars, just one tour each year to promote a new album.

But Elvis kept on performing and so we have a special on our hands. When I saw it for the first time (it was broadcasted in October 1977 on the Dutch television) I wasn't shocked. Elvis looked better than I expected. The only thing that shocked me was the puffyness underneath his eyes. But in some of the takes a lot of his old faces came by. During one song he reacted agitated to something that happened in the band and he raised one of his eyebrows which gave him his old "G.I. Blues-look". On another moment you see Elvis in profile and he looked exactly like the backside of the "Double Dynamite" album (picture of November 1970).

Musically the only low points are the trow away version of his old hits like "Love Me", "Teddy Bear" and "Jailhouse Rock". But I have always considered them as inferior. He had such a collection of high standard songs in the 70's it amazing he only did a few. But he also knew the importancy of the fan's whishes and granted them.

At the end of the day I like the special and like most of the fans I would like a carefully re-eddited version on DVD. Boths shows in the full with the dressing room scenes. But, if possible, without the grieving Vernon at the end. I would like to celebrate Elvis' life and not mourn his death.

[kenotess]

Hi again!!,
some very important points made regarding Elvis in Concert here by everyone..Yes,perhaps comparing Elvis to his 69 performances was unfair..and in no way do i mind Elvis putting on weight,he was human!!!,and i didnt mean to compare the image of Elvis in 69 to Elvis in 77,..no way..i love all the images of Elvis from the 50`s to 77..
My anger towards this concert comes from and is aimed at some,`NOT ALL!!`,around Elvis at this time,..and having just read about the auction of Curtin strengthened my point of view and made me over-react,but come on,does he have to sell the most personal items Elvis gave him [img]style_emoticons/default/aggressive.gif[/img] !!,he is hardly poor,look around the world for those who ARE poor,maybe his wife loves money more than him???,thats his problem,there is a limit,but of course he loves Elvis,doesent he??..which leads me back to the point in 77..who was looking out for Elvis?.We have to accept the condition Elvis was in,a very ill man,from John Wilkinson,the Sweets,James burton,Red and Sonny West etc,at least they tried,and you can understand them being upset back in 76, they loved Elvis,and who hasent wrote a book since??...I just cant help feeling if more had tried,he would still be with us,but we will never know..
Regarding 77,i have concert footage of Elvis putting on far superior shows,and looking great, the C.B.S footage was terrible,and according to band members these were bad performances. Once again it was rushed out for profit,its a pity they didnt film earlier in the year,Elvis gave some great shows,and even his last concert is far superior to Rapid city and Omaha.I think some fans also may not be aware Elvis wore this jumpsuit in previous years,and he looks great.
Elvis should have been resting,either in hospital,rehab,or at home,not performing,he was a sick man,he tried his best,as always,but he was physically and mentally drained,its obvious and pitiful to see.

[snowbird]

I' not especially an big fan of the 76-77 years, and i think that ELVIS gave too many concerts and some of them were really poor.
But there were some exceptions, the PITTSBURG concert and all the rest of the december 76 tour were good concerts.
Regarding the CBS concerts, i didn't liked them that much, but i watched them again the other day, and surprisingly, i happened to rediscover them, they weren't that bad after all, of course i wasn't the GARDEN or TTWII, but it's ELVIS as he was at the end, and you like it or not, that's the way it was.

[Leroy]

Besides that a true Elvis fan cannot deny the last years. They too are part of Elvis as much as all the rest he did. It's all Elvis. You can't turn your back to it.

[kenotess]

Besides that a true Elvis fan cannot deny the last years. They too are part of Elvis as much as all the rest he did. It's all Elvis. You can't turn your back to it.

Quite agree Leroy,you cant turn your back on any stage of life,be it the 50`s ,60`s or 70`s,Elvis was,is and always will be a superstar, [img]style_emoticons/default/clap.gif[/img] As so many have said before and will again,there will never be anyone like him again.He is a part of all our lives,and always will be.. [img]style_emoticons/default/00000407.gif[/img]

[Leroy]

Amen Jeff, Amen.

[kenotess]

Amen Jeff, Amen.

And peace to you as well my friend [img]style_emoticons/default/cheers.gif[/img] !!!,we all miss Elvis so much,i just love Elvis,i have done since i was a child.and will do until i pass from this world,just like yourself Leroy and everyone here and all fans worldwide,he is part of my life and family. [img]style_emoticons/default/00000407.gif[/img]

[Gordon]

well well well...here we go again!


go on epe protect Elvis' iomage and legacy this is surely far better than what Elvis looked in the CBS special

(IMG:http://www.elvis-impersonators.com/Fat%20Elvis.JPG) (IMG:http://cdn.efashionnetwork.com/sites/shopelvis.com/product_images/EP-030-9826_ex.jpg)

protect and yes do promote that! well done!


Elvis was FAT in 1977 he could barely move! But these guys are much better than him!


I know one thing...there is no remastering involved in impersonating the guy....but the CBs needs a whole lotta work for a few $$$....end of the argument!

[Gordon]

now on to the serious part.... i don't expect a deluxe edition. Omaha is too bad for the general public...i agree. And even Rapid City on its own at times seems to be quite monotonous!

BUT...consider the quality that we have...the picture is not the best and the sound....the sound especially in Omaha makes you scratch the back of your ears!

A GOOD production, that's what this thing needs....a sort of CBS Special SE...and this should be the ONLY program with that nostalgic feel. Do something like EOT when he's in the car thinking...block the image there and return for a while to the 50's just to remind everyone what the guy was...a quick recap of his lifetime, what he's been through using image and short footage...put it in perspective!

Ideally, on a more egoistic note, release it through FTD, in deluxe mode....but that's too far I Know!

[snowbird]

Gordon, i don't know what version of both concerts you have, but mine are perfect sound quality.
The ony bad thing with the OMAHA concert is the counter, otherwise it's almost perfect.

[NightRider]

I can never understand why people insist that he was 'fat'. Ok, as far as Elvis is concerned, yes he was...if you compare him to his earlier years, But hardly as 'huge' as some make out. There are many more 'bigger' stars in the entertainment world. The fact is that it was a shock to fans. Seeing him look un-well. Which is what he was. He had been for some time.

The Colonel should have looked after his star better. End of 75 he should have given Elvis a break. Elvis himself should have insisted that that too. Sadly, Elvis himself is not without blame. Neither are many of the people that surrounded him. Although many claim that they tried to do something. Maybe they did and were ignored, maybe they didn't....with the amount of different stories around i guess we will never know.

I do believe that had he have rested, taken a year off, then he would have survived. Again though, we will never know.

As for the CBS special, it should be released. It maybe shouldn't have been filmed. But it was. Its part of Elvis' history and deserves to be released for those that want to see it. Rapid City is pretty good. Better than Omaha. Ok, nothing like Elvis at his best or even close. But good all the same. There are many more shows that they could have chosen. But the Colonel as ever wanted Cash. Lets face it, when didn't he during the later part of the 70's ? The gambling was a huge problem by then. That why the rest for Elvis never came. Any other manager would have thought about the future. Not the Colonel. Money was all he cared about.

No, its not all his fault...though a huge chunk should have been laid at his feet. Elvis himself should have taken a long hard look at himself. And made the decision himself.

The CBS special is an important part of the story. It shows....that in ill health...he still did it for the fans. He could still perform. Ok, there could have been better days. December 76 would have been awesome. Some of the February concerts are good. But, the fact is that they weren't recorded. These shows were. And for their faults, they still deserve to be released in a format that is fitting for them.

I love Elvis. Full stop. The young Sun stuff, the Rock'n'Roll Legend, The 60's ( so under-rated ), and my favourite decade...the 70's. Live, studio...all the same...right up to the last concert he performed.

[kenotess]

Hi,
i dont think this debate will ever end until maybe someday it is released..No,Elvis wasen`t fat,not by my standards.. he put on a few extra pounds,but Elvis wasen`t allowed to do that,being human.Its not the image what hurts,its the sadness in his eyes at times i find truly heart-rendering,you dont like too see anyone you love or care about being sad or hurting,you want to help them.
Just one last point,i think FAT,AND I MEAN FAT!! ,E. T. ARTISTS have done more harm to Elvis image than any book,or release of Elvis in Concert could ever do..There was only one Elvis. Most of these E.T.A`S make a mockery out of Elvis,sorry if i offend anyone,just my point of view..

[NightRider]

I agree Jeff....there are a minority that do it - and do a good job ( not that i like any of them )....but most simply ................ [img]style_emoticons/default/yucky.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/default/yucky.gif[/img]

Shame they can't be BANNNED [img]style_emoticons/default/gunsmilie.gif[/img]

[Tigerman]

About the whole fat thing, i wonder if EPE had accepted his look in 75 - 77 and hid him from the public by using 50's pictures in every promotion etc. Cause when none fans grow up seeing a 21 year old Elvis it will be a little shock to see Elvis at 42.

Cone on he was sick.. not fat, if EPE would just said it like it was instead og hiding the truth everything would have been much better. Put yourself in this position: You have grown up only seeing Elvis from 1956, and suddenly you see the CBS special... You just got a shock. It would have been the same with most peopple if you only have seen them 21 years old, and then see a 43 year old sick ersion.

As for the two shows quality. They are not as bad as many tells us. I think Omaha is a typicall 77 show, while Rapid City is pretty damn good. Alltough you can clearly hear Elvis has some breathing problems, i think his voice is better than most 77 shows i have heard. Elvis doeas some very grate versions on this show, alltough most the 50's songs should have been scrapped in 1971.... I can't hear any passion when he sings them at all.

[Gordon]

Snowbird, I am sure the quality you have is much better than mine, but i am also certain that most of those who are contrary to this being released do not have that quality or simply do not have it at all. Would you spend good bucks for something you are sure you won't like?

Secondly i have seen Omaha is almost perfect quality....yes the look is much much better but still, the sound mix leaves alot to be desired. it is made to show the lack of breath E had....perfect for antagonists.

We are used too much to the perfect Elvis....thanks again EPE and the col.! I guess there wouldn't even have been a topicon this one if they had accepted E back in '74.....consider what we're used to...50's, early 60's, TTWII and Aloha! Of course not even EOT since he looks slightly chubbier in Greensboro for example.

Not even Tom Jones a few years ago produced such a shock....a really Bloaty OLD man singing SEX bomb...now that was shocking!