Moody Blue - 12 February 1970 Charlotte, North Carolina

Elvis' first tour of 1977 would be ten shows in as many nights in nine cities and five states. He would begin in Hollywood, Florida on 12 February and conclude with two shows on consecutive nights at The Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Having recorded the studio master in 'The Jungle Room' at Graceland on 4 February 1976, 'Moody Blue' would be both a single and the title of the final album to be released in his lifetime. The only time that Elvis would either sing or attempt to sing 'Moody Blue' on stage were at those two aforementioned shows in Charlotte.

At the first Charlotte show on 11 February and after singing 'My Way' Elvis tells the crowd "Our latest record is Moody Blue.....and I don't know it either! So if we make a mistake please excuse us because we've never done it except when we recorded it!" After much debate about where to start and in which key Elvis remarks "To hell with Moody Blue" and decides instead to sing 'How Great Thou Art". All of this is taken in good humour both by Elvis and the audience,

The following evening and still at the same venue Elvis this time remarks "I'd like to try to do my latest record... I tried it last night and didn't make it....I have to read it so if we goof it up please forgive us!". This time however there is no mistake and despite the obvious unfamiliarity with the song, with lead sheet in hand and with his eyes glued to the lyrics the only live performance of 'Moddy Blue' is still achieved and at the songs conclusion Elvis jokes:
"Well I'm sure glad you learned it..really.. 'cause I don't know the chord changes, the key or anything!"

This only live rendition of 'Moody Blue' was first released on the bootleg circuit in 1995 on Fort Baxter's 'Moody Blue and other Great Performances'. It would be 2007 before the track would recieve an official release by Sony through the FTD label released it as a bonus track on the Unchained Melody album in 2007. The main focus of this release was actually the 11 February show containing the aborted attempt and the full version was included as a bonus track.

Rags To Riches - New Years Eve 1976 Pittsburgh PA

In the main 1976 had been a very poor year for Elvis. His reluctance to enter a recording studio had made it necessary for RCA to move it's mobile recording unit 'Big Red' into the grounds of Graceland and Elvis' den, what was to become known as 'The Jungle Room', became a makeshift studio in order for Elvis to fulfil his contractual obligations.

The live shows of 1976 were amongst the poorest of Elvis' career with the setlist probably at it's most rigid since 1969 but still the venues sold out but even stuck in this malaise Elvis still sometimes managed to produce an excellent show within a below par tour or even a moment of genius within a mediocre show although in 76 this had become more the exception rather than the norm.

Elvis only appeared in Las Vegas once during 76 and this was the shortest full Vegas engagement of the 70's with just 15 shows over 11 nights and the standard of show was generally high. After closing in Vegas on 12 December Elvis had a fornight off before emabrking on a short five show tour which began in Wichita on 27 December and would finish in Pittsburgh during the early hours of New Years Day.

Perhaps bouyed by the fact that he had performed his final Las Vegas show as no extension had been signed, Elvis' next five concerts were unquestionably the best of Elvis' shows in 1976 and there is footage of most of the show in Birmingham, Alabama on 29 December concert, a show which was a bootleg favourite for many years and has since been released officially on FTD in a two disc set with the previous nights show in Dallas - both excellent shows. The New Years Eve show at the Civic Center Arena was probably the best of the five with Elvis on stage for almost two hours!

On a Friday evening,16,409 people in Pittsburgh saw in 1977 with 'The King' and after three opening acts and a lengthy intermission Elvis walked on stage at 23.35 to a mass of flashbulbs and screams - you would have been forgiven for thinking it was already twelve!

When twelve did arrive the house lights went up and Elvis lead the audience in a rousing rendition of Rabbie Burns' 'Auld Lang Syne' wished the audience and band members 'Happy New Year' before resuming the show but nor before introducing his father, daughter and sound engineers!

By this stage the Elvis Presley shows' penultimate number was usually 'Funny How Time Slips Away' but on this particular evening he had sang this just before midnight and so since he was already at the piano having sung 'Unchained Melody' he decided to give the only live performance of 'Rags To Riches'.

The master of this song was recorded in RCA's studio B in Nashville on 22 September 1970 in an additional session to create some extra cuts to compliment the June sessions. In addition to 'Rags to Riches' Elvis also recorded 'Snowbird', 'Where Did They Go, Lord' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' at this session.

The original audience recording of this New Years Eve show was for many years one of the most sought after bootlegs and after the introduction of the FTD label they quickly bought the original recording from fan John Herman who had recorded it that evening, how much RCA paid is anyone's guess and it remains the only audience recorded show in the FTD catalouge. Released officially by FTD in 2003 it was titled simply - New Years Eve 1976. This however must only bring one to the natural conclusion that a soundboard version does not exist.

Inherit The Wind - 26 August 1969 Dinner Show

The studio master of 'Inherit the Wind' was recorded on 15 January 1969 and was the twelfth song that Elvis recorded during those landmark recording sessions at American Sound Studios in Memphis. 

The only live recording of the song first appeared on the 1991 RCA/BMG box set Collectors Gold on disc #3 which was titled 'Live In Las Vegas' and also featured the first official releases of the only live performances of 'This Is The Story' and 'Rubberneckin'.

In 2005 FTD released the entire 26 August 1969 Dinner Show, titled 'Live In Las Vegas 1969', from which this song was performed and finally placed the song into it's proper context.
26 August 1969 was a strange night as far as the setlist was concerned as that evening also produced the only live performances of Rubberneckin' and 'This Is The Story' at the Midnight show. Considering August 69 probably had the most rigid setlist that Elvis would employ with rarities at a premium those in attendance at these shows probably didn't appreciate how lucky they were that evening.

Considering this was Elvis' first live performance in eight and a half years the rigid setlist was understandable with band and singers all new and a tight setlist keeps any problems with unfamiliarity at a minimum and creates a comfort zone. As Elvis' confidence increased the rarities appeared,and as such this track was performed a full four weeks into the engagement.
The actual reason for performing this 'Memphis trio' was actually for inclusion in what would become 'Elvis In Person' a fact Elvis tells the audience before singing 'Inherit The Wind' at the Dinner Show, odd therefore that all three were ommited from the album and were only officially released 24 years later!

You'll Never Walk Alone - 19 July 1975

Although Elvis won three grammy awards and another posthoumously it is little known that he was also nominated for a further eleven including one in the Best Sacred Performance category in 1968 for the studio master of this song.

'You'll Never Walk Alone' was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their 1945 musical 'Carousel' and Elvis recorded his version on 11 September 1967. It was in fact the last of seven songs recorded that night at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.

Despite being released as a single and achieving a grammy nomination it would take over three years before it would make it onto an album and even then RCA released it only on their budget label, Camden,

This, with Elvis at the piano and recorded during the evening show in the Nassau Veteran Coliseum, Uniondale, NY on 19 July 1975 is the only known live performance of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' by Elvis. Listening to this performance and Elvis' vocal it doesn't seem like eight years between this and the original studio master!

The Next Step Is Love - 10 August 1970 Opening Show

In just over a year and through two Las Vegas engagements Elvis had evolved his live show to where he wanted it and to where the audience seemed to enjoy it. On returning to live performing the setlist mainly comprised of  'Elvis standards' from the 50's and 60's, a couple of new recordings (In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds), a couple of covers, Del Shannon's 'Runaway,The Beatles' (Yesterday / Hey Jude medley) and The Bee Gees' 'Words' . He also included 'Memories' - a nod to the recent 'Singer Presents Elvis' TV special. Some contemporary covers and two more hits from the 'Memphis Sessions' were added for the Jan/Feb engagement and then via some highly succesful gigs at The Houston Astrodome Elvis arrived back in Las Vegas for his August 1970 Summer Festival.

This engagement would be no ordinary engagement. For starters MGM were there to film the first six shows over three nights which naturally would bring it's own pressures. As far as the setlist was concerned Elvis was now comfortable and confident enough to choose the styles of songs that he wanted to include in the show. He managed to fuse together a show which had country, pop and rock 'n' roll all included, Elvis truly had become the consumate all round entertainer.

Throughout the six shows filmed by MGM Elvis introduced a total of thirteen new songs and EIGHT on opening night and three of those introduced would never be sung live again. 'The Next Step Is Love' is the one of that three and was the only song from opening night of which that is true.

Recorded in Nashville just 2 months earlier (4 June) the studio version of this is excellent but I don't think it quite works live as the arrangement feels awkward and Elvis doesn't seem completely at ease in this performance. Maybe Elvis thought so too as he dropped it straight away and never sang it live again although his vocal is excellent.

This live performance was first heard on Disc #3 of the 2001 TTWII special edition CD boxset before the entire show was released on the FTD label that same year. The audio in this video is taken from disc #2 of Sony's excellent TTWII Deluxe Edition which contains the 10 August 1970 opening show from which this performance  is taken.

Stranger In The Crowd - 13 August 1970 Dinner Show

Recorded in Nashville on 5 June the studio master would be released on the 1970 TTWII album. The only footage of 'Stranger In The Crowd' to make into either the 1970 or 2001 versions of the movie was a short clip of a high energy rehearsal in Culver City.
When 'The Lost Performances' was released in 1992 we were able to see songs from the 'lost' 13 August Dinner Show, the only show not to have footage included in the first movie. Strangely, the only song from this show to be filmed and omitted from 'The Lost Performances' was 'Stranger In The Crowd' and it was not until 2007 when a two disc edition was released on DVD featuring both the 1970 and 2001 movie that this song was officially released. With the footage still in it's raw state it was tucked away on the special features on disc 2 which contained the original 1970 movie.
Wearing the 'Red Ladder' suit, Elvis would sing 'Stranger In The Crowd' live for the first and last time at this show.
As seems to be the norm with Elvis of this period, the vocal is well judged with Elvis making the most out of the catchy choruses but not over using the power his new mature voice had. If you listen carefully you can hear the Latin-american arrangement coming through on this live version in the second half of the song, around the 3 minute mark.
The audio in this video has been replaced with superior audio from Sony's TTWII Deluxe Edition's disc 7 containing this show.

Down In The Alley - 19 August 1974 Opening Show

Down In The Alley was the third song laid down on the second day of recordings at Studio B in  Nashville during the May 1966 sessions which would create the Grammy winning gospel album 'How Great Thou Art'.  On the 26 May 1966 it would be the eighth take that would become the master and as was the norm in the late 60's RCA would stick regular studio recordings onto the back of soundtrack albums in this case 'Spinout'. The result of this practice was that as the CD era began many of these classic recordings were lost to a potential new generation of fans.

For Elvis' eleventh Las Vegas season beginning on 19 August 1974 he decided to go for a complete revamp of his setlist which included dropping the 2001 theme, See See Rider and I Got a Woman / Amen. The show now had a low key opening with Big Boss Man, Proud Mary before 'Down In The Alley' and 'Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues' neither of which would be perfromed live again and these were followed by the last live performance of 'Never Been To Spain'.
Both 'Proud Mary' and 'Never Been To Spain' had been absent from the setlist for almost two years to the day. Other new additions this opening night were 'Let Me Be There', 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know), Softly (As I Leave You) and three from his new album, the title track 'Promised Land', It's Midnight and If You Talk In Your Sleep. In short this meant that in one opening show Elvis either introduced or re-introduced more than have the songs (10 from 19) but of those 10 three would never be performed live again and another 'Proud Mary' never after the following Midnight show.
By the following show, the 20 August Dinner Show, the normal formula of the Elvis Presley show was restablished with the remaining six new songs dispersed throughout the show.
The reasons for this almost immediate u-turn have been a source of debate for the last forty years. It seems that Elvis was underwhelmed by the audience reaction to the new setlist and either due to panic or impatience he reverted to type the following night.
During August 1974 the shows were mostly of a high standard with Elvis in excellent voice throughout but it was clear that all was not right. Many shows contained monolougues on Karate or other subjects and this would culminate on closing night with 2 September becoming the most infamous show of Elvis' career and one that without being played in full and with parts taken out of context (ie in isolation) would be drive the agenda of many in the media particulary throughout the 80's!!!
This, taken from that opening show was first available on one of the most bootleg albums ever, a 2 CD set titled'From Sunset Boulevard to Paradise Road' which also included the rehearsal of the new songs. It was 2008, however, before the show was released officially on Sony's collector label 'Follow That Dream' titled 'Nevada Nights' which also contained the 21 August Dinner Show which gives a good contrast to the setlists.

Rubberneckin' 26 August 1969 Dinner Show

The thirteenth song that Elvis recorded during those landmark recording sessions at American Sound Studios in Memphis in 1969 and featuredin his final acting movie - Change of Habit.
This rare live recording first appeared on the 1991 RCA/BMG box set Collectors Gold without the false start included here.
In 2005 FTD released the entire 26 August 1969 Midnight Show, titled All Shook Up, from which this song was performed and put the song into it's proper context and it is also the same show from which the famous laughing version of Are You Lonesome Tonight originates.
26 August 1969 was a strange night as far as the setlist was concerned as the two shows also produced the only live performances of Rubberneckin' and Inherit The Wind especially since August 69 probably had the most rigid setlist that Elvis would employ with rarities at a premium.
Considering this was Elvis' first live performance in eight and a half years this was understandable with band and singers all new, a tight setlist keeps any problems with unfamiliarity at a minimum and creates a comfort zone.
As Elvis' confidence increased the rarities appeared, this track was performed a full four weeks into the engagement.
The actual reason for performing this 'Memphis trio' was actually for inclusion in what would become 'Elvis In Person' a fact Elvis tells the audience before singing Inherit The Wind at the Dinner Show, odd therefore that all three were ommited from the album and were only officially released 24 years later!
Listen out for Elvis singing a few lines of 'Loving You' after the song has concluded.

This Is The Story - 26 August 1969 Midnight Show

Only the second song that Elvis recorded during those landmark recording sessions at American Sound Studios in Memphis in 1969.
This rare live recording first appeared on the 1991 RCA/BMG box set Collectors Gold. In 2005 FTD released the entire 26 August 1969 Midnight Show from which this song was performed and put the song into it's proper context. This is also the show which produced the now legendary laughing version of Are You Lonesome Tonight,
26 August 1969 was a strange night as far as the setlist was concerned as the two shows also produced the only live performances of Rubberneckin' and Inherit The Wind especially since August 69 probably had the most rigid setlist that Elvis would employ with rarities at a premium.
Considering this was Elvis' first live performance in eight and a half years this was understandable with band and singers all new, a tight setlist keeps any problems with unfamiliarity at a minimum and creates a comfort zone.
As Elvis' confidence increased the rarities appeared, this track was performed a full four weeks into the engagement.
The actual reason for performing this 'Memphis trio' was actually for inclusion in what would become 'Elvis In Person' a fact Elvis tells the audience before singing Inherit The Wind at the Dinner Show, odd therefore that all three were ommited from the album and were only officially released 24 years later!

Only Believe (27/01/71 MS) only live performance

The three day Nashville sessions at RCA's Studio B from June 5-9, 1970 provided material for two of Elvis' most varied and contemporary albums - That's The Way It Is and Elvis Country. There was, however, enough material left over for a third album - Love Letters from Elvis. Having already produced two top drawer albums the third album, by definition, would be filled with the sessions leftovers and it suffers as a result. The blame for this lies not with Elvis but with RCA as the album was poorly conceived and poorly marketed, a trend that would continue right up to the millennium until SONY, having taken over BMG/RCA and by default the Elvis back catalogue, attempted to reverse that trend with varying success.
In the latter part of 1970 Elvis included songs from the first two albums in his setlist and this would continue into his next Vegas engagement although which of these included would vary show to show. For example, Bridge Over Troubled Water, which was sung at most shows in August would appear only three times and all at the end of the engagement.
The only song from the third album, Love letters from Elvis, to ever be performed on stage was this one time only perfromance of Only Believe which appeared at the Midnight show on 27 January - the third show of the engagement.