April 10 - A Bicentennial Stamp From Murfreesboro

Three new import-releases have been announced. The AudiRec label will release "Elvis Opening Night 1975", TNT Records, with the help of their friends from the Audionics label, will re-issue the May 7 1975 "From Elvis In Murfreesboro" and the October 20, 1976 performance as recorded at the Notre Dame University Stadium in South Bend with the title "Bicentennial Superstar Elvis Volume 2". 

Elvis Opening Night 1975

AudiRec proudly presents: "Elvis Opening Night 1975" – a brandnew CD Set which will be released shortly. It includes an audience recording of the complete performance from March 18, 1975 – well known as the “Opening Night” for Elvis  March/April Las Vegas 75 Season.

Elvis hadn´t worked in five months when he came back to Las Vegas in March 1975 and although he carried a lot of uncomfortable weight inside his stage clothing, his spirits were higher than they´d been at the start of a Las Vegas engagement in years. If you take a close look to the setlist(s) of this engagement, it shows that Elvis put in really lots of contemporary songs instead of his own “Oldies”. For instance, Opening Night delivered just two songs from the '50s (“Love Me” and “I Got A Woman”). Compared to setlists from the years before this new one was full of good choices. For us listeners of today it is even more: It's GREAT to hear Elvis doing so many well-performed songs!

Expect a fine, decent CD Set containing a great show and be sure to get your copy at your local dealer! Accompanied by a 16-page booklet with lots of information and pictures from the first couple of shows of the season this new CD release is - just like the first release on AudiRec (the already sold-out 2 CD Set “Elvis At The Hilton) - also limited to only 300 copies.

Tracks Las Vegas 18.03.1975 Opening Show: 
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra 02. See See Rider 03. I Got A Woman / Amen 04. And I Love You So 05. Let Me Be There [with reprise] 06. It's Midnight 07. Big Boss Man 08. Green Green Grass Of Home [1st live version] 09. Burning Love 10. Love Me 11. Fairytale [1st live version] 12. Band Introductions 13. Lead Guitar Solo [James Burton] 14. Drum Solo [Ronnie Tutt] 15. Bass Solo [Duke Bardwell] 16. Piano Solo [Glen D. Hardin] 17. Electric Piano Solo [David Briggs] 18. Orchestra Solo (Joe Guercio Orchestra) 19. My Boy 20. I'll Remember You 21. Promised Land 22. Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming [instrumental excerpt] 23. Until It's Time For You To Go 24. Introduction Of Glen Campbell 25. When It's My Time [J.D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet] 26. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) 27. Can't Help Falling In Love 28. Closing Vamp 

From Elvis In Murfreesboro

With a little help from our friends at “Audionics” we are able to present another fine CD release by TNT Records – this time it´s the show in Murfreesboro/Tennessee from May 7th 1975. Here we go with a concert (recorded from the soundboard) that has coincidently its 10th year anniversary related to its first release on – you guessed it – Audionics. For this new release the guys from “Audionics” have remastered their 2005 Version and out comes a significantly better sound – you will like it! The concert is complete and this is rare (if not unique!) for an SB recording from April/May 75.

When Elvis was ready for his April/May 1975 tour it was already clear that it would be another big success in his career. By now the “King” was such an iconic performer that it virtually was a matter of unimportance to his many fans if he sang his usual setlist or just read the names of the local phonebook. No, not really of course. But in some way it was simply astounding how fans – maybe mostly female fans – reacted when Elvis came to town. Already on the second station of the tour Jacksonville Journal Staff Writer Sandy Strickland wrote in her article titled “Elvis Presley (Sigh) Is Here!” that “One woman threatened suicide. Another is fasting in some mystical hope that it will bring the desired results. Secretaries have threatened to put all phones on hold or close down the entire switchboard while they try to catch a glimpse of him” and explained this behavior very simple with “Elvis is in town”.

Take your time and read the full article within the 16 page booklet that accompanies the release. It also has many photos from the concert and the whole tour.

Enjoy Elvis in his last concert from the above mentioned tour. The “Closing Show” can easily be called a fine performance from a seemingly relaxed entertainer. The year of ´75 didn´t look that promising at the very beginning, but with two more soon to follow extremely successful tours all through the country Elvis headed for more fun, as being on stage in front of thousands of fans was more than likely what he just loved. As Joe Esposito, his Road Manager, said once in one of his many interviews: “Elvis Presley loved to be Elvis Presley!”

Tracks:
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra 02. See See Rider 03. I Got A Woman / Amen [medley] 04. Love Me 05. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) 06. Love Me Tender 07. All Shook Up 08. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel [medley] 09. The Wonder Of You 10. Burning Love 11. Band Introductions 12. Johnny B. Goode 13. Drum Solo [Ronnie Tutt] 14. Bass Solo [Jerry Scheff] 15. Piano Solo [Glen D. Hardin] 16. School Day 17. Bridge Over Troubled Water 18. T-R-O-U-B-L-E 19. I'll Remember You 20. Let Me Be There 21. An American Trilogy 22. Funny How Time Slips Away 23. Hound Dog 24. Little Darlin' 25. Can't Help Falling In Love 26. Closing Vamp 
Update April 10, 2015

Bicentennial Superstar Elvis Volume 2

Welcome to TNT Records´ brandnew CD release. Again with a little help from our friends at “Audionics” – most likely the premium and still active label when it comes to rare recordings in best possible sound - we decided to release Volume 2 of our very well received series “Bicentennial Superstar”. It is going to be presented in our usual high quality standard. The recording is taken straight from the soundboard and there is a 16-page booklet containing all the information you need to know regarding the concert and the whole tour.

As we are aware from all the information we do have access to these days it was more than clear and also visible that Elvis actually should have cared a lot more for himself than for his fans. Although the “King” at least tried to get back in shape and although he got rid of quite some weight since the last tour in early September ended it was a much too short “Recovery” and Elvis stepped on stage looking not too good, showing a pale face and a not so well fitting haircut (of course we´d be more than happy if it was just for the haircut but it wasn´t). Still the fans were loyal and came in masses. The Colonel also was happy to receive another share of “big money” from touring all through the country. After all Elvis seemed to be an all-time-winner in terms of making money with performing that often in a year. Whatever it really was that kept Elvis doing show after show we still can only guess.

Nevertheless, the shows in October of 76 had their moments. Elvis changed his setlist from the months before slightly and for example put back a more than welcome “Steamroller Blues” into it. He did at least what he had to do: Making his many fans happy. That didn´t necessarily include all the reporters from the local newspapers who sometimes wrote some true words the fans did not want to read. But of course there still weren´t that many really negative reviews of Elvis shows in the press. It was just a matter of time though…. The show we are presenting on this release took place on Oct. 20, so Elvis was right in the middle of the tour. The 12.000 fans in the sold-out Notre Dame University Stadium in South Bend saw Elvis wearing the brightly coloured Flame Suit for the first time on stage. Fortunately this show was recorded from the soundboard in its entirety which is rather rare – there are too many SB´s out there on the fan market that lack from starting with “Love Me” or similar, many also do not have the last song(s) originally recorded. Sit back and enjoy experiencing Elvis in autumn of 76 singing some very good versions of songs like “Steamroller Blues”, “Help Me” and a still strong “America The Beautiful”!

Tracks:
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra 02. See See Rider 03. I Got A Woman / Amen [medley] 04. Love Me 05. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) 06. You Gave Me A Mountain 07. Jailhouse Rock 08. Help Me 09. All Shook Up 10. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel [medley] 11. And I Love You So 12. Fever 13. Steamroller Blues 14. Band Introductions 15. Early Morning Rain 16. What'd I Say 17. Johnny B. Goode 18. Drum Solo [Ronnie Tutt] 19. Bass Solo [Jerry Scheff] 20. Piano Solo [Tony Brown] 21. Love Letters 22. School Day 23. Hurt [with reprise] 24. Hound Dog 25. Funny How Time Slips Away 26. Little Darlin' 27. Can't Help Falling In Love 28. Closing Vamp & Announcements.

Stamp

Released in Liechtenstein to celebrate the 80th. birthday of Elvis Presley is a 10 stamp set in the "dieMarke.li"-Program. The first day of issue was April 10, 2015. 

(Source: FECC / Briefmarken-Haus Sieger / Elvis Presley Gesellschaft)