Review LP Las Vegas International Presents - Opening Night 1972

Hot on the heels of the CD edition of ‘Las Vegas International Presents - Opening Night 1972’, the U.K. based Memphis Recording Service released two vinyl editions of this album. 

And with the ‘Las Vegas Summer Festival 1972’ 4-CD-set set coming in April (and an LP version following that?), it's almost becoming difficult to keep up with the pace of new releases from this record label. I'd better hurry up with this MRS review :-)

Design

The design of the LP is a blown-up version of the CD, and although it is an imagined cover, it still looks attractive. The new picture on the back with Elvis closing the show is well chosen. It would be asking too much for a gatefold, just like the CD-set, so we just get a single sleeve. The cardboard isn’t very think, the slipcase protecting the vinyl is standard white paper.

The LP inside comes on black and clear vinyl. Just like previous releases from this label the vinyl is top-notch. It feels solid, is as flat as it should be and I heard no crackling noises. Seeing the clear vinyl spinning on my record player, I must say it looks great. 

Content

Besides the way the LP looks it is the content and how that sounds that will matter for most fans. The concert itself is a very enjoyable one. Elvis and the band are rockin’ the Hilton Showroom, just read the review of the CD >>> here. 

The audio on this album is the newly created stereo mix we got on the silver disc, using a mono soundboard. In my review of the silver CD I wrote that the engineer has managed to open up the original source-tape and that the concert had that ‘big venue” sound. This is what you get on this LP edition too. 

As for the new stereo mix and added reverb, that will remain a matter of taste. Personally I like the way it sounds now. I must admit that I had hoped that the audio of this vinyl outing would add some more “vinyl dynamics” to the sound-picture, but the sound is pretty much the same as what we get on the CD.

Conclusion

This vinyl outing of this enjoyable concert is a nice addition to your live collection. And with both a CD and a vinyl edition available you can pick your preferred format. 

Besides that, it is good to see a concert like this on the old fashioned format available in record stores (in Europe). Otherwise we would only get budget re-issues of the early fifties and sixties material.

And following the CD release of ‘Las Vegas Summer Festival 1972’, MRS will probably issue a vinyl follow-up. I almost wanted to say “please step up to the plate SONY”, because if the Memphis Recording Service can do this, so can you. 

Fortunately they did, with the ‘Live 1972’ LP and the ‘Elvis Presley - Burning Love: The Rehearsals’ Record Store Day 2023 release. So plenty to choose from for fans of Elvis live in 1972.