Design
The design of this new CD is simply smashing with a selection of kick-ass photos of our man from the Standup shows. It would not have mattered much which of the images on this six-panel digipack would have looked better on the front, you can’t go wrong here! The modern yet authentic typography and original NBC Peacock logo complement the pictures.
Inside no line-notes, but the sweet memories of 4 ladies who were lucky enough tb be present at the taping of these shows. Reading their memories, they vividly remember every little detail. Sharing these memories with us, they take us right to the shows.
Content
The Stand-up shows mark the return of the rocker for me. These performances capture the raw and unrestrained energy of Elvis when he was finally “unleashed” from the Hollywood restrains. If you have to present Elvis to friends, family or collogues these images are my “go to” followed by some performances from ‘That’s The Way It Is’ for the Vegas years.
Even with him being a little nervous for the taping of his return to performing in front of a (small) live audience he nailed every song for these sessions; both the oldies and the new ones like ‘If I Can Dream’. That song made him relevant again in the late sixties, if you take everything that recently happened in the U.S., like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., into consideration.
The latter song clearly shows he hasn’t lost his magic touch as a singer and performer after hanging around movie lots way too long. On these two tracks you really hear the quality of the new mix.
The producers mixed in some talking bits adding to the feel of joining in at the intimate live setting of the little square podium. The label remixed these shows to present the best audio possible. The result is a very open and bright stereo-mix which makes the Sony mix sound more as “one massive block”. Here we get Elvis’ voice taking center stage.
There is one thing that annoys me, the remix of the audio not only opened up the performances presenting is a much richer listening experience, it also shines a light on the audio-imperfections of the source tape. The tape appears to be damaged during the second 'Jailhouse Rock'. Another side-effect are “digital artifacts” noises, especially audible when the audience applauds for our man. You usually don’t hear this in the usual mono where it is buried in the sound, but in this new mix it is audible. Just listen to 'Can't Help Falling In Love'.
This is an unavoidable side-effect when the quality of the source material isn’t good enough. Remember, these shows were taped for television. You can clean it up a little, but you can’t eradicate it completely, especially on live performances with an intimate setting as these stand-up shows, and you don’t want to affect the other audio elements.
Conclusion
The Reel Trax label presents us with a great looking and sounding CD, the two shows are too great to let the “artifacts” distract you. And the two previously unreleased tracks are worth the buy!
The producers mixed in some talking bits adding to the feel of joining in at the intimate live setting of the little square podium. The label remixed these shows to present the best audio possible. The result is a very open and bright stereo-mix which makes the Sony mix sound more as “one massive block”. Here we get Elvis’ voice taking center stage.
There is one thing that annoys me, the remix of the audio not only opened up the performances presenting is a much richer listening experience, it also shines a light on the audio-imperfections of the source tape. The tape appears to be damaged during the second 'Jailhouse Rock'. Another side-effect are “digital artifacts” noises, especially audible when the audience applauds for our man. You usually don’t hear this in the usual mono where it is buried in the sound, but in this new mix it is audible. Just listen to 'Can't Help Falling In Love'.
This is an unavoidable side-effect when the quality of the source material isn’t good enough. Remember, these shows were taped for television. You can clean it up a little, but you can’t eradicate it completely, especially on live performances with an intimate setting as these stand-up shows, and you don’t want to affect the other audio elements.
Conclusion
The Reel Trax label presents us with a great looking and sounding CD, the two shows are too great to let the “artifacts” distract you. And the two previously unreleased tracks are worth the buy!