In 1977, the reviewer wrote "They still love Elvis, the portly patriarch of Rock", what is our opinion 48 years later?
Design
The label released a beautiful package with eye for detail. With a release of material so close to Elvis' untimely death in August 1977, the nod to the original design of Elvis' 'Moody Blue' album is a nice touch. So is the transparent blue colored vinyl with orange RCA-style labels. A "classic black" vinyl edition was released too.
A fair shot of our man graces the cover, with a few nice shots inside the gatefold. Inside the jackets the vinyl is housed in printed inner sleeves, both featuring a design that also would have looked good on the cover of this double LP set. The liner notes feature a spot-on original review and a short essay placing Elvis as a contemporary 1977 artist in a 1977 Kalamazoo context: selling out venues, just like his competition - Genesis, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Queen and ZZ Top - illustrating that he still matters as an artist compared to the new and louder guitar-driven competition
Content
The main feature on this double LP is Elvis' April 26, 1977 performance, but since the recording is incomplete we get the opening from June 24th (Dane County Auditorium) and band introductions from March 27th (Taylor County Coliseum) and bonus songs from May 3rd as recorded at the Saginaw Center. Also added are three songs by Kathy Westmoreland and Sherill Nielsen, from the Kalamazoo show. Together these various elements present a complete Elvis Presley In Concert experience.
The April 26th performance was previously released on three soundboards ('Shakin Up In The Great Lakes' (Fort Baxter, 2006), 'Memories From Kalamazoo' (Vavoom Records, 2001) and 'Spring 77' (Elvis Concert Fan, 2015) and as an audience recording on 'Breaking News' (E.P. Collector, 2017). None of these previous outings is complete, but Millbranch presents the most complete version to date, and upgraded the audio in a newly created Stereo Mix.
In the press-release the label stated that the show was mastered with the intention to present a real concert experience, not to create the optimum Stereo or "cleanest sound experience". So some of the hiss from the original source remains, as taking that out would have resulted in in removing part of the original dynamic and integrity of the recording.
To these ears, the LP sounds a little more spatial than the previous mono releases the result still isn't optimal, but I doubt that other engineers can improve much on what we hear here without affecting the music too much. The hiss, and sometimes the audience too, is still audible, at some points too much to really enjoy Elvis. The man himself is featured upfront in the mix, but at moments the backing sounds like a massive block and during the first tracks, Ronnie Tutt's cymbals sound like a cow-bell.
As for Elvis' performance … well it is April 1977, so his concert performances rely more on his presence and showmanship than his performances. The opening tracks from Dane County illustrate what we get, a not too inspired Elvis, he doesn't even require a second attempt of JD Sumner's dive bomb routine, saying "That's good enough". When we get to the Kalamazoo tracks we hear a typical unhurried and relaxed 'Love Me'. Following his usual concert pattern, he has trouble choosing 'Fairytale' or 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know)' as the next song. When his memory fails him halfway through the first title, Elvis smoothly pivots to the more familiar 'If You Love Me'.
Two tracks stand out: 'Big Boss Man' and 'Heartbreak Hotel', especially the latter showcases some remarkable focus and engagement, despite some technical challenges that force a microphone change partway through. These same audio issues briefly interrupt 'And I Love You So,' on which we also hear some of the magic of the Elvis we love, even when he needs a re-start due to some microphone problems.
'My Way' belongs to a 1977 Elvis Presley concert performance as the text is 101 percent spot on, even when Elvis doesn't realize it himself … His April 1977 performances differ from his versions from some months earlier, where he overdid his use of voice-modulation. 'My Way', 'Big Boss Man', 'And I Love You So', Jailhouse Rock' and 'Heartbreak Hotel' are the highlights.
The introductions are previously unreleased, but they are what they are, introductions and too long … The bonus songs from May 3, 1977 - an excerpt on 'Trouble' and a complete 'Love Me' - as recorded at the Saginaw Center, are the best performed and sounding on the album to these ears.
Conclusion
Contrary to James Shamp, who wrote the review for the Kalamazoo Gazette in 1977, we weren't present in Wings Stadium, and for me that illustrates what's missing here, the magic Elvis brought with him wherever he went.
The last tours Elvis kept selling out and pleasing the fans purely on his name and his charisma on stage, playing with his audience. This disguises the actual performance. Almost 50 years later, it is the other way around, we only hear the performance, but miss the magic of Elvis, literally.
What doesn't help is that despite the rework and remastering of the audio, the concert is incomplete and the audio not top notch. This album doesn't meet the quality of the label's previous release 'Dell Webb Presents Elvis Presley'.
We get a complete 1977 Elvis Presley concert experience, in a really beautiful package, but the magic isn't there, the addition of performances by Kathy Westmoreland and Sherill Nielsen, who actually outshines Elvis as a singer here on 'Danny Boy' - don't save the day.
This concert is hardly essential material for most listeners, but Elvis concert and vinyl fans will probably pick up this Limited Edition quickly, so hurry up if you want a copy.
The LP is available on transparent blue colored vinyl, and on classic black vinyl from >>> Bennies Fifties webshop.