''
''Elvis In Concert'' is a
posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ...
1977
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
starring
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. It was Elvis' third and final TV special, following ''Elvis'' (a.k.a. ''The
'68 Comeback Special
''Singer Presents ... Elvis'', commonly referred to as the 68 Comeback Special'', is an Elvis Presley concert special that aired on NBC on December 3, 1968. It marked Presley's return to live performance after a seven-year period durin ...
'') and ''
Aloha From Hawaii
''Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite'' is a concert starring Elvis Presley that took place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu International Center and was broadcast live via satellite to audiences in Asia and Oceania on January 14, 197 ...
''. It was filmed during Presley's final tour in the cities of
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, on June 19, 1977, and
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, on June 21, 1977. It was broadcast on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
on October 3, 1977, two months after Presley's death. It was transmitted by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
in the United Kingdom on June 9, 1978. Unlike the majority of Elvis' programs, it is unlikely to be commercially released on home video and is only available in
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
form.
[For Elvis Fans Only: Press Release From Presley Estate]
.
. This is because it showed Elvis near the end of his life when he was overweight and addicted to prescription drugs, and much of his performance reflects his poor health.
[ However, parts of the special were used in the video documentary ''Elvis: The Great Performances'' and the theatrical documentary '']This is Elvis
''This Is Elvis'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the life of Elvis Presley, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitatin ...
'', both of which were released on home video. Parts of the special were recreated for the movie ''Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
'', specifically Presley's performance of "Unchained Melody".
Description
On June 1, 1977, it was announced that Elvis Presley had signed a deal with CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
for a new television special. It was agreed that CBS would videotape concerts during the summer of 1977. The final special was culled from footage of two performances, on June 19, 1977, in Omaha, and June 21, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota; albeit much of the footage from Omaha was considered unusable due to sound and performance problems. This concert has been heavily edited and bootlegs have appeared on auction web sites over the years. The show was shot on NTSC videotape although many film conversions have appeared over the years. The crew also filmed footage of Elvis at the airport in Indianapolis on June 26. This is the last known footage of Elvis ever filmed, and he can be seen wearing his favorite DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enf ...
jacket.
During the special, Presley performs a number of songs spanning his career. During one song, " Are You Lonesome Tonight?," just before Elvis goes into the recitation
A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience.
Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience.
Academic recitation
In a ...
part of the song, the music is faded down and a devoted female fan is shown talking about her determination to see Elvis live in concert, then it switches back to Elvis after the recitation was finished. This may have been done so that viewers would not have to see Elvis fumbling through the recitation, although this footage was included in the later documentary ''This Is Elvis
''This Is Elvis'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the life of Elvis Presley, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitatin ...
'' to illustrate his poor condition at the time, and the recitation was left intact on the soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
as well. However, not all agree that this explanation is the proper one, and the case has been made that Elvis regularly played around with the words during the recitation of the song when performing it onstage, with this being an example of that rather than it being a case of poor memory. Indeed, a concert recording of Presley similarly joking around during the recitation of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" dating from 1969 has been issued by RCA on numerous occasions. Dubbed the "Laughing Version" (due to Elvis breaking into fits of laughter during the recitation), it even made the UK charts after Presley's death; and he also poked fun at the song during his 1968 Comeback Special, pretending to mumble the recitation instead of speaking it. His final album, ''Moody Blue'', also included a live rendition of "Little Darlin'
"Little Darlin'" is a popular Top 40 song, made famous by the Diamonds.
The Gladiolas' version
It was written by Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing the clave rhythm. It was first recorded by ...
", recorded earlier in 1977, in which Presley similarly poked fun at that song's recitation portion.
Presley also sings his much-performed "My Way
"My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
," although he has to use a lyric sheet on this occasion, despite having performed the song several years through the 1970s without having to refer to a lyric sheet. Presley also left both of his then-current singles, “Moody Blue
Moody may refer to:
Places
* Moody, Alabama, U.S.
* Moody, Indiana, U.S.
* Moody, Missouri, U.S.
* Moody, Texas, U.S.
* Moody County, South Dakota, U.S.
* Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
* Hundred of Moody, a cadastral division in South Au ...
” and “Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and was later recorded by Presley at his home studio in Gr ...
,” off the setlist; earlier in the tour, Presley had forgotten the lyrics to "Moody Blue" when attempting to perform it in North Carolina on February 20. Due to multiple audience requests the following night (also in North Carolina), Presley performed "Moody Blue" once again for the first and last time live and complete, lyrics in hand, the only time he would do so in his lifetime.
According to Roy Carr and Mick Farren in ''Elvis: The Illustrated Record'', CBS officials considered postponing broadcast of the special in hopes of obtaining better performance footage of Presley, but his death in August 1977 cancelled this plan.[Carr and Farren (1982), p. 166.] Its broadcast received mixed reaction; Carr and Farren condemned it as a "travesty", adding, "Had it been shown during his lifetime, it would have caused more irrevocable damage to what was left of his career than almost a decade of starring in third-rate movies."[
A misconception regarding ''Elvis in Concert'' stems from a statement broadcast by Presley's father, ]Vernon Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
at the program's conclusion (and also included on the soundtrack album) in which he told viewers that they had just witnessed Elvis' final performance. In fact, Presley made five more concert appearances before giving what would be his final show in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, on June 26. However, the CBS special was Elvis' last professionally recorded concert. The special actually contains two messages by Elvis' father: one taped in a hotel room during the tour in June when Elvis was still alive, and the other taped in the back office of Graceland in September, shortly after his death, where Vernon thanks the many people who sent letters and cards after Elvis' death.
Reviews
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
called it Presley's worst, saying, "it's hard to believe that CBS-TV actually would have aired the show if Presley hadn't died two months later, making it his final recorded performance (and making his records big sellers again)." The fan site Elvis Information Network deemed the program "a challenging special to watch... The pudginess of his face and his substantial girth is a long way from the panther like sleekness exhibited in '' Elvis: That's the Way It Is'', a documentary about Presley released in 1970."[
It was the highest rated prime time program of the week upon its airing, with a 33.0 Nielsen rating representing 24.1 million homes.][(12 October 1977)]
ABC Retains Grip on Audience
''Abilene Reporter-News'' (Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
story) ("CBS' "Elvis in Concert," taped highlights of two of Elvis Presley's last live shows, was the week's most watched program. Broadcast on the night of Oct. 3, it was seen in an estimated 24.1 million homes.")
Official release
This special has never been released on VHS, Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...
, LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
, CED or DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
, and Elvis' estate has issued a statement saying that they have "no plans" to release the special, due to the fact that Elvis was visibly "far from his best in the way he looked and the way he performed".[ The company is long-believed to have a policy that refuses to license any product that portrays Elvis as overweight.][Sean O'Neal, ''Elvis Inc.: The Fall and Rise of the Presley Empire'' (1997).]
Footage from this special has, however, appeared elsewhere on home video: the performances of "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Love Me" and "My Way" were used in 1981's ''This Is Elvis
''This Is Elvis'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the life of Elvis Presley, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitatin ...
'', and the performance of "Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film '' Unchained'' (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.Robert Rodri ...
" (which was not featured on the original CBS telecast) appeared in the 1990 home video release ''The Great Performances, Volume One: Center Stage''. And there has been no prohibition on the soundtrack being reissued over the years (see below). Some clips of the special were used as the basis of scenes in the movie ''Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
'' directed by Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
.
List of songs / scenes
# Elvis fans' comments
# Footage of stage setup and pre-show souvenir sales
# Introduction ("Also sprach Zarathustra
', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.[See See Rider
"See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Param ...]
"
# "That's All Right
"That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. The song was rereleased in early March 1949 under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and bl ...
"
# " Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (combined with a fan's comment)
# "Teddy Bear
A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...
/Don't Be Cruel
"Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...
"
# Elvis fans' comments
# "You Gave Me a Mountain
"You Gave Me a Mountain" (sometimes credited as "Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain") is a song written by country singer-songwriter Marty Robbins during the 1960s. It has been recorded by many artists, including Robbins himself, but the highest-charti ...
"
# " Jailhouse Rock"
# Elvis fans' comments
# "How Great Thou Art
"How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine f ...
"
# Elvis fans' comments
# "I Really Don't Want To Know
"I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song written by Don Robertson (music) Howard Barnes (lyrics). The song was published in 1953.
The best-known version of the song was recorded by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1953, one of the top 100 songs o ...
"
# Elvis introduces his father, Vernon, and his girlfriend Ginger Alden
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
# "Hurt"
# " Hound Dog"
# "My Way
"My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
"
# " Can't Help Falling in Love" (combined with Vernon's comment on Elvis' early career)
# Closing vamp
# Final message from Vernon Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
Personnel
*Elvis Presley – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
*James Burton
James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...
– lead guitar
*John Wilkinson – rhythm guitar
* Charlie Hodge – acoustic guitar, vocals
*Jerry Scheff
Jerry Obern Scheff (born January 31, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for his work with Elvis Presley from 1969 to 1977 as a member of his TCB Band and on the Doors' '' L.A. Woman''.
Biography
Scheff grew up in Vallejo, California. After ...
– bass
*Ronnie Tutt – drums
* Tony Brown – piano
*The Sweet Inspirations
The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...
, J.D. Sumner
John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 – November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Sumner sang in five quartets and wa ...
& the Stamps Quartet, Kathy Westmoreland – vocals
*Joe Guercio – orchestra
*Bobby Ogdin
Robert Ford Ogdin (born September, 1945) is a Nashville-based recording session pianist. He is best known as a member of Elvis Presley's TCB band. He performed on 20 of Presley's recordings and accompanied him on 45 live shows until Presleys' deat ...
- electric piano and keyboard, clavinet
Soundtrack
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
released a soundtrack album in conjunction with the television special's broadcast. The album augments the televised performances with a second album of additional recordings made during the Omaha and Rapid City concerts. The concert soundtrack album was released in October 1977 and reached #5 on the Billboard album charts. The album, however, omitted many of the features from the TV show; including some of the fans' comments, audio of the stage setup and souvenir sales, the fan's comment during "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", and Vernon Presley's comment during "Can't Help Falling in Love".
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Roy Carr and Mick Farren, ''Elvis: The Illustrated Record'' (Harmony Books, 1982).
External links
*
For Elvis Fans Only: ''Elvis in Concert''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elvis In Concert
1977 in American television
1977 television specials
1970s American television specials
Elvis Presley
Music of Omaha, Nebraska
CBS television specials
Music television specials