Such A Night In Pearl Harbor [CD + 100 Page Book] [Collector's Edition]

This concert was originally released on a Box Set many years ago. The sound then was very thin and had several drop-outs. MRS have remastered the original and it is light years better now with clearer, fuller sound and no drop-outs. This was the last concert by what may be termed 'The 50's Style Elvis' - lots of screaming girls and hysteria. However, Elvis is in fine voice and sings many of his greatest hits and some rarities. The 100 page book accompanying this outstanding release is worthy of the album price alone documenting the reason why Elvis was undertaking this concert - 'Funding of the Arizona Memorial' a lasting memorial to those gallant sailors who lost their lives on that tragic day near the end of the last world war. Many great photographs of Elvis on stage and there is also bonus material in the form of actual radio broadcasts from the time.

Everyone concerned with the Concert - even Elvis himself - paid for a ticket and this helped to raise enough funds to complete the Memorial.

It is a tragedy that SONY have seen fit not to give this album a general release as I feel that everyone should have the opportunity to hear this concert and it should be put on sale at the Arizona Memorial Gift Shop as well as at the various armed forces sites. If given TV exposure, particularly in the U.S.A., then I feel this album would become a real chart contender.

In any case, well done MRS.

The question many fans will be asking will be have MRS improved the sound quality over what we previously had from RCA/BMG? the answer is a resounding "yes"...with the only reservation being that by their own admittance this was a poorly recorded show . But it is obvious that they have worked on the original tape to provide something that is certainly more listenable if not exactly hi-fi! The sound has more depth and a nip and tuck here and there has repaired some of the drop outs present previously with only a slight hic-up on Its Now or Never being the most obvious blip. It is probably more akin now to the sound quality of The Beatles in Hamburg tapes but ranks alongside those and the Million Dollar Quartet tape in terms of historic importance in my opinion.

But hey we are lucky to have this and its great that at last this seminal show is finally available at a reasonable cost as a stand alone CD and not part of a pricey box set. Its always amazed me that there appears never to have been a serious attempt to capture on record the live excitement of a Presley show when he was in the first flush of fame and apart from some radio and tv appearances and a few tapes from 1956 theres are precious few examples. Criminally so far nothing has surfaced from 57 or the other post army shows in Memphis so this is all we have and its simply fantastic with El in great voice belting out hits old and new at that time. Its brilliant to hear One Night, Fools Such As I, Its Now or Never, Are You Lonesome, Such A Night et al with his voice at the early 60's peak. Plus more mature readings of earlier fare like Thats All Right and Hound Dog. He hits all the high notes with ease (incl the end of Its Now Or Never) which suggests despite the tape quality the sound to him on the day must have been ok and he must have been able to hear himself even above all the screaming girls! The tape captures all of this but some may find the continual barrage of screams a bit wearing. Ultimately though, despite the limitations of the unprofessional recording it is the class performance by Presley that shines through and it really is a crying shame that more of his performances at this time were not recorded properly or that the proposed live tour of 1962 never happened. So if only.....but for now we must be grateful that we have this document, flawed though it may be to remind us what was and what could and should have been had the Hollywood films not taken off in such a major way keeping Elvis locked into a treadmill of lightweight fluff for a further 6 years until his triumphant comeback. Recommended and essential and wonderful to hear the early 60's vocal style in a live setting which showed his range. It also demonstrates that the format for his shows was well in place for when he picked up live performing again at the end of the 60's. There being a place for a Blues number, a gospel and witty banter with the crowd and backing band ("the great unwashables" as he calls them)This format being replicated in the 70's with Reconsider Baby, Steamroller Blues, How Great Thou Art etc So its a more mature and assurred performance than any of the more nervy 55-56 tape and yes there is also real fire in the rock n roll tracks that showed the army had taken nothing from him
So again what if........but for now its highly recommended ...just make allowance for the source tape.

It is no doubt one of the greatest Presley concert recordings in existence. MRS has used the same engineer who worked on their recent `Hayride' release and now this remastered concert shows a marvellous jump in audio-quality. Of course the recording was pretty basic in the first place - but now the audio sounds much, much richer plus all those old extremely annoying level fluctuations and tape dropouts have been fixed.

For me it is the powerhouse blues 'Reconsider Baby' (one of Elvis' favourites) that is the standout with an astounding Boots Randolph blowing up a storm. Elvis shouts, "One more time, one more time, one more time" as the crowd shriek in appreciation.

`One Night' is similarly a stunner. Interestingly Elvis includes some lines from `One Night Of Sin' .. "Don't call my name, it makes me feel so ashamed" .. "The things we planned, would make the earth stand still"!
`Such A Night' is one of my all-time favourite songs and while this is no doubt the best live version, Elvis still messes up the timing and middle-break although all is forgiven by the rocking ending.
Let's face it the whole concert is brilliant. Elvis for a change sings a very sincere 'Love Me' (Elvis' best ever live performance including a lovely Scotty Moore guitar solo) and a stunningly fresh 'That's All Right' (he had pretty well dropped this from his set list since 1956) while 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' highlights his recent 'His Hand In Mine' gospel album.

The CD is accompanied by a stylish 100-page hardback book that contains many rare photographs. The concert itself is featured across thirty pages and includes 22 photos as well as some press cuttings.
All the shots of Elvis on stage in his gold lame jacket are great to look at while listening to the CD.
What a shame that no one took any coloured shots that night - so I have no issues with the book cover photos being colourised

Overall Verdict: This is another fabulous value-for-money release from MRS. A classic Elvis concert beautifully remastered for 2012 and packed with quality photos and memorabilia. If RCA had recorded this concert properly back in 1961 it would have been a massive, must-buy, live album release - the concert is that good. Every Elvis fan needs to know about this great moment in Elvis' legacy. If you don't previously own this recording then this is an essential purchase. However even if you do, this brilliant package and re-mastered CD with a far better sound for less than $15 from Amazon UK won't disappoint anyone.

See my full review with book extracts and photos at the Elvis Information Network website