Tucson '76

This is very much a welcome addition on the Follow That Dream label and is the very first officially released Elvis Presley concert from 1976.
I enjoy listening to this show from June 1st in Tucson, Arizona, plus 2 other songs from May 30th in Odessa, Texas to make up the numbers on the CD. Elvis appears to be in good spirits with the audience and there are a lot more musical highlights than some reviewers have given this show credit for. Olivia Newton-John's 'IF YOU LOVE ME' gets some good treatment from The King and is a total clap-a-long number as per usual. 'YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN' is outstanding, and Elvis continues totally making this Marty Robbins showstopper his own. There is another nice concert version of 'AND I LOVE YOU SO' which is amicable on the ear. I prefer this version of 'JAILHOUSE ROCK' to the much later CBS TV Special version, this doesn't appear to be as rushed and obviously Elvis seems more focused with it here in Tucson. 'HELP ME' is just gorgeous and is a good matching performance for the Live on stage in Memphis 1974 version. I have a great fondness for Elvis' later live 'POLK SALAD ANNIE' performances and this version is no exception with all the band, especially James & Jerry, in fine sound. The Introductions are up next and I just love the band's gritty solo performances just like on the other Follow That Dream releases: 'DIXIELAND ROCKS' & 'DINNER AT EIGHT'. The song 'LOVE LETTERS' is performed somewhat slower than the known studio versions by Elvis from 1966 and 1970, and is nice to hear. 'HURT' x 2....Fantastic! Magical! Remarkable!....care to add to the list of adjectives here? Next up we have a pretty cool rockin' version of 1972's 'BURNING LOVE' and is especially a rarely performed song from this time. 'HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT' is beautiful and shorter than the normal version - Elvis didn't repeat the chorus. And next is 'DANNY BOY' and the version that the majority of reviewers have stated that it's worth paying the full price of the whole CD just for this....and they are most definitely correct! This version is total off-the-cuff and outstandingly beautiful and is a revelation in itself, the goose bumps wouldn't leave my skin alone.
So there we have it. This was Elvis, this was 1976, this was Tucson and this was Terrific!

No No No, the version of Danny Boy here is superb. Elvis deliveres big time, with a restrained performance, and the slight ( 1 or 2 seconds) crackle sounds like one of his many gold chains hitting the mike.

Anyway, it's not one of his best concerts. It's not a bad concert, and I think the term "worn out King" is completely untrue: check the "In Concert" CD from june 77 for some outstanding vocals.

But since Danny Boy is the standout, hopefull this will appear on a compilation album or box set of some sort. As, perhaps the album as a whole does not merit buying for the 1 song.

The Elvis collectors label moves onto his live recordings with this previously unreleased show. Although there are many better shows out there, this is a fine performance by the king. Unfortunatly it not a complete live recording, two tracks are taken from a previous show. If you want to experience Elvis live then buy this album.