New FTD releases in July 2022!.

[MadTiger]

See See Rider is a good indicator to compare the sound of the three shows so here you go.
I've only listend to the first show as of now. I understand why anyone would think that this is a regular (although good sounding) audience recording.
Especially during "Until it's Time for you to go" you can hear a person talk to somebody else and laughing. I still think that this is a real "Soundbooth recording" but either the placement of the microphones was not optimal in regards to members of the audience sitting too close or maybe even somebody from the inner circle standing close to the device is who is audible here.
You can also hear people talking during other songs. For example at the end of "Steamroller" you hear "That was great, really great. He got really into that."

It's my theory that this show might be the first, or one of the first, soundbooth recordings they made and therefore it is sounding different.

[Mona Lisa]

See See Rider is a good indicator to compare the sound of the three shows so here you go.
I've only listend to the first show as of now. I understand why anyone would think that this is a regular (although good sounding) audience recording.
Especially during "Until it's Time for you to go" you can hear a person talk to somebody else and laughing. I still think that this is a real "Soundbooth recording" but either the placement of the microphones was not optimal in regards to members of the audience sitting too close or maybe even somebody from the inner circle standing close to the device is who is audible here.
You can also hear people talking during other songs. For example at the end of "Steamroller" you hear "That was great, really great. He got really into that."

It's my theory that this show might be the first, or one of the first, soundbooth recordings they made and therefore it is sounding different.

Maybe so ...

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

[Markus K.]

See See Rider is a good indicator to compare the sound of the three shows so here you go.
I've only listend to the first show as of now. I understand why anyone would think that this is a regular (although good sounding) audience recording.
Especially during "Until it's Time for you to go" you can hear a person talk to somebody else and laughing. I still think that this is a real "Soundbooth recording" but either the placement of the microphones was not optimal in regards to members of the audience sitting too close or maybe even somebody from the inner circle standing close to the device is who is audible here.
You can also hear people talking during other songs. For example at the end of "Steamroller" you hear "That was great, really great. He got really into that."

It's my theory that this show might be the first, or one of the first, soundbooth recordings they made and therefore it is sounding different.

I tend to agree with you on this one. Actually I've just listened to it for a second time and using headphoes for this. What I find interesting is that the sound does change quite a bit and you can hear that the microphone(s) are being repositioned throughout the concert. So the sound does change a bit over the course of the recording. It is not unlikely that they were trying different settings to see what worked and what did not.
The sound in general has a bit of a punch - which I do really enjoy. Hearing comments from people witnessing the concert as it unfolds before them adds another interesting layer to the release. It is somewhat different from what you usually hear on a regular audience recording as it is really crystal clear and easy to make out. Somehow it enhances the feeling for me to be right there within the showroom.
I still haven't given CD 2 a proper spin but for now I tend to say that this is one of my favorite soundbooth recordings and I see myself going back to it more than once.
I've included two more samples from that January show. The first one features the ending to Steamroller, than the talk about how "he got into it" and the following start to "You gave me a Mountain". Then there is a second sample featuring the intro to "Hound Dog". I think both sample show how good the sound really is for that kind of recording. Give it a spin via headphones if you get the chance.
I will now give the February show a spin and am looking forward to it. As for me I really hope we will see quite a few more of these soundbooth recordings as I do enjoy them so much more than most of the regular dry and poorly balanced soundboard tapes.

[YDKM]

Thanks for some re assurances guys. . Will listen properly when i get them

[Markus K.]

So after having heard CD 2s February 21 MS here's my view on it.
What I did notice from the get go is that Elvis voice was really weak overall. Obviously he was not quite over the effects the flu had on him by that time. I was never so much aware of this fact. The overall good sound does not cover deficiencies like a regular audience recording will usually do I guess.
Additionally to the slight problems with his voice I'd say it showed that he was nearing the end of a somewhat troubled Vegas season. The performances sometime lack poignancy and seem rather bland compared to its earlier iterations from the start of the season.
There are tiny details that I caught while listening to this performance. One was when during "Love me tender" Elvis does ask "Is it okay with him?" - probably being about to kiss a woman who's at the show with some guy. Elvis reasurring might be partly caused by the stage fight just a few nights earlier on February 18.
Elvis ad libs a bit during "fever" and generally nicely interacts with his audience. Without footage to accompany the act it is hard to say what is really going on but I'd guess that mostly it's about Elvis' leg doing it's thing. Some lady does get a bit of a fit which leaves to everyone laughing a bit.
Elvis tells the audience that he'd like to do a medley of Polish folks songs from when he started back in 1912. We've heard that before. "Love me" features some unheard drum work - nothing special, just different.
During "Blue Suede Shoes" Elvis jokes "...but honey don't catch the flu" so I guess he was aware he was not really 100 percent fit.
"I'm leavin'" is probably the shows real highlight as it is a bit of a rarity. The intro is slightly different with elvis coming in to the singing a bit later. A rather delicate start leads to the more powerful part of the song. If you like the song you'll probably enjoy this live take. Here the good sound of the recording really shines through for me.
Elvis informs that he was filmed from the nose up during the Sullivan show. He also talks again about the lion claw he is wearing, just liek he did in the January show. He now let's everybody know that the lion wants it back after the show. During his introduction to "Hound Dog" you can really hear how he is suffering with his voice and the song itself sounds really a bit of a throwaway in result to that.
Before "What now my Love" Elvis has a bit of a chit chat with the audience about a pic and a picture in his hand. "I said pic!" "What now my Love" is quite good considering Elvis voice problems and he even goes into an encore for the finale - although he really struggles on the final note.
The finale of "Suspicious Minds" seems to feature quite an energetic Karate ending with Elvis being surprised that it worked. A woman and a man pick up on that and have a short talk about Elvis during the start of the band intros - unfortunately I can not make it quite out but the man says something about "his comeback" - maybe somebody can hear more?
The intros are cut short and Elvis introduces Marty Harrell before starting the next song. During the intro for "I'll remmeber you" he does the "Alfie" line.
Like usual for 1973 he really works on the final "in dreams of yesterday" line during "I can't stop loving you".
"Honey I walked on the water" Elvis tells a female fan trying to start "An Amercian Trilogy" and after a bit more clowning it starts off to the final climax of the show. Elvis applauds his singers and comments "fantastic" after their part. His vocals are really strained and we've all heard much stronger versions of this song. Still cudos for his engagement here. Consequently, Elvis receives quite an ovation from his audience.
Throughout the show there is some wavering of the sound, probably from a slightly damaged tape. This is quite prominent on this penultímate song unfortunately.
All in all an unusually loose show for this season with a bit of a talkative Elvis. Still for me this show was not as good as the first one.

[Mona Lisa]

See See Rider is a good indicator to compare the sound of the three shows so here you go.
I've only listend to the first show as of now. I understand why anyone would think that this is a regular (although good sounding) audience recording.
Especially during "Until it's Time for you to go" you can hear a person talk to somebody else and laughing. I still think that this is a real "Soundbooth recording" but either the placement of the microphones was not optimal in regards to members of the audience sitting too close or maybe even somebody from the inner circle standing close to the device is who is audible here.
You can also hear people talking during other songs. For example at the end of "Steamroller" you hear "That was great, really great. He got really into that."

It's my theory that this show might be the first, or one of the first, soundbooth recordings they made and therefore it is sounding different.

I tend to agree with you on this one. Actually I've just listened to it for a second time and using headphoes for this. What I find interesting is that the sound does change quite a bit and you can hear that the microphone(s) are being repositioned throughout the concert. So the sound does change a bit over the course of the recording. It is not unlikely that they were trying different settings to see what worked and what did not.
The sound in general has a bit of a punch - which I do really enjoy. Hearing comments from people witnessing the concert as it unfolds before them adds another interesting layer to the release. It is somewhat different from what you usually hear on a regular audience recording as it is really crystal clear and easy to make out. Somehow it enhances the feeling for me to be right there within the showroom.
I still haven't given CD 2 a proper spin but for now I tend to say that this is one of my favorite soundbooth recordings and I see myself going back to it more than once.
I've included two more samples from that January show. The first one features the ending to Steamroller, than the talk about how "he got into it" and the following start to "You gave me a Mountain". Then there is a second sample featuring the intro to "Hound Dog". I think both sample show how good the sound really is for that kind of recording. Give it a spin via headphones if you get the chance.
I will now give the February show a spin and am looking forward to it. As for me I really hope we will see quite a few more of these soundbooth recordings as I do enjoy them so much more than most of the regular dry and poorly balanced soundboard tapes.

Love the samples and the previous ones you added. Love to hear your comments about CD =2 when you get chance . It’s great ‘See See Rider’ is as mentioned a great indicator . The two latest samples sound very good too. The ‘soundbooth’ sound is superb. Like the HOUND DOG intro ~ it’s always good to hear him talk and he definitely sounds in a good mood at Lake Tahoe where he let his hair down during his fascinating concerts there …
Thanks for adding these samples . I should get mine soon from NOW DIG THIS . Over the years I’ve tried to pick my favourite year from his career with 1974 being a favourite for years but it’s 1973 which is my ultimate favourite . A few years ago I thought I wonder if I can I find the ultimate ‘73 show ~~~ well early indications hearing the samples for CD~2 show promise.

It’s also interesting regarding your thoughts on the first CD being one of the possible FIRST ever soundbooth recordings . Hearing the audience so clear does add more listening pleasure for sure …

Thanks

[Mona Lisa]

So after having heard CD 2s February 21 MS here's my view on it.
What I did notice from the get go is that Elvis voice was really weak overall. Obviously he was not quite over the effects the flu had on him by that time. I was never so much aware of this fact. The overall good sound does not cover deficiencies like a regular audience recording will usually do I guess.
Additionally to the slight problems with his voice I'd say it showed that he was nearing the end of a somewhat troubled Vegas season. The performances sometime lack poignancy and seem rather bland compared to its earlier iterations from the start of the season.
There are tiny details that I caught while listening to this performance. One was when during "Love me tender" Elvis does ask "Is it okay with him?" - probably being about to kiss a woman who's at the show with some guy. Elvis reasurring might be partly caused by the stage fight just a few nights earlier on February 18.
Elvis ad libs a bit during "fever" and generally nicely interacts with his audience. Without footage to accompany the act it is hard to say what is really going on but I'd guess that mostly it's about Elvis' leg doing it's thing. Some lady does get a bit of a fit which leaves to everyone laughing a bit.
Elvis tells the audience that he'd like to do a medley of Polish folks songs from when he started back in 1912. We've heard that before. "Love me" features some unheard drum work - nothing special, just different.
During "Blue Suede Shoes" Elvis jokes "...but honey don't catch the flu" so I guess he was aware he was not really 100 percent fit.
"I'm leavin'" is probably the shows real highlight as it is a bit of a rarity. The intro is slightly different with elvis coming in to the singing a bit later. A rather delicate start leads to the more powerful part of the song. If you like the song you'll probably enjoy this live take. Here the good sound of the recording really shines through for me.
Elvis informs that he was filmed from the nose up during the Sullivan show. He also talks again about the lion claw he is wearing, just liek he did in the January show. He now let's everybody know that the lion wants it back after the show. During his introduction to "Hound Dog" you can really hear how he is suffering with his voice and the song itself sounds really a bit of a throwaway in result to that.
Before "What now my Love" Elvis has a bit of a chit chat with the audience about a pic and a picture in his hand. "I said pic!" "What now my Love" is quite good considering Elvis voice problems and he even goes into an encore for the finale - although he really struggles on the final note.
The finale of "Suspicious Minds" seems to feature quite an energetic Karate ending with Elvis being surprised that it worked. A woman and a man pick up on that and have a short talk about Elvis during the start of the band intros - unfortunately I can not make it quite out but the man says something about "his comeback" - maybe somebody can hear more?
The intros are cut short and Elvis introduces Marty Harrell before starting the next song. During the intro for "I'll remmeber you" he does the "Alfie" line.
Like usual for 1973 he really works on the final "in dreams of yesterday" line during "I can't stop loving you".
"Honey I walked on the water" Elvis tells a female fan trying to start "An Amercian Trilogy" and after a bit more clowning it starts off to the final climax of the show. Elvis applauds his singers and comments "fantastic" after their part. His vocals are really strained and we've all heard much stronger versions of this song. Still cudos for his engagement here. Consequently, Elvis receives quite an ovation from his audience.
Throughout the show there is some wavering of the sound, probably from a slightly damaged tape. This is quite prominent on this penultímate song unfortunately.
All in all an unusually loose show for this season with a bit of a talkative Elvis. Still for me this show was not as good as the first one.

So it’s CD~1…that is the best show.
Thanks for your detailed review …

[JohanD]

Cd 1 (the only one i listened so far) is a very good show, Elvis is in focus, he delivers.
The sound imo in not "soundbooth" like, but a VERY good audience recording.
Altough i prefer a soundboard, i'm ok with it, as long as the shows are unreleased anywhere before.

[Mona Lisa]

Cd 1 (the only one i listened so far) is a very good show, Elvis is in focus, he delivers.
The sound imo in not "soundbooth" like, but a VERY good audience recording.
Altough i prefer a soundboard, i'm ok with it, as long as the shows are unreleased anywhere before.

Thanks for the info .

It seems this is a very good release ...

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

[YDKM]

Ah so seems first show is 'quite good',2nd show not so good and 3rd show 'not much comments so far'?

[Mona Lisa]

Ah so seems first show is 'quite good',2nd show not so good and 3rd show 'not much comments so far'?

Great SEE SEE RIDER according to the samples . Certainly not shabby ...

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

[Johnny2523]

3rd disc in tahoe sounds pretty good, similar to ''Takin' Tahoe Tonight'' thou perhaps a bit more bass, and Elvis vocal a bit lower in the mix. the disc starts with a pretty strong ''See See Rider'' which has some tape flaws for a small part of the song (wavering between channels), Elvis does a couple of Well's then mentions ''We got three shows to do tonight, it's weird this ain't blue suede shoes at 5 o clock in the morning'' and then proceeds to do ''I Got A Woman'' is suprisingly relaxed as opposed to the versions where Elvis used to attack the song like there's no tomorrow, this one is laid back similar to how it was performed throughout the year but Elvis doesn't sound as nasally / tired then most versions, he just sounds relaxed.. interestingly during the second divebomb Elvis says ''Get the Orchestra ready'' and after J.D. did his divebomb he shouts all excited ''I told ya you could do it better!'' and then after the medley ends Elvis thanks the audience for being there ''We've started off with a bang'' he mentions. Then asks for a E-Chord ''i'm asking a favour of ya'' Elvis says before we get a nice version of ''Help Me Make It Through The Night'' with the violins coming through nice and clear, but sadly Elvis feels like fooling around during the song but gets more into it during the second bridge.

''Steamroller Blues'' is pretty good but has some fooling around in the beginning by Elvis, suprisingly you can hear a keyboard or something during part of the song and Elvis jokes ''A rubber piano'', James does some great guitar licks during this version thou, and the orchestra is pretty clear. ''You Gave Me A Mountain'' is a great version with the band, Elvis and orchestra really coming together, after this Elvis gives a quick thank you and says he wants to do a medley for the audience and we get a standart ''Love Me'' followed by a quick but okay version of ''Blue Suede Shoes'' that runs at 100 miles an hour. Into the ''Rock Medley'' medley which is performed pretty good it's a Medley of ''Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On / Mama Don't Dance / Shake Rattle And Roll and the second line of ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On'' and it ends similar to aloha with the line ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On'' afterwards Elvis mentions he didn't know where he was goin or where he was goin to end ''It just happened you know''. We then go into a previously released bonus track released on Takin Tahoe Tonight which is a beautiful version of ''I'm Leavin'' this is followed by a funky ''Hound Dog'' which has no intro at all, Elvis just goes straight into it and it makes for a nice change. ''What Now My Love'' is a fantastic version and Elvis really goin for the final notes. ''Yeah Baby'' Elvis says after that and we go straight into ''Suspicious Minds'' which has the stamps up quite loud atleast as loud as Elvis, Elvis jokes ''I'll dry this floor.. uh tears from my eyes'' during the song, Elvis is obviously pulling some pranks as we get him laughing through the last parts ''Come on man, try and get it together'' he says and imitates the backing vocals by goin ''Don'tcha know uhuh, don'tcha know uhuh'' and makes ronnie go all out ''Get it, Get it ronnie!'' to which ronnie dutifully replies by goin nuts on his drums.

The introductions are pretty basic except that Elvis for once gets it right when he introduces Kathy Westmoreland ''The little girl with the high voice, Kathy Westmoreland'' but then follows this with a joke ''and a weird mind...'' and as he introduces Emory Gordy he calls him ''A weird sumnabit*h'' then tells the audience ''We did a TV special recently from Aloha, there's a song in there that i'd like to laugh for ya'' and then does a beautiful version of ''I'll Remember You'' similar to the aloha version, a strong version of ''I Can't Stop Loving You'' follows as we go into ''Bridge Over Troubled Water'' which has a long intro but is performed great with Elvis being really into it, this is then followed by the second previously released track on Takin Tahoe Tonight and that's a good version of ''A Big Hunk O' Love'' after this Elvis says... absolutely NOTHING.. we just go into ''Can't Help Falling In Love'' which during the line ''Take My Hand'' which the stamps sing Elvis off-mic says ''or my godda*n rings'' and the second to last ''Falling In Love With You'' Elvis instead sings ''Falling in heath.. with you'' and so we are closing out the show and we get the closing vamp and announcements and the show is over in just a little over 49 minutes. I do have to say the announcements afterwards sound like they are not done live on the stage, it rather sounds like a tape is playing.

It's not a bad show, actually it's quite nice, but like the takin' tahoe show i wished Elvis would have goofed a bit less and focused on his music a bit more. I do love his kidding around once in awhile.. but i'd rather that happen between songs rather then during the actual songs.

[Mona Lisa]

3rd disc in tahoe sounds pretty good, similar to ''Takin' Tahoe Tonight'' thou perhaps a bit more bass, and Elvis vocal a bit lower in the mix. the disc starts with a pretty strong ''See See Rider'' which has some tape flaws for a small part of the song (wavering between channels), Elvis does a couple of Well's then mentions ''We got three shows to do tonight, it's weird this ain't blue suede shoes at 5 o clock in the morning'' and then proceeds to do ''I Got A Woman'' is suprisingly relaxed as opposed to the versions where Elvis used to attack the song like there's no tomorrow, this one is laid back similar to how it was performed throughout the year but Elvis doesn't sound as nasally / tired then most versions, he just sounds relaxed.. interestingly during the second divebomb Elvis says ''Get the Orchestra ready'' and after J.D. did his divebomb he shouts all excited ''I told ya you could do it better!'' and then after the medley ends Elvis thanks the audience for being there ''We've started off with a bang'' he mentions. Then asks for a E-Chord ''i'm asking a favour of ya'' Elvis says before we get a nice version of ''Help Me Make It Through The Night'' with the violins coming through nice and clear, but sadly Elvis feels like fooling around during the song but gets more into it during the second bridge.

''Steamroller Blues'' is pretty good but has some fooling around in the beginning by Elvis, suprisingly you can hear a keyboard or something during part of the song and Elvis jokes ''A rubber piano'', James does some great guitar licks during this version thou, and the orchestra is pretty clear. ''You Gave Me A Mountain'' is a great version with the band, Elvis and orchestra really coming together, after this Elvis gives a quick thank you and says he wants to do a medley for the audience and we get a standart ''Love Me'' followed by a quick but okay version of ''Blue Suede Shoes'' that runs at 100 miles an hour. Into the ''Rock Medley'' medley which is performed pretty good it's a Medley of ''Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On / Mama Don't Dance / Shake Rattle And Roll and the second line of ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On'' and it ends similar to aloha with the line ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On'' afterwards Elvis mentions he didn't know where he was goin or where he was goin to end ''It just happened you know''. We then go into a previously released bonus track released on Takin Tahoe Tonight which is a beautiful version of ''I'm Leavin'' this is followed by a funky ''Hound Dog'' which has no intro at all, Elvis just goes straight into it and it makes for a nice change. ''What Now My Love'' is a fantastic version and Elvis really goin for the final notes. ''Yeah Baby'' Elvis says after that and we go straight into ''Suspicious Minds'' which has the stamps up quite loud atleast as loud as Elvis, Elvis jokes ''I'll dry this floor.. uh tears from my eyes'' during the song, Elvis is obviously pulling some pranks as we get him laughing through the last parts ''Come on man, try and get it together'' he says and imitates the backing vocals by goin ''Don'tcha know uhuh, don'tcha know uhuh'' and makes ronnie go all out ''Get it, Get it ronnie!'' to which ronnie dutifully replies by goin nuts on his drums.

The introductions are pretty basic except that Elvis for once gets it right when he introduces Kathy Westmoreland ''The little girl with the high voice, Kathy Westmoreland'' but then follows this with a joke ''and a weird mind...'' and as he introduces Emory Gordy he calls him ''A weird sumnabit*h'' then tells the audience ''We did a TV special recently from Aloha, there's a song in there that i'd like to laugh for ya'' and then does a beautiful version of ''I'll Remember You'' similar to the aloha version, a strong version of ''I Can't Stop Loving You'' follows as we go into ''Bridge Over Troubled Water'' which has a long intro but is performed great with Elvis being really into it, this is then followed by the second previously released track on Takin Tahoe Tonight and that's a good version of ''A Big Hunk O' Love'' after this Elvis says... absolutely NOTHING.. we just go into ''Can't Help Falling In Love'' which during the line ''Take My Hand'' which the stamps sing Elvis off-mic says ''or my godda*n rings'' and the second to last ''Falling In Love With You'' Elvis instead sings ''Falling in heath.. with you'' and so we are closing out the show and we get the closing vamp and announcements and the show is over in just a little over 49 minutes. I do have to say the announcements afterwards sound like they are not done live on the stage, it rather sounds like a tape is playing.

It's not a bad show, actually it's quite nice, but like the takin' tahoe show i wished Elvis would have goofed a bit less and focused on his music a bit more. I do love his kidding around once in awhile.. but i'd rather that happen between songs rather then during the actual songs.

That to me sounds like a very interesting show . Like the 'Suspicious Minds' info with Ronnie's drums ...

Tahoe was a place he could hang loose with it ....I like this aspect of the shows ...

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

[frus75]

This 3 cd 1973 combo sounds promising! Any reviews on the studio set?? Sound quality? Mixes etc?

[YDKM]

Thanks for the review of the shows guys- i feel sure i will enjoy this release but sounds like show performance and sound quality varies quite a lot.

[Markus K.]

This 3 cd 1973 combo sounds promising! Any reviews on the studio set?? Sound quality? Mixes etc?

In all honesty listening to the set with my Sennheiser headphones I could not make out any significant differences. I've been doing some A-B comparisons with the "Elvis sings Memphis,Tennessee" set this morning and find it hard to differentiate between releases. If at all the differences in sound are really, really, really subtle - at least to my set of ears.
Looking at the wave files in Adobe Audition the tracks seem to be mostly identical - make of that what you like.
I will add two A-Bs for you and I assume without telling you which is which you will be hard pressed to tell. Neither "Witchcraft" nor "It hurts" me found any change to the files - just plain copy/paste into a new merged file. I will resolve how the two files were edited a little later.
I'm really curious if any of you will be able to find a difference. If you'd like another sample for a particular track let me know.

[frus75]

This 3 cd 1973 combo sounds promising! Any reviews on the studio set?? Sound quality? Mixes etc?

In all honesty listening to the set with my Sennheiser headphones I could not make out any significant differences. I've been doing some A-B comparisons with the "Elvis sings Memphis,Tennessee" set this morning and find it hard to differentiate between releases. If at all the differences in sound are really, really, really subtle - at least to my set of ears.
Looking at the wave files in Adobe Audition the tracks seem to be mostly identical - make of that what you like.
I will add two A-Bs for you and I assume without telling you which is which you will be hard pressed to tell. Neither "Witchcraft" nor "It hurts" me found any change to the files - just plain copy/paste into a new merged file. I will resolve how the two files were edited a little later.
I'm really curious if any of you will be able to find a difference. If you'd like another sample for a particular track let me know.

Thaaaanks! I will listen closely this afternoon

[Markus K.]

This 3 cd 1973 combo sounds promising! Any reviews on the studio set?? Sound quality? Mixes etc?

In all honesty listening to the set with my Sennheiser headphones I could not make out any significant differences. I've been doing some A-B comparisons with the "Elvis sings Memphis,Tennessee" set this morning and find it hard to differentiate between releases. If at all the differences in sound are really, really, really subtle - at least to my set of ears.
Looking at the wave files in Adobe Audition the tracks seem to be mostly identical - make of that what you like.
I will add two A-Bs for you and I assume without telling you which is which you will be hard pressed to tell. Neither "Witchcraft" nor "It hurts" me found any change to the files - just plain copy/paste into a new merged file. I will resolve how the two files were edited a little later.
I'm really curious if any of you will be able to find a difference. If you'd like another sample for a particular track let me know.

Thaaaanks! I will listen closely this afternoon

And here's the promised listing for both tracks - did you figure it out yourself?

Witchcraft - Take 1
0:00-0:16 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:16-0:27 - Session Set
0:27-0:36 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:36-0:56 - Session Set

It hurts me - Take 1
0:00-0:22 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:22-0:27 - Session Set
0:27-0:35 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:36-0:48 - Session Set

The main difference is usually that there is a small count-in and call out for the take number at the start of the masters that is not present on some of the tracks on the old FTD. Additionally there is one officially unreleased FS and I think that's about it. The rest is mostly just a reproduction of what we had.

[emjel]

I’m still undecided about getting anything from this batch at the moment. I might even surprise myself and go for the Vegas to Tahoe set and not bother with the session set…usually, it’s the other way round.

[ORION]

It's time for another's two cents worth before this one reaches many a mailbox. First, I pre-ordered this one over a couple of months go. This was long before I heard any sound samples or knew for sure if it was soundbooth or soundboard recordings. That's because I'm an old time FTD customer who used to get every release from FTD automatically. Then somewhere along the line, the concert series CDs started to have issues that weren't present in the beginning (issues such as incomplete shows, missing songs, running speeds, sloppy packaging, different shows edited together without acknowledgment from FTD, etc..) Now, before I get slammed for being an FTD hater (which I am far from since I own all but FOUR FTD releases minus nearly all the Books and vinyl), I can't help but feel my days of automatic buying are over. I own 200+ ARs, but I knew what I was getting when I purchased those, so I am totally disappointed that FTD didn't announce at the start that this CD contained a soundbooth, a soundboard, and quite possibly an AR. To me, I feel deceived and am not pleased at that. Perhaps going forward FTD should come with a "Buyer Beware" sticker.

[elvis-fan]

I hardly believe they have audience recordings in the vault

Well the soundbooth recordings aren't exactly audience recordings per se, the ones the FTD has in their vault were recorded by the sound crew, and not just members of the audience. They used soundbooth recordings on their 'I found my thrill' medley from the release of the same name. I think they sound just as good as some soundboards, and probably better than the sound on lower quality soundboards. For instance, I'd rather listen to a soundbooth tape than the tape of the 22nd March 1975 MS, because I think it would actually sound better than the soundboard.

So basically, they're not in-line tapes like soundboards are, but they're still professionally recorded by Elvis' sound crew and NOT by amateurs in the audience. They would be in FTD's vault because they were recorded by the sound crew. They wouldn't have 'bought audience recordings'.

Personally I welcome soundbooth tapes if no soundboards are available to represent the earlier years. Of course I understand people who may think differently

How do we not have that complete show from the opening sequence of this medley? The sound is excellent... much better than any soundboard recordings...

[Markus K.]

I hardly believe they have audience recordings in the vault

Well the soundbooth recordings aren't exactly audience recordings per se, the ones the FTD has in their vault were recorded by the sound crew, and not just members of the audience. They used soundbooth recordings on their 'I found my thrill' medley from the release of the same name. I think they sound just as good as some soundboards, and probably better than the sound on lower quality soundboards. For instance, I'd rather listen to a soundbooth tape than the tape of the 22nd March 1975 MS, because I think it would actually sound better than the soundboard.

So basically, they're not in-line tapes like soundboards are, but they're still professionally recorded by Elvis' sound crew and NOT by amateurs in the audience. They would be in FTD's vault because they were recorded by the sound crew. They wouldn't have 'bought audience recordings'.

Personally I welcome soundbooth tapes if no soundboards are available to represent the earlier years. Of course I understand people who may think differently

How do we not have that complete show from the opening sequence of this medley? The sound is excellent... much better than any soundboard recordings...

I've been hoping for more releases from those tapes ever since. I really love those soundbooth tapes as they capture the excitement of being at a show while still giving really good soundreproduction of the music. For me personally it is hard to understand why we get the unbalanced April 75 soundboards or a Atlanta 76 tape before any of these are out. These are really fun to listen to while the aforementiond soundboard tapes are purely to add to the collection.

[Gamma Master]

I hardly believe they have audience recordings in the vault

Well the soundbooth recordings aren't exactly audience recordings per se, the ones the FTD has in their vault were recorded by the sound crew, and not just members of the audience. They used soundbooth recordings on their 'I found my thrill' medley from the release of the same name. I think they sound just as good as some soundboards, and probably better than the sound on lower quality soundboards. For instance, I'd rather listen to a soundbooth tape than the tape of the 22nd March 1975 MS, because I think it would actually sound better than the soundboard.

So basically, they're not in-line tapes like soundboards are, but they're still professionally recorded by Elvis' sound crew and NOT by amateurs in the audience. They would be in FTD's vault because they were recorded by the sound crew. They wouldn't have 'bought audience recordings'.

Personally I welcome soundbooth tapes if no soundboards are available to represent the earlier years. Of course I understand people who may think differently

How do we not have that complete show from the opening sequence of this medley? The sound is excellent... much better than any soundboard recordings...

Exactly my point, I think a Winter 1974 soundbooth release is due, especially given the lack of Soundboards from that engagement which was for the most part pretty good.

That being said, it’s possible the shows aren’t complete so maybe that’s why we haven’t had any yet

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

This 3 cd 1973 combo sounds promising! Any reviews on the studio set?? Sound quality? Mixes etc?

In all honesty listening to the set with my Sennheiser headphones I could not make out any significant differences. I've been doing some A-B comparisons with the "Elvis sings Memphis,Tennessee" set this morning and find it hard to differentiate between releases. If at all the differences in sound are really, really, really subtle - at least to my set of ears.
Looking at the wave files in Adobe Audition the tracks seem to be mostly identical - make of that what you like.
I will add two A-Bs for you and I assume without telling you which is which you will be hard pressed to tell. Neither "Witchcraft" nor "It hurts" me found any change to the files - just plain copy/paste into a new merged file. I will resolve how the two files were edited a little later.
I'm really curious if any of you will be able to find a difference. If you'd like another sample for a particular track let me know.

Thaaaanks! I will listen closely this afternoon

And here's the promised listing for both tracks - did you figure it out yourself?

Witchcraft - Take 1
0:00-0:16 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:16-0:27 - Session Set
0:27-0:36 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:36-0:56 - Session Set

It hurts me - Take 1
0:00-0:22 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:22-0:27 - Session Set
0:27-0:35 - Elvis sings Memphis, Tennessee
0:36-0:48 - Session Set

The main difference is usually that there is a small count-in and call out for the take number at the start of the masters that is not present on some of the tracks on the old FTD. Additionally there is one officially unreleased FS and I think that's about it. The rest is mostly just a reproduction of what we had.

Any more unreleased dialogue beside de count-in or call out on this set?. The other Sessions sets had. Thanks!. Bye for now .

[moonandback]

I hardly believe they have audience recordings in the vault

Well the soundbooth recordings aren't exactly audience recordings per se, the ones the FTD has in their vault were recorded by the sound crew, and not just members of the audience. They used soundbooth recordings on their 'I found my thrill' medley from the release of the same name. I think they sound just as good as some soundboards, and probably better than the sound on lower quality soundboards. For instance, I'd rather listen to a soundbooth tape than the tape of the 22nd March 1975 MS, because I think it would actually sound better than the soundboard.

So basically, they're not in-line tapes like soundboards are, but they're still professionally recorded by Elvis' sound crew and NOT by amateurs in the audience. They would be in FTD's vault because they were recorded by the sound crew. They wouldn't have 'bought audience recordings'.

Personally I welcome soundbooth tapes if no soundboards are available to represent the earlier years. Of course I understand people who may think differently

How do we not have that complete show from the opening sequence of this medley? The sound is excellent... much better than any soundboard recordings...

Exactly my point, I think a Winter 1974 soundbooth release is due, especially given the lack of Soundboards from that engagement which was for the most part pretty good.

That being said, it’s possible the shows aren’t complete so maybe that’s why we haven’t had any yet

I agree, except with the "lack of Soundboards from that engagement" part. FTD have several soundboards from the first few days of that engagement recorded between jan. 27. and feb. 1. They don't have the first 2 shows from jan. 26th.
It seems they are afraid to release other soundboards from this season, because 'I Found My Thrill' didn't sell that well. (I don't know why as it's a great FTD and the only concert from that season!) Another problem is that most of the soundboards from this season are not too good sounding. The best sounding one is the jan. 27. show that was released by FTD.