msg 72

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basketball hero
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msg 72

#485880

Post by basketball hero »

if elvis would have performed in madison square garden in 72 like he did opening night in 69, what do you think the fan and press response would have been? obviously extraordinary. elvis in 69/70 was in such a higher level than in 1972, although 72 was good. :?:




Brad M

Re: msg 72

#485881

Post by Brad M »

So what is your point here ?

Last time I played my MSG CD's Elvis was pretty extraordinary to my ears anyhow.... :roll:




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Re: msg 72

#485889

Post by minkahed »

basketball hero wrote:if elvis would have performed in madison square garden in 72 like he did opening night in 69, what do you think the fan and press response would have been? obviously extraordinary.
You just posted a thread of a question you answered yourself ...

Just to let you know, Elvis' (debut) performance at the Garden in '72 was well recieved by fans and critics alike and Elvis was also the first entertainer in history to single handedly sell out, (four consecutive shows), the Garden.

Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden released in June of 1972 was, up until that point, also Elvis' most successful Lp in nine years, (saleswise), peaking at #11 in Billboard and selling over 500,000 units, (RIAA GOLD AWARD), in 2 months.
elvis in 69/70 was in such a higher level than in 1972, although 72 was good. :?:
A statement and another question ...!?


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Re: msg 72

#485938

Post by Mike Eder »

Well the reviews of the MSG shows are very good. The LP sold well, and Rolling Stone gave it a good review. The oldies were better in 69 and 70 but the show had devloped some other great things by 1972 like Elvis' growing vocal power and the diversity of the set.


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Re: msg 72

#485944

Post by Rocker »

Mike Eder wrote: The LP sold well, and Rolling Stone gave it a good review.
Yeah, that's right. Here's the RS-review:
As Recorded at Madison Square Garden
Elvis Presley
RCA 4776
Released: July 1972
Chart Peak: #11
Weeks Charted: 34
Certified Platinum: 5/20/88
This is a damn fine record, friend, and you're going to like it whether you like it or not. There's Wagnerian bombast, plenty of your favorite songs, some jukebox music and some Las Vegas lounge music. There's even some old fashioned rock 'n' roll. And most of all there's lots of Elvis, doing what he does best, strutting his stuff before adoring fans. There's even historical interest; this was Elvis' first New York stage appearance, and you can bet plenty of folks had been waiting since 1956 for a little of that Elvis magic. Well, they got it, and you can hear them getting it right here, the whole thing, from the opening whisper of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to the MC announcing that "Elvis has left the building. Thank you and good night."

When Elvis became a rock 'n' roll singer he was picking up on a good thing, namely black blues. White Southerners had been recording black blues since the Twenties, but Elvis was the first one to become a star. He had the looks, the dynamism, the appeal of violent, impulsively sexual white trash. He could sing and he had that rhythmic drive. Even when he was starring in some of the worst exploitation movies ever made you knew he was just one step away from stepping out of his jive role and rocking the joint. Since he's started performing in public again he's discovered that his fans range in age from pre-teen to menopausal, and he's done his best to satisfy them all. Madison Square Garden, though, is his rockingest record in a long time, so Elvis fans who like it when he gets down are really going to dig it.

Every great rock and roll singer needs a great rock and roll band, and Elvis has got one. James Burton, the guitarist, can pick Sun era rockabilly, country twang, laid-back bluesy fills and sharp, ringing single string leads. Bassist Jerry Schiff and drummer Ronny Tutt are super tight; when they nail down the beat, it stays nailed down. Pianist Glen Hardman knows when to honk and when to tonk. The backup singers are the Sweet Inspirations and J.D. Summer and the Stamps, the one a black gospel group, the other white gospel. Church music of the sanctified, shouting kind has never been far removed from blues and rock & roll, so these two groups are perfect complements to Elvis' gospel-tinged voice. Kathy Westmoreland of the Inspirations sings graceful obbligatos way up high, and Mr. J.D. Sumner is the most authorative bass singer you could imagine, especially when he ends a song with one of his long, perfectly timed slides down from the dominant to the tonic. Of course there's also a flaccid orchestra sawing away in the background, but it's used like the orchestras on some of the classic Phil Spector records, to reverberate around the core of band and singers and occasionally come out with a sweet lead line.

Elvis and the band were in excellent form for their Saturday night Madison Square Garden concert. The record spares you the lukewarm opening set by the Sweet Inspirations and the public crucifixion of a sacrificial comic, not to mention the cries of the vendors hawking Elvis souvenir booklets and balloons. As it begins, the orchestra strikes up Zarathustra, which somehow seems more appropriate for Elvis than for Grand Funk, and the King himself comes bounding out, straps on a prop guitar, and roars into one of his early Sun hits, Big Boy Crudup's "That's All Right." Elvis doesn't even sound like he's tired of the song, and the band is giving him a lot of push. His voice has deepened and mellowed, but he can give it that old stridency when he wants to, and he matches the band with some pushing of his own, laying right into the beat and building up an overpowering momentum that is over all too soon. James Burton out-Creedences Fogerty on "Proud Mary" and then the band rocks on "Never Been to Spain," with a sinuous vocal from Elvis and soaring treble-string fills from Burton. Not even a string-heavy arrangement can make "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" into a complete anticlimax, and orchestra and band get together to make "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" a memorable cut. "Polk Salad Annie" roars, and Jerry Schiff has a rumbling bass solo that consists of a few notes, perfectly placed, that build up some head of steam.

The record keeps on mixing up old favorites like "Teddy Bear" and "Don't Be Cruel" with more recent things like "Suspicious Minds." The latter has a thrashing, Cecil B. DeMille finale highlighted by Tutt's thundering drums. "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a surprise. Here it's a medium rocker with weeping guitar, more kicks from Tutt, and a powerful vocal that manages to find things to do with the song that even Hank Williams and Ray Charles didn't get to. "Hound Dog" includes some humor, Elvis starts it several times and lets it drop. "Now you don't know what I'm going to do yet," he tells the audience. When the tune gets started, it's a funky semi-boogaloo with wah-wah guitar and a deftly rhythmic vocal from Elvis that tenses the releases like a tightly coiled spring. Then the whole band falls right into the rocking tempo of the original, without missing a lick.

Even Mickey Newbury's pretentious "American Trilogy" -- which is really just "Dixie," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "All My Trials" strung together -- is fun, with Elvis laying some funky inflections on the grandiose orchestral and choral parts. "Can't Help Falling in Love," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," and "The Impossible Dream" are pretty Lake Tahoe, but still, you've got to admire Elvis' singing. He brings a touch of home-style raunch to even these saccharine evergreens.

So all things considered, just like I said before, this is a damn fine record. Elvis may not generate the polymorphously perverse hysteria the Rolling Stones arouse, he may not move around and jump into the air and wiggle his hips like he used to, but he's come through superstardom without forgetting what it means to rock, that's the important thing. Now I personally feel that he could save a lot of money and tighten up his act by firing his orchestra and making do with a couple of timpanists and the Memphis Horns, and if he just did stuff like "Polk Salad Annie" and "That's All Right" and forgot about Las Vegas for awhile, I'd like that too. But there's lots of people rocking and rolling to Elvis who wouldn't be caught dead at a Faces or a Stones concert, people who don't know the difference between Sun Records and Sun Ra but who will be more than happy to tell you what they like. And what they like is remembering sock hops and looking forward to that big Vegas vacation. So everybody gets enough of what they want to get what they need.

- Bob Palmer, Rolling Stone, 8/31/72.


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Re: msg 72

#485945

Post by BigredG »

I rate MSG higher than the raw '69 shows, and I think that Elvis polished performance at MSG was pretty much as good and fitting as could be. Awesome shows.




Rob

Re: msg 72

#485987

Post by Rob »

This album

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was the reason that I became a lifelong fan. I became interested a couple of years earlier, but this clinched it for me. I knew I was hooked.

Elvis' appearance in New York in June '72 had the city buzzing. Critics praised him. "Like A prince from another planet" they called him. Anyone who has a problem with his performances at the Garden just don't get it at all. He had the New York crowd eating out of his hand. He looked great and gave excellent shows.

So goes the entire tour from June 1972.



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Re: msg 72

#485990

Post by BigredG »

MSG was the first album I had too, and it was just incredible to me - Prince From Another Planet indeed - there was no looking back for me as I wore that platter right out !!

A definite "peak" for our man - almost beyond words.



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Re: msg 72

#485992

Post by BigredG »

Guess what I just inserted into my CD-ROM drive :smt002




Brad M

Re: msg 72

#486042

Post by Brad M »

BIGREDG wrote:Guess what I just inserted into my CD-ROM drive :smt002
I can only imagine :lol: :smt006



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Re: msg 72

#486086

Post by BigredG »

Brad M wrote:
BIGREDG wrote:Guess what I just inserted into my CD-ROM drive :smt002
I can only imagine :lol: :smt006
"Now that's just gotta hurt !!" :smt010




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basketball hero
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Re: msg 72

#486090

Post by basketball hero »

I just mean that elvis was better a few years before. Honestly, whats better: polk salad from 70 or 72? you've lost that loven feeling from 70 or 72? Suspicious minds from 70 or 72? All im saying is that if he had great reviews from 72 how much greater if the shows were given with the passion of a few years earlier? I think you get my point. And using the argument that he had a more polished and evolved setlist isn't well because in 75 elvis' was expirementing with even more songs, that doesn't mean it was better. Aloha 73 was a great, "professional" performance and when #1. But that performance overall couldn't top 68 69 or 70. Passion and energy is more important than experience and an polished setlist.




Rob

Re: msg 72

#486094

Post by Rob »

basketball hero wrote:I think you get my point.
Sure do.

But in the end, it's all a matter of personal preference. As good as Elvis was when he returned to live performances in 1969, some (me included) would rather hear a show from the summer of '72.

I'll never get tired of hearing that dude knockin' 'em dead during that first August appearance though.



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Re: msg 72

#486095

Post by BigredG »

basketball hero wrote:Passion and energy is more important than experience and an polished setlist.
This is kind of true, but it is possible to sing with passion and energy, and be pretty bad too lets not forget !!

Elvis was pretty raw in 1969 IMO, and even listening to Opening Night 1970 today, he was still pretty raw. By his own admission he screws up quite a few tunes !! Sweet Caroline is just plain embarassing really - not knowing when to come in for the reprise !! :roll:

Transplant this to New York 1972 and I do not think it would have gone down so well at all !!



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Re: msg 72

#486099

Post by Rocker »

Well, I like the '69/'70 Elvis better myself, but I just think that his show, and voice, which has gotten quite big, was much more fitting for something like MSG at that point. I guess this makes no sense, but I feel that way....


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Re: msg 72

#486103

Post by KHoots »

MSG wasn't my first Elvis LP--My brother gave me his copy of the Harum Scarum soundtrack (Imagine not wanting that!)--but MSG offers my earliest memories of Elvis on record. I wore that thing to a frazzle, and it remains a favorite.




Rob

Re: msg 72

#486105

Post by Rob »

KHoots wrote:My brother gave me his copy of the Harum Scarum soundtrack.
You lucky dog!



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Re: msg 72

#486108

Post by BigredG »

Rob wrote:
KHoots wrote:My brother gave me his copy of the Harum Scarum soundtrack.
You lucky dog!
With brothers like that who needs enemies :smt002



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Re: msg 72

#486130

Post by KHoots »

BIGREDG wrote:
Rob wrote:
KHoots wrote:My brother gave me his copy of the Harum Scarum soundtrack.
You lucky dog!
With brothers like that who needs enemies :smt002
Tell you what...Before I knew any better, "Hey, Little Girl" and "Wisdom of The Ages" were the greatest things I had ever heard!



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Re: msg 72

#486139

Post by BigredG »

KHoots wrote:
BIGREDG wrote:
Rob wrote:
KHoots wrote:My brother gave me his copy of the Harum Scarum soundtrack.
You lucky dog!
With brothers like that who needs enemies :smt002
Tell you what...Before I knew any better, "Hey, Little Girl" and "Wisdom of The Ages" were the greatest things I had ever heard!
I can dig that !! You know what ? (I'll tell you as long as you promise to keep it to yourself)

The other day I was listening to Come What May import Cd, and I thought, "that Hey Little Girl is not actually a bad song !! " Especially at the end of the outtake where he growls and goes Huh !!

Also, I have plenty of time for Wisdom Of The ages too :)



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Re: msg 72

#486144

Post by kuenzer »

And doesn't Golden Coins sound like a Doors song? Yes it does, at least when you listen to it in your car driving home late in the evening :

..



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Re: msg 72

#486145

Post by BigredG »

kuenzer wrote:And doesn't Golden Coins sound like a Doors song? Yes it does, at least when you listen to it in your car driving home late in the evening :
You really did not ought to be driiving if you are that intoxicated !! :lol:




Brad M

Re: msg 72

#486269

Post by Brad M »

Wisdom Of The Ages rocks !! I definitley dig that song ! :smt002



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Re: msg 72

#486271

Post by drjohncarpenter »

But ... did you know he was high during these shows?


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Brad M

Re: msg 72

#486278

Post by Brad M »

Rob wrote:
basketball hero wrote:I think you get my point.
some (me included) would rather hear a show from the summer of '72.
I'm with you on this one.

I love those '72 shows, so much more polished, the band and Elvis were more on the same page and the performances were incredible !! :smt004


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