Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (1974)

Unbelievably,

I don't own it

What seems to be the problem here? Do I need to order it for you?

Let's get the lead out!

Thanks for the admonition, Rob , but I'd hate to add up how much I've spent on FTD's in the last year alone, mostly playing catch-up. It's got to be in well into the hundreds.

But I will make this a priority - the next time I order one.

I was surprised with this Suspicious Minds version. Elvis and the band rocks here!

No renanagulled, your avatar ROCKS

I was surprised with this Suspicious Minds version. Elvis and the band rocks here!

No renanagulled, your avatar ROCKS

Well, thanks....this was taken from a MB here in Brazil....

I had never heard this album before, and just listened to the FTD for the first time last night. I think the whole concert sounds fantastic! A fine performance by everyone and Elvis is in great form. Both bands (Elvis' and Joe's) are right on. You can hear the audience talking in spots, and these bits from the hometown crowd make the whole event all the more fun.

I'm not a fan of tinkering, and there's probably no greater sin that adding audience applause (think early Mash episodes), but I really didn't notice at all.

I know that some others have criticized the sound quality, so I didn't expect much. But right off the bat, I was so pleasantly surprised. Steamroller Baby...Wow! Trying to Get to You & Help Me...Terrific. How Great Thou Art. I had to stop and play it twice. The truth is, this is a great concert that sounds just fine. I couldn't be happier with this disc.

Chicago-Mike

To heck with all of this rambling. Let's get our priorities straight. The main concern here should be whether or not Greg has bought this FTD yet!

Well??!!

No, Sir! I'm broke from all my other Elvis DVD & FTD collecting!

I bought the FTD book / CD "THAT"S THE WAY IT WAS" recently, for example...

And prices just went up again at EPE...

But your pestering is getting to me. I vow to get it ..

in the next 6 months...!

I marked my calendar.

How did you like "The Way It Was", Greg? I didn't expect much when I bought it - because of all the negative reviews I'd read - but it's one of my favourite FTD's.

Keith Richards, Jr.

How did you like "The Way It Was", Greg? I didn't expect much when I bought it - because of all the negative reviews I'd read - but it's one of my favourite FTD's.

Keith Richards, Jr.

The only negative reviews I've seen were of the price and a couple of photos being transposed back to front.

I received The Way It Was recently (thank you, you know who you are), and I just love it - both the CD and the book. I like the flow of the CD, and it's a great listen in my opinion.

Jules

Couldn't agree more, Jules. Shame about the reversed photos, though - there are a couple of those, and some of them are used twice. But it doesn't matter too much. I love this book. Did you get "Flashback" too, Jules? That one is fantastic as well!

Keith Richards, Jr.

Jules and Keith, I have both acquired FLASHBACK and TTWIW books in the last year and really like them. I'm trying to remember who trashed the
latter (was it the occcasionally bombastic ELVIS IN NORWAY or John Savage?) because it is terrific, despite the few gaffes.

It's hard not to like 1970 Elvis ...even rehearsals. I really like that western/ cowboy song by Elvis. Despite its off-the-cuff manner and low-fidelity,it's one of the best things I've heard in years.

I also love the whole notion
of continuing to reassemble any "leftovers" into somehow coherent packages as both CDs (and similar sets) set out to do. At first blush, they
can be hodgepodge, but they really become quite listenable as
real "albums."
I hope to acquire the "Texas" FTD book/CD in time as well.

That is, after I get "Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis" in '74 on FTD, 'natch..

Another calculus I use in collecting FTDs, however, is to buy whatever I don't have that is oldest, meaning most likely to go out of print or become rare. I felt I needed to pounce on TTWIW (especially for the sale 64 buck price) as it's been out since 2001. That's one way I prioritize purchases as I struggle to "keep up" with FTD's.

Did you get "Flashback" too, Jules? That one is fantastic as well!

No, Keith. Actually, I doubt I ever will. My favourite Elvis period is '68-'74 or so, and I still have many FTDs to collect from those years. If and when I finally catch up, then I still have gaps in the regular BMG releases for Elvis's older material, so Flashback would be a long, long way down the list of priorities.

The next FTD book I'd be interested in getting would be Rockin' Across Texas, but even that is a way down my FTD shopping list......

Jules

"Hello?" Anybody there?"

So it's true what Ger and other '50s fans say: there is an
anti-'50s bias at FECC...!

C'mon, Jules. Don't look down your nose at FLASHBACK.

Just kidding you, we all make our priority lists. I originally
was going to boycott the FTD soundtracks on principle but then got GIRL
HAPPY and was sold on the idea. I have a few more and
now consider them 'musts.'

I have a few more and now consider them 'musts.'

Do you consider the Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis FTD a must?

Yes. For now, however, I'll sit tight with the 1994 CD I have
and collect truly rare stuff first. As you know, FLASHBACK and
TTWIW were 99% unreleased material.

That said, keep your badgering up and I may have to
ask for it for Christmas if I don't "give it to myself" first...

I have a few more and now consider them 'musts.'

Do you consider the Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis FTD a must?

I do...

I have a few more and now consider them 'musts.'

Do you consider the Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis FTD a must?

I do...

It's high up on my list too!

Jules

I studied this case several months ago, and while I will say that I really appreciate the fact that this album was remixed and actually enjoyed the new mix in a several places, I must also describe this mix as a MISSED golden opportunity.

The comparison between older sources and the FTD remix shows that the Sony engineer took the easy way of ignoring a number of tracks from the multitrack source. Instead of using the dedicated tracks for the orchestra or the backing group for instance, he relied on the ambiance microphones for these supposedly secondary musical elements.

Obviously, when you do that, if you still want these elements to be heard, you have to put the sounds coming from the ambiance microphones VERY VERY HIGH in the mix.

This results in a DIRTY sound, as the sounds recorded in the auditorium have a lot of delay and reflections to them compared to what the direct recording had to offer.

This results in the audience NOISES being quite intrusive in a few places. I am personaly convinced that How Great Thou Art wouldn't have won a Grammy if it was originally released with somebody in the audience yelling during the introductory bars.

This results in an INCONSISTENT IMAGE, as the listener's ears can never really understand where they are located. Actually, we must suppose that we are seated somewhere in between the stage (direct sounds) and the auditorium's ceiling (ambiance microphones). As you can't control the balance on what was recorded in the hall, some elements will be heard solely from this source, while some other elements, typically Elvis and the band, will be heard as a MIX of direct sounds and too strong indirect sounds that not only won't fuse, but will be incompatible in terms of PHASE.

In other words, what you get here, is the result of the forced unnatural rape of a great PROFESSIONAL MULTITRACK recording by an AUDIENCE recording.

Cheap and amateurish, as so often when it comes to Elvis records. Why can't they ever do things correctly once and for all ?

audiophiliac -

You wrote:

The comparison between older sources and the FTD remix shows that the Sony engineer took the easy way of ignoring a number of tracks from the multitrack source.
Instead of using the dedicated tracks for the orchestra or the backing group for instance, he relied on the ambiance microphones for these supposedly secondary musical elements.

Why would a professional audio engineer do that if the required elements were there on the multitrack ?

Trying to recreate the 'concert hall' ambience, perhaps ?

Mixing in some audience reactions would have achieved that, surely ?

To have the stuff there on tape and not use it seems a sloppy way of mastering/mixing to me.

Yeah, really!

By the way, here's a link to a more extensive (and less ridiculous) discussion of the remastering of this CD:

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/v ... highlight=