Looks like Holding Down the Fort just around the corner

[midnightx]

I don't understand you guys, if you feel that way about Elvis' later performances, why buy it?

Joe, it is a valid point. 1976 is what it is. Atrocious at times, bad and boring at others and rarely good (Dec. 1976 an exception). No reason fans should be shocked, up in arms and complain that a 1976 show is below par.

Thank God you're not Tits, I have trouble enough keeping Ger and midnightx in line.

Keeping me in line?

[Joe Car]

I don't understand you guys, if you feel that way about Elvis' later performances, why buy it?

Joe, it is a valid point. 1976 is what it is. Atrocious at times, bad and boring at others and rarely good (Dec. 1976 an exception). No reason fans should be shocked, up in arms and complain that a 1976 show is below par.

Thank God you're not Tits, I have trouble enough keeping Ger and midnightx in line.

Keeping me in line?

Just kidding.

[Rob]

Have you got your copy yet, Rob?

Unfortunately, no. I'm about two weeks away from it.

On a scale of 1-10, how's the sound?

[Tallhair AKA Ger Rijff]

... For a soundboard Id say 7and a half for Elvis, 6 for the pre show.

Only played a bit of the the pre show... like 5 minutes! Sorry, Im well

over 50, but this is for pensioners and bingo crowds only. The booklet,

as with all madison releases is very nice. No less then 35 shots of

the man, and 3 of the Sweets/ Stamps.

... The package is tops, but the performance only fair. You better

wait for a track by track review, by somebody else, here. Dont

let me spoil the party... Strange though, no one has come forward

here yet, its been available since last thursday... in this part of the

world, that is.

[3577]

I expected it last saturday, but will get it tomorrow.

[elvis-fan]

... For a soundboard Id say 7and a half for Elvis, 6 for the pre show.

Only played a bit of the the pre show... like 5 minutes! Sorry, Im well

over 50, but this is for pensioners and bingo crowds only. The booklet,

as with all madison releases is very nice. No less then 35 shots of

the man, and 3 of the Sweets/ Stamps.

... The package is tops, but the performance only fair. You better

wait for a track by track review, by somebody else, here. Dont

let me spoil the party... Strange though, no one has come forward

here yet, its been available since last thursday... in this part of the

world, that is.

I find it odd that they dedicated an entire CD to the pre-show... how often are you going to throw this one in to listen to? (I guess it is nice that they give you the feel of how the show was laid out... I actually enjoy the opening of Guaranteed To Blow Your Mind because of the intro stuff from Memphis... would have been better to include it with the actual show though!!!)

[Robert]

... For a soundboard Id say 7and a half for Elvis, 6 for the pre show.

Only played a bit of the the pre show... like 5 minutes! Sorry, Im well

over 50, but this is for pensioners and bingo crowds only. The booklet,

as with all madison releases is very nice. No less then 35 shots of

the man, and 3 of the Sweets/ Stamps.

... The package is tops, but the performance only fair. You better

wait for a track by track review, by somebody else, here. Dont

let me spoil the party... Strange though, no one has come forward

here yet, its been available since last thursday... in this part of the

world, that is.

I find it odd that dedicated an entire CD to the pre-show... how often are you going to throw this one in to listen to? (I guess it is nice that they give you the feel of how the show was laid out... I actually enjoy the opening of Guaranteed To Blow Your Mind because of the intro stuff from Memphis... would have been better to include it with the actual show though!!!)

The addition of the warm up makes this release different..
Too bad our man Jackie is missing. "He ain't funny, but kills some time.."
To Elvis fan: It cannot be included on one disk, 74 minutes is a little bitty shorty right?

[dougkapp]

Well... I’m not a soundboard collector’s, but I have many of them. I think “Holding” is very interesting release, but only because the sound is improved and the inclusion of a nice booklet. But since Just Pretend, (the first soundboard boot, if I am right) CD released by Fort Baxter in 1991, we have circa 100 soundboards, of all seasons. Now is hard to release an essential show, except if the concert is from 70-72 period or specific concerts like Pittsburgh, Pontiac, Indianapolis and many others… some historic concerts has been erased or lost ... but miracles can happens !!!
Personally I like very much Elvis in 1976… I like "Holding Back The Years", "Running For President", and many others, I hope like this too.

[deadringer]

74 minutes is a little bitty shorty right?

Robert, where you have found 74 minutes??????? it is 79:50 for audio CD, maximally. But this stuff do not fit for 1 CD anyway, without editing.

[3577]

Finally have it in my hands. The booklet is awesome.

[Robert]

But this stuff do not fit for 1 CD anyway, without editing.

Thats what I meant....

[Robert]

Got it 2day..

It's an above average show.. E is in a good mood.
I kinda like Heartbreak Hotel, it's good.
But most June'76 shows are far better than the August shows anyway..

About the sound: now we can hear the audience a little better, nice.
I even suspect Madison made it sound slightly ambient, I prefer that over the usual dry soundboard audio.. It's a great improvement.

Still, like 99% of all soundboard tapes, there's little punch.. Ronnie Tutt's drums are too far in the back on most tracks.
But that's just the way it is..
If you're a Jerry Scheff fan (hell I am!): his basslines smoothly slide through your living room

Thanks for this stuff Madison

[BigredG]

It's another quality package from Madison (Did we expect anything else??!!).

The pre-show Cd is short enough to be entetaining without becoming tedious!!

The main show is an above average effort for mid '76 - like Robert said June was much better than August!!!

There is a definite sense of fun and good humour which proves for an interesting listen!!

Tony Brown gets introduced as Shane Kiesker and David Briggs as Floyd Cramer - classic!!

Sound quality - excellent!!

Booklet - aweseome!!

Discs, a little bit "cheap" looking, but that is my only criticism.

[elvispresleyfan1935]

Got mine today

Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but will later this
evening and will post my thoughts on it later.

I'm actually looking forward to the pre-show, gives the feel
of a concert to me.

[BigredG]

I'm actually looking forward to the pre-show, gives the feel of a concert to me.

Yes, it does - a real treat. (Not that I would want it on every Cd, but it's nice to have it this once.)

I would have liked to have Jerky Kahoon too, but he was not taped - oh well c'est La Vie!!

[dougkapp]

I'm waiting for it... maybe with lucky I have it in 10 or 15 days....

[elvispresleyfan1935]

I should have my copy any day now and having the pre show makes it an even better release for me.It really does help convey the atmosphere from the concert.Im expecting to be more impressed with the package than the actual content but hopefully its a decent show.
Jak

It is a good show for 1976 Jak.

I was very impressed with the sound first off. Very clear.

The peformance was above average for a 1976 show. The pre-show
was very nice to listen to.

Enjoyed both the Stamp's Quartet and the Sweet Inpsirations performances.

Elvis seems to be in a good mood, really playing with the fans
at the beginning at laughing a little bit.

Elvis starts out a little slow with his singing, but as the show goes
on it gets faster.

A job well done by Madison !!!!

[Promocollector]

Got mine today!! Excellent artwork (as usual) from Madison. I haven't listened to Disc 1 yet, but Disc 2 (the concert) sounds great, nice and clear, but it's still a '76 show which is nothing to get too excited over.

Overall, still an essential cd set to have, if you like live Elvis, imo.

[Guest]

I too got my copy today

The pre show is nice to have...........the sound quality is awesome.
God........he sounds elsewhere on Polk Salad Annie....but I love it anyway.
The guitar on there is really good too......and thats what saves it just my opinion

[Keith Richards, Jr.]

The pre-show is nothing to get excited about but I'm glad they included it this one time. I like the main show. Elvis is in good spirits, he delivers a nice show and "Happy Birthday Bruce" is a fun item for sure! As usal the booklet is fantastic. I'm not so sure about the cover, though. There are more flattering pics in the booklet. In fact there are some VERY good pictures in there. But one of them is from earlier or later in the year, right? His hair looks different.

Keith Richards, Jr.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

Just got it yesterday! Having missed "Cajun Tornado" (3/4 of which included this material),to my ears, 2006's "Holding Down the Fort" is quite good in context of his typical (non-December) 1976 show.

As with most other recent Fort Baxter re-issues, they've found a way (or time just permits it, via advances in technology and engineering) to coax more than adequate sound out of the tapes. According to another post here by "Ray," these tapes are first-generation, unlike the earlier release.

The booklet alone is very exciting (perceptive notes as always by "Jasper McGillis"), packed with great color photos of the show and really making this a true souvenir of "The Elvis Presley Show" circa 1976, as does the clever Disc One (about 30 minutes) of the opening acts.

Hearing such contemporary '70s songs (especially the Stevie Wonder medley ) reminds me how late in the game Elvis was still alive, as I remember all those popular songs at the time. The Elvis world, in comparison, seems like more nostalgia-driven then usually acknowledged, but it's still Elvis live on stage and the '76 fans eat that up. The Sweets do make a valient effort, right down to get a soul-clap thing going... It's the Stamps who come off as a bit corny in spots.

I've heard some of this opening show material on other discs, but it's nice to have separate disc to get the "feel" of going to the "Elvis Presley Show." For those who can't sit though it, you have a conveniently have the whole separate disc of Elvis, "the main event." But for the true build-up, I purposely sat through all of the opening set so that I was rabidly into it for "the main event."

I agree somewhat that this is a more effective show for '76 as Tony Brown had maintained, as mentioned in the notes, but then not especially notable, either. It's not as good as late '76 but reasonably engaged, despite a less than stellar voice. Maybe it's just the power of the band, as he's still hardly where he should be.

The cover shot has grown on me. The idea is to document his concerts and this works as such. I accept that it was no longer 1956 and that's still a great profile our man had in the year of the bicentennial. As the notes point out, twenty years after his first big year, little did we know that from June to September of '76, "that this would be the final summer run of Elvis' career."

This is a release well worth having based just on the Madison standard of quality alone. Before I started collecting Madison releases, from the sound alone, I did not realize how much terrific work goes into the booklets of Madison, redeeming nearly every show.

Their overall approach (great photos on high-quality paper; great notes) makes even time clock-punching shows suddenly very worthwhile to have.

[deadringer]

::: I agree that this is a more effective show for '76 as Tony Brown had maintained, as mentioned in the notes. Not as good as late '76 but definitely reasonably engaged, despite a less than stellar voice. Maybe it's just the power of the band, as he's still hardly where he should be.

-----------------

again, the influence of "TONY BROWN ONCE SAID IT IS GREAT SHOW" is unbelievable. It is simply AVERAGE 1976 show, NOTHING exceptionaly good or exceptionally bad. A show nice to listen, entertaining, but Tony Brown was totally wrong of course, as usually. He was surely talking about other show. There were NO EXCEPTIONAL SHOWS in the Summer 76 anyway.

Memphis 5.7.76, Johnson City 17.3.-19.3.76, Greensboro, Tulsa, Vegas 2.12.76, 3.12.76, 4.12.76, 11.12.76, several October shows ... were all better than Fort Worth June and/or July.

I enjoy the 2CD set, it is WORTH TO HAVE, but please be realistic Tony Brown is not a GOD who can change bad show into great and vice versa... by one word.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

First, Deadringer, take a deep breath.

As for the Tony Brown comment, how many other specific comments on '76 exist from band members? No doubt not many and perhaps for good reason, time and lost memories being one of them. I merely referred to the comments in the notes and I agree we should take Brown's comments with a grain of salt.

I do hope I had made it very clear that overall, this is typical sub-par Elvis. For '76, it's passable, if you pretend December never happened.

Overall, the packaging far exceeds the performance and that's fine by me.

The terrific Madison label again succeeds in making nearly Elvis concert an event to want to own on CD....and after all, in reality, each concert was an event. This one reminds us that even subpar Elvis was still Elvis.

[deadringer]

Well Gregory, I am cold as an ice ... but I simply can't stand these "memories" from band members that are completely wrong - in most of cases.

Tony Brown said: FORT WORTH WAS GREAT blabla etc...
Tony AGAIN Brown sain COLLEGE PARK WAS AWFUL etc...

But - both these memories are completely wrong. We have 2 CDs that prove this, without any doubt. One can expect REALLY AWFUL SHOW if Brown said so, or really great show, if Brown said so? No. College Park is just average for second half of 74, nothing exceptionally awful there. And nothing great. And Fort Worth is just average for 76, nothing exceptionally great or awful there too.

::: Overall, the packaging far exceeds the performance and that's fine by me.

- well I never said the opposite I agree! Nobody can make the show better than it is... It is AUDIO DOCUMENT, in fine sound, with excellent artwork.

[Joern]

Tony Brown is not a GOD who can change bad show into great and vice versa... by one word.

He can do so - you only have to believe Dr John Carpenter - who at last believes in Tony's words about the College Park show 09/74.

Don't believe your ears! "Holding Down The Fort" is an extremely good performance which stands out for '76. Brown was there.

Just kidding...

Regards, Joern