"Holding Down The Fort" around the corner

The rest of the available shows go from sad (biccentennial) to mediocre (old times are not forgotten) to just ok (my it's been a long).

Hey, wait a minute! "Old Times They Are Not Forgotten" is not mediocre, it's my favourite '76 soundboard, in fact it's one of my all-time favourite soundboards! True story!

Keith Richards,Jr.

Really Keith?? Once (1995) it was my favourite show. Brilliant sound and new line up (it was the first show to me with the solos, etc) captivated me.

It's one of the first soundboards I bought. I read about it on Elvis In Norway and then bought it on eBay a couple of months later. So I like it for sentimental reasons, you know. But I also think there is a very special atmoshere to this show, and of course the sound quality is perfect, in fact better than many official RCA live recordings. I also love Kathy Westmoreland's version of "My Heavenly Father".

Keith Richards, Jr.

it's amazing how good that tape sound, better than elvis in concert. Yet you'll find people here that says that dae releases sound poor, filled with reverb and cheap tricks.

I remember buying old times nad holding back the years, I thought I had found the holy grial. Stupid me, I thought "all the soundboards will sound the same from now on"...

Apart from a few shows from the March and December tours, "Old Times They Are Not Forgotten" is a favorite concert of mine also from '76...also features imo the best live version of Love Letters

...also features imo the best live version of Love Letters

...along with a delightfull - or should I say 'heartbreaking'? - 'And I Love You So', where the strain in his voice gives the song a perfectly fitting emotional boost.

it's amazing how good that tape sound, better than elvis in concert. Yet you'll find people here that says that dae releases sound poor, filled with reverb and cheap tricks.

I have never understood that. It seems to me that a little reverb gives more life and excitement to a soundboard tape. Makes it sound more like the real thing. Some soundboards have a very flat and dull sound.

Speaking of soundboards, what happened to Audionics? They released two new, interesting shows, then followed them up with a hodge-podge CD called "Across The Country", and now they seem to have disappeared completely. I liked "Keep The Fire Burning" and "El Goes El Paso" very much and hope they will release more stuff in the future.

Keith Richards, Jr.

Speaking of soundboards, what happened to Audionics? They released two new, interesting shows, then followed them up with a hodge-podge CD called "Across The Country", and now they seem to have disappeared completely. I liked "Keep The Fire Burning" and "El Goes El Paso" very much and hope they will release more stuff in the future.

Keith Richards, Jr.

I was wondering the same thing.

Across Country Vol 1 implies that there are to be subsequent releases. It certainly was a Hodge Podge though!!

In the past they have had big gaps between releases . You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - 2001, then nearly 4 years passed before Keep The Fire Burning!!

Speaking of soundboards, what happened to Audionics? They released two new, interesting shows, then followed them up with a hodge-podge CD called "Across The Country", and now they seem to have disappeared completely. I liked "Keep The Fire Burning" and "El Goes El Paso" very much and hope they will release more stuff in the future.

Keith Richards, Jr.

I was wondering the same thing.

Across Country Vol 1 implies that there are to be subsequent releases. It certainly was a Hodge Podge though!!

In the past they have had big gaps between releases . You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - 2001, then nearly 4 years passed before Keep The Fire Burning!!

Well, let's hope it won't take them that long this time! Audionics could use some reverb on their releases, though. "El Goes El Paso" sounds a bit flat. In the booklet, they mention that this is how the tape sounds, and that they didn't want to mess with it. Big mistake. But a cool CD nontheless!

Keith Richards, Jr.

Last edited by Keith Richards, Jr. on Tue Jan 02, 2007 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Remember "Fly T.R.O.U.B.L.E" and the story surrounding it? There were some people saying that this was a second generation tape that had been taken "in a hurry" from an original source.

The sound on "Across The Country Vol. 1" was very similar. Maybe Audionics is an outsider among the Importers, or the label is beeing used as an "alter ego" to release not complete or not perfect material.

And by the way: I second Keith in his oppinion that "Old Times Are Not Forgotten" is one of the best '76 tapes around. Off course, that is if you are talking sound not show quality.

Remember "Fly T.R.O.U.B.L.E" and the story surrounding it? There were some people saying that this was a second generation tape that had been taken "in a hurry" from an original source.

The sound on "Across The Country Vol. 1" was very similar. Maybe Audionics is an outsider among the Importers, or the label is beeing used as an "alter ego" to release not complete or not perfect material.

And by the way: I second Keith in his oppinion that "Old Times Are Not Forgotten" is one of the best '76 tapes around. Off course, that is if you are talking sound not show quality.

Well the sound of ACROSS THE COUNTRY I was NO WAY similar to FLY TROUBLE. FLY TROUBLE was denoised to death by someone, with all known sound articfacts (call it ringing noise or star wars sound) generated by some software, probably by Cool Edit. ACROSS COUNTRY tracks do not suffer from this destructive sound work at all.

as an "alter ego" to release not complete or not perfect material.

- well as far as I know EL GOES EL PASO was complete and KEEP TE FIRE BURNING is nothing but THE ONLY COMPLETE 1975 show ever released.

Last edited by deadringer on Tue Jan 02, 2007 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Remember "Fly T.R.O.U.B.L.E" and the story surrounding it? There were some people saying that this was a second generation tape that had been taken "in a hurry" from an original source.

The sound on "Across The Country Vol. 1" was very similar. Maybe Audionics is an outsider among the Importers, or the label is beeing used as an "alter ego" to release not complete or not perfect material.

And by the way: I second Keith in his oppinion that "Old Times Are Not Forgotten" is one of the best '76 tapes around. Off course, that is if you are talking sound not show quality.

If not, the best soundquality.

And by the way: I second Keith in his oppinion that "Old Times Are Not Forgotten" is one of the best '76 tapes around. Off course, that is if you are talking sound not show quality.

I was talking about sound and show quality!

As Mr. Deadringer points out, Audionics did release two excellent CDs, "Keep The Fire Burning" and "El Goes El Paso", so it's not fair to say they are an alter ego used to release less interesting things.

By the way, I also wonder when Disc Le Roi will release a follow-up to "Still Rocking The Nation"! No that label sure seems to be an outsider...

Keith Richards, Jr.

I reckon Audionics is a deadringer for Straightarrow - both top notch labels, the latter my preferred in terms of presentation.

If not, the best soundquality.

I would say that Old Times And They Are Not Forgotten and The Bicentenial Elvis Experience are two of the best sounding shows out there. Even though TBEE is a bad show, the sound is very good.

With the exception, perhaps, of the super-rare revisiting of "Return To Sender" done live, I find The Bicentennial Elvis Experience too depressing to even own. Nice ironic title, though. An experience it is.

re: "Old Times Are Not Forgotten"

Later, I started to notice weak vocals, tired elvis, too long introductions.

When listening to the introductions on CD, it can seem long and tiresome. However, when attending the show, it was quite entertaining. Even though he was not singing (for the most part), he was still right in front of you making gestures to band members and still entertaining the crowd. Therefore, it is not near as bad as when listening to a show 30 years later.

I have no problem with solos, with shows not suffering from QCS (quick close syndrome). To hear the solos and then burning love, danny boy, help me make it, etc, like in tucson 76 is ok, but Just when you are into the show, elvis stops it, spends 10-12 minutes introducing the band, singing half songs and then sings a tired hound dog, hurt and chfil......too short....

Probably all valid points, Ivan, but it's important also to keep in mind that these recordings were never meant to be issued,as Rob reminds us, let alone with distinct "titles." These were just road shows, some spectacular, many more routine, that the man did. We dress them up as "albums" but that's not really the case.

That Elvis' shows had cycles of good and bad, doesn't surprise, especially by '76. I'm just a bit more forgiving in that we are in a sense "eavesdropping," where as the performance (as Rob might attest) in person may have given a fan more than enough mileage, that is entertainment.

We all hyper-scrutinize these shows (and thank god for it ) but such dissection and magnification was never imagined by the guy singing. He assumed you heard only RCA records and thus had considerable leeway in that some shows could be that much more "on" then others. It's just something I keep in mind, anyway.

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Count me as a fan of "Old Times Are Not Forgotten" which I acquired only in the last year. Ivan makes some good points, but I like the set for the reasons Keith and other mention.

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I had the pleasure of acquiring "Across the Country, Vol. 1" on Audionics in the last year. I liked what the label did with the material, which had a few highlights (he sings the heck out of "How Great Thou Art") but the booklet itself added much to the package.