Prince From Another Planet - Brilliant!

Mike, sorry to hear you are disappointed with the sound. I finally got to sit down last night and listen to the evening show through my Bose headphones last night and I was very impressed. To me, it sounded as if this concert was recorded last week instead of 40 years ago. It will be the go-to version from now on when I want to hear this show.

Thank you for posting your impressions.

It's interesting to hear your comments regarding the sound and leads me to wonder whether the mix has actually been designed to sound at its best through headphones, for this appears to be the current fashion at present, whether through ipods or computer monitors etc. where separation is not the paramount concern. Just a thought?

No one can doubt the value of the footage though, which is extroadinarily clear given the circumstances and shows Elvis looking so much better and trimmer than he did in the On Tour movie. Wonderful indeed!

As for the sound, this new mix isn't for me as levels have been artificially raised making it sound muddy and constricted on a good hi-fi system. Admittedly I haven't tried it on my car stereo which may be less forgiving. It would be interesting to hear what Matthew and other sound enthusiasts have to say on this in due course.

I understand what you say about the sound as there isn't a wide spread of instruments/vocals across the soundstage. Brauer is also renouned for his use of compression which may explain the sense of the dynamics being restricted. However, having said that the remit was to put you in the fourth row of the Stadium and I think it achieves that brilliantly. It is an exciting sound and there is still enough clarity to follow JB's guitar, different drums, etc. There is plenty of bass and kick drums and Elvis vocals are crystal clear. It isn't a dry almost studio recording like the 72 Vegas releases for instance but if it was I think we would have lost the sense of occassion, excitement and passion. Ideally, the DVD could have carried a studio mix and concert mix but that's just a dream.

I would say it's like the Memphis 74 take on a mix which whilst not an audiophile recorording again really captures that sense of being there. I certainly don't think I will be playing the original CD's again as I really like the approach taken - Elvis vocals sound superb.

I have to agree with Jamie.
I've given these cd's a few spins in the last couple of days, and I compared the afternoon show with the Afternoon In The Garden cd. I must admit that I like the sound, it's raw, exciting and powerful. Indeed, Elvis' voice sounds superb, and the drums, bass and JB's guitar are upfront and prominent (unlike on FTD's Live In Memphis where JB's guitar is burried deep in the mix, and I got the impression that everything sounds pretty distant).
While I'm writing this, I'm listening to Reconsider Baby on the afternoon show (PFAP) and the sound is definately not muffled, it is crystal clear and punchy, only the piano is a little bit less audible unfortunately.
While listening to Afternoon In The Garden, I thought that there was nothing wrong with the mix in the first place. The sound is much warmer and spread out, and it is certanly a pleasent listen, but real excitement of the Garden shows, in my opinion, is on Prince From Another Planet.
Also, this is a rare occasion that I don't agree with Mike, but also I can understand his point of view. Compression and the 'wall of sound' can be noisy, but luckily this time I found it enjoyable.
Finaly, It would be interesting to hear Owen Egeland's from 'Elvis In Norway' opinion about the sound quality.

Thanks for your posting your comments KB, which are doubly interesting as we normally agree. Can you advise what sound system you have and even more importantly whether you are listening through headphones?

Also bear in mind I am not comparing it to the '97 Afternoon In The Garden release but to CD 1 of the Operation Big Apple import which I suspect may be the new remix at an ealier stage before Brauer compressed it.

As for the sound, this new mix isn't for me as levels have been artificially raised making it sound muddy and constricted on a good hi-fi system. Admittedly I haven't tried it on my car stereo which may be less forgiving. It would be interesting to hear what Matthew and other sound enthusiasts have to say on this in due course.

I understand what you say about the sound as there isn't a wide spread of instruments/vocals across the soundstage. Brauer is also renouned for his use of compression which may explain the sense of the dynamics being restricted. However, having said that the remit was to put you in the fourth row of the Stadium and I think it achieves that brilliantly. It is an exciting sound and there is still enough clarity to follow JB's guitar, different drums, etc. There is plenty of bass and kick drums and Elvis vocals are crystal clear. It isn't a dry almost studio recording like the 72 Vegas releases for instance but if it was I think we would have lost the sense of occassion, excitement and passion. Ideally, the DVD could have carried a studio mix and concert mix but that's just a dream.

I would say it's like the Memphis 74 take on a mix which whilst not an audiophile recorording again really captures that sense of being there. I certainly don't think I will be playing the original CD's again as I really like the approach taken - Elvis vocals sound superb.

I have to agree with Jamie.
I've given these cd's a few spins in the last couple of days, and I compared the afternoon show with the Afternoon In The Garden cd. I must admit that I like the sound, it's raw, exciting and powerful. Indeed, Elvis' voice sounds superb, and the drums, bass and JB's guitar are upfront and prominent (unlike on FTD's Live In Memphis where JB's guitar is burried deep in the mix, and I got the impression that everything sounds pretty distant).
While I'm writing this, I'm listening to Reconsider Baby on the afternoon show (PFAP) and the sound is definately not muffled, it is crystal clear and punchy, only the piano is a little bit less audible unfortunately.
While listening to Afternoon In The Garden, I thought that there was nothing wrong with the mix in the first place. The sound is much warmer and spread out, and it is certanly a pleasent listen, but real excitement of the Garden shows, in my opinion, is on Prince From Another Planet.
Also, this is a rare occasion that I don't agree with Mike, but also I can understand his point of view. Compression and the 'wall of sound' can be noisy, but luckily this time I found it enjoyable.
Finaly, It would be interesting to hear Owen Egeland's from 'Elvis In Norway' opinion about the sound quality.

Thanks for your posting your comments KB, which are doubly interesting as we normally agree. Can you advise what sound system you have and even more importantly whether you are listening through headphones?

Also bear in mind I am not comparing it to the '97 Afternoon In The Garden release but to CD 1 of the Operation Big Apple import which I suspect may be the new remix at an ealier stage before Brauer compressed it.

I compared the afternoon show on cd 1 with Afternoon In The Garden simply because thats the only one I got. I didn't buy Operation Big Apple, but it's interesting to hear about the new remix.
Anyway, Mike, I don't have the oportunity to use my Onkyo receiver, Yamaha cd and Dali soundspeakers, so at the moment I'm using Yamaha rx e 810 mini hi-fi system with Yamaha subwoofer. The sound is decent I reckon, not spectacular though. I'm also using Bose headphones.

Anyway, Mike, I don't have the oportunity to use my Onkyo receiver, Yamaha cd and Dali soundspeakers, so at the moment I'm using Yamaha rx e 810 mini hi-fi system with Yamaha subwoofer. The sound is decent I reckon, not spectacular though. I'm also using Bose headphones.

Rob would be proud of you....I'm also beginning to see a pattern emerging.....interesting.

Anyway, Mike, I don't have the oportunity to use my Onkyo receiver, Yamaha cd and Dali soundspeakers, so at the moment I'm using Yamaha rx e 810 mini hi-fi system with Yamaha subwoofer. The sound is decent I reckon, not spectacular though. I'm also using Bose headphones.

Rob would be proud of you....I'm also beginning to see a pattern emerging.....interesting.

Trust Rob, he knows!

Anyway, Mike, I don't have the oportunity to use my Onkyo receiver, Yamaha cd and Dali soundspeakers, so at the moment I'm using Yamaha rx e 810 mini hi-fi system with Yamaha subwoofer. The sound is decent I reckon, not spectacular though. I'm also using Bose headphones.

Rob would be proud of you....I'm also beginning to see a pattern emerging.....interesting.

Trust Rob, he knows!

Too true.

Don't tell him I said so though, it'll go straight to his head.

I have listened primarily through Audiolab cd8200, Rotel pre/power, Quad 22l speakers main system and Cyrus 7q/and amp/focal speakers and AkG headphones. I don't hear any difference in presentation. As ever headphones can help focus on certain elements whilst losing any sense of soundstage and imaging. His vocals do sound great on the headphones but I don't think this has been designed for that purpose specifically. But no doubt it does reflect the current trend in use of compression. But there us no conspiracy here I a am convinced that the driver here for Brauer was to capture the event, the emotion, excitement etc. Most seem to think he achieved that. It might not be strictly audiophile but are people enjoying the concerts? Are they excited about the whole package? Has it got everyone praising certain songs? Has there been as many different posts all about Prince? I can't remember so much positive conversation about Elvis and his 72 performances in the time I have been on this site. There must be something right here whether we all like the approach or not.

Cheers Jamie

My review of PFAP:

1. The 2012 remixes are superior to the 1972 and 1997 originals. The 72 evening show mix had Elvis' vocals too low. the 97 Ferrante mix of the afternoon show was anemic
2. A little too much reverb and compression was used on the 2012 remixes to simulate a cavernous performance venue -- this approach reduces the dynamic range and "blurs' the sound
3. Very nice booklet (although a few careless errors -- the notes say "time was needed by the operator to change tape cartridges during the performance." It should be noted it was a Super 8 film cartridge -- not a "tape" cartridge.)
4. Discs are hard to extract -- and removal can damage/rip the packaging over time
5. Press conference footage is edited and truncated from only one source. Legacy should have obtained footage from other news crews to reassemble the entire news conference
6. The quality of Presley's singing indicates he took the MSG very seriously. I don't hear any audible evidence that he was impaired by substances. We find a very committed Presley on these MSG recordings. He's not quite as great as he was during 68-70, but he is really more committed here than some performances from 1971. For example, during Boston 71, Presley was throwing away a lot of the performances and seemed ambivalent.
7. Drums sound poorly recorded during the afternoon show compared to the evening show. Perhaps they changed how they mic'd the drums for the better recorded evening show.
8. The Super 8 film footage is great to have. It would have been nice to have index points to immediately jump to the footage instead of having to fast forward through the large chunks where no coverage exists.

Overall, a nice effort, but there's certainly room for improvement (primarily: less reverb, less compression, complete press conference, better proofing of liner notes and better packaging not prone to damaging the discs or cardboard.) I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Last edited by monkboughtlunch on Sat Nov 24, 2012 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I have listened primarily through Audiolab cd8200, Rotel pre/power, Quad 22l speakers main system and Cyrus 7q/and amp/focal speakers and AkG headphones. I don't hear any difference in presentation. As ever headphones can help focus on certain elements whilst losing any sense of soundstage and imaging. His vocals do sound great on the headphones but I don't think this has been designed for that purpose specifically. But no doubt it does reflect the current trend in use of compression. But there us no conspiracy here I a am convinced that the driver here for Brauer was to capture the event, the emotion, excitement etc. Most seem to think he achieved that. It might not be strictly audiophile but are people enjoying the concerts? Are they excited about the whole package? Has it got everyone praising certain songs? Has there been as many different posts all about Prince? I can't remember so much positive conversation about Elvis and his 72 performances in the time I have been on this site. There must be something right here whether we all like the approach or not.

Cheers Jamie

Dead right. I think the sound is very well balanced and I can't fault it - the proof is I keep playing it over, and over again. When you get used to the sound what is very apparent is Elvis' vocals sound fantastic...And as I say everything else seems well-balanced too.

The revelation is the footage - I never expected it to be THAT good. Just cannot get enough of the afternoon show and with the added visual element - wow!!!

Ernst and co and the Indiana Jones element again...

My review of PFAP:

1. The 2012 remixes are superior to the 1972 and 1997 originals. The 72 evening show mix had Elvis' vocals too low. the 97 Ferrante mix of the afternoon show was anemic
2. A little too much reverb and compression was used on the 2012 remixes to simulate a cavernous performance venue -- this approach reduces the dynamic range and "blurs' the sound
3. Very nice booklet (although a few careless errors -- the notes say "time was needed by the operator to change tape cartridges during the performance." It should be noted it was a Super 8 film cartridge -- not a "tape" cartridge.)
4. Discs are hard to extract -- and removal can damage/rip the packaging over time
5. Press conference footage is edited and truncated from only one source. Legacy should have obtained footage from other news crews to reassemble the entire news conference
6. The quality of Presley's singing indicates he took the MSG very seriously. I don't hear any audible evidence that he was impaired by substances. We find a very committed Presley on these MSG recordings. He's not quite as great as he was during 68-70, but he is really more committed here than some performances from 1971. For example, during Boston 71, Presley was throwing away a lot of the performances and seemed ambivalent.
7. Drums sound poorly recorded during the afternoon show compared to the evening show. Perhaps they changed how they mic'd the drums for the better recorded evening show.

Overall, a nice effort, but there's certainly room for improvement (primarily: less reverb, less compression, complete press conference, better proofing of liner notes and better packaging not prone to damaging the discs or cardboard.) I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Thanks for dismissing my review. Footage is great to see. Although a bit puffy and heavier than TTWII, the MSG fan footage finds Presley still quite capable of athletic stage movement. The oversized belts seem to be bothering him and restrict his movement -- he pauses at times during the MSG footage to reposition the large belt buckle in the middle of gyrations, thus impeding his momentum and throwing him off his game a bit. The jumpsuits and belts are becoming gaudier by this time period -- a powder blue jumpsuit with a cape is the epitome of "anti-cool."

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Thanks for dismissing my review. Footage is great to see. Although a bit puffy and heavier than TTWII, the MSG fan footage finds Presley still quite capable of athletic stage movement. The oversized belts seem to be bothering him and restrict his movement -- he pauses at times during the MSG footage to reposition the large belt buckle in the middle of gyrations, thus impeding his momentum and throwing him off his game a bit. The jumpsuits and belts are becoming gaudier by this time period -- a powder blue jumpsuit with a cape is the epitome of "anti-cool."

Interesting comments. I personally love the jumpsuits and cape but everyone likes different aspects of Elvis. The belt didn't seem to throw him off his game at all imho. There's so many positives about his performance...stunning footage and very glad we have it.

Only with hindsight, I think at that point in time he was as cool as f%**! That's the way he !was perceived I am sure. Don't forget how many artists were wearing jumpsuits at that point. I think the use of classical music as an intro was innovative at that time although widely used now. He created a spectical and I think it worked although we now view it as cliched. I agree about the belt you can see that in EOT., he seems self concious about it. It spoils the spontaneity but PSA still looks cool as chuff!

Cheers

Thanks Erhan

Only with hindsight, I think at that point in time he was as cool as f%**! That's the way he !was perceived I am sure. Don't forget how many artists were wearing jumpsuits at that point. I think the use of classical music as an intro was innovative at that time although widely used now. He created a spectical and I think it worked although we now view it as cliched. I agree about the belt you can see that in EOT., he seems self concious about it. It spoils the spontaneity but PSA still looks cool as chuff!

Cheers

Still cool as chuff! Damn right! ABBA were a case in point...

It's about putting on a show - I for one love to see the showmanship - and definitely still cool!!

Only with hindsight, I think at that point in time he was as cool as f%**! That's the way he !was perceived I am sure. Don't forget how many artists were wearing jumpsuits at that point. I think the use of classical music as an intro was innovative at that time although widely used now. He created a spectacle and I think it worked although we now view it as cliched. I agree about the belt you can see that in EOT., he seems self conscious about it. It spoils the spontaneity but PSA still looks cool as chuff!

Cheers

In general, not too many were put off by his appearance. Many were likely aware of Elvis' presentation as royalty by this point, and in fact jumpsuits were a norm in the attire of many at this time, from Sonny Bono to Jimmy Page.

It's unclear if anyone else was using "Also sprach Zarathustra" as an introduction, but the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film "2001: A Space Odyssey" was a huge success, and the reason most were familiar with the tone poem by Richard Strauss. Certainly, Las Vegas conductor Joe Guercio was captivated by it, enough so to suggest it to Elvis in 1971.

2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)#Music

It's pretty cool and quite ironic Strauss's notes to his Introduction call it "Sunrise."

2001: A Space Odyssey (R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra) Kubrick video montage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Also_sprach_Zarathustra_(Strauss)

In general, not too many were put off by his appearance. Many were likely aware of Elvis' presentation as royalty by this point, and in fact jumpsuits were a norm in the attire of many at this time, from Sonny Bono to Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page 1972:



Sonny Bono 1972:



If these guys donned jumpsuits later, perhaps they were influenced by Presley? Was Presley the first artist to use them? Anyway, it was an unfortunate trend:



Mick Jagger 1973


Jimmy Page 1973

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Thanks for dismissing my review. Footage is great to see. Although a bit puffy and heavier than TTWII, the MSG fan footage finds Presley still quite capable of athletic stage movement. The oversized belts seem to be bothering him and restrict his movement -- he pauses at times during the MSG footage to reposition the large belt buckle in the middle of gyrations, thus impeding his momentum and throwing him off his game a bit. The jumpsuits and belts are becoming gaudier by this time period -- a powder blue jumpsuit with a cape is the epitome of "anti-cool."

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of humour.

Keith Richards, Jr.

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of hunour...

You are correct.

Self-depreciating stage movements such as fooling around with his belt may be seen as early as at Magnolia Gardens in August 1955. It means there was always a small part of him that felt uncomfortable up there.

That kind of stage business never really bothered me, but I fully agree that making light of certain lyrics -- especially in the 1970s -- was really unprofessional. That said, you can hear him doing the same thing on concert recordings in 1956 and 1961.

That Elvis could be a rascal!

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Thanks for dismissing my review. Footage is great to see. Although a bit puffy and heavier than TTWII, the MSG fan footage finds Presley still quite capable of athletic stage movement. The oversized belts seem to be bothering him and restrict his movement -- he pauses at times during the MSG footage to reposition the large belt buckle in the middle of gyrations, thus impeding his momentum and throwing him off his game a bit. The jumpsuits and belts are becoming gaudier by this time period -- a powder blue jumpsuit with a cape is the epitome of "anti-cool."

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of humour.

Keith Richards, Jr.

Yes, he did that stuff his entire career.
Maybe if he had not done that, he would have made himself a success. Seriously ......

I don't think you get it, in the context it was done in.

Elvis' thinking was, if you wanted a straight version of one of his songs, you could always stay at home
and listen to his records.
These are stage show bits and thing about Elvis, you didn't know what was coming next and that's what made people flock to his shows over and over again.
There are certain artists that if you see them once, that is all you need.
It's called a live show. He wasn't going to be a human juke box and just
grind out his records. He used humor in most of his shows.
Sometimes in ruined a song, but there was always a straight versions of it somewhere, be it live or studio.
We have the perfect master of "the wonder of you" so, the funny version is a bonus I think.

In general, not too many were put off by his appearance. Many were likely aware of Elvis' presentation as royalty by this point, and in fact jumpsuits were a norm in the attire of many at this time, from Sonny Bono to Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page 1972:



Sonny Bono 1972:



If these guys donned jumpsuits later, perhaps they were influenced by Presley? Was Presley the first artist to use them? Anyway, it was an unfortunate trend:



Mick Jagger 1973


Jimmy Page 1973

Why was i a unfortunate trend? If you were alive in 72 most everyone thought they were spectacular! Even the one Sonny Bono is wearing looks pretty cool. Anyway, Elvis was wearing 2 piece suits just about as much during this period so he wasn't just in jumpsuits in 72. The unfortunate thing was he continued to where the jumpsuits when he got heavy and it made him look terrible. Remember all styles look ridicules from the past and 20 years from now, everyone will be laughing at what is in style now!

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of humour.

Keith Richards, Jr.

Check out (Suspicious Minds) 42:34 on the PFAP DVD. Presley repositions his oversized belt so he can drop down to do his leg splits -- and it doesn't appear he's moving the belt for comic effect either. The belt was impeding his movement. The belt would have dug into his left upper thigh if he didn't slide it upward before his leg splits.

Last edited by monkboughtlunch on Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:40 am, edited 3 times in total.

Nitpicking. But what about the 'stunning' footage?

Thanks for dismissing my review. Footage is great to see. Although a bit puffy and heavier than TTWII, the MSG fan footage finds Presley still quite capable of athletic stage movement. The oversized belts seem to be bothering him and restrict his movement -- he pauses at times during the MSG footage to reposition the large belt buckle in the middle of gyrations, thus impeding his momentum and throwing him off his game a bit. The jumpsuits and belts are becoming gaudier by this time period -- a powder blue jumpsuit with a cape is the epitome of "anti-cool."

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of humour.

Keith Richards, Jr.

Yes, he did that stuff his entire career.
Maybe if he had not done that, he would have made himself a success. Seriously ......

I don't think you get it, in the context it was done in.

Elvis' thinking was, if you wanted a straight version of one of his songs, you could always stay at home
and listen to his records.
These are stage show bits and thing about Elvis, you didn't know what was coming next and that's what made people flock to his shows over and over again.
There are certain artists that if you see them once, that is all you need.
It's called a live show. He wasn't going to be a human juke box and just
grind out his records. He used humor in most of his shows.
Sometimes in ruined a song, but there was always a straight versions of it somewhere, be it live or studio.
We have the perfect master of "the wonder of you" so, the funny version is a bonus I think.

That's right...

About the belt... I'm not sure it was bothering him. I think he stopped his movements and adjusted his belt for comical effect. I don't like this part of Elvis' stage act, in fact I really dislike it, but he did stuff like that during his entire career. It ruined many a song. This same idea of fun made him change "you give me hope and consolation" to "you give me hope and constipation" in "The Wonder Of You". Elvis could be a funny guy but I despise this kind of humour.

Keith Richards, Jr.

Check out (Suspicious Minds) 42:34 on the PFAP DVD. Presley repositions his oversized belt so he can drop down to do his leg splits -- and it doesn't appear he's moving the belt for comic effect either. The belt was impeding his movement.

All those fantastic moves and you're focusing on his belt...