The Hillbilly Cat Live in California
Here's a timeless document. And a rough cut diamond, friends. While the excellent show on Disc 1 already gives us an idea of how Elvis would sound like later in Las Vegas Disc 2 takes us back again to the very beginning. The Hillbilly Cat Live. We don't have a full band here tonight" Elvis says as he starts the 6 PM show and delievers an electrifying re-edition of his sun classic "That's Allright Mama". "We just sit here" he says later on. But sitting out there in this boxing ring in Burbank with "these guys from the early days" that night in June he shows to everyone who was around in the music scene at that time, where it all came from. He took the risk of a live jam session instead of performing some neatly arranged christmas classics. Being just himself. Doing what he left his truck for: To make music, great music. To entertain. To sing for the world, as Charlie Hodge said after these shows. Less than a year away from his essential American Studio sessions we listen to a great singer and musician finding his way back home.
Elvis Presley's finest hour(s)
This two-hour reissue is sort of a companion volume to MCA's September, 1998 disc "Tiger Man", which contains the complete set from the second of two concerts given by Elvis Presley on June 27, 1968.It is pretty much just an expanded version of the original "NBC TV Special" album, featuring almost two dozen previously unreleased takes, including several alternates, which means that "Baby, What You Want Me To Do" is here in five (!) different versions.
That may be a bit too much for some, but the quality of the music is high all the way through. I am particularly fond of the tunes recorded with just a small group which includes 50s band members D.J. Fontana and Scotty Moore, and it is very enjoyable to hear Elvis Presley playing and singing with such conviction...he even plays a pretty mean R&B-styled rhythm guitar!
A must-have for Elvis fanatics, casual Elvis fans should also find this 35-track double CD to their liking. Most of the best-known classics are here, including "Heartbreak Hotel", "That's All Right Mama", "Jailhouse Rock", "Trying To Get To You", "Hound Dog" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", as well as several slightly lesser-known (but often very fine) songs, such as "One Night", "Guitar Man" (in a medley with "Trouble"), and "When It Rains It Really Pours".
I don't own very many Elvis Presley-albums, and I'm not really that big a fan. But if you only ever get one Elvis-CD, make sure you get either this one or the original NBC Comeback Special soundtrack. This is Presley at his best.
The '68 Comeback Special
What can you say about Elvis in top form? This program contains some of his finest work. It also represents what was state of the art production and editing in 1968. I remember seeing the show when it first aired and I was blown away then. I still marvel at it. I started working as a technician in televison the same year. It seems the video tapes for this program have survived the years better than I. The technical quality of this DVD is stunning. It floored me to see how great this program looked after thirty-six years. This set is a must for any Elvis fan.
The ultimate comeback special!
This two-disc set features two different versions of the '68 comeback special. Disc One offers the actual comeback special itself. Think of the televised special, if you've seen it, and remember how it was. This is the audio version. Disc Two is another show that was part of the special. If you've seen the "One Night With You" VHS or DVD, this is the audio version of it. Recommended if you enjoy this celebration of amilestone in
Elvis' career. It was called a "comeback" becuase he came back to live performances and television and trying to break away from making so many films in Hollywood. Here is the King at his prime, regaining the full attention of the world. This was only a precursor to "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite." The leather-clad King lives on!
Exemplary Elvis
This is the cd that finally made my 17 year old daughter understand why I believe Elvis is one of the purest musical talents to ever be part of this world (after hearing me play his songs her entire life). The comeback special is where Elvis got to be Elvis, not just the presentation machine for songs RCA wanted recorded. It's as if he's in your home playing his heart our to you. A great album.
