Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas: Deluxe Edition

The King returns, and he rocks

There’s a growing trend in America for special editions of an album to be made available only in certain nationwide chains, with a “regular” version stocked elsewhere. Presley’s estate jumps on the bandwagon with this, a tie-in with an American TV special of the same name.

The standard one-disc version covers live performances from 1970 and ’72 Vegas shows (aside from the title track, which, oddly, he never performed live in Vegas). The deluxe edition, however, only available at Wal-Mart in the US, has two discs, with the second featuring a previously unreleased concert from Presley’s debut Vegas stint.

The dinner show from 21 August 1969 is the first full show RCA professionally recorded. Without the MOR slant of later engagements, Presley fully draws on his rockin’ past (Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog) alongside latest hits (In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds). Though it’s a few weeks into the engagement, which opened 1 August, Presley still sounds surprisingly nervous in his stage chat, but makes up for it in high-powered numbers such as What’d I Say and a medley of Mystery Train/Tiger Man. For the UK shopper, this set will be easily available on eBay, or maybe a friendly American will get one for you.

SonyBMG | 88697 11108 2 (2-CD)

Reviewed by Gillian G Gaar
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