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Destination USA

By Ferry, February 22, 2015 | Music

Ferry proposed to do some "oldie" reviews every now and then. ElvisNews welcomed it, since it is fun to read somebody else's point of view. Here is his look on last year's Destination USA.

Label: FTD
Format: 7 inch
Concert Date:     

Disc 1: September 4th 1972; 8.15 pm Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Disc 2: Live recordings February 1972 and rehearsals from August 2nd and 3th 1972, Hilton Hotel

Cover:
On the cover we find Elvis in a 2 color suit. Blue shirt, White trousers. This shot is not from the actual concert since Elvis was wearing the Adonis suit with the Gold attendance belt. 
Inside cover one gives us a collage of many Vegas pictures. From the Hotel, concerts and famous Americans. Nothing we haven’t seen before.
Inside cover two is more of the same. Pictures of Vegas and Hilton all over. Nice hot pants at bottom right by the way. But that’s personal.
Last inlay and bookholder side is a giant picture of the Hilton Hotel. Looking at the sharpness it is around the 70s yes, but nowhere on the picture is any evidence to be found of Elvis.
Flipside of the bookholder we find Elvis in a blue suit, my guess it is around 1974 – 1975 so again no picture of the actual recorded concert.
Backside is Elvis close to the audience with another baby blue suit. Again, not the concert.
Overall I can say that although it is a quite nice cover, there are many, many pictures from the actual concert, why not pick some of those? Missed change in my opinion. “I’ll Remember you” from Rock Legends seems to have done it better with actual photos.

The booklet:
A 16 page Full Color booklet can be found with over two dozen of pictures. Strangely enough, 12 pictures are in the booklet of the suit and concert that date! Why not on the cover?  Or even the cover of the booklet? No, no, here we see a plane with arriving fans for the concert. It’s like who cares, give us real photos!! The texts are from several people who attended the show and talking about how they experienced the show. And some people talk about how this CD was produced. Nothing really important but nice to read while listening to the CD. Because that’s what a CD is about. Listening. So let’s do so.

CD 1:
Since Die Hard Fans have this recording already 4 times on the shelf, I expect this one to be better as the audience recording: “Walk that Lonesome Road” from P.O. 220;  “I’ll Remember You” from Rock Legends; “A Hilton Double Shot” from Madison and “Elvis 1972 – The Real Elvis” (CD 10) from Wonderland Records. This last one had the worst sound up to Madison which had the best sound.
On the other hand The Real Elvis had the complete concert, and the rest did not. Yep. That’s why we have all of those don’t we? 
What will bring this light blue CD now?
Well it has the same track list as the Real Elvis and the sounds really pics up from the start.
Yes I can say, the complete show in very nice sound! Nice work on that. Where “I’ll Remember You” from Rock Legends and “A Hilton Double Shot” from Madison had incomplete concerts, this one finally treats us on a complete show, Sound is good, but there is a slight fuzz during the entire show on the background. Urn up the volume and you will hear it.
Finally the diner show complete.
The concert itself is one of many. Elvis seems quite uninspired and did his thing. Some humor and goofing in Polk Salad Annie seems to change it. More jokes, more talking to the audience and more inspired voice. Maybe the audience and Elvis had to warm up a little.
Band introductions are quite mild, but is nice because he introduces the British fan club who was present that evening. Nice is the intro of the Big Mama Thornton style Hound Dog. After telling about his Sullivan days he starts the song with: You ain’t nothing but a aardvark, bushhog, warthog, cricket, frog, bushbaby... Good to hear he is finally getting where he should be. 24 tracks later I’m changed from I hope this will soon be over to is it over already? It didn’t bring what I thought it would at first but it picked up. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s complete, has a nice sound, but Elvis wasn’t at his best this concert for starters.

CD 2:  Where I would have expected the midnight show from the same date. We hear rehearsals and other live outtakes. Why? I don’t know. Missed chance again.
But this CD knows how to start.  A Big Hunk O’Love. Great sounds, great Elvis and James Burton must have needed some new strings after his solo. This is what we are looking for. Bring this complete Show. Elvis was way more inspired in February than in September. I can tell you that.
Pity just after 5 tracks we say goodbye to the live songs. Damn. Just felt the right energy coming. Up to the rehearsals.
And we’re back again to that dreadful feeling. I’ve heard better audience recordings than this! How on earth can you put this on CD. I think these are taken straight of a vinyl record. I hear the cracks, the ticks, the dusty sound. 8 tracks with no improvement on the sound. Only nice thing I could find is some My Way lyrics:  I’ll say it clear, that you’re queer, of this I’m certain. He also tells the band that it was terrible. Worst chord change ever, you make it sound like rinky dink city.

Overall should you buy it?
I think you do. Finally the complete show on 1 CD for the September 4th dinner show, in good sound. On the other hand you don’t have to buy it to complete your concert recordings. CD 2 first 5 tracks are a must. Last 8 tracks you will be glad it’s over and to put it with the rest of this oversized CD packages. 

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Boxcar wrote on February 24, 2015
Great review. Well done Ferry. Much better than: Cover: Elvis .. again .. surprisingly. CD: One Elvis concert .. again. One more rehearsal .. again. Conclusion: Yawn. Glad my last comment moved things a little bit.
Natha wrote on March 01, 2015
Quite an interesting review. It would have been helpful if this review had been at hand before purchasing this cd.
harriemuskee wrote on March 06, 2015
I think the author has not quite understood the concept. It will help when the outhor read the booklet. It was a sort of volume 2 of the 3000 south Paradise Road FTD. Destination USA is about the 200 fans who travel in 1972 to las vegas to Elvis Live. "Flipside of the bookholder we find Elvis in a blue suit, my guess it is around 1974 – 1975 so again no picture of the actual recorded concert." The picture in the blue suit was from september 4 1972 closings show. When you love Elvis Live than this is a must have cd
jb4elvis wrote on May 25, 2015
IMHO, a solid release from FTD. A good concert with Elvis in good voice. CD 2 is also a treat with some unreleased material and some rehearsal gems. I play this release often. Thanks FTD!