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It’s Deja-vu Time

By ElvisNews.com / Kees, March 15, 2008 | Music

Released on an unknown import label is the amateurish looking CD "It’s Deja-vu Time". With so many crap releases coming out recently I wonder, is it deja-vu time again?

Design

This CD features a great picture on the cover, and two noce shots of our man on the back of the “booklet” and CD; but that’s all that’s great in the design departement. Sloppy printing, low quality paper and no liner notes.

Content

Elvis’ dinner show from the Las Vegas Hilton as recorded August 19, 1973 was previously available on various CD-Rs like “Take The Ribbon From Your Hair”, "Whole Lotta Shakin'In Vegas" and "Las Vegas August 19, 1973". So you can say it is “deja-vu time”.

The show itself is very up-beat and entertaining. Elvis rocks through the show. It could also be due to the tape running a bit too fast – especially after the introductions, incomplete probably had to change the tape - that this show has such a pace ? On “Help Me Make It Through The Night” I thought I heard Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Personally I always liked the rock and roll medley; doing short versions of his classics this way make them sound less like the throw-a-ways we know from the later years. “Fever” also still has some of the original sweat from the early days. The show holds no real surprises. He experimented with several songs, but the audience didn’t go for it … the morons, and Elvis stuck to the songs he could do in his sleep. If only they would have reacted more positively on new songs we would probably have less concerts with pretty much the same set lists.
The quality of the shows varied reading the reports from back then. Elvis, caught in the Vegas act, started fooling around for his own entertainment. In this show he pretty much behaved himself with a basic and entertaining show as a result.

The audio-quality is very good for n audience recording, but it is not a soundboard as stated on the back; none of the previous CD-R releases of this show were.

The CD ends with various bonus tracks, most from 1977 and one from 1974. Why use this material with so many other CD-R’s from the same concert series to choose from, that would have been more logical.

Conclusion

It is not a complete "deja-vu" from other crappy import releases. It is what it is; an entertaining but too fast running show in an enjoyable sound quality.

Tracklisting:

Opening / See See Rider - I Got A Woman / Amen - Love Me - You Gave Me A Mountain - Love Me Tender - Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Medley (Long Tall Sally - Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On - Mama Don´t Dance - Flip, Flop And Fly - Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On) - Fever - What Now My Love - Suspicicious Minds - Band Introductions (Incomplete) - Help Me Make It Through The Night - An American Trilogy - A Big Hunk O Love - How Great Thou Art - Can´t Help Falling In Love / Closing

Bonus Songs:
Trying To Get To You (30.05.1977 - Jacksonville) - O Sole Mio / It´s Now Or Never (21.05.1977 - Louisville) - Little Sister (21.05.1977 - Louisville) - I´ll Remember You (09.05.1973 - D/S - Lake Tahoe) - Unchained Melody (21.06.1977 - Rapid City) - Help Me (19.06.1974 - Amarillo) - My Way (Live).

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Ciscoking wrote on March 16, 2008
It´s a straight copy of the show from Whole Lotta Shakin In Vegas. This one was a straight copy of the CDR Midnight Special. No efforts were made to improve anything. If you settle for the CDR via trading, you can save a lot of money. The sound is excellent there.
Jerome wrote on March 16, 2008
Indeed, I think these morons would have reacted more enthusiastic to Alvin and the Chipmunks..