ElvisNews.com: The Hillbilly Cat Live

The Hillbilly Cat Live

By ElvisNews.com/ Lex, Jan 22, 2012

Just before the weekend this CD arrived. It brings an extended version of a classic vinyl bootleg with the dinner show of August 23, 1970. Is it a treat as hoped for?

Design

The fold out sleeve is done in a very tasteful way. It’s very well to read and decorated with memorabilia and live pics of Elvis in his prime. The only minor is that I folded the sleeve open, started to read and found out that I read the second part of the comments of the producer of the original first. In the wallpaper section you can get a good impression of the artwork.

Content

With so many soundboards from this engagement one might say “who needs an audience recording of yet another show”. I for one can answer that question positively. I don’t listen to audience recordings very often anymore, but if I do it’s either the Asheville show or one of the shows from this engagement. Of course jokes and talking is often more or less the same, but at least Elvis did take his music still seriously.
The sound quality is as good as I hoped for. I had a copy of the original album on tape back in the 80s of the previous century and that was already one of the best audience recordings I had during those days. I would certainly put this in a row with Gyrating Asheville and Double Dynamite sound wise, so very good for an audience recording.
Great rockin’versions of Tiger Man, Polk Salad and beautiful versions of I Just Can’t Help Believin’ and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ are amongst my favourite tracks on this silver disc.

Conclusion

A must for die-hard fans, give me an audience recording like this instead of 99% of the 1976/77 soundboard recordings!

Tracks

01. That's All Right 02. I Got A Woman / Ave Maria (excerpt) 03. Tiger Man 04. Monologue 05. Love Me Tender (with false start) 06. I've Lost You 07. I Just Can't Help Believing 08. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 09. Polk Salad Annie 10. Band Introductions 11. Johnny B. Goode 12. Band Introductions 13. The Wonder Of You 14. Heartbreak Hotel (with 2 false starts) 15. One Night (with 2 false starts) 16. All Shook Up (false start only) / Blue Suede Shoes (with false start) / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On / Blue Suede Shoes 17. All Shook Up (false start only) / Hound Dog 18. Bridge Over Troubled Water 19. Suspicious Minds 20. Can't Help Falling In Love.

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Reactions

Natha (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 19, 2012report abuse

Martin DJ, ever since the very early sixties I listen to Elvis LPs like you, dozens of time. Every time I enjoyed about each and every one of them. Admitting that some were more thrilling than the other. Now there are so many cds (original, FTD and bootlegs) that I just don't have the time to listen to them all. I have to select, sometimes just checking the day and see if I have a CD of that day (whatever the year). There is absolutely nothing to complain about for me as I vividly recall the days that the search for bootlegs was an adventure on its own (not to forget it was a costly one too). But how thrilled I was - and still am. FTD has given me more insight in the creativity behind the masters and that is fun too.

However, as Steve V rightly observed too much also waters down. These days I am more selective. Every period has it charme and attractiveness and I am grateful to FTD for releasing material life span wise. It is a pity that people seem to enjoy the complaining more than to enjoy the vast legacy. This performance has that early seventies spunk and in good sound, especially sitting in the car! We should appreciate that people took the trouble of taping it and later on releasing this material, though one have to realise that a live show was meant for the thrill of the show itself. And that is fantastic.

Martin DJ (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 18, 2012report abuse

One hundred FTD's, that's more than one hundred hours of music, yet people complain about FTD not releasing enough cd's. When albums came out in the seventies, I listened to teach one dozens of times. I doubt people who buy every FTD-release listen to them dozens of times - who has the time to listen dozens of times to a hundred cd's?

Tony C (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 17, 2012report abuse

Spot on, Steve, I am in complete agreement. As for the clamour for this 1970 audience recording, I do remember our favourite marketing expert saying that FTD were wrong to release "The Wonder of You" CD because too many 1970 live recordings had already been released. Which is it, too many or too few? It can't be both. It's just about a stupid hatred of Ernst, FTD, Sony, EPE, or anything official. I noticed that whenever there is a delay on release of an FTD CD, we get ranting about bad marketing and how they are letting the fans down, yet the recently announced delay on the MRS Hawaii CD goes with comment!

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2012report abuse

JeanMarie - Approx 100 or so FTDs is too slow? Thats more albums that came out in Elvis' lieftime and its too slow? You are the most comical fan I have ever seen on this forum. Rarely do u make sense and how many times are we going to hear about those 'missing outtakes" that they are holding back on us. Gosh I cant wait to hear take 7 of 'Song Of The Shrimp'. What would you like Ernst to do, make things up so he can get a product out? I think there are TOO MANY FTDs!. Yiu cant have quality when you have so much quantity.

JeanMarie (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2012report abuse

absolutely right on Lex with your comment "anything from 1970 is better than the '76 or '77 concerts...really ! Even if it's
a good quality audience recording that's remastered and improved !! Ernst is not doing a good job...and goes far too...slow for us Elvis fans. Thank God we can buy all those great bootleg CDs I tell you & the fans !

Coronel Parker (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 9, 2012report abuse

Great show and good sound!!!

Ciscoking (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 25, 2012report abuse

The sound has really been improved. I am very pleased with it..the show itself is just pure fun. I justlove these shows from August 1970 and 1975 lol can`t get enough of them..

drjohncarpenter0117 (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 23, 2012report abuse

Simply sit back and enjoy the ride!..........if only more AR were like this.??.......thanks for the excellent reveiw Lex and of course you said it all.

Ciscoking (profile/ contact) wrote on Jan 23, 2012report abuse

I second this review 100 %...nothing more to add..