Vegas Variety

The brandnew Rainbow Records label will release a double CD set entitled "Vegas Variety". This release contains a complete and nearly 90 minutes long performance of Elvis Presley´s September 1st, 1974 Dinner Show recorded from the audience in Las Vegas.

From the pressrelease:

The recording of this show has been taken from the original first generation (audience recorded) Cassette-Tape and it has been carefully worked on in a professional studio. So the Producers are able to present exactly what their aim for this project stands for: one of the best performances of Elvis´ August/September 74 concert series at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel in best possible sound-quality, rounded off by a great 16 page booklet containing all necessary information regarding the show – and lots of pictures.

We truly believe that this is a great show with an extremly talkative Elvis (including a nearly 10 minutes long monologue about the difference between kung fu and karate) who delivers a bunch of his later classics (the only 50´s throwaway-style-sung title in this show is "Hound Dog", no more „timekillers“!). Hear Elvis, who is clearly in a relaxed mood, doing classy versions of songs like „It´s Midnight“, „Big Boss Man“, „I´m Leavin´“, „If You Talk In Your Sleep“ (introducing a series of karate moves) and „Bridge Over Troubled Water“.

As a bonus you can hear recordings from the September 2, 1974 „Closing Night“, taken from the soundboard – including some rare dialogue of Elvis while „Voice“ Pete Hallin is preparing himself before singing „I Couldn´t Live Without You“. The „Strung Out Mix“ is a nice and funny gem and finally, you can hear Ed Parker talking about the King in an excerpt from a late 70´s radio show called „The Elvis Hour“.


Disc 1 (Running Time: 59:18)

[00:51] 01 - Also Sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)
[03:24] 02 - See See Rider ( Traditional )
[08:01] 03 - I Got A Woman / Amen (Charles / Traditional)
[03:13] 04 - Talking About GI BLues (Elvis talks)
[01:52] 05 - Love Me ( Leiber / Stoller)
[02:50] 06 - If You Love Me (Rostill)
[03:20] 07 - It's Midnight (Wheeler - Chesnut)
[02:37] 08 - Big Boss Man (Reed)
[03:37] 09 - Fever (Porter)
[03:17] 10 - I'm Leavin' (Jarrett - Charles)
[03:03] 11 - Softly As I Leave You (deVita - Sharper)
[02:34] 12 - Hound Dog (Leiber - Stoller)
[04:05] 13 - Polk Salad Annie (White)
[09:06] 14 - Band Introductions (traditional)
[02:46] 15 - Monologue (Elvis talks)
[04:42] 16 - If You Talk In Your Sleep (West - Christopher)



Disc 2 (Running Time: 52:29)

[09:42] 01 - Karate Monologe (Elvis talks)
[02:47] 02 - Help Me (Gatlin)
[02:40] 03 - Why Me Lord (Kristofferson)
[03:33] 04 - Let Me Be There (Rostill)
[04:35] 05 - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon)
[03:23] 06 - Hawaiian Wedding Song (King - Hoffman - Manning)
[01:41] 07 - Can't help Falling In Love (Weiss - Peretti - Creatore)
[00:45] 08 - Closing Vamp (Traditional)
[06:25] 09 - I Couldn't Live Without You (Hallin)
[02:57] 10 - Bringin' It Back (Gordon)
[03:43] 11 - Aubrey (Gates - Griffin)
[04:59] 12 - Strung Out Monologue (Elvis Talks)
[02:11] 13 - Strung Out Mix (Elvis Talks)
[00:34] 14 - Karate Monologue (Elvis Talks)
[02:34] 15 - Ed Parker (Ed Parker Talks)