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Vegas Variety, Volume 3

February 19, 2010 | Music

Soon to be released is the latest production from “Rainbow Records”. This release will feature the complete performance of Elvis Presley´s Las Vegas Dinner Show from exactly one week after his triumphant return to live appearances on July 31st, 1969.
While the Elvis-World has just finished celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Elvis' stunning 1969 engagement in Las Vegas, Rainbow Records proudly presents a complete concert which has been recorded during that famous season. With its 10th release Rainbow Records continues their series titled "Vegas Variety". On the latest release "Vegas Variety - Vol.3" you will find the August 6, 1969 Dinner Show performance. In the early 1990's this concert was featured on a vinyl release called "The Return of the Tigerman". Unfortunately that release had several cuts and the sound was mediocre. The new Rainbow Records CD used a superior source to create a fresh but warm sound and all missing parts were carefully repaired. Compared to the "famous" Opening Night 1969 CD by Fort Baxter recorded just 3 days prior to the show on this release, this new CD offers more atmosphere because the reactions of the audience are present.

There are a lot of highlights - you can't name them all. Beautiful versions of "Memories" or "Yesterday", great renditions of "Runaway" or "Suspicious Minds" - it's just the magic of 1969.

Even the owners of Ken Sharp's "Elvis In Vegas '69" book will find some unreleased shots and memorabilia in the 20-pages booklet. The official album "Elvis In Person" featured some recordings from the end of this 1969 engagement, but to hear the pure Elvis, raw and powerful you really have to jump to the beginning of this season. So with "Vegas Variety - Vol.3" this is your chance to enjoy a great and powerful show of Elvis Presley in 1969!

Tracklisting:
01. 00:41 – Opening Intro 02. 02:31 - Blue Suede Shoes 03. 02:25 - I Got A Woman 04. 01:49 - All Shook Up 05. 01:21 - Talking 06. 03:17 - Love Me Tender 07. 02:09 - Jailhouse Rock / Don't Be Cruel 08. 03:01 - Heartbreak Hotel 09. 02:50 - Hound Dog 10. 04:39 - Memories 11. 04:07 - Mystery Train / Tiger Man 12. 00:10 - Blue Hawaii (excerpt) 13. 04:59 - Monologue 14. 02:21 - Baby What You Want Me To Do 15. 02:25 - Runaway 16. 02:58 - Are You Lonesome Tonight? 17. 02:21 - Yesterday 18. 01:54 - Hey Jude 19. 03:17 - Band Introductions 20. 03:00 - In The Ghetto 21. 07:18 - Suspicious Minds 22. 04:15 - What'd I Say 23. 02:09 - Can't Help Falling In Love

Source:For CD Collectors Only
Ciscoking wrote on February 19, 2010
Elvis live 1969!! Need I say more.?? A powerhouse performance in modern layout and upgraded sound! Another winner..!
Ronaldv wrote on February 19, 2010
Wow! Looks very good. Rainbow records is a classy label. Will get this one for sure, but this show was not only released on vinyl in the early 90's but on cd too.
Steve V wrote on February 19, 2010
I love Elvis in 1969, but really if you've heard one show, you've heard them all. I have so many 69 shows and they are all basically the same, they are interchangeable. I don't think this is necessary at all. The only 69 show that would interest me at this point would be July 31st .
marco31768 wrote on February 19, 2010
Every 1969' shows are welcome in my collection !
Sirbalkan wrote on February 19, 2010
Ahh very boring after countless of vegas 69 shows... :( soory but not a winner at least for me...same song list or same repertoire.
theoldscudder wrote on February 20, 2010
I do not have many live shows because as Sirbalkin & Steve V said they are all basically the same. After all Elvis was not the kind of singer that would improvise. Having said that I may actually buy this if I could hear it. The only live show I have is The Garden. And this dosen't have that awful monologue. So if I can hear it I may buy it.
Ruthie wrote on February 20, 2010
Speaking of Vegas & live shows, not one word tonight on this site about the premiere tonight of the new Vegas Aria Theater Cirque show "Viva Elvis". I am so thrilled that I was able to see this show 4 nights ago. The show is absolutely awesome. The whole Cirque experience is an education in music & entertainment. A top production that Elvis would love & makes me proud to be an Elvis fan. A wonderful musical tribute to what the man is all about & what he has contributed to our musical culture.
Santa Claus wrote on February 20, 2010
Same shows, same discussions. There are music-listeners and concert-collectors. The first has a handful of shows the other want them all. It's as easy as 1-2-3. I never heard a stamp collector arguing that there's another stamp coming out that he may never use on a letter.
Ton Bruins wrote on February 20, 2010
I have enough 1969 Live shows by now. The only one I would buy would be the July 31, 1969 show.
Erika Freiburger wrote on February 20, 2010
I won't buy it.
HangLoose wrote on February 20, 2010
What a joke!.... We already have more than enough professional recordings from this season so why would we buy a sh.tty audience recording?????? Sure he was in top form,but these shows are all the same. The same songs,the same jokes and the same monologues in the same order. If you have one then you have them all. Very bad choice,"RainCow Records". Bad design,bad sound and boring shows. It's about time to wake up,my friends.
dgirl wrote on February 20, 2010
oldscudder - you dont have a 1969 show right? So, with all the professionally released 1969 shows available, why would you want a non-pro audience bootleg recording of one? As you say usually, please explain. Did you hear all the 1969 shows avail and not care for nutthin?
drjohncarpenter0117 wrote on February 20, 2010
If Ciscoking recommends this release then that's good enough for me,for many years his honest reviews on this and other forums have always been one of the people i respect, what i don't get is again the negative reaction to just about everything that is release import and official wise?......sure 1969 shows were of a regular songlist and the monologues were long but this is part of the Elvis legacy and it's what we as Elvis fans and collectors have been buying over many years.I as a Elvis fan always look forwards to releases on the cd format and if i sat down and though to myself mmm not going to buy this because it's the same as all my other 1969 stuff then i would feel i have'nt got everything.........the thing about Elvis is the sheer amount of material he put down in the studio and all the concerts that were recorded is the desire for me to get as much of this as i can..........never get tired of listening to Elvis...never have,never will.
drjohncarpenter0117 wrote on February 20, 2010
Can't wait for the reactions to the new GRM (Gravel Rd Music) next 2 cd set 'Get down and dirty'...
Ciscoking wrote on February 20, 2010
I just gave the old import The Return Of The Tiger Man a spin..there we had this show first.."back in 1927 I think it was"....it is a powerhouse performance with "high class" verse sung in Hound Dog....very rare...we have a tremendous 7 plus minutes version of Suspicious Minds..sung in right slowed-down tempo..the same goes for Can`t Help Falling In Love....his oldies are treated with the respect they deserve....all in all a very energetic performance with real power ....the first AR of 1969 that we have since 1993...
Santa Claus wrote on February 20, 2010
What does 'all missing parts were carefully repaired' mean? If I have a good sourcetape I don't have to repair the gaos of the old one. If the new tape is good and complete no 'repair' would be necessary.
HangLoose wrote on February 20, 2010
Ciscocking and honest reviews? Hahahaha!:)
drjohncarpenter0117 wrote on February 20, 2010
Why Hangloose do you need to leave remarks like your last comment regarding Ciscoking and his reviews!......over the years i have yet to read your reviews on Elvis import cds on this site and various other ones?......I take it was make in a lite-hearted way?....for me getting ++reviews from people who know what they are on about has been the basis of how i have manage to have a collection 2000+ albums/cd etc......i don't pretend to know everything about facts/figures about Elvis so i appreciate the excellent knowledge Ciscocking and other well known contributors give to us, too much negative opinions on people in the Elvis world as well as Elvis.
theoldscudder wrote on February 21, 2010
Dgirl. I didn't realise it's an audiance recording. I will not be buying it. Saw your pic on another Elvis website you look like a younger Hillary Brooks.
HangLoose wrote on February 21, 2010
Carpenter: it's always funny to see when a bootlegger (or a bootlegger's friend who gets free CD's from the bootlegger) praises his own CD. I wouldn't call that a honest review. I won't mention names of course. You're a little bit naive but there's nothing wrong with it.
Ciscoking wrote on February 21, 2010
It`s funny what some people see.. who are obviously unable to give short reviews or jealous that others can do it..I won`t mention names of course..hey...give me a show and and I give you a review...give me a disc and I tell you whether it`s C-R-A-P or not..no big deal..:-))
HangLoose wrote on February 21, 2010
Ciscock baby,i can't trust in your reviews,sorry. You constantly praise bad sounding audience recordings from labels like RainCow or Gay Arrow and at the same time you bespatter concurent labels' (International/Boxcar etc.) excellent soundboard releases like "Showroom Internationale" or "Dayton Reloaded" which are much better not only in sound quality but in packaging,too. How can you explain it,honey?:)
drjohncarpenter0117 wrote on February 21, 2010
Hangloose......yes i may be naive and not know all the people behind the bootleg industry but the point i was trying to make was how can somebody like Ciscoking give a honest review,good or bad on various web-sites about all releases shown........i admire the people who dedicate there time to this and it does give me the info about imports past,present and future.I realize there me a history between you two but i am only interested in Elvis Presley and not the personal tic for tac that goes on.His reviews are there for a guide and i have never read a statement from him recommending imports he may be behind etc...........appreciate your point of view as i do with all Elvis fans. p.s Ciscoking you owe me a drink when i see you next.?......only joking...lol
Linda Kovalcik wrote on February 21, 2010
Writing positive (and not completely true) reviews about bootlegs for getting free CD's for the promotion should be o.k. in their book. But misleading new fans is not a honest thing in my opinion. No matter who does it,Ciscoking or anybody else. Any such person is not reliable in my book. As for Cisco,he highly praised the latest Straight Arrow CD (Here Come The Stars) and stated that the sound quality is better than on Love Letters From Nevada. Well,i trusted in his review,bought Here Come The Stars for €18 and i was shocked because the sound quality is actually WORSE than on the old CD. It's flat,dull and lifeless compared to LLFN. And i'm not an anti-Straight Arrow person because i like some of their releases. How can anyone support bad audience recordings (Stripped Of My Heart, My Soul,Change Of Mind,Countdown To Christmas etc) is behind me.
FLY-TROUBLE! wrote on February 21, 2010
I have this show on CD-R and the sound quality is not good. It's average at best (for an audience recording). With all the excellent professional recordings i have from this season it's not something i will buy. Release something new and good sounding and then i will buy it.
Ciscoking wrote on February 21, 2010
If you don`t like what I am writing..skip it..it`s easy..my reviews are honest ...perhaps I was wrong about Here Come The Stars about the sound..hey..we are only human beings..it`s a good release anyway..IMO..these CD/book combos were overproduced ..this is what I wrote..not a word about the sound....so read carefully..anyway..I don`t care about labels..what is good is good..what is bad is bad..easy..I don`t know Hang Loose btw..so no history between us...perhaps we get to know each other some day..lol..
HangLoose wrote on February 21, 2010
Okay... So you admitted that the sound on LLFN is better and you praised the sonically inferior Straight Arrow version,misleading new fans. You also admitted that you don't like excellent CD-book soundboard releases (Showroom Internationale,Dayton Reloaded etc.) and you prefer bad sounding audiences recordings with small 16-page booklet. After these things it's so obvious that your 1 liner reviews like "It's fantastic!" or "It's C-R-A-P!" are not really useful for the new fans.
Ciscoking wrote on February 21, 2010
Hang Loose ..you are misinterpreting my postings and mixing up things..it`s getting the wrong direction now..not good..seems like y o u are a bootlegger`s mate ..lol..I don`t like these boxes..the shows were mediocre..my business..i prefer a good sounding good AR show over these boxes..my business..perhaps I was wrong one single time..who cares..? don´t let it appear being common..
Lex wrote on February 21, 2010
Ciskoking, that's the risk of giving your opinion... there will almost always be somebody that accuse you of something. I've been threatened with lawyers and even once physically by a drunk producer who wasn’t happy with my opinion. And those freebie-conclusions, well, I noticed that a lot of producers don’t give them anymore after being negative once. It says more about them than about my opinion.
Ciscoking wrote on February 21, 2010
Thank you, Lex..appreciated....case closed for now....
theoldscudder wrote on February 22, 2010
Ciscoking, See what happens on this site when you give an honest opinion. An opinion which differs from the faithful. You get slammed.
circleG wrote on February 23, 2010
in Cisco's defence he has steered me away from bad releases..!
dgirl wrote on February 23, 2010
Ypu want good honest reviews? There is only one place to go, Elvis A Man & His Music. Yes you have to wait for the quarterly issues to come out, but I have never read a review that was not 100% honest. They have saved me much money and made me buy the essential releases.
drjohncarpenter0117 wrote on February 23, 2010
The only problem with EMAHM is exactly what you have said? you have to wait for the issue to come out before you get a review,my point was people like Ciscocking etc is i have based my collection on people who can give me info regarding sound,concert details etc and has helped me over the years in the purchase of some of the older imports....not just the new ones,not all the imports over the years have been tip-top but if it gives me some idea as to what Elvis was doing in the concert years then that's ok for me.We have steered away from the actual reason for comments regarding Vegas Varity 3 and as always this forums seems to go into a tic-tac character assasination on certain people.I as a fan of Elvis have the highest respect for all those people out there who dedicate there time and knowledge in the name of ELVIS PRESLEY, so carry on the good work boy's and girl's....you know who you are and the negative character forum is not required on this excellent site.
Ciscoking wrote on February 23, 2010
Thank you guys for the nice feedback..makes it worthwhile for me to carry on. But I do of course respect anyone`s opinion.. to each his own.. the world would be boring if all were walking the same direction..
Ciscoking wrote on February 23, 2010
Re.... The Man And His Music...an excellent mag with fantastic reviews....in June there`s another article written by me..hope you will like it..
benny scott wrote on February 23, 2010
I consider Ciscoking as an Elvis-expert, and in accordance to this : all my respect ! I completely trust his reviews. He already made me save money. Keep-on Cis !!! Always El.
Ciscoking wrote on February 23, 2010
Thank you again, buddies..appreciated..really..
1 BILLION SOLD wrote on February 23, 2010
I REALLY wish I knew how to get these "non Sony" releases here in America. I read about all of these and don't have the slightest idea how to locate them. Can anyone give me some insight, I'd really appreciate it, and thanks in advance!
theoldscudder wrote on February 23, 2010
1 Billion, Try Ebay.