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Elvis in Concert (album)
Elvis in Concert is the live album released by RCA Records in October 1977 in conjunction with the television special of the same name which features some of the final performances of American singer and musician Elvis Presley. Videotaped and recorded in June 1977,[5] both the special and album were broadcast and released on October 3, (the single "My Way"/"America the Beautiful" was released the same day) six weeks after Presley's death.[6] The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard chart in late 1977. It was certified Gold and Platinum on October 14 and 3× Platinum on August 1, 2002, by the RIAA. BackgroundThe performances in the TV special were recorded over two days at concerts in Omaha on June 19 and Rapid City, South Dakota June 21, 1977. The recordings were produced by longtime RCA Victor/Elvis producer Felton Jarvis. According to Elvis: The Illustrated Record by Roy Carr and Mick Farren.[7][page needed] Approximately half of the album's performances were overdubbed with additional vocals and instruments on August 29, 1977.[8] This included a version of "Unchained Melody" different from the performance on the album Moody Blue.These overdubs were added after Elvis Presley's death but before the album's release and the broadcast of the related TV special. The "Unchained Melody" overdub was later released as a single in 1978.[8][9] Although both the June 19 and 21 concerts are the last official live performances of Elvis professionally recorded by RCA Records,[10] Vernon Presley, Elvis' father, recorded a message that was broadcast at the end of the special (and included on the soundtrack album), in which he erroneously states that the special featured his son's last live appearance; in fact, Elvis made five more concert appearances after the performances in the special. Elvis' final concert was in fact on Sunday, June 26, 1977, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. ContentDuring the special, Presley performs a selection of his hits, along with songs not normally associated with him. Although it was a regular part of his repertoire for years, Presley requires a lyric sheet when he performs Paul Anka's "My Way" (noted for its opening lyric, "And now the end is near/And so I face the final curtain"). He appears to lose his train of thought during "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", although some[11] have made the case that Elvis regularly played around with the words during the spoken portion of the song when performing it on stage, rather than it being a case of poor memory. Indeed, concert recordings of Presley experimenting with the lyrics during the monologue section of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" date back to 1961 in Hawaii, later during rehearsals for his 1968 comeback special, and the iconic "laughing" version from Las Vegas in 1969.[12][13] A 1969 version dubbed the "Laughing Version", even made the UK charts after Presley's death and continues to be reissued. The soundtrack album was issued as a 2-record set, including a second disc of performances that were not included in the TV special. On May 22, 1992, the album was reissued on a single compact disc. Professional reviewsAllMusic gave the album a negative review, but conceded that "this album is not a standout Elvis concert. What it is, however, is a vitally important piece of Elvis lore." Their review went on to say that the record is "Elvis Presley's least effort, as well as his last."[14] Track listingDisc 1
Disc 2
Personnel
Chart performance
Certifications
References
External links
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