susan
12.04.2009, 12:29
Hallo zusammen,
seit einiger Zeit gibt es diese EIC DVD. Ich persönlich habe sie noch nicht weiß auch noch nicht ob ich zu schlagen soll DVD-R. Nach dieser Review bin ich etwas nachdenklicher geworden. Hat diese DVD schon jemand?
Und kann etwas darüber sagen?!
Vom FECC Board
I have always had reservations toward this material, as it has usually been presented in a way that makes it look less desireable than it really is, for example in context with the stereo-type image of the fat, drugged-up Elvis etc.
I must admit, after viewing it on this technically almost flawless DVD-R release, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, it will absolutely not be something I will bring out over and over again to watch regularly, but I did feel I needed to get "over a hill" and watch it at least once, to be able to make up my mind about EIC 1977.
So here´s my review.
The DVD itself is a silver surface DVD-R, nicely inkjet printed with text on the face, but it is not a factory-pressed silver DVD. The bottom is light blue.
The menu gives you a red background, with black text, which is not ideal, especially since the selection box colors your choice red, making it impossible to see what you have highlighted, you have to move away from your choice to read what the selection says ..... maybe a black frame around a menu item to highlight it would have been better ?!
You get three choices :
- Original Version
- Extended Version
- Bonus Features
In sequence, you get these tracks ( please find my comments in blue ) :
ORIGINAL VERSION :
- Intro
This gives an overview of the actual preparations for the show, setting up the stage, PA, as well as fan interviews, Elvis arriving on the Lisa Marie etc.
- Also Sprach Zarathustra
Up steps Elvis - overweight, his eye surgery all too apparent, hair looking like a wig, in the sundial jumpsuit.To be honest, this is the worst bit for me, as it really shows off how bad in shape Elvis was ...
- C. C. Rider
As soon as he steps onstage, it is apparent that he is on some sort of drug, maybe multiple substances, his movements are slow, he seems to be struggling to keep his balance, but the guitar hides his paunch and his voice is there, as always. Just into the guitar solo, Elvis silently mouths "Smile, you´re on camera !" to a girl in the audience, whom we see in close-.up, laughing thereafter. He also takes a big breath, looking around, his crooked smile making him look all too human.
- Elvis Talks
Elvis intoduces the audience to the fact that they are being filmed for television. In the extended version, he goes on to explain that he is nervous, and a huge applause breaks loose.
- That´s All Right
Elvis introduces this song explaining that they had only an electric guitar and a bass to back him up when this was originally recorded. James does a fine job in duplicating Scotty´s fills and solo. I can´t help but think how cool it would have been to actually have him do that song on stage with the same three instruments as on the SUN record, sans the background singers, drums etc.
- Are You Lonesome Tonight
He fluffs the lyrics on this one, but it isn´t as bad as has been reported to be. They overlayed this track with fan interview clips, but it is complete in the extended cut. Plus they took out the narration. He messes up the spoken part, but only gets his tongue caught around a word, which makes him laugh, and he proceeds to ridicule the rest of the spoken part. It is only too apparent just how nervous he was ...
- Teddy Bear / Don´t Be Cruel
This medley is a vehicle to throw scarves into the audience. Charlie Hodge is there, and drapes a seemingly endless array of white silk scarves around his boss´s neck. This segement is edited as well, but complete in the extended version. At one point he says "Be careful !" to the female fans ripping and tearing at each other, fighting for the scarf.
Imbedded in the video is a segment, to try and prevent bootlegging of this DVD. It explains in text what the original version looks like ( disk layout, cover etc. ). The producers stuck it in there to prevent theft of their work. Since it is sort of like a commercial break, it doesn´t take anything away from the concert itself, it´s just a little annoying.There is one thing that sticks out here, and that is the personal message to Papa Bear Productions, basically accusing him of ripping off other people´s work by sticking his name and a new cover on the DVDs and claiming it to be his own work. It encourages fans to not buy his merchandise anymore, as he rips them off to by over-pricing "his" merchandise. I am simply repeating what the text on-screen says, this is not my personal opinion. It even states that if the person viewing the DVD bought it for more than 15 Euros / 23 US Dollars incl. shipping, they had been ripped-off ...
- You Gave Me A Mountain
Elvis nails this one. No other comment applies !
- Jailhouse Rock
A speeded-up version of this classic rocker, Elvis seems a bit lost on the words, and he only does two verses.
- How Great Thou Art
Same as on YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN, he nails this one. This is where he was during this period, his heart and soul caught up in his spiritual search for his own purpose in life. Gospel was his first big love - and it shows !
- Early Morning Rain
He basically skates through this one, not his best performance in the show.
- I Really Don´t Want To Know
Another one he nails. The heartbreak really comes through on his rendition, and he even looks better in this clip. Strange, but true. He finishes by saying "I love that song !" and continues "Fantastic !".
- Introducing Vernon
Next is a very touching segment, where Elvis introduces his father, Vernon, to the audience. He gets him onstage and lets the crowd applaud him. To me this had a special meaning, as Elvis never got over his father marrying again, and their relationship, though always respectful, turned cold subsequently. This to me is almost like Elvis forgiving his father and showing the audience, look, this is my dad, and I love him ! Especially when you think that Elvis would be dead barely three months later, I feel this is a key moment in the show.Afterwards he introduces his girlfriend, Ginger Alden.
- Hurt
Another one he nails, it seems all the songs about relationships gone bad, dispair and human errors suit him perfectly. He clearly loves this one !
- Hound Dog
A fast-forward romp through this classic, and more scarf-flinging. He actually "boogies" during the last part, jerking and twitching, not bad !
- My Way
He introduces this song as being recorded by Frank Sinatra, and adds that he has to read the lyrics, because he doesn´t know them by heart. After the first verse, he drops the sheet and does continue from memory. Must have been a safety measure, in case his nerves got the better of him ... turns out, he nails this one too !
- Can´t Help Falling In Love
"Til we meet you again, may God bless you, adios !", this is how Elvis kicks the final song off. For many, perhaps for most of the audience that night, this was his final salute. Sorry for being slightly phylosophical throughout this post, but I can´t help but feel the symbolism in this, Elvis bidding farewell to his audience, his fans, and his actual "end" being so near, got me kinda choked up. This is overlayed with Vernon talking about Elvis´ career, and their relationship, about Gladys´ death in 1958, and his subsequent second marriage in 1960. He states he moved out of Graceland then, even though their properties joined in the back. This is a very, very nice bit, where the casual viewer can get a real grasp on where Elvis came from ... Vernon concludes by stating that Col. Parker is an honest man, and credits him for keeping the "Elvis Family" together ...
- Closing Riff
We follow Elvis off the stage, and there is a short scene involving an obviously distressed young girl, talking to what looks to be her boyfriend. Her mouth seems to be saying "Let´s go !" or something similar, and they walk out of frame. Elvis is then led through the backstage area, into his waiting limousine, and drives off.
- Vernon Talks
The shot changes to the front door of Graceland, with Vernon walking down the stairs and off, to enter the office behind Graceland, which is full of boxes, stacked seven high in some cases, full of letters from fans. This is Vernon´s speech, recorded only days after Elvis´ death. He is obviously struggling to maintain his composure, no wonder, and you can see the pain he is feeling over his loss in his face physically. This part had me all teared-up, I can´t help it, it just gets to me. There is one point I would like to make though - there is a person visible through the window behind Vernon, walking by casually during the last part of his monologue. I have slowed this part down repeatedly, frame by frame, zoomed in on the image ( thank God for modern technology ) and still couldn´t get a clear view. All I know is that I have read somewhere that there are rumours saying it is Elvis. I gotta be honest with you, I´m not one for conspiracy theories, but I´ll be damned if it doesn´t look very much like him. There is one frame in particular, where you can see the eyes, nose, and hair line, as well as the cheek, which looks like it could very well be Elvis, or at least someone who looks very, very much like him. I have read somewhere that it could be Jerry Shiling. All I know is it´s spooky, and I´m not sure what to make of it ... there´s a guy following him with a hat, which may have been Col. Parker. Or maybe that´s just what I want to see ...
- Credits
EXTENDED VERSION :
- Intro
- Also Sprach Zarathustra
- C. C. Rider
- Elvis Talks
- That´s All Right
- Are You Lonesome Tonight
- Love Me
The vocal is very quiet on this, and it is an extended scarf-flinging opportunity. At some points, Elvis´ voice is hardly audible.
- Teddy Bear / Don´t Be Cruel
- You Gave Me A Mountain
- Jailhouse Rock
- How Great Thou Art
- Early Morning Rain
- I Really Don´t Want To Know
- Introducing Vernon
- Hurt
- Hound Dog
- My Way
-. Unchained Melody
I love this sequence. Elvis at the piano, sweat dripping from his face, Charlie Hodge holding the mike and Elvis wowing everyone with a heart-ripping performance. This is truly brilliant ! What a performance, what a voice ! Legendary ...
- Can´t Help Falling In Love
- Closing Riff
- Vernon Talks
- Credits
( The tracks in red are the added segments, omitted in the original version )
BONUS FEATURES :
- Featurette
This explains in text and picture / film form how some of the remastering was done on this DVD. Impressive !
- Trailer
All I can say is that this is not the best Elvis ever looked, and it is certainly not the best over-all performance, but it IS the last filmed footage made before his untimely death, and in this restored, remastered version it really shines. The audio is flawless, the visual presentation is the best one can expect from material this old, sourced from magnetic video tape and brought up-to-date perfectly in an obvious labour of love effort, which must have meant hours and hours of work. I can only say :
Kudos to BACK IN TIME VIDEO for making this effort and giving the fans the possibly best looking version of this material ever to come .....
This DVD belongs in any Elvis DVD collection. Don´t be afraid to face your own demons, under all the visual evidence of Elvis´ bad health, it´s still the Hillbilly Cat ! A little older, a lot wiser, but there was always that VOICE !
_________________
Cheers
BC55
seit einiger Zeit gibt es diese EIC DVD. Ich persönlich habe sie noch nicht weiß auch noch nicht ob ich zu schlagen soll DVD-R. Nach dieser Review bin ich etwas nachdenklicher geworden. Hat diese DVD schon jemand?
Und kann etwas darüber sagen?!
Vom FECC Board
I have always had reservations toward this material, as it has usually been presented in a way that makes it look less desireable than it really is, for example in context with the stereo-type image of the fat, drugged-up Elvis etc.
I must admit, after viewing it on this technically almost flawless DVD-R release, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, it will absolutely not be something I will bring out over and over again to watch regularly, but I did feel I needed to get "over a hill" and watch it at least once, to be able to make up my mind about EIC 1977.
So here´s my review.
The DVD itself is a silver surface DVD-R, nicely inkjet printed with text on the face, but it is not a factory-pressed silver DVD. The bottom is light blue.
The menu gives you a red background, with black text, which is not ideal, especially since the selection box colors your choice red, making it impossible to see what you have highlighted, you have to move away from your choice to read what the selection says ..... maybe a black frame around a menu item to highlight it would have been better ?!
You get three choices :
- Original Version
- Extended Version
- Bonus Features
In sequence, you get these tracks ( please find my comments in blue ) :
ORIGINAL VERSION :
- Intro
This gives an overview of the actual preparations for the show, setting up the stage, PA, as well as fan interviews, Elvis arriving on the Lisa Marie etc.
- Also Sprach Zarathustra
Up steps Elvis - overweight, his eye surgery all too apparent, hair looking like a wig, in the sundial jumpsuit.To be honest, this is the worst bit for me, as it really shows off how bad in shape Elvis was ...
- C. C. Rider
As soon as he steps onstage, it is apparent that he is on some sort of drug, maybe multiple substances, his movements are slow, he seems to be struggling to keep his balance, but the guitar hides his paunch and his voice is there, as always. Just into the guitar solo, Elvis silently mouths "Smile, you´re on camera !" to a girl in the audience, whom we see in close-.up, laughing thereafter. He also takes a big breath, looking around, his crooked smile making him look all too human.
- Elvis Talks
Elvis intoduces the audience to the fact that they are being filmed for television. In the extended version, he goes on to explain that he is nervous, and a huge applause breaks loose.
- That´s All Right
Elvis introduces this song explaining that they had only an electric guitar and a bass to back him up when this was originally recorded. James does a fine job in duplicating Scotty´s fills and solo. I can´t help but think how cool it would have been to actually have him do that song on stage with the same three instruments as on the SUN record, sans the background singers, drums etc.
- Are You Lonesome Tonight
He fluffs the lyrics on this one, but it isn´t as bad as has been reported to be. They overlayed this track with fan interview clips, but it is complete in the extended cut. Plus they took out the narration. He messes up the spoken part, but only gets his tongue caught around a word, which makes him laugh, and he proceeds to ridicule the rest of the spoken part. It is only too apparent just how nervous he was ...
- Teddy Bear / Don´t Be Cruel
This medley is a vehicle to throw scarves into the audience. Charlie Hodge is there, and drapes a seemingly endless array of white silk scarves around his boss´s neck. This segement is edited as well, but complete in the extended version. At one point he says "Be careful !" to the female fans ripping and tearing at each other, fighting for the scarf.
Imbedded in the video is a segment, to try and prevent bootlegging of this DVD. It explains in text what the original version looks like ( disk layout, cover etc. ). The producers stuck it in there to prevent theft of their work. Since it is sort of like a commercial break, it doesn´t take anything away from the concert itself, it´s just a little annoying.There is one thing that sticks out here, and that is the personal message to Papa Bear Productions, basically accusing him of ripping off other people´s work by sticking his name and a new cover on the DVDs and claiming it to be his own work. It encourages fans to not buy his merchandise anymore, as he rips them off to by over-pricing "his" merchandise. I am simply repeating what the text on-screen says, this is not my personal opinion. It even states that if the person viewing the DVD bought it for more than 15 Euros / 23 US Dollars incl. shipping, they had been ripped-off ...
- You Gave Me A Mountain
Elvis nails this one. No other comment applies !
- Jailhouse Rock
A speeded-up version of this classic rocker, Elvis seems a bit lost on the words, and he only does two verses.
- How Great Thou Art
Same as on YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN, he nails this one. This is where he was during this period, his heart and soul caught up in his spiritual search for his own purpose in life. Gospel was his first big love - and it shows !
- Early Morning Rain
He basically skates through this one, not his best performance in the show.
- I Really Don´t Want To Know
Another one he nails. The heartbreak really comes through on his rendition, and he even looks better in this clip. Strange, but true. He finishes by saying "I love that song !" and continues "Fantastic !".
- Introducing Vernon
Next is a very touching segment, where Elvis introduces his father, Vernon, to the audience. He gets him onstage and lets the crowd applaud him. To me this had a special meaning, as Elvis never got over his father marrying again, and their relationship, though always respectful, turned cold subsequently. This to me is almost like Elvis forgiving his father and showing the audience, look, this is my dad, and I love him ! Especially when you think that Elvis would be dead barely three months later, I feel this is a key moment in the show.Afterwards he introduces his girlfriend, Ginger Alden.
- Hurt
Another one he nails, it seems all the songs about relationships gone bad, dispair and human errors suit him perfectly. He clearly loves this one !
- Hound Dog
A fast-forward romp through this classic, and more scarf-flinging. He actually "boogies" during the last part, jerking and twitching, not bad !
- My Way
He introduces this song as being recorded by Frank Sinatra, and adds that he has to read the lyrics, because he doesn´t know them by heart. After the first verse, he drops the sheet and does continue from memory. Must have been a safety measure, in case his nerves got the better of him ... turns out, he nails this one too !
- Can´t Help Falling In Love
"Til we meet you again, may God bless you, adios !", this is how Elvis kicks the final song off. For many, perhaps for most of the audience that night, this was his final salute. Sorry for being slightly phylosophical throughout this post, but I can´t help but feel the symbolism in this, Elvis bidding farewell to his audience, his fans, and his actual "end" being so near, got me kinda choked up. This is overlayed with Vernon talking about Elvis´ career, and their relationship, about Gladys´ death in 1958, and his subsequent second marriage in 1960. He states he moved out of Graceland then, even though their properties joined in the back. This is a very, very nice bit, where the casual viewer can get a real grasp on where Elvis came from ... Vernon concludes by stating that Col. Parker is an honest man, and credits him for keeping the "Elvis Family" together ...
- Closing Riff
We follow Elvis off the stage, and there is a short scene involving an obviously distressed young girl, talking to what looks to be her boyfriend. Her mouth seems to be saying "Let´s go !" or something similar, and they walk out of frame. Elvis is then led through the backstage area, into his waiting limousine, and drives off.
- Vernon Talks
The shot changes to the front door of Graceland, with Vernon walking down the stairs and off, to enter the office behind Graceland, which is full of boxes, stacked seven high in some cases, full of letters from fans. This is Vernon´s speech, recorded only days after Elvis´ death. He is obviously struggling to maintain his composure, no wonder, and you can see the pain he is feeling over his loss in his face physically. This part had me all teared-up, I can´t help it, it just gets to me. There is one point I would like to make though - there is a person visible through the window behind Vernon, walking by casually during the last part of his monologue. I have slowed this part down repeatedly, frame by frame, zoomed in on the image ( thank God for modern technology ) and still couldn´t get a clear view. All I know is that I have read somewhere that there are rumours saying it is Elvis. I gotta be honest with you, I´m not one for conspiracy theories, but I´ll be damned if it doesn´t look very much like him. There is one frame in particular, where you can see the eyes, nose, and hair line, as well as the cheek, which looks like it could very well be Elvis, or at least someone who looks very, very much like him. I have read somewhere that it could be Jerry Shiling. All I know is it´s spooky, and I´m not sure what to make of it ... there´s a guy following him with a hat, which may have been Col. Parker. Or maybe that´s just what I want to see ...
- Credits
EXTENDED VERSION :
- Intro
- Also Sprach Zarathustra
- C. C. Rider
- Elvis Talks
- That´s All Right
- Are You Lonesome Tonight
- Love Me
The vocal is very quiet on this, and it is an extended scarf-flinging opportunity. At some points, Elvis´ voice is hardly audible.
- Teddy Bear / Don´t Be Cruel
- You Gave Me A Mountain
- Jailhouse Rock
- How Great Thou Art
- Early Morning Rain
- I Really Don´t Want To Know
- Introducing Vernon
- Hurt
- Hound Dog
- My Way
-. Unchained Melody
I love this sequence. Elvis at the piano, sweat dripping from his face, Charlie Hodge holding the mike and Elvis wowing everyone with a heart-ripping performance. This is truly brilliant ! What a performance, what a voice ! Legendary ...
- Can´t Help Falling In Love
- Closing Riff
- Vernon Talks
- Credits
( The tracks in red are the added segments, omitted in the original version )
BONUS FEATURES :
- Featurette
This explains in text and picture / film form how some of the remastering was done on this DVD. Impressive !
- Trailer
All I can say is that this is not the best Elvis ever looked, and it is certainly not the best over-all performance, but it IS the last filmed footage made before his untimely death, and in this restored, remastered version it really shines. The audio is flawless, the visual presentation is the best one can expect from material this old, sourced from magnetic video tape and brought up-to-date perfectly in an obvious labour of love effort, which must have meant hours and hours of work. I can only say :
Kudos to BACK IN TIME VIDEO for making this effort and giving the fans the possibly best looking version of this material ever to come .....
This DVD belongs in any Elvis DVD collection. Don´t be afraid to face your own demons, under all the visual evidence of Elvis´ bad health, it´s still the Hillbilly Cat ! A little older, a lot wiser, but there was always that VOICE !
_________________
Cheers
BC55