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I’ll Whoop His Ass!

By Loes de Vries, June 02, 2002 | Music
Design

This release was part of five rush releases in the first quarter of 2002 from Teenager Records. Again a so called “new” release … the CD was released as a CDR a while ago, so this version doesn’t bring us any surprises at all. The design is as bad as we are getting use to with these releases and again no information what so ever on the content. Well except for one thing, at least the title is explained on the inside.

Content

We are talking about the midnight show February, 18th, 1973 in the Hilton Hotel Las Vegas Nevada. I will try to keep an open mind, at least until I have listen to it ...

Is this the opening theme of an audience talking or recording? Ah a real classic start… It is almost false…Do I hear See See Rider or is it Elvis singing???? After a few moments I must confess I hear him. And not even as bad as on the other CD’s from Teenager Records…but the music is so loud compared to Elvis’ voice, I fear for the rest…I Got A Woman/ Amen next …No inspired Elvis here … he is praying for the end himself… and who remembers our old vinyl? Do you still remember how the speed could fall down sometimes? Well that’s exactly what I hear here.

The girls are screaming, so we should be able to hear Love Me Tender…do we? You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me…this normally beautiful song really breaks my heart here. This should have stayed on a CDR or tape. Steamroller Blues is played more up tempo then we are use to…but the first song on this release worth listening to, although it seems to me Elvis is on an automatic pilot here. My personal favourite You Gave Me A Mountain is next …Elvis means well here, but not even he can make up for the technicians who recorded this show of the audience with him on the background.

A different version of Fever is next…usually a very sexy song, but sorry the laughing in the audience and the fooling around of Elvis himself spoils everything. After a bit of talking…Love Me starts…my ears are not yet used to the sound quality…Blue Suede Shoes is done very quickly…and a real thrown away version. Johnny B. Goode follows…the guitar is a little different then we are use to, but all is real up tempo. With 3 false starts Hound Dog reaches my ears……with the slow version. The real beautiful song What Now My Love breaks my heart…I must remember to listen to the Aloha version (5 days before this show)…to forget this awful version. Suspicious Minds, normally I can’t resist dancing, hearing this song, but sorry…this is not happening today.

The track listing on the back of the CD tells us that there is a fight now on stage, but I only can hear a lot of shouting by the crowd. So it’s not interesting on this CD, although Elvis goes on like nothing happened with Can’t Stop Loving You, not even in a bad way. American Trilogy is a dedicated version…which make me sorry again for the bad sound quality. Can’t Help Falling In Love brings us almost to the end of this CD. This version is not able to change my mind about this release. As a reprise we do get some announcements and some talking, but it is not earth shocking at all.

Conclusion

This is really not worth buying at all, or to use the title of this CD, "Somebody's ass shoot be whooped" for releasing this. Nice to have on tape perhaps, even on a CDR, but worth nothing more then a few bucks.

Very strange that there’s such a big difference between this Elvis and the one who laid down a fantastic Aloha From Hawaii just five days earlier. I think I’ll put that one on to get that real loving feeling again.

Playing time: 49'59/ Sound quality: 4/ Content 4/ Cover art: 4