Unchained Melody

Here we may experience the difference between singing in general and singing from the heart with the text-related emotion. Elvis was the expert in the latter. Who will ever forget Elvis behind the piano and singing litt. his heart out. This shows all the more that it is not important whether one wrote a song. It is all about transmitting the essence of it to the heart of the listener. Till then and after that no one has surpassed him in this.

This is a powerful version of a lovely song that you just want to go on and on... It is also the highlight of 'Elvis in Concert', he clearly loved this song. TCB

I love the Moody Blue version but the single release just sends shivers up my spine. It sounds like such an enormous effort for him to sing but Elvis, as always, is not found wanting. He puts so much into this performance! You really get the feeling that through all the tough times he was experiencing back in 77 during this song he is utterly absorbed in something that gave him real joy and for that brief two and a half minutes he was genuinely happy. And that's why, despite how pained he sounds I'll always love this song.

To me, this was the only real highlight of the Elvis In Concert TV specail and they left it out! Why on earth did they do that? Years later when this appeared on DVD it shows once again how they missed a golden change for a major hit. This should have been the single to promote the TV special, (not the overdone My Way), the same exact version, with no added anything. Bare bones Elvis singing his heart out.

The little turn to the right and the smile that Elvis gives here just kills me. TCB

He said it himself after having sung it, "Not bad!" Or as Bono said: "He transformed himself into an opera singer". Best version ever of a beautiful song.

An outstanding performance from our man. Sadly the only exception in his 1976 and 1977 concerts, that were generally, to bad to be true!

Never liked the song, but Elvis does a good job of it, .but I do like the Moody Blue album.

That's my song..can't watch Elvis' version on the DVD "The Great Performances" enough !Outstanding, almost every version is fantastic. Elvis singing from the heart !

After hearing Elvis sing it,he owned it.He was never afraid to go out in front of 10,000 fans and fail.A missed note or two didn't matter.It was all heart &soul.

I agree this should have been the single to promote the TV special in 1977. The estate doesn't want to release Elvis In Concert to video but they thought enough of this song to include it in a documentary, yet it wasn't seen in the original broadcast. None of it makes sense, but it is the true highlight of that show and the later shows he did.

I prefer the version on "Moody Blue."

Moody Blue is in my top ten, never keen on the song though until I heard Elvis sing it.

In 1955, this song was a hit for four different artists. In 1965, the Righteous Brothers gave us a blue eyed soul version of the song that was very good. In 1977, Elvis gives us the ultimate performance of the song. It almost has a gospel feel to it and Elvis sings the hell out of it. A great version from Ann Arbor, MI that was recorded on 4/24/77 leads off the "Moody Blue" LP and it is a little faster than the "Elvis In Concert" version. The EIC version is top notch with Elvis a little more deliberate in his delivery. There were concerts where Elvis held the last note and occasions like in Ann Arbor where it is Sherrill Nielsen, but that takes nothing away from the beauty and emotion of the performance. I don't understand why the "Moody Blue" album is put down so often. With this song, "Way Down", "Pledging My Love", "Moody Blue", "He'll Have To Go", "It's Easy For You" and a fun version of "Little Darlin" it is outstanding. I do know it was pretty well received until "Rolling Rag" errr.. "Rolling Stone" magazine once said that "never have so many people bought such a shoddily put together album". True there wasn't quite enough material and a three year old previously released track, "Let Me Be There" was used to round out the album, but that doesn't take away from the other nine tracks. I do wonder why "Softly As I Leave You" and "America" weren't used on the LP?

I often think Elvis fans moan about too many inconsequential things in his career, but I really hope that there must have been other reasons for not including this song in the CBS Special, other than someone not having a clue as to the majesty of this performance. I now have it like others on an extended DVD as part of the show, and along with Hurt, My Way and 3 or 4 other songs, watch it time and again.

All versions are overdubbed, but that didn't take away the greatness of the performance.

This is such a beautiful, iconic and unique ballad and I like all of Elvis' renditions of this gem. My favorite version of this ballad is definitely by The Righteous Brothers

Shows that Elvis could have been a successful opera singer had he chosen to. This song has been recorded by many before and since Elvis, but his version in many ways is the most dramatic and was a small hit after Elvis passed away.

I agree that Elvis' version of this song really made me listen to it. It's his rendition that I think of when hearing this song. My fav is the single mix also found on EAP box set, disc 3 now. Regarding the Moody Blue album I recall many people outside the Elvis circle also liked it, no matter if most of them were aware of it first after Elvis died. For the time it was a fresh breeze imo!

His great performance, captured on film but not used on the "In Concert" special, is a fitting end to his remarkable career. The emotion and passion, combined with that magical voice, is one thing. When you see the video, you realise that he was not only emotionally but also physically fragile when singing it. It could have been a very successful single and a great promotion to the TV special. Why did they keep it out? Maybe it was too painful to those close to him. I like the album version but the one recorded for the TV special is even better, more so when you watch the video. 5 stars

for me it´s a great song