Graceland Records just released a collector's dream come true: Next-stop Fayetteville, three unreleased shows, okay, audience recordings, but this is the first outing of them.
Design
The guys of Graceland Records put a lot of effort in package, it looks good as far as possible with an Elvis in this shape in one of the worst jumpsuits he ever had. The booklets has two original reviews from the time and lots of pictures.
Content
CD 1 August 3, 1976 8.30 PM
Elvis starts not too bad on the first show of the box. You can hardly understand what he's talking about, because of poor sound. At least the version of Fever is way better than the one that is wandering on the net recently. When your ears are adjusted to the sound, it is possible to sit it out. The audience did enjoy it, even the endless introductions, where the electric clavinet solo makes me wanna shove that thing into a place where the sun doesn't shine. Anyway, I guess that's the whole point, really being there, not listening to a (poor) recording of it. The years that an Elvis show really gave listening pleasure were way before 1976. My laziness stopped me from standing up and turn the thing of during Love Letters. I don't know if it is the sound or the piano playing, but it really hurt my ears. Hawaiian Wedding Song has a false start of a minute or so, false in the meaning of totally out of tune. Now my laziness lost... I finally pressed 'open'.
CD 2 August 4, 1976 8.30 PM
The person that recorded the shows obviously had a better place the first night. Elvis sounds as if he is in a different venue, much bigger, and a lot further to the back. Regardless, And I Love You So is definitely better than the night before. The before mentioned person had a difficult time during the introductions, hearing it for (at least) the second time in a row, too. You can easily conclude that on the noises he made. Love Letters sounds better than on the first CD too, as does Hawaiian Wedding Song, this time it survived. Kathy Westmoreland is a nice backing vocalist, but as soon as she starts wailing the lyrics of My Heavenly Father, the open button is calling me again.
CD 3 August 5, 1976 8.30 PM
The sound quality of this show is about the same as the second. The show is a bit shorter than the other two. No And I Love You So (together with America and Hurt the only more or less 'new' song) this time, no Hawaiian Wedding Song (won't sleep less because of that) and no solos by backing vocalists (thank God). It was the only one of the three that survived completely.
Conclusion
There are not many 1976 shows I really do enjoy, certainly not these. They aren't that bad for 1976, but the combination of Elvis on automatic pilot and mediocre audience recordings (there are many worse, but also many better audience recordings) doesn't make me wag my tail. As I said in the intro, die-hard collectors will be happy with three new shows, but I just ain't one of them anymore.
CD1 – August 3rd, 1976
01. Opening: Also Sprach Zarathustra
02. C. C. Rider
03. I Got A Woman / Amen
04. Love Me
05. All Shook Up
06. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel
07. And I Love You So
08. Fever
09. America The Beautiful (with reprise)
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Band Introductions
12. Early Morning Rain
13. What'd I Say
14. Johnny B. Goode
15. Drum Solo (Ronnie Tutt)
16. Bass Solo (Blues - Jerry Scheff)
17. Piano Solo (Tony Brown)
18. Electric Piano & Clavinet Solo (David Briggs)
19. Love Letters
20. School Day
21. Hurt (with reprise)
22. Hound Dog (incomplete)
23. Love Me Tender
24. Hawaiian Wedding Song
25. Danny Boy (Sherrill Nielsen)
26. An American Trilogy
27. Can't Help Falling In Love
28. Closing Vamp
CD2 – August 4th, 1976
01. Opening: Also Sprach Zarathustra
02. C. C. Rider
03. I Got A Woman / Amen
04. Love Me
05. All Shook Up
06. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel
07. And I Love You So
08. Fever
09. America The Beautiful (with reprise)
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Band Introductions
12. Early Morning Rain
13. What'd I Say
14. Johnny B. Goode
15. Drum Solo (Ronnie Tutt)
16. Bass Solo #1 (Blues - Jerry Scheff)
17. Bass Solo #2 (Battle Of New Orleans theme- Jerry Scheff)
18. Piano Solo (Tony Brown)
19. Electric Piano & Clavinet Solo (David Briggs)
20. Love Letters
21. School Day
22. Hurt #1
23. Hurt #2
24. Hound Dog
25. Hawaiian Wedding Song
26. My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me (Kathy Westmoreland)
27. Can't Help Falling In Love
28. Closing Vamp
CD3 – August 5th, 1976
01. Opening: Also Sprach Zarathustra
02. C. C. Rider
03. I Got A Woman / Amen
04. Love Me
05. All Shook Up
06. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel
07. Love Me Tender
08. Fever
09. America The Beautiful (with reprise)
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Band Introductions
12. Early Morning Rain
13. What'd I Say
14. Johnny B. Goode
15. Drum Solo (Ronnie Tutt)
16. Bass Solo #1 (Blues - Jerry Scheff)
17. Bass Solo #2 (Battle Of New Orleans theme- Jerry Scheff)
18. Piano Solo (Tony Brown)
19. Electric Piano & Clavinet Solo (David Briggs)
20. Love Letters
21. School Day
22. Hurt (with reprise)
23. Hound Dog
24. Can't Help Falling In Love
25. Closing Vamp