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I Found My Thrill

By ElvisNews.com / Lex, July 15, 2006 | Music
The “normal” FTD of July 2006 is a live recording from Las Vegas, February 1974.

Design

Well, what can you make of an unhealthy looking Elvis? Not much. Gladly the cover is easily readable, something rare with FTD covers.

Content

The sound is like the cover art, not great. The fact that I stood up more than once to remove the dust from the needle says enough. Funny that after 20 years of CDs that automatic reaction is still present.

Elvis starts on automatic pilot too. He sounds bored and even at his favourite of the moment “Let Me Be There”, the sparkle of what could be hardly lights. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” almost has it, but it doesn’t come close to the versions of a couple of years earlier. The same goes for “Sweet Caroline”, although the final has some power. “Love Me Tender” is boring as always, but I sat through it, hoping for a great rock’n’roll medley soon. I got the medley, although it wasn’t half as good as the version in Memphis a couple of months later. “Fever” gets the usual treatment. I thought it was funny 15 years ago, but give me Michael Bublé on this song anytime now, at least live… with Elvis I stick to the unbeatable studio version. “Polk Salad Annie” isn’t my thing in this up tempo style at all, and certainly not this try. “Spanish Eyes” itself is nice; unfortunately the singing saw Nielsen is very audible too. Highlight of the CD is the one liner of “The Most Beautiful Girl”. “Help Me” and “Trilogy” are okay, but nothing special. About the same goes for the reprise of “Let Me Be There”, it still lacks the power and enthusiasm a lot of other versions have. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” has never been one of my favourites, so I don’t even start about this throwaway version.

“The extra songs must be something special”, I thought, especially since one of them gave the CD its name. Well, after the show it is not that hard to be something special… so that is a shot for open goal as we say in Holland. And indeed… “My Baby Left Me” is funny, with a more than nice guitar solo, “Trying To Get To You” has more power than any other song so far on this CD, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is far above the average of this CD too. The “I Found My Thrill”-medley (it is compiled of many bits and pieces recorded during February 1974) is funny… but in my thoughts not that great that a CD should be named after it.

Conclusion

Yawn, another cabinet filler. I bet I will play even “Clambake” more often.

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JerryNodak wrote on July 16, 2006
Lex: I KNOW I'll play 'Clambake' more often.
Shakingruud wrote on July 16, 2006
the front cover is awful, the picture isnt even sharp! I´m not knockin the FDT label down, but WHY dont they spend a bit more time on there cover designs?? For me its: played it once, but never again.....Clambake it the word!!
Steve P wrote on July 16, 2006
I don't understand. The previous night's show on the bootleg 'Something Old, Something New, & from a routine 'audience recording' got the review... - "Both this CD and the engagement it comes from bring us something new and something old. Elvis was in a good mood and that shows. His overall performance is very good, and besides some quickies most songs aren’t too short. Besides a rocking’ ‘Rock And Roll Medley’ this show contains a lot of standards we know Elvis liked." Yet this show in MUCH better audio, with Elvis in a rockin' good mood, and not a bootleg so that we can all buy it gets... "Yawn, another cabinet filler. I bet I will play even “Clambake” more often". I think I'm detecting some pro-bootleg biasedness here!
Ton Bruins wrote on July 16, 2006
Lex is right. Bad sound and a nothing special performance from Elvis. Just another Vegas show. Play it once and that's it. Cabinet filler indeed. Same goes for a lot of soundboards....I just can't stand the dusty sound anymore of those cassettes/tapes.
Lefty wrote on July 16, 2006
I'll pass on this one. Hopefully, my dream for the On Tour shows or the June 1977 shows to be released by FTD will someday come true.
Ton Bruins wrote on July 16, 2006
Lefty you are right. What we need are some good stereo/DSD sound releases. And I don't mean Clambake...FTD surprise us !
boris wrote on July 16, 2006
I'll be honest unlike many of you hardcore fans I never listened to any other Vegas recording from early 1974. But I was very impressed with this one. Elvis had been lost for a while and the long break he had before this engagement (following the Stax sessions and an effecient dry out) made him look incredibly positive and powerful again. The song list tells a lot about his spirits (especially those which lead back to his early years added as bonus tracks on this CD). Elvis definitely was looking for a new start in his life and career and it shows. Then Sheila came on board and that made a difference too for a while. I wonder what it would have been like had Elvis worked a little less in 1974... maybe he could have made it to the top for a little more while instead of heading down that lonesome desperate road that he would take later that year. The sound is what it is considering the original source (70's cassettes and a poor job made by the original technician) but Jean Marc Juilland (and Sebastian Jeansson for some parts) did a great job restoring it and at least Elvis' voice and interpretation are treated with care and sensitivity. Now as far as Elvis' performance again I'm impressed with the freshness and confidence Elvis shows all through the show. Not mentioning the bonus tracks (with one exception : the I Found My Thrill medley which doesn't bring much to the CD) with a version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face that is simply beautiful and almost haunting and much better than the studio version I thought. The cover is fine and Elvis' and Sheila's picture is absolutely great. I know it might be harder to sell this CD for many reasons but I have no doubt it's worth the ride and I will listen to it again for sure.
You Dont Know Me wrote on July 19, 2006
Personally i think Lex should simply STOPa doing his reviews if they turn out like this one-i mean HOW can you enjoy Clambake more?? Agrteed now i have this FTD i can express my opinion. Yes sound is a little dissapointing, but still clear and quite listenable.Art-work is better than usual and i found that spanish eyes was the 'highlight' of the main show for me as well as each and EVERYONE of the bonus tracks- really nice job done on those here.At 68 minutes running time it's ok and i'll be playing this a few times as he sounds interested in the perfornmance.Considering what else we had from this engagement 20 years ago- a vinyl bootleg of the 7.2.74 D/S i'm more than happy with this-after all Ernst explained ages ago the problems with recording from this season so all up i'd have to rate it 8/10 overall and well worth getting and listening too.
Greg Nolan wrote on July 19, 2006
I don't have this yet (who can keep up?) but the jaded reviewer ("Lex") really has to consider other hobbies. If you lived through the '80s and what RCA dished out then, you'd know that this is a golden era that won't go on forever. Yes, the pickings are getting slimmer, but from all other accounts, many in fact *do* like this release. It's all "gravy" at this point. We could go back to being content to listen to "MSG" or "Aloha" or "On Stage" over and over as I and most others did for years without complaint. You don't have to be a fan who has everything. FTD by definition is for die-hard completist / obsessives! It may be cliched, but "Hats off to Ernst and Roger" for keeping fans busy with "new" Elvis releases!
Steve V wrote on July 19, 2006
Can anyone tell me how the sound on this cd compares to the boot Closing Night Feb 1970?
Ton Bruins wrote on July 19, 2006
Compare it with the FTD releases "Dinner At Eight", "Summer Festival", "It's Midnight".
Ton Bruins wrote on July 19, 2006
Greg, just remember that Lex is a huge Elvis fan. I am a huge Elvis fan too. Listen to his music every day. But that doesn't mean that we are not allowed to be critical. And of course we are happy with the FTD label. And I know for sure that Lex is also happy with this label. But I think that Elvis was on the automatic pilot too much in Vegas especially. But I don't blame the FTD label for that of course. And most of the soundboards just have a "dull" sound to my ears. And also the same songs night after night as we know now in 2006. Indeed in 1978 or so I would be very happy with such a release as "I Found My Thrill". But now it's just too much of the same and mostly in a not so good soundquality. But nevertheless I hope you will enjoy this release.
Dixieland Rock wrote on July 19, 2006
I blame the Coloniel & Elvis for the lack of good quality sound recordings of all his live shows. It wouldn't have killed the Coloniel to shell out a little cash & record every show with quality equipment. There should have been a recording team assigned to every show. It's a shame that we're depending many times on audience recordings & soundboard recordings for these shows. I'm thankful that people made some attempt to capture these performances no matter how they sound. Audience recordings sound awful but at least these people did make an effort to record the shows. Hats off to them. Back to the Coloniel. I think it should have been mandantory that every Elvis performance be recorded with quality sound equipment as well as being filmed & well photographed. The Coloniel had a talent for hawking trinkets for the moment for a fast buck. But when it came to thinking down the road & preserving the main thing with Elvis, that is the performances & songs, the Coloniel had no vision. Again immediate profit over quality.
Lex wrote on July 19, 2006
Ton, I have to correct you. I'm not a huge fan, as a matter of fact I don't like Elvis at all. I only spend so much time and money on him to irritate the real fans, that love anything as long as the name Elvis is on it.
You Dont Know Me wrote on July 19, 2006
Theirs certainly an 'issue' with the sound on the 10pm 27.1.74 show..it's lacking 'atmosphere' and is slightly distorted and flat sounding....on the other hand the very last bit of the whiole cd is a blueberry hill/i can't stop loving you selection from an 'audience-albeit professionally recorded' from the 7.2.74 M/S..just listen to the ambience,atmosphere and excitement during that version of 'i can't stop loving you'! sounds FANTASTIC,.. thus if THAT sounds so great then why didn't they choose a recording for the main show that sounded as 'lively?'.
Ton Bruins wrote on July 20, 2006
Ha ha ha Lex that is a very funny reply. lol
Renan Augusto wrote on July 20, 2006
I enjoyed the concert.
Ronaldv wrote on July 21, 2006
I enjoyed it too! at last a soundboard from jan 1974, a great release compared with checkmate in vegas and the two czech releases from this vegas season. especially the last bonus songs are really great!
tigergirl wrote on July 23, 2006
Am I the one with a copy of this CD with the same version of Let Me Be There twice - tracks 5 & 18 are the same version. However, Big Hunk O' Love is missing from my CD. Has anyone else noticed this???
EspenK wrote on July 23, 2006
Am I the only one who suspect the audio on this CD to be at the wrong pitch? To my surprise I havent seen that mentioned by anyone else. But to me it sounds like it should be pitched down a little bit. Not by much, but I think it sounds like everything is running too fast. I reacted on this immediately the first time I listened to it. But the cover work on this release is great, imo...