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'Let It Be Me' on the Audiophile label is an audience recording of Elvis’ Las Vegas Feb 21, 1970 Midnight Show. This is a previously unknown and unreleased show taken directly from Barb D’s original master tape. She also provides a delightful essay on ‘A Fan’s perspective’ in the sleeve notes. Unfortunately this recording isn’t up to the quality of Rick Rennie’s tapes (see the earlier Czech ‘International Earthquake’ review) but it is a dynamite show that it has been blasting me to work in my car all this week. And being an audience recording, while at times the audience screams overpower the sound of the band, this really is what you would have heard had you been in the Vegas showroom that night. While Elvis’ dialogue is disappointingly a little inaudible at times, hearing the audience however makes you realise how Elvis really worked up the crowd with his karate routines. Listen out for the female squeals during ‘Suspicious Minds,’ ‘Polk Salad’ & others. The bonuses here are that it is a (nearly) complete show and kicks off with a powerful ‘All Shook Up’ as the opener. Surprisingly RCA/BMG have yet to find a recording of this, as even the FTD ‘Polk salad Annie’ missed the opener. Elvis shows real passion in ‘I Got A Woman’ (listen for his meaningful growl at the end) and ‘Long Tall Sally’ gets an early outing here. Elvis would basically drop this song after this season, only to resurrect it at the last minute for ‘Aloha’. ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ is heartfelt. This is another song that Elvis would drop after this season to perform it only once more for the August TTWII ‘Red Ladder’ jumpsuit version that we know so well. It is fun to hear Elvis sidestep a request for ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and he jokes with the audience about his request for a glass of water. Showing his good humour Elvis also laughs about the odd connotation when he says "I did a Hound Dog?!" and follows up telling us, "I had Hound Dog out … on a leash" ‘Kentucky Rain’ is such a sensational song that it is a shame it fades out near the end. I wish that it had been a bigger chart hit as this is yet another song that Elvis wouldn’t perform after this season. A nice touch is hearing Elvis cheering on piano player Glen D Hardin, "Play it Glen", who was new to the TCB group this season. ‘Let It Be Me’ is very incomplete & fades in towards the end, but to make up for it we do get second versions of both these later on the CD from the Feb 20th Dinner Show. The concert continues with the feel of a ‘greatest hits’ show with marvellous performances of all the songs (Elvis seems to have got over the ‘flu that plagued him during the RCA recordings). I have always felt that the On Stage Master of ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoes’ is at too fast a tempo for the feel of the lyrics. Here it is performed at a slightly slower tempo which suits it better. ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ is very full & funky and I love the way the shows slides from ‘Sweet Caroline’ straight into a fabulous ‘Polk Salad Annie’. There is also an ok bass presence on this tape to turn it up. Elvis was keeping his shows short for this season and the ‘Introductions’ and brief. Elvis name-checks three members of the Dallas Cowboys, as well as singer Gail Martin (daughter of Dino although Elvis makes no reference to him). After the essential ‘Suspicious Minds’ Elvis takes it on home. It all seems too quick (Elvis had been asked to keep his shows shorter) and I am always stunned that the audience go so quietly without screaming out for an encore.
Verdict: To be honest there is no point in tracking this import CD down until you own all of the official RCA/FTD professionally-recorded releases (see below for info). And of course one has to wish that this CD was a quality multi-track recording, but for its total rarity and brilliant song selection it is worth investigating. The cover is better than FTD ever provides and you do get the feel of being right there in the showroom. This is not a recording that FTD would issue - and with a limited release it is obviously aimed at collectors that want to explore and listen to every available Elvis performance. There is no doubt that audience recording enthusiasts will love it. Review by Piers Beagley Click here to comment on the review
For more on Elvis’ recordings at his SENSATIONAL second Las Vegas season check out the following. The FTD ‘Polk Salad Annie’ Las Vegas, February 15 1970 Midnight Show. And worth investigating is the audience recording ‘International Earthquake’ Feb 5 1970 Dinner Show.
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