HIGH VOLTAGE - Birmingham '76 Revisited'

Audionics/2001 CD Preview


HIGH VOLTAGE - Birmingham '76 Revisited: As Recorded live from mixing desk in Birmingham, Alabama, Jefferson Coliseum, on December 29, 1976.


The two leading import labels have now joined forces, and are proud to present the first results of this very special partnership, a strictly limited edition release of the classic December 29th , 1976 concert in Birmingham, Alabama, under the title "High Voltage - Birmingham '76 Revisited".
Some of you may recall that this concert was originally released in mono on “Burning In Birmingham” back in ’98, and that it quickly became a firm favorite.

In fact, many fans preferred this show over the legendary Pittsburgh concert from two nights later, as Elvis’ performance in Birmingham was far more relaxed and authoritive, and particularly Elvis’ intense reading of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was a great surprise to many.


For this reissue, we worked directly from the first generation DAT, and we were able to make significant audio improvements. After a long and painstaking process of repairing and enhancing the original binaural recording, we were able to mix it down to genuine stereo, thus ensuring a much more satisfying listening experience. Originally, the left channel consisted of all the vocals and nearly all of the instruments, while the right channel featured the (isolated) keyboards. To give you an idea of how the tape originally sounded in binaural, we added two bonustracks “as recorded”.

This release is neatly packaged in a 16-page full color booklet with ultra-cool design, relevant liner notes and a collection of stunning pix taken during Birmingham show.

'Audionics / 2001' hope that this special joint-production will satisfy all those fans who have been clamouring for a reissue of this much sought-after title. A great deal of care and thought went into this release, and we promise you that the improved sound will blow you away. In a time where you constantly see bugball labels ripping off classic titles with cheesy equalizer-jobs, it’s becoming harder to do quality releases, but we will continue as long as you want us to. The original 2001 people want to thank everybody for their loyalty, and add that, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings!”. And with this little gem of a CD, she finally has a good reason to sing with joy. This CD is scheduled for late December release.

Tracks: 01. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from "2001 A Space Odyssey") - 02. Opening Vamp / C. C. Rider - 03. I Got A Woman / Amen (medley) - 04. Love Me - 05. Fairytale - 06. You Gave Me A Mountain - 07. Jailhouse Rock - 08. O Sole Mio (by Sherrill Nielsen) / It's Now Or Never (medley) - 09. Tryin' To Get To You - 10. My Way - 11. Polk Salad Annie - 12. Band Introductions - 13. Early Mornin' Rain (complete) - 14. What'd I Say - 15. Johnny B. Goode - 16. Drums Solo (by Ronnie Tutt) - 17. Bass Solo (Blues - by Jerry Scheff) - 18. Piano Solo (by Tony Brown) - 19. Electric Piano Solo (by David Briggs) - 20. Love Letters - 21. School Day - 22. Funny How Time Slips Away - 23. Hurt (with last part reprise) - 24. Hound Dog - 25. For The Good Times (with false start, last live version) - 26. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (last live version) - 27. Unchained Melody (Elvis at the piano) - 28. Mystery Train / Tiger Man (medley) - 29. Can't Help Falling In Love - 30.Closing Vamp. All tracks mixed to stereo.

Bonus tracks in original binaural sound - as recorded: 31. You Gave Me A Mountain - 32. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (last live version).


EIN Sound Preview:

Many hardcore fans however have been recently disappointed by other re-issues with so-called ‘audio upgrades’ and have told us that they had just wasted their money. So EIN called AUDIONICS to see if they can justify their new claims – and we were very impressed with what we heard.
With a chance to compare the new ‘High Voltage 76’ with our old beloved ‘Burning In Birmingham’ playing side-by-side, it’s like chalk and cheese.

It sounds much better than the audio improvements on both re-releases ‘Shaking Up The Great Lakes’ and ‘One Night Only’. For a start it is pretty impressive stereo, which is not easy to do with a binaural tape. No wonder they feature the two original tracks at the end for comparison!

Audionics have achieved this with the best possible audio engineering hardware and software - this is no "home made job"! (You know who you are, ‘Legendary Performers Volumes 100’ etc"). Over 150 studio hours have been spent on this re-master, whereas the old bootlegs would often take only 3 hours of studio time. Audionics also promise that they are cleaning up even the smallest glitches, clicks and audio dropouts!

Although I loved the original ‘Burning In Birmingham’ it did have a lot of background audio hiss and the sound spectrum was pretty flat and dead, especially when compared with Elvis’ dynamic performance.

Although the Master pressing of ‘High Voltage 76’ is not finalised - what I heard was very impressive.

Now at last this version really does have a great dynamic range and sparkle, making this release all the more essential since it showcases one of Elvis’ very last GREAT live stage concerts.

You know EIN got it right with our ‘American Way Vol.5’ sneak preview, so add this to your Christmas list!

Please note that while this is a very positive preview EIN does NOT sell these bootlegs - nor are we in anyway involved in the production of these CDs.

Therefore we have no hidden interest in giving biased reviews to any Elvis releases - unlike some other websites. EIN purchases its FTDs, DVDs and CDs just like any other fan.         
 
As EIN is based in Australia we have as much if not more difficulty getting hold of Elvis import CDs compared to anyone else. EIN doesn't sell any bootlegs - and basically all of these CDs come from Europe, so why would we? - In fact EIN only supplies Elvis FTDs for the Australian/NZ market.

The best place to look for these imports overall is on Ebay and suchlike, otherwise you may find a strong connection with other Elvis European websites.

Sneak Preview by Piers Beagley
-Copyright EIN, December 2007

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