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Elly Roberts reviews
BMG UK & Ireland
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 82876613069
- Running time: 420 minutes
- Year: 1968
- Pressing: 2004
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
- Languages: English
- Disc Format: 3 * DVD 9
- Price: £29.99
- Extras:Deluxe booklet comprehensive information covering every aspect of thefilming.
Coming in at a whopping 7 hours,this memorable DVD captures one of the greatest moments in popular culture.
Whether youre an Elvis fan or not this is essential viewing for everyone wholoves music. With an absence of seven years from performing live, Elvis fearedhe was leaving the American psyche. Since 1960, he had concentrated on hisfilm career. The British Invasion (The Beatles et al) had come andalmost petered out, and his record sales were in decline, so he made a last gasp effort to regain his footing. But he shouldnt have worried, because whenit was aired on 3 December 1968 on NBC TV, it attracted 42% of the Americanviewing audience.
It single headedly resurrected his flagging career, and returned the King towhat he did best singing live. Recorded in the summer of 68, andpromoted simply as Elvis (but most commonly referred to as The ’68 Special orThe ’68 Comeback Special) it shows him digging deep into his musicaland performance skills.
Disc 1, with 3 Chapters gives you an adapted version of the original show,which includes highly choreographed production numbers (which now look dated)and informal setting for the Black Leather Sit-Down Show, which is the bestpart of this whole package. In effect, everything after that is a breakdownof the component parts which made the final version, and obviously theomissions, which are equally as fascinating.
Chapters 2 and 3 are full-length versions of these recordings, but onlyextracts from show one are placed into the final broadcast. So, what youget here is a wonderful insight, warts and all, of Elvis interacting in analmost rehearsal environment or jam-sessions with former colleagues D.J.Fontana, Scotty Moore, Charlie Hodge and Alan Fortas on instruments.
It actually shows him at his best : fooling around, singing some amazingRocknRoll, Gospel and ballads. Looking absolutely stunning at his peak at33 years of age, hed lost none of his charm, as he occasionally interactedwith ladies in the audience. It doesnt matter that he forgets the song lyrics,or his guitar lead disconnects, or his leather jacket gets caught in themicrophone its all wonderful stuff. Hes sweating buckets in a skin tightleather suit (under the intense studio lighting) which looks like a secondskin.
Amazingly, he isnt fazed by any of it, and just gets on with the gigs.Biggest problem it seems, hes supposed to sit down for these sessions,but he frustratingly has to kick his legs during songs, and eventually standsfor a show-stopping rendition of One Night.
Disc 2 with 5 Chapters, includes two Black Leather Stand Up shows (filmed onJune 29, two days after the sit down shows), the TV show opener of Troubleand Guitar Man all takes and raw components. Alone on stage with off-stageorchestra and singers, he goes through the motions with several interruptions,but, once again, when he gets into the swing of things hes unstoppable. Thehip-swivelling is all but gone, and theres a clear indication of moves thatwould crop up during his Las Vegas residency twelve months later. Finishing with the breath-taking show closer, (as he lets rip, using all the Gospelsinging he learnt as a youngster when he attended the First Assembly of GodChurch) on If I Can Dream (all takes) both recorded on 30 June.
Disc 3, comprising 2 Chapters, is a chronology of complete and incompletetakes, spanning nearly three hours. This one is purely for the fans, astheres a lot of repetition with retakes etc. It does become rather tedious,but there are plenty of funny bits as he grapples with the gruelling productiontechniques.
Track-listing for this musical marathon, includes Lawdy Miss Clawdy,Heartbreak Hotel, Are You Lonesome Tonight, Blue Christmas, Memories, Big BossMan, If I Can Dream, Blue Suede Shoes etc etc etc. (Full track list inbooklet)
Over half of the seven hours of material has never been seen before, and ispresented with newly remastered sound and picture which makes it essentialviewing.
Further information on
- Elvis.com
- Elvis DVDs.com
- Elvis: The Music.com
- BMG SMG
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.