Elvis: ’68 Comeback Special: Deluxe Edition

Elly Roberts reviews

Elvis: ’68 Comeback Special: Deluxe Edition
Distributed by
BMG UK & Ireland

    Cover

  • 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 you’re 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 shouldn’t 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 amazingRock’n’Roll, Gospel and ballads. Looking absolutely stunning at his peak at33 years of age, he’d lost none of his charm, as he occasionally interactedwith ladies in the audience. It doesn’t matter that he forgets the song lyrics,or his guitar lead disconnects, or his leather jacket gets caught in themicrophone – it’s all wonderful stuff. He’s sweating buckets in a skin tightleather suit (under the intense studio lighting) which looks like a secondskin.

Amazingly, he isn’t fazed by any of it, and just gets on with the gigs.Biggest problem it seems, he’s 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 he’s unstoppable. Thehip-swivelling is all but gone, and there’s 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, asthere’s 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

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