Elvis Presley Reviews and Articles by By David Tinson

Follow That Dream's 'Promised Land' completes the STAX trilogy and the 2-CD version is a welcome addition to the growing catalogue of collectors releases. The Promised Land album is indeed a classic but by including the alternate album and 'the making of' – it's now widescreen (so to speak) ... The 1974 released classic album includes: yearning ballads, funk, late night laments – and a burning Chuck Berry cover that could melt speaker grills ... To sum up, Elvis took us on a trip to the promised land that's one hell of a ride ... Elvis takes Chuck Berry's classic 1964 musical travelogue Promised Land and amps it in a rocking tour-de-force - and it's fantastic to hear takes 3, 4, powered by Ronnie Tutt's powerhouse drumming and James Burton's driving guitar.

Celebrating Elvis' first motion picture - Follow That Dream present 'Love Me Tender' in the 2-CD 7" classic soundtrack format -- and its stunning audio and visual content is highly impressive. The sound here is warm, detailed and full on the soundtracks original EP recordings.

FTD's 'Elvis At American Sound Studio' 2-CD opens a door to the remarkable 1969 Memphis recording sessions. As a stand-alone release it includes the remaining songs not originally available on the landmark FTD albums', Back In Memphis' & 'From Elvis In Memphis' plus an additional thirty unreleased nuggets.

There's a great moment on CD-2 of the new FTD 'Moody Blue' release - two fabulous rehearsals of the funky 'Way Down' start the disc - with Elvis and his band joking amid jamming and a throbbing bass guitar. Take 1 is reminiscent in feel to the funky jam intro to, 'I Got A Feeling In My Body' (Elvis At Stax 3-CD). After the first breakdown, Elvis say's: 'When Briggs fingers start bleeding' see, we know we've got it!' Ronnie Tutt's thumping drums herald take 2A, followed by David Briggs electric piano, and Norbert Putnam's supercool bass - fabulous! Again Ernst Jorgensen and the Follow That Dream team deserve credit for this magnum opus - 'Moody Blue' is the sound of the mature Elvis. Most highly recommended.

Sandwiched between Elvis' iconic return to Las Vegas in 1969, and the triumph of the 'That's The Way It Is' documentary (1970) - 'On Stage Season' FTD 2-CD captures Elvis in spectacular form during his live performances - and includes two complete soundboard shows in the best EVER quality from his 1970 Jan/Feb Las Vegas engagement. Follow That Dream offer a double whammy of historic 1970 shows by including both the opening and closing shows from the Jan/Feb Vegas engagement.

Let's cut to March 1, 1974 -- wild crowd hysteria and the Elvis Presley touring colossus hits Tulsa, Oklahoma -- 2001 intro, then an high-octane 'See See Rider' kicks in -- it's infectious, cutting bluesy riff sounds fabulous and there's an awesome ripping James Burton solo ... fabulous all the way to the final Ronnie Tutt cymbal crash. It's almost 1972 again and, 'I Got A Woman' Elvis then comments: 'Good evening! It's a real pleasure to be here in this beautiful place'. However, chat is kept to a bare minimum because it's strictly down to business and the TCB band were never tighter than '74 after being honed on multiple live shows through the early 1970s. The Follow That Dream release, Sold Out! 2-CD On Tour 1974, includes an additional 1974 soundboard from June 21, Cleveland Ohio, and fantastic additional artwork and liner notes. The hysteria surrounding the March/June tour of '74 and the story of Elvis performing at the Mabee Special Events Center is captured perfectly by Robert Frieser's sourced text and the included press reviews ...

On September 4,1972 the UK Elvis Presley fan club flocked to Las Vegas to catch a glimpse of their hero -- and were NOT disappointed! 'Destination USA' FTD 2-CD documents Elvis' Las Vegas 1972 summer season - and for many fans it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see the King ...

Previously unheard nuances are present throughout disc one and two and it's all been given an illustrious sonic sheen. It's all wrapped in a delicious box set with rare photos (including: Elvis driving his white Blackhawk Stutz; Elvis and Linda Thompson driving golf buggy at Graceland, 1974; and various colourful 45 rpm single sleeves and covers for 'Raised On Rock', 'Promised Land', 'I've Got A Thing About You Baby' etc. It's an interesting booklet and with comprehensive liner notes). All things considered, ELVIS AT STAX is chockfull of gems - a veritable treasure-trove of his, utmost personal recordings, and totally essential.

Review of the 'That's The Way It Is' 8 CD + 2 DVD Box Set by David Tinson.

'I'm a steamroller baby!' --> Elvis sings on the phenomenal new Legacy 4-LP vinyl release 'As Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis' (Music On Vinyl) -- and it's just one of the many highlights that sound fresher and more dynamic on the vinyl LP format. The CD versionhas indeed proved very popular, however, listening to the concert on a vinyl record is an altogether different experience —the iconic 1974 album includes stunning remastered sound and it rocks! Elvis and The TCB band are almost in the room...