Elvis Presley - International Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, 8-24-1969, Late Show

Once upon a time, Elvis Presley was arguably the biggest music star in the world. But I've noticed his fame is fading faster than that of others from his era, as people who grew up with him keep dying. His peak was before my time too, and I surmise it helped a lot to have lived through those years to fully understand what a groundbreaking musical act he was at the time. While I'm not a huge Presley fan, I do want to post some things that can help people appreciate why he was so famous in the first place. I previously posted highlights from his 1968 comeback TV special, which was one of the pinnacles of his musical career. This concert represents another musical peak for him.

Presley had a great music career in the 1950s, but squandered most of the 1960s starring in a bunch of bad B-movies. However, the 1968 comeback TV special I mentioned above showed that he was musically revitalized and ready for something new. He followed that with the studio album "From Elvis in Memphis" in June 1969, which was a big critical and commercial success. Rolling Stone Magazine has rated this as one of the top 500 albums of all time.

After that, he wanted to try performing concerts again. Aside from the brief concerts he did in front a small studio audience for his 1968 comeback special, he hadn't performed a concert since 1961. But demand was very high now that he was suddenly hot again, with a new hit album and hit singles. In May 1969, the brand-new International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, booked Presley for fifty-seven shows over four weeks (usually twice a night), beginning July 31 and running until early September. His previous backing musicians declined to participate, afraid of losing the lucrative session work they had in Nashville. Instead, Presley found new, high quality accompaniment, led by lead guitarist James Burton.

These new concerts were a huge success. The hotel soon gave him a five-year contract in which he would play there each February and August, at an annual salary of $1 million. That was a remarkable sum for that era. He would go on to perform concerts frequently in the 1970s, instead of making more movies (until his death in 1977). 

His first run of concerts in Las Vegas in August 1969 was his best. He was very excited to be performing again, and to be received so well, so he was at the top of his game. Also, his music still leaned on rock and soul. Just one year later, his music would shift to more middle-of-the-road pop. Many of the concerts from this month have been officially released, including some box sets. But after some digging, I found this one which remains unreleased, yet has ideal soundboard sound quality. (All the shows were professionally recorded for a live album.) 

Most of the songs were hits from the 1950s and early 1960s, or covers of classics (including a version of "Words" by the Bee Gees, released the year before). However, he included two new hit songs. "In the Ghetto" was released in April 1969, and went all the way to Number Three in the U.S. singles chart, his first Top Ten hit since 1963. But "Suspicious Minds," released as a single just two days after this concert, did even better. It would go all the way to Number One, becoming his 14th and last Number One hit in the U.S. Rolling Stone Magazine would later rank it as one of the top 100 songs of all time.

If you want just one live album by Presley, I would suggest this one.

Here's an interesting quote from a "Newsweek" review from his first month of concerts in 1969:

"Dressed in a chic black tunic and bell bottoms that matched his long but neatly combed black-tinted hair. Elvis Presley stepped onstage last week at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and launched into the driving beat of 'Blue Suede Shoes'. The audience of 2,000, most of them over 30, roared and squealed in nostalgic appreciation. In spite of his updated look, Elvis hadn't changed at all in the nearly nine years since his last personal appearance. Shaking, gyrating and quivering, he again proved himself worthy of his nickname, 'The Pelvis.' Through nervousness caused him to sing 'Love my, me tender' for 'Love Me Tender', the pasty-faced enchanter quickly settled down to work his oleaginous charms, backed by a 30-piece orchestra, a five-man combo and a chorus of seven. Oozing the sullen sexuality that threw the America into a state of shock in the 50's, he groaned and swiveled through a medley of 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'All Shook Up' and 'Hound Dog'. It was hard to believe he was 34 and no longer 19 years old."

(By the way, I had to look up the word "oleaginous." Can you imagine a news magazine using a word like that in today's dumbed-down media environment? Anyway, it basically means "oily.") 

This album is an hour and two minutes long.

01 Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)
02 talk (Elvis Presley)
03 I Got a Woman (Elvis Presley)
04 talk (Elvis Presley)
05 All Shook Up (Elvis Presley)
06 talk (Elvis Presley)
07 Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley)
08 talk (Elvis Presley)
09 Jailhouse Rock - Don't Be Cruel (Elvis Presley)
10 Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley)
11 talk (Elvis Presley)
12 Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)
13 I Can't Stop Loving You (Elvis Presley)
14 Johnny B. Goode (Elvis Presley)
15 talk (Elvis Presley)
16 Baby, What You Want Me to Do (Elvis Presley)
17 Runaway (Elvis Presley)
18 Are You Lonesome Tonight (Elvis Presley)
19 Words (Elvis Presley)
20 Yesterday - Hey Jude (Elvis Presley)
21 talk (Elvis Presley)
22 In the Ghetto (Elvis Presley)
23 talk (Elvis Presley)
24 Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley)
25 talk (Elvis Presley)
26 Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/zLt7DwcT

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/cXKfFw3k2drNVGR/file

I found two good photos I wanted to use for the cover. I couldn't decide which one I liked more, so I decided to use both. Both of them are from a