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| Madison Square Garden June 10, 1972 With rehearsals over, and several further nights of live recording completed, it was on to Manhattan. Elvis's entourage arrived at New York Hilton three days before the Friday, June 9, opening of the show. It was obvious to all that these shows were not treated like they were in the other cities on the tour, where Joe Guercio was trusted to prepare the local horn and string section without any need to involve Elvis. Elvis wanted to work on songs they'd never played or had tried only rarely, so a rehersal space was set up at the hotel to accommodate the band. Together they developed an extensive repertoire, including new songs. Only when they got closer to showtime did his ambitions fade in the glare of the imminent spotlight, leaving only a fraction of the new material remaining on the set list. On friday afternoon, before the first show, the Colonel staged a rare press conference, a setting in which Elvis could disarm and win over the New York media who had sneered at him in the 1950's. The event would promote the Garden shows in particular, but more important, it was designed to call attention to the fact that his client could still sell out one of America's premiere concerts venues, lackluster chart performance and record sales be damned. He deflected the question about hard rock by saying that good rock songs were hard to come by, and by declaring that he had no plans to do a rock 'n' roll show. Instead, as he had since 1970, he would continue to present his vision of the entire musical spectrum. As it turned out, there was little to fear in New York City. All four shows were sellouts, with an amazing eighty-thosand tickets sold, and the visibility of the event caused RCA to change its plans for its next scheduled album. The soundtrack to the "Standing Room Only" documentary had been penciled in and a catalog number assigned; now that album was put on indefinite hold, and RCA decided to record two of the Madison Square Garden shows for release within days after the concerts. With Felton Jarvis now seriously ill and on kidney dialysis, RCA's A&R coordinator Joan Deary handled the project, and it was with great pride that she was able to announce the release of Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, a faithful transcription of the June 10 evening show, only eight days after the actual event. From a musical point of view the Madison Square Garden shows may not have been the best of the period, but the sheer intensity of the performance was staggering, and its every volt was captured in the succession of twenty songs Elvis packed into one breathless hour. Elvis might have told Tom Jones he was afraid of "nobody coming," but in retrospect that must have amounted to his way of steeling hinself for the challenge. "Like a Prince from Another Planet," read one headline, and while most of the crities agreed that the show might not have been exactly what they would have prescribed for the singer, Elvis himself had nevertheless transcended every known measure of popularity and success that had ever been afforded a popular singer. (The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen) |
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| Well I've never been to Spain But I kinda like the music Say the ladies are insane there And they sure know how to use it The don't abuse it Never gonna loose it I can't refuse it Well, I've never been to England But I kind of like the Beatles So I headed for Las Vegas Only made it out to Needles Can you feel it Must be weary Oh so good... oh feel so good Well I've never been to heaven But I've been in Oklahoma Well, they tell me I was born there But I really don't remember In Oklahoma or Arizona What does it matter What does it matter Well I've never been to Spain But I kinda like the music Say the ladies are insane there And they sure know how to use it The don't abuse it Never gonna loose it I can't refuse it Well I've never been to heaven But I've been in Oklahoma Well, they tell me I was born there But I really don't remember In Oklahoma or Arizona What does it matter What does it matter In Oklahoma or Arizona What does it matter What does it matter Not much I think Words & music: Hoyt Axton Recorded: 1972/06/10, first released on Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden |
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