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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis Unplugged, May 2, 2001
By the time Elvis mounted the stage at NBC's Burbank Studios in June 1968 for two shows, he had been languishing in Hollywood Purgatory for most of the decade. The director of the NBC special that would bare Elvis's name wanted to scrap the "Broadway/Supper Club" approach that Col. Tom Parker wanted and get Elvis "back to the basics" of his rockabilly roots.The resulting special - aired in December 1968 - was a compromise: Elvis doing roughly half of the show in elaborate set pieces and the other half, a sit-down near-free-form jam session between Elvis and his band in front of a select audience. That jam - whose 6pm session makes up the second disk of this set - is ragged, repetitive, the songs frequently half-finished or interrupted - and its just about the most exciting music Elvis ever recorded. There's a sheer joy of re-discovery when he tears into "That's All Right, Mama" and the amazing energy he displays on "Tryin' to Get to You", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", and "One Night" bespeaks a man liberated - albeit briefly - from the dreck he was saddled with singing during the 60's. This is a rare return to form in between Elvis's depressing slide into hack movie star and his even more depressing fall into drugged-out Vegas crooner. The first disc features the more elaborate production music and while its not to be dismissed - especially Elvis's gospel medley - it not nearly as fascinating as the second disc. RCA's repackaging of Elvis's material is frequently annoying - and this set is overpriced - but its worth it to get the first (and best) deliberately "unplugged" sessions in rock history. (A second disc - "Tiger Man" - features the set of "unplugged" sessions recorded at 8pm that night. Its somewhat inferior to the 6 pm session because the band didn't quite get it together again (NBC used most of the 6pm show for the special) but it does have a great version of "Tiger Man" that not available on the "Memories" disc. Why RCA didn't band all the sessions together is beyond me.)
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis rocks like only Elvis can, September 22, 2002
Just for truth's sake, on disc 1, Elvis was not singing to taped music (or karaoke as it was condescendingly referred to), it was done live - I've SEEN THE OUTTAKES. You can see the band, and you can see if he makes a mistake the band stops. The only part that the vocals were dubbed were the story sequences, for obvious resons. He also jams with the band for a while during the stand up part playing lead electric blues guitar. You'd be surprised how good he really was on the guitar, no hendrix, but definately a Neil Young. I heard Elvis do guitar solos, oh yeah, the boy can play. And also, he has SO MUCH ENERGY on disc 1 it's mind-blowing. The sound quality is crisp, the bass is pumping, and Elvis vocals portray him as the grass-roots blues singer he is. Another thing is, you get a good glimpse of Elvis' sense of humor in this 2-disc set, which is good for seeing his humanity. That today a singer who gets involved with drugs is pitied and coddled, and Elvis gets called childish names is beyond me, but that's how comfortable it is to agree with a stereotype. Well, no stereotype here, you will hear why Elvis will remain the #1 Artist of all time.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry guys, but he WAS the King, September 13, 2000
Essentially this album is two parts--the over-the-top concert section where Elvis is pacing back and forth, and the unplugged set on the 2nd disc, which is pretty much the only thing that recommends this album.Don't get me wrong, his voice hit its peak around this time--just compare the strength of these renditions to the 50's and 60's master recordings; you'll find there's no comparison. But the first disc is ruined by anemically taped music which is no more than Elvis doing Karioke. The song selection isn't bad; ditto the gospel medley. But disc one is NOT Elvis at his best. Disc two, on the other hand, is the killer. It's far from perfect, filled with humour, and proves that all you need is heart and soul (you either got it or you don't) to make an audience feel what's real. Sparse acoustic guitars and just Elvis' voice make this disc kicking beyond belief, especially 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy', 'One Night', 'Baby What You Want Me To Do', and especially 'Love Me'. 3 stars for the first, 5 for the second, which is why this is only a 4 star rating.
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~ Elvis Presley
~ Elvis Presley
~ Elvis Presley
DVD ~ Elvis Presley
~ Elvis Presley
by Elvis Presley 
