Search - Elvis Presley :: Afternoon in the Garden

A Wide-Ranging Hour with the King

Richard B. Luhrs | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 04/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the liner notes for AN AFTERNOON IN THE GARDEN duly point out, it's a wonder indeed that Elvis somehow never played New York City before the June 1972 set of concerts from which this set and the previously released ONSTAGE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN were drawn. Curio value aside, however, this remastered document of a complete Elvis show (albeit a rather brief one at just over an hour) is a worthy addition to the King's discography.

Perhaps because this was his first time onstage in the Big Apple, Elvis offers a very broad cross-section of his repertoire here, opening the proceedings with the Sun classic "That's All Right" and moving through a well-balanced program incorporating no fewer than eight of his fifties RCA hits (in truncated form, of course), the bookend sixties classics "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Suspicious Minds," several numbers from the King's 1970 Nashville sessions, a couple of his post-1970 singles and a healthy chunk of contemporary cover tunes, several of which had previously been Presleyized on albums such as ON STAGE and THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. Indeed, it's hard to think of a more comprehensive Elvis set than this; and if the King sounds neither as vibrant as he did on some earlier concert recordings, nor as soulful as he would a few months later on ALOHA FROM HAWAII, he's nevertheless in fine form throughout this hour, and his band keeps right up with him as always. A few pleasant surprises help to keep things moving, such as Elvis' inclusion of the second verse of CCR's "Proud Mary," which was sadly omitted from the ON STAGE version. Meanwhile, "Hound Dog," which by this point had become the biggest joke in the King's performances, starts off at a nice half-speed tempo guaranteed to reopen the ears of even the most jaded Elvis aficionado.

AN AFTERNOON IN THE GARDEN shows Elvis in an impressive light some five years before his death, continuing to expand his repertoire while keeping all of the essentials firmly in place. It may be mostly of interest to hard-core fans, but for the casual listener it offers a good introduction to the King's latterday live extravaganzas. Great stuff, either way."

Electrifying

SteveOsha@aol.com | spfld, ma | 03/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the most exciting concert I ever heard recorded. This demonstrates that by the early 70's, he hadn't lost his touch. The new releases, such as this one, "the alternate aloha", and "Aloha from hawaii (with bonus tracks)" have better sound quality and a more live feel. The crowd is wild on this one. As far as his performance, WOW! He sounds great. He did very well with the old rock n roll standards. I can't forget to mention the band. They sound supercharged. The drums and bass are tight and fast. Listen to "polk salad annie." Although the performances are very similar to the evening show(released in 1972 as recorded at MSG) It has a new feel. It is done the right way, unedited, good crowd noise, and remastered. For anyone who wants to hear how Elvis Presley sounded live, this is the one."

Coop's review!

brian cooper | USA | 03/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems 1972 was a very good year to be an Elvis Presley fan. I recently dusted off my cd, "An Afernoon At The Garden" and was pleasantly surprised. I intended to listen to just a couple of songs but found myself listening to the entire concert and realizing just how great a show it was. This performance no doubt is the best representation of Elvis' live performances in the 1970s. 1972 was the culmination of his and his bands' efforts and their professionalism shone through brightly. What a fantastic, eclectic array of music! Elvis' 1950s hits were well-represented with very good renditions, his modern hits and cover-versions were delivered flawlessly and each genre he mastered was there; rockabilly, rock, country, rhythm & blues and gospel. No artist before or since has mastered such a variety of vocal artistry. Two more adjectives come to mind; dazzling and magical; Elvis looked every bit the rock-music icon he had become, wearing his amazing bejeweled jumpsuit with cape and his showmanship is legendary. It's quite apparent Elvis was having fun and had good interaction with his audience, and they were quite obviously enjoying the show. This was the peak, the summit; the fun was contageous and so was the energy and enthusiasm. What a wondrous spectacle this concert must've been to attend! No, it wasn't just a good year, 1972 was a great year to be an Elvis fan!"