Search - Elvis Presley :: Live in L.A.

The Book Is Great But The CD Isn't

Kevin Hoffman | St. Clairsville, OH | 03/31/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Despite the high price I decided to purchase "Elvis Live In L.A." because I'd been pleased with most other FTD releases and because of that high price I knew I'd have something that not too many other people have.



First the good news: The book is great! It's a must-have for any Elvis fan! We get photos from Elvis' 1956 and 57 shows in the L.A. area, then we get some great shots from his legendary shows at The Forum in 1970. The bulk of the book centers on his May 1974 concerts, again at The Forum. These images shows Elvis to be a highly animated, and quite spectacular figure on stage. He has gained some weight since the 1970 shows but not enough to make one think he's seriously overweight or out of shape. Then we fast forward to April 1976, and the differemce is absolutely heartbreaking. These shows at the Long Beach Arena show a hugely overweight, pale and puffy faced man drenched in sweat. The downhill slide is unmistakable. The book ends with photos from his Anaheim show in Nov. 1976. Elvis seems to have partially recovered by this time. He's lost a considerable amount of weight, looks more agile on stage, and gives the impression of a man enjoying himself.



Now the bad news: The soundboard recording of his May 11, 1974 evening show at The Forum is one of the worst in terms of sound quality, that I've ever heard. Both Elvis and the band sound as though they're performing with pillows over their faces and instruments. It's still good enough to be listenable, but I've heard audience recordings that sound better than this. As for the performance itself: it's good but not outstanding. Elvis flies from song to song with almost no interaction with the audience, something I consider quite essential in a Presley performance.



I wish I could have purchased the book without the CD at a lower price. The book is an essential to any elvis fan's collection: the cd much less so."