Las Vegas. January 1972. Hilton Hotel. Season 6. The new year began and Elvis’ appearance in Las Vegas in January 1972 would finally provide an opportunity for live recordings of the new season’s Las Vegas performances at the Hilton Hotel. Felton Jarvis made a series of live recordings with the intention of making another live album. Elvis wanted to present some of the new material he had been eager to record, songs that would be very different from his usual repertoire.
Freddy Bienstock and Hill & Range could not find any songs that were really commercial and this was tiring and frustrating Elvis, who could no longer follow the same musical path. Elvis continued to seek to renew himself as an artist, it would always be his great goal, to surprise and impress with his songs in his show.
The connection between them was already very lost and their tastes were not at all compatible, which made the special connection that existed in the early years very difficult. It is true that Elvis had a musical material that little by little was changing and adapting to the new era and the new composers of the moment. But the pity is that he would never count on any of these composers on a personal level, he would not find songs composed especially for him, which meant that his repertoire did not offer anything fresh, but versions of other singers who had already had success with the same ones. This would be a mistake over time for a person who sought to renew himself.
musically and longed to offer the best of himself in his songs. Although Elvis was a master performer at this time it might seem that his repertoire offered nothing new. But in reality it offered something different, his special, intimate and dedicated version of songs that at this time were giving him another artistic vision. Many of his fans would not recognize in 1972 the Elvis Presley who captivated years
back with his moves, his vibrant music and his heart-pounding ballads. But really his audience was also growing with him, counting on new generations and also with our type of spectators who needed more relaxed songs, heartfelt and with lived-in arguments, which particularly Elvis could be passing through in real time.
separation.
Songs like “Until it’s Time For You To Go”, “You Gave Me A Mountain”, “Never Been To Spain” “It’ Over”, would be an example of this new personal state.
It is true that the repertoire he was carrying up to that moment was crying out for renewal, not only for Elvis, but also for his musicians, who were tired of playing the same thing and his choral support that could also become stagnant with the same songs. It would be a success to renew himself, but on the other hand it would have been convenient to look for new songs, new compositions and to make himself
even bigger.
This would be the novelty in these concerts of the sixth season of Las Vegas. Elvis plays calmly, meaningfully and shows another side to his closest audience,
through these songs.
It is true that the repertoire he was carrying out up to that point was crying out for renewal, not only for Elvis, but also for his musicians, who were tired of playing the same thing and his choral support that
It could also become stagnant with the same songs. It would be a good idea to renew itself, but on the other hand it would have been better to look for new songs, new composers and make itself even bigger.
This would be the novelty in these concerts of the sixth season of Las Vegas. Elvis plays calmly, meaningfully and shows another side to his closest audience, through these songs.
