DID ELVIS SING , ALWAYS ON MY MIND LIVE?

[DarrylMac]

I think Elvis should have regularly included, in at least a Vegas season or tour, his latest single, side A and side B.

But the truth is that his repertoire, from 1972 on, started to get repetitive and with little variation, some fast interpretations, almost a parady... Its very sad hear with Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, All Shook Up being sung in one minute. Not to mention that Elvis practically abandoned everything he recorded between 1960 - 1962 and 1969...

This is an age old debate on this forum. While it's safe to say the format of the show, ie opening and closing numbers became set, there was still a great variety of material added between 72-76. You just have to compare a show like BIg Boss Man FTD to MSG, for example.He added songs to the set from every session he recorded from 72 onwards plus quite a number additional songs never recorded in the studio. I agree with you on the oldies though to a degree.

[egilj]

I think Elvis should have regularly included, in at least a Vegas season or tour, his latest single, side A and side B.

But the truth is that his repertoire, from 1972 on, started to get repetitive and with little variation, some fast interpretations, almost a parady... Its very sad hear with Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, All Shook Up being sung in one minute. Not to mention that Elvis practically abandoned everything he recorded between 1960 - 1962 and 1969...

About 1960, December 1976 is interesting in that aspect. He sang five songs he recorded on April 3, 1960:

Fever
It's Now Or Never
Such a Night
Are You Lonesome Tonight
Reconsider Baby

When Ray Connolly noted to Elvis that he liked Elvis is Back in August 1969, Elvis responded he liked that one too.

[Marko]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

[egilj]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

[Renan]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

IIRC, I read in a newspaper review a possible live version of "Separate Ways" in November 1972. Maybe a little surprise on this tour.

[DEH]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

I would bet Glen is just mistaken and is thinking of the rehearsal. But we are missing 4 shows from the first week of that engagement so who knows? But I think he is just mistaken.

[jetblack]

Besides, the single Separate Ways/Always On My Mind didn't do well in the charts.

A top 20 single (USA) staying on the chart for 12 weeks and selling around a half million copies sounds pretty good to me.

Andy

[DEH]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

IIRC, I read in a newspaper review a possible live version of "Separate Ways" in November 1972. Maybe a little surprise on this tour.

Some guy on here was at the show where it was rumored he performed it and he said that he didn't. I think it was San Bernadino or Oakland.

[Renan]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

IIRC, I read in a newspaper review a possible live version of "Separate Ways" in November 1972. Maybe a little surprise on this tour.

Some guy on here was at the show where it was rumored he performed it and he said that he didn't. I think it was San Bernadino or Oakland.

Yes, but is weird some newspaper cite "Separate Ways". Maybe Elvis just sang one line or made a quote about the song.

[pmp]

it makes no sense that he didn't sing these live.

I will never understand why. If he didn't want to sing his oldies, why not his newer hits rather than all the covers? Like In The Ghetto, dropped after a couple of years. A song he must have been proud of and did extremely well in the charts. A mature song rather than the childish teddy bear he continued to sing.

Surely someone around him suggested these songs be added? It would have made sense even if only during the April tour after running through them in the mock session.

It does beg the question with over 50 gold records, 18 #1 hits and some 38 top ten hits.......how many were even touched in concert (and I"m not talking about one or two offs or a verse). Food for thought.

I make it that he sang 39 of his US single A-sides (as listed by Wikipedia) in concert between 1969 and 1977 (I have counted Little Sister and Don't Be Cruel as double A sides) - not including one-offs. A much higher figure than the moaners on here would suggest.

[pmp]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

IIRC, I read in a newspaper review a possible live version of "Separate Ways" in November 1972. Maybe a little surprise on this tour.

Some guy on here was at the show where it was rumored he performed it and he said that he didn't. I think it was San Bernadino or Oakland.

Yes, but is weird some newspaper cite "Separate Ways". Maybe Elvis just sang one line or made a quote about the song.

I guess we're unlikely to find out anytime soon how or why that title go into the newspaper review if it wasn't sung. The truth is we don't have a tape of that concert, and so we don't know. But we DO know it was rehearsed in two different versions for a later Vegas season, and a number of the shows for that season are also ones we don't have tapes for.

We have to be careful when we say something wasn't performed, because we're only basing that on the tapes we have. As an example, we don't have recording of a third of the shows from the April 1973 tour. And, according to the Elvisconcerts website, over thirty shows are missing from Vegas 1969, over twenty shows from Tahoe 1971 are missing, and fifteen from Tahoe 1973. 66% of the short October 74 Tahoe season are missing. Once we get to 1976 and 1977, of course, there's not that much missing, and not much chance of unknown songs either. But it's always worth remembering that Elvis could have sung Sunday Morning Coming Down fifteen times in Tahoe in 1971 and we have no record of it. Unlikely, but not impossible.

[InheritTheWind]

I've always thought that it would have been so cool if he had sang AOMM and Separate Ways on Aloha From Hawaii tv-show as bonus songs instead the lame Hawaiian songs. It would have been a great way to present his fine contemporay work to the world.

For reasons unknown he never did them live although he did rehease Separe Ways as evidenced by the low quality recording released by FTD. I guess he didn't feel they would fit his stage show.

I asked Glen D. Hardin a couple of years ago if Elvis did Seperate Way live, and he said "Yeah, I know we did try that one". He might have mixed up stage rehearsal with doing it in front of a live audience. But there's also a possibility that Elvis actually tried it live in January/February 1973.

IIRC, I read in a newspaper review a possible live version of "Separate Ways" in November 1972. Maybe a little surprise on this tour.

Some guy on here was at the show where it was rumored he performed it and he said that he didn't. I think it was San Bernadino or Oakland.

Yes, but is weird some newspaper cite "Separate Ways". Maybe Elvis just sang one line or made a quote about the song.

I guess we're unlikely to find out anytime soon how or why that title go into the newspaper review if it wasn't sung. The truth is we don't have a tape of that concert, and so we don't know. But we DO know it was rehearsed in two different versions for a later Vegas season, and a number of the shows for that season are also ones we don't have tapes for.

We have to be careful when we say something wasn't performed, because we're only basing that on the tapes we have. As an example, we don't have recording of a third of the shows from the April 1973 tour. And, according to the Elvisconcerts website, over thirty shows are missing from Vegas 1969, over twenty shows from Tahoe 1971 are missing, and fifteen from Tahoe 1973. 66% of the short October 74 Tahoe season are missing. Once we get to 1976 and 1977, of course, there's not that much missing, and not much chance of unknown songs either. But it's always worth remembering that Elvis could have sung Sunday Morning Coming Down fifteen times in Tahoe in 1971 and we have no record of it. Unlikely, but not impossible.

He did sing one line from “If I Can Dream” in Tahoe in 1971, so anything is possible.

[YDKM]

i just get the feeling that 'Always on my mind' was too close to Elvis for him to ever consider performing it 'live'.

[Jokerlola]

i just get the feeling that 'Always on my mind' was too close to Elvis for him to ever consider performing it 'live'.

That could be true, but one thing we have to think about; We've been living with these songs for 40 plus years and listening to them over and over again. But for Elvis, these were most likely just songs he heard, worked on and recorded over the course of a few hours and that was it. He likely didn't listen to or think about this song or most of the songs he recorded again. With it not being a "A" side of a single, and not becoming a hit, he probably never thought of "Always On My Mind" again after that night of recording it.

I guess he did have to think of it again for the EOT recording mock up, but you know what I mean.

[Renan]

We have to be careful when we say something wasn't performed, because we're only basing that on the tapes we have. As an example, we don't have recording of a third of the shows from the April 1973 tour. And, according to the Elvisconcerts website, over thirty shows are missing from Vegas 1969, over twenty shows from Tahoe 1971 are missing, and fifteen from Tahoe 1973. 66% of the short October 74 Tahoe season are missing. Once we get to 1976 and 1977, of course, there's not that much missing, and not much chance of unknown songs either. But it's always worth remembering that Elvis could have sung Sunday Morning Coming Down fifteen times in Tahoe in 1971 and we have no record of it. Unlikely, but not impossible.

I totally agree. Even from TTWII season, there are many concerts that we do not have any tapes or tracklistings of what was sung. Imagine if the August 24th 1970 would have never been released. We would have not listened to "When The Snow Is On The Roses".

About 1976 and 1977, we may have one surprise but chances are slim. Probably from this era, the last surprise was "Danny Boy" from Tucson.

[Ryan73]

it makes no sense that he didn't sing these live.

I will never understand why. If he didn't want to sing his oldies, why not his newer hits rather than all the covers? Like In The Ghetto, dropped after a couple of years. A song he must have been proud of and did extremely well in the charts. A mature song rather than the childish teddy bear he continued to sing.

Surely someone around him suggested these songs be added? It would have made sense even if only during the April tour after running through them in the mock session.

It does beg the question with over 50 gold records, 18 #1 hits and some 38 top ten hits.......how many were even touched in concert (and I"m not talking about one or two offs or a verse). Food for thought.

I make it that he sang 39 of his US single A-sides (as listed by Wikipedia) in concert between 1969 and 1977 (I have counted Little Sister and Don't Be Cruel as double A sides) - not including one-offs. A much higher figure than the moaners on here would suggest.

I said 50 gold, 18 number ones and 38 top 10 hits, not US single a sides Too bad what was written wasn't quoted correctly or countered without put downs. I suppose as long as this type of language continues to be 'liked' it appears it will continue. Carry on.

[pmp]

it makes no sense that he didn't sing these live.

I will never understand why. If he didn't want to sing his oldies, why not his newer hits rather than all the covers? Like In The Ghetto, dropped after a couple of years. A song he must have been proud of and did extremely well in the charts. A mature song rather than the childish teddy bear he continued to sing.

Surely someone around him suggested these songs be added? It would have made sense even if only during the April tour after running through them in the mock session.

It does beg the question with over 50 gold records, 18 #1 hits and some 38 top ten hits.......how many were even touched in concert (and I"m not talking about one or two offs or a verse). Food for thought.

I make it that he sang 39 of his US single A-sides (as listed by Wikipedia) in concert between 1969 and 1977 (I have counted Little Sister and Don't Be Cruel as double A sides) - not including one-offs. A much higher figure than the moaners on here would suggest.

I said 50 gold, 18 number ones and 38 top 10 hits, not US single a sides I wish the other moaners on this board could read better.

I havw no intention of getting books out and accessing multiple websites. If you want that, you can do it yourself. But it's clear from my post that he did not ignore most of his single a-sides, many if which feature in the 38 gold records.

[pmp]

We have to be careful when we say something wasn't performed, because we're only basing that on the tapes we have. As an example, we don't have recording of a third of the shows from the April 1973 tour. And, according to the Elvisconcerts website, over thirty shows are missing from Vegas 1969, over twenty shows from Tahoe 1971 are missing, and fifteen from Tahoe 1973. 66% of the short October 74 Tahoe season are missing. Once we get to 1976 and 1977, of course, there's not that much missing, and not much chance of unknown songs either. But it's always worth remembering that Elvis could have sung Sunday Morning Coming Down fifteen times in Tahoe in 1971 and we have no record of it. Unlikely, but not impossible.

I totally agree. Even from TTWII season, there are many concerts that we do not have any tapes or tracklistings of what was sung. Imagine if the August 24th 1970 would have never been released. We would have not listened to "When The Snow Is On The Roses".

About 1976 and 1977, we may have one surprise but chances are slim. Probably from this era, the last surprise was "Danny Boy" from Tucson.

Yes, there is certainly room surprises up the end of 1974, I would say. We have no real idea if Elvis tried out various songs in 1969, for example. Most of those shows are missing.

[Ryan73]

it makes no sense that he didn't sing these live.

I will never understand why. If he didn't want to sing his oldies, why not his newer hits rather than all the covers? Like In The Ghetto, dropped after a couple of years. A song he must have been proud of and did extremely well in the charts. A mature song rather than the childish teddy bear he continued to sing.

Surely someone around him suggested these songs be added? It would have made sense even if only during the April tour after running through them in the mock session.

It does beg the question with over 50 gold records, 18 #1 hits and some 38 top ten hits.......how many were even touched in concert (and I"m not talking about one or two offs or a verse). Food for thought.

I make it that he sang 39 of his US single A-sides (as listed by Wikipedia) in concert between 1969 and 1977 (I have counted Little Sister and Don't Be Cruel as double A sides) - not including one-offs. A much higher figure than the moaners on here would suggest.

I said 50 gold, 18 number ones and 38 top 10 hits, not US single a sides I wish the other moaners on this board could read better.

I havw no intention of getting books out and accessing multiple websites. If you want that, you can do it yourself. But it's clear from my post that he did not ignore most of his single a-sides, many if which feature in the 38 gold records.

I never asked you nor intended for you (or anyone else for that matter) to get books out and access multiple websites to counter my post but all are welcome to. How about just replying more civilly for a start?

[Hafenkneipe]

As we all know, he also sang It's A Matter of Time in Las Vegas in the summer of '73, why shouldn't he have sung Always On My Mind too?
As long as there is still unpublished material, there might still be a surprise.

A question by the way - in the winter / spring of '73 a number of concerts at the Hilton Hotel were canceled, sometimes 3 concerts in a row. I wasn't aware of that until today. Do you know what was going on?

[jurasic1968]

In February 1973 Elvis was in a very bad mood, sick and depressed. He wanted to kill Mike Stone after he believed that four South Americans who jumped on stage in Vegas were sent by Mike to kill him. He took a lot of drugs to calm down and it was the very first time in 1973 he was in a big danger to lose his life. Three other such situations were also in 1973, in May (Tahoe), St. Louis (June) and Memphis (October).

[Hafenkneipe]

In February 1973 Elvis was in a very bad mood, sick and depressed. He wanted to kill Mike Stone after he believed that four South Americans who jumped on stage in Vegas were sent by Mike to kill him. He took a lot of drugs to calm down and it was the very first time in 1973 he was in a big danger to lose his life. Three other such situations were also in 1973, in May (Tahoe), St. Louis (June) and Memphis (October).

Oh, the story of Elvis jumping around in the hotel room with an M16 machine gun. Yes, that's what it says in West / Hebler's "What Happened". Then I have to read it again.

[DEH]

As we all know, he also sang It's A Matter of Time in Las Vegas in the summer of '73, why shouldn't he have sung Always On My Mind too?
As long as there is still unpublished material, there might still be a surprise.

A question by the way - in the winter / spring of '73 a number of concerts at the Hilton Hotel were canceled, sometimes 3 concerts in a row. I wasn't aware of that until today. Do you know what was going on?

Elvis was having throat problems. You can hear it on tapes of the shows.

[jurasic1968]

Jerry Schilling and Peter Guralnick wrote in their books how Elvis was in a very bad condition in February 1973. "An impossible month in Vegas".

[pmp]

it makes no sense that he didn't sing these live.

I will never understand why. If he didn't want to sing his oldies, why not his newer hits rather than all the covers? Like In The Ghetto, dropped after a couple of years. A song he must have been proud of and did extremely well in the charts. A mature song rather than the childish teddy bear he continued to sing.

Surely someone around him suggested these songs be added? It would have made sense even if only during the April tour after running through them in the mock session.

It does beg the question with over 50 gold records, 18 #1 hits and some 38 top ten hits.......how many were even touched in concert (and I"m not talking about one or two offs or a verse). Food for thought.

I make it that he sang 39 of his US single A-sides (as listed by Wikipedia) in concert between 1969 and 1977 (I have counted Little Sister and Don't Be Cruel as double A sides) - not including one-offs. A much higher figure than the moaners on here would suggest.

I said 50 gold, 18 number ones and 38 top 10 hits, not US single a sides I wish the other moaners on this board could read better.

I havw no intention of getting books out and accessing multiple websites. If you want that, you can do it yourself. But it's clear from my post that he did not ignore most of his single a-sides, many if which feature in the 38 gold records.

I never asked you nor intended for you (or anyone else for that matter) to get books out and access multiple websites to counter my post but all are welcome to. How about just replying more civilly for a start?

I was not uncivil in the first place. Neither did I refer to YOU as one of the people who moans about Elvis's setlists. It was a general comment.

And considering you "begged a question," one would assume that you wanted someone to answer it. You asked quite specifically "how many" Elvis sang in concert.