New FTD: The Last Tours Vol.1 (4CD) & California Holiday 2LP

[frus75]

Apart from the obvious reason of the fan population slowly dying, there’s been a big change in how people manages their relationship with music nowadays.

It’s not only the physical thing, the interest in anything alternate is different too. If they have shake a hand with chorus and orchestra sounding excellent on Apple Music and playing great on a sonos five or some good headphones for 9,99 per month (less if they’re students) , they seem to have zero interest in investing 70€ ok having 3 unfinished takes of the same song or some distorted or inferior sounding concert soundboard recording. And the ones who want to spend money, seem to favor masters on vinyl, the real albums. The novelty (not the proper word maybe) of hearing Elvis singing some different line or having 467 versions of hound dog has gone away!

Maybe it has to do with cost. In the 60’s to the 00’s anyone with limited money had to chose. Even if you had let’s say €£$50 which was like a fortune you had to chose. When the soundtracks appeared in 1993, you had to chose. And even rich people rarely went to a record store and bought each new record available. But now? Imagine being 15 or 16 back then and having instant access for 3€ per month (to say an amount) to millions of songs.

Not only that, if you’re 14 or 23 and like Elvis, that instant access is for a catalogue in pristine sound, that contrasting greatly with the bad sound quality of most soundboards.

But if you have that total access to the complete catalogue any performer in the world, the music time you can dedicate for listening 2162837 takes of pocketful or rainbows is less, and, besides, on those streaming services there are already some alternate takes and some soundboards, but in limited quantities.

It’s a change, a BIG change. On high school in 1989 I had friends into a lot of music , queen fans, heavy metal fans and they were also crazy about rare material. Having a limited budget made them even more fans, because if you adore Queen and have 10 bucks to spend, you’ll chose a rarities cd of queen and not a random Led Zeppelin cd to see how they sound. You’ll make a sure bet.

Is like paying 300 a month and being able to drive any car you chose, every second of every minute of every hour.

Hardware matters too. Listening to old Walkman’s headphones that sounded real bad, or to those plastic 2 speakers mid-fi 80’s all in one systems, plus cds remastered with the noise reduction sucking all treble, made Madison square garden sound like fort Baxter’s just pretend.

Now, with a decent soundboard, or a sonos-like speaker, even if the little ones, you get a relatively much better experience than back then, and the difference in sound quality between Amarillo FTD and Memphis 2024 is painful.

[emjel]

And putting them on youtube is not?

And putting them on YouTube is not….WHAT?

Putting them on YouTube has not been done by FTD and fans don’t have to pay either and FTD or Sony don’t seem to be too bothered that they are there either.

And as I wrote, new fans coming along are unlikely to want to listen to substandard sounding shows in the same way as collector fans from the 70s and 80s are likely to want to hear them or collect them.

[billy jack]

And putting them on youtube is not?

Putting something on YouTube is of free will, by a random person. And you have the solution yourself, YouTube is free for everyone. Fixed issue regarding ''on-line FTD''.

Yup, but not legal. So that is the only issue.
I will go steal some car now, need to drive my kid to a training.

Issue? I think not. As it turns out, YouTube has no problem with illegal material. During his lifetime, Prince was busy challenging illegal material. After his death, a flood of both audio and visual material was and continues to be uploaded to YT because no one else has a problem with it. The same applies to Elvis.

[emjel]

Well maybe someday somebody will come up with an idea that this historical materials should be available to everybody just like many other materials are.

It may not be a business decision but preservation of historical documents.
Until that time comes, let's enjoy the ride!

Have a great weekend and put on some FTD guys.

The thing is that this material you talk about is not historical in the truest context. Aloha is historical - Elvis’ return to live shows in 1969 is historical , so too is his one and only 4 show engagement at Madison Square Gardens and his very last concert at Indianapolis' Market Square Arena. Everything else is just Elvis on tour in different parts of the USA.

[Rob]

And putting them on youtube is not?

Putting something on YouTube is of free will, by a random person. And you have the solution yourself, YouTube is free for everyone. Fixed issue regarding ''on-line FTD''.

Yup, but not legal. So that is the only issue.
I will go steal some car now, need to drive my kid to a training.

Issue? I think not. As it turns out, YouTube has no problem with illegal material. During his lifetime, Prince was busy challenging illegal material. After his death, a flood of both audio and visual material was and continues to be uploaded to YT because no one else has a problem with it. The same applies to Elvis.

If I can't have it on a shiny, new, silver CD, then I don't want it at all.

But that's just the way I shake that tambourine.

[emjel]

And putting them on youtube is not?

Putting something on YouTube is of free will, by a random person. And you have the solution yourself, YouTube is free for everyone. Fixed issue regarding ''on-line FTD''.

Yup, but not legal. So that is the only issue.
I will go steal some car now, need to drive my kid to a training.

Issue? I think not. As it turns out, YouTube has no problem with illegal material. During his lifetime, Prince was busy challenging illegal material. After his death, a flood of both audio and visual material was and continues to be uploaded to YT because no one else has a problem with it. The same applies to Elvis.

If I can't have it on a shiny, new, silver CD, then I don't want it at all.

But that's just the way I shake that tambourine.

It seems that due to a shortage in Silver, future discs are likely to be on Gold which apparently offers a superior sound too. So looks like you are in s..t street

[Rob]

Are you quite finished, young man?

Good.

Go to your room.

[emjel]

Are you quite finished, young man?

Good.

Go to your room.

I'll give you brownie points for the "young man" bit. As for your other instruction, I'm already in my room listening to From Elvis at Christmas

[A. C. van Kuijk]

Some time ago the people here went crazy after I complained about FTD not releasing their stuff on the streaming platforms. 100% boomers living in the 1990s or something. Today music is released in great audio quality on Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon Music, Apple Music and some others. Most people below 30 don't even own a cd player and therefore are cut off from all the concerts and outtakes released by FTD. Just take a look at MRS, they show you how to do it. Great audio, nice packaging and an additional digital release.

However, I have listened to THE LAST TOURS - VOLUME 1 and I like it very much. Elvis isn't in his greatest voice and also sounds tired at times. But he's in high spirits (without sounding medicated) and he includes some rare stuff. The audio is very good and the digipak is well designed. I am pretty sure the stuff will sound even better as soon as MRS turns it into fake stereo.

[Tomek]

I put all my music in AppleMusic cloud for easy access. Playing a CD or a vinyl is a real treat for me as I don’t have much time to just seat and listen to the album in peace.
This hopefully will change in the future so I keep buing interesting stuff but… I would love to have option to subscribe for Elvis music libary with all that is available from FTD ect.

And as I said FTD back catalog is unavailable and probably will never be re-released therefore I think online source for the material would be a great idea.
Also for new fans that will come in the future and they will even some here think they are last in the queue. Well you can be sure you are not.

[emjel]

I put all my music in AppleMusic cloud for easy access. Playing a CD or a vinyl is a real treat for me as I don’t have much time to just seat and listen to the album in peace.
This hopefully will change in the future so I keep buing interesting stuff but… I would love to have option to subscribe for Elvis music libary with all that is available from FTD ect.

And as I said FTD back catalog is unavailable and probably will never be re-released therefore I think online source for the material would be a great idea.
Also for new fans that will come in the future and they will even some here think they are last in the queue. Well you can be sure you are not.

Sony will not allow FTD to put the kind of releases you want onto digital platforms for all the general public to listen to. They want the very best quality recordings for the general public and not shows that do not have first rate sound or shows that are incomplete or shows where Elvis does not sound that great. And it is too late in the day for FTD to set up some kind of special site to allow that kind of thing, not forgetting the sheer expense of creating such a thing now.
As was mentioned by someone else, the fanbase is declining and will continue to do so and newer fans are likely to only be interested in the recordings that are readily available already on the digital platforms ie every album officially released by Elvis during his lifetime career plus all the recent mainstream boxsets that have been issued in recent years which include a good selection of studio outtakes like the Nashville, Memphis 69, Stax and Jungle Room Sessions, plus lots of important live shows. And if new fans are desperate to want to listen to many of the live shows that have been put out over the last few decades, whether that be via bootlegs or FTD, a huge number are available on YouTube.

[Tomek]

Sure but there are other platforms like nugs.net where artusts are putting their not main stream material.
It would be a good place for FTD material

[rollinson1]

Are you quite finished, young man?

Good.

Go to your room.

I'll give you brownie points for the "young man" bit. As for your other instruction, I'm already in my room listening to From Elvis at Christmas

I have also given this a spin this morning, quite surprised so left my thoughts on the What are you listening to now thread

[emjel]

Sure but there are other platforms like nugs.net where artusts are putting their not main stream material.
It would be a good place for FTD material

Well I’ve looked at a few of those including artists like Grateful Dead and a lot of those albums appear to be on other platforms too. And are you comparing like with like. Are the albums by all those artists properly recorded and complete. Well the site states that the recordings they have, are professionally mixed official recordings and complete show recordings even though many come from soundboards - A few of the comments I have read is that the site offers shows that are in amazing sound quality and it’s like sitting in the audience. The majority of Elvis soundboard recordings are not like that - they are in mono where the sound is not top notch and on some, there are audible distortions and were never intended for possible release.

As mentioned, so many of Elvis’ shows, soundboard or audience recordings, are available to listen to via YouTube and for free.

[Tomek]

Sorry but this is only true for modern recordings.
Shows from 80s like Stray Cats still sounds like from the 80s on that platform. Some John Fogerty soundboards from 2010’s are not perfect but still available there for example so
Elvis’ Soundboards would do just fine there for sure.

I’m trying to understand why some of you think there will be no more interest in Elvis’ music after you/we will be gone but I don’t get it.
Over the years most of predictions and statements I read here were not accurate at best. I’m sure this one is one of them.

[billy jack]

Sorry but this is only true for modern recordings.
Shows from 80s like Stray Cats still sounds like from the 80s on that platform. Some John Fogerty soundboards from 2010’s are not perfect but still available there for example so
Elvis’ Soundboards would do just fine there for sure.

I’m trying to understand why some of you think there will be no more interest in Elvis’ music after you/we will be gone but I don’t get it.
Over the years most of predictions and statements I read here were not accurate at best. I’m sure this one is one of them.

I think you're confusing two things, or at least not separating them. Elvis Presley represents one of the most essential events in American pop music or culture. Having sold more records than any other artist or band, it is impossible that Elvis will ever be forgotten.

Putting FTD releases on streaming platforms takes away the exclusivity of the idea behind a label like ''Follow That Dream''. Legally available, but with limited quantities and available through minimum designated retailers. Most streaming platforms do not offer FTD, YouTube Music does, but it is uploaded by users. Often in its entirety and without being able to choose a separate track.

Looking to the future, AI may be attractive to the youth regarding Elvis. I'm strongly against that kind of thing myself. Mono to stereo or reworked with orchestras. Stay away from it, it was good then, it is good and it will remain good, the original that is. We are almost 50 years later after his death. And people keep talking about the man. Most of the youth know who Elvis was, because it is passed on from parent to child. And from that point of view, a label like FTD is not relevant, except for those born in the 60s, 70s, 80s.

[frus75]

We should be able to accept, that even a great concert in good soundboard quality, like the ones available on FTD’s What now my love, pale in comparison to aloha or msg or any other official material professionally recorded. Just because they’re soundboards.


Soundboards should always be available in very very limited fashion for the general public. Imagine some casual fan looking for hound dog and founding the pitiful versions of the last FTD…. Or wanting to hear Elvis live band and founding one of the April 75 shows where half of the band is not audible…

And that applies to even more people that expected. I mean more than just casual listeners, I mean people with more interest into the man. I love Sinatra, or Billie Holiday, just to name two artists, but have less …. Appetite? … for bad sounding recordings from them.

[emjel]

Sorry but this is only true for modern recordings.
Shows from 80s like Stray Cats still sounds like from the 80s on that platform. Some John Fogerty soundboards from 2010’s are not perfect but still available there for example so
Elvis’ Soundboards would do just fine there for sure.

I’m trying to understand why some of you think there will be no more interest in Elvis’ music after you/we will be gone but I don’t get it.
Over the years most of predictions and statements I read here were not accurate at best. I’m sure this one is one of them.

I don’t think anyone has said that "there will be no more interest in Elvis’ music" going forward. What people have said is that there has been a decline in the fanbase which will continue and that newer fans are less likely to be interested in the kind of stuff you keep going on about. There has already been a significant drop off with FTD sales in the last decade with soundboard releases taking quite a hit as fans who do not need to buy every release have given up buying shows that are incomplete or basically have similar set lists with Elvis performing on autopilot mode. And these are the serious fans who either grew up with him or became fans in the 70s and who started collecting everything. Many of those are no longer interested, not just in new soundboard releases that come along, but even mainstream Sony releases that offer very little by way of unreleased takes.

Newer fans may have an interest in what they have gleaned are the most important aspects of Elvis’ recordings but that’s as far as it is likely to go. You only have to look at the streaming numbers if the albums already out there in the digital platforms - 30 #1s is the top with equivalent album sales globally of around 1.8 million followed by Blue Hawaii and From Elvis in Memphis with similar numbers of around 850k. The very bottom is Harum Scarum with EAS of around 4k and with Paradise at 5k.

As I previously wrote, every lifetime release is available on digital platforms along with a host of other rereleases/compilations and recent boxsets. Simply enough to satisfy any fan for years and years to come, so your comment that people have said on here that there will not be any interest in Elvis’ music going forward does not stack up.

Bottom line - If Sony felt that such releases would enhance Elvis career further, and that money could be made putting Elvis soundboard recordings onto the various digital platforms, they would have done it by now, but they have not, so it seems clear that Sony do not agree with your thoughts that "Elvis’ Soundboards would do just fine’.

[1015elvis]

Honest Question: Is the last tour Vol.1 worth it, regardless of the minor edits they made?

[On Tape 1972]

Honest Question: Is the last tour Vol.1 worth it, regardless of the minor edits they made?

YES.

[dougkapp]

Honest Question: Is the last tour Vol.1 worth it, regardless of the minor edits they made?

In my opinion, this release is worth having. I listen randomly to all FTD releases. There are periods when I listen to soundboards, then I go to a recording session, then I listen to a professionally recorded concert, soundtracks... in short, in my opinion it's worth it.
I don't regret any of the soundboards I've bought, whether it's the FTD Amarillo or The final Courtain box set.

[billy jack]

Honest Question: Is the last tour Vol.1 worth it, regardless of the minor edits they made?

I don't know how many volumes there will be, but it is clear that FTD is closing the book on the live recordings of 1977 with this series. So yes, definitely worth purchasing.

[1015elvis]

Thanks for the responses

[YDKM]

Just recieved this set and the packaging is great as is the sound quality on the disc I just played. I picked disc #2 first and apart from the two incomplete shows both 16th + 18th Feb shows combined disc time is just 66 minutes.(intros are missing but i do not mind that!)However as well as being very happy by the sound quality Elvis was in good form for both shows which helps a lot.Quite possibly disc #2 is the best one.... but I will listen to the other discs later...but have FTD delivered on this FTD?....already undoubtedly YES thanks!

[KB]

Just recieved this set and the packaging is great as is the sound quality on the disc I just played. I picked disc #2 first and apart from the two incomplete shows both 16th + 18th Feb shows combined disc time is just 66 minutes.(intros are missing but i do not mind that!)However as well as being very happy by the sound quality Elvis was in good form for both shows which helps a lot.Quite possibly disc #2 is the best one.... but I will listen to the other discs later...but have FTD delivered on this FTD?....already undoubtedly YES thanks!

I received the new FTD today as well (same supplier, I guess).

Montgomery show on cd 2 is, as reported by others here previously, almost unlistenable due to either tape damage or digital noise - Where No One Stands Alone is particularly affected by this noise. Do not throw away your ‘Coming on Strong’ bootleg (same show, Montgomery 16 February) given that the sound is perfect there. FTD could have used the bootleg, no one would know.

Columbia, February 18 sounds great!