Elvis on Tour. Why was there never a soundtrack album ?

[Paul Allen]

I've never understood why some people prefer the rehearsal show because it doesn't come close to the main event.

I do prefer the main event, but in my humble opinion, there were a few performances done better by Elvis during the rehearsal show --
See See Rider
What Now My Love
Fever
A Big Hunk o' Love

And I feel that "An American Trilogy" was fabulous in both concerts... just slightly different.

[Kleisten]

I never knew that EOT didn’t air until three years after filming. No wonder audiences were shocked at his appearance by 1975-1977. What was aired on tv was a shadow of what they saw on stage at that time.


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[eligain]

I never knew that EOT didn’t air until three years after filming. No wonder audiences were shocked at his appearance by 1975-1977. What was aired on tv was a shadow of what they saw on stage at that time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes and no. I really don’t think most Elvis fans were shocked at his appearance since his picture and stories of his weight gain was all over the supermarket tabloids, movie magazines and mainstream media at that time. I’m sure there were some non fans and casual fans in attendance that may have been shocked but his appearance and weight gain was pretty widely known and covered by the media. I certainly wasn’t shocked and knew what I was going to see when I saw him in April of 76. He also put on a very good show in Denver as well. I know that none of the fans sitting around us were shocked at his appearance and none of the fans we encountered in the parking lot and in the restaurant after the show were shocked. Those many fans only talked about what a great show it was. He had about the same energy level as EOT in the show we saw and his voice was strong. But he had put on some poor shows before that and obviously after that and he sort of fell apart and looked increasingly bad as 1976 wore on before he did pull himself together a bit at the end of 76.

There is a recording of one of his 75 or 76 shows where he mentions one of the movies (TTWII or EOT) airing the night before and he asks if anyone saw it and the crowd applauds and he asks why they still came to the show since it is the same thing except everyone looks a little older. Then he jokingly adds, “Except for me!”

I became a fan in the fall of 73 and the fact that the 68 Special, TTWII, EOT and Aloha couldn’t be seen since there was no home video yet, made them take on mythical proportions. It’s crazy that it took so long for TTWII and EOT to debut on TV and it wasn’t until after he died that the 68 Special and Aloha aired again.

[Paul Allen]

... it wasn’t until after he died that the 68 Special and Aloha aired again.

In the U.S.A. the '68 Special aired again in August 1969

[eligain]

... it wasn’t until after he died that the 68 Special and Aloha aired again.

In the U.S.A. the '68 Special aired again in August 1969

Yes. And Aloha aired again in the late fall ( November I think) of 73. And believe me, I know the heartache of having to miss it. I saw some of the original airing of Aloha in April of 73 when much of our family came over to watch it. But I wasn’t really a fan yet so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Once I became a fan later that year, I got all amped up to watch the November replay. But there was some kind of family obligation my parents made me go to (I can’t remember what.) So I was forced to miss it.

TTWII got 2 airings (75 and 76) before he died. EOT got only one and then after he died they aired an edited one hour version.

[the reverend]

As Recorded at Madison Square Garden was rush released in regards to how quickly the album was available to buy, as opposed to RCA making a hasty decision to record the shows. Typically, live albums take months to be released, but this album was prepared and available to buy in little more than a week. Whilst there was clearly an anticipated high demand for tickets, given that block booking was prohibited in an attempt to deter ticket scalpers.

I also believe that the rush release of the album was down to the record label (and the Colonel) wanting to beat the bootleggers. They must have known that illicit recordings of these monumental concerts would be in great demand, and by rush-releasin it they would've effectively killed that market.

[the reverend]

It’s always baffled me why it took so long for EOT to debut on Television (A little over 3 years)! TTWII took even longer with almost 5 years!

I think there's three points here to consider
a). How much was the price being asked to the TV companies to show it?
b). Were these available on the 8m home format at the time? (this I'm not sure was the case)
c). Did the Colonel see it as competing with fans going to see Elvis live in concert if they could watch him at home?

Still even with a few years wait, you definitely weren't as deprived as us Brits although we did getting screenings of the movie years at least.

[Greystoke]

MGM were in financial disarray in the 1970s after suffering crippling losses in 1969 and subsequently they fell into major decline and dismantlement, which probably had an effect on the sale of That's the Way It Is and Elvis On Tour to television.

These were minor films, and they were largely unsuccessful films domestically, which surely meant that they weren't a priority when MGM brokered distribution rights with United Artists in October of 1973 for both theatrical releases and television syndication. Which was part of a $15 million package deal that included MGM's music publishing wing.

[jurasic1968]

TTWII and EOT were not Woodstock, for sure.

[Greystoke]

TTWII and EOT were not Woodstock, for sure.

..

[eligain]

MGM were in financial disarray in the 1970s after suffering crippling losses in 1969 and subsequently they fell into major decline and dismantlement, which probably had an effect on the sale of That's the Way It Is and Elvis On Tour to television.

These were minor films, and they were largely unsuccessful films domestically, which surely meant that they weren't a priority when MGM brokered distribution rights with United Artists in October of 1973 for both theatrical releases and television syndication. Which was part of a $15 million package deal that included MGM's music publishing wing.

Does anyone know what kind of TV ratings the 2 showings of TTWII and the one showing of EOT garnered in 1975 and 76? I remember NBC hyping the hell out of TTWII’s network TV debut in 75 and likewise the replay of it in 76. Same with the 1976 NBC debut of EOT. Both movies were shown in prime time on NBC. The same network as the 68 special and Aloha which was owned at that time by RCA.

[DarrylMac]

And Elvis sang 8 ballads songs on autopilot. Nothing to be excited about these songs.

Which of the ballads would you say were "autopilot"? I would argue the ballads are among his finest performances, not just of the show, but also of the period. He is so caught up in Trilogy, it's utterly compelling. What Now My Love is spellbinding, and he delivers a supremely polished My Way. You Gave Me A Mountain gives us maybe the most animated, natural Elvis of the night, and the band are amazing on this one. I'll remember you is beautiful also.

The only 2 where you may have a point are Something, which never reaches the level of 1970, and Welcome To My World, which while a new song for Elvis, was very pedestrian.

[rockinrebel]

As Recorded at Madison Square Garden was rush released in regards to how quickly the album was available to buy, as opposed to RCA making a hasty decision to record the shows. Typically, live albums take months to be released, but this album was prepared and available to buy in little more than a week. Whilst there was clearly an anticipated high demand for tickets, given that block booking was prohibited in an attempt to deter ticket scalpers.

I also believe that the rush release of the album was down to the record label (and the Colonel) wanting to beat the bootleggers. They must have known that illicit recordings of these monumental concerts would be in great demand, and by rush-releasin it they would've effectively killed that market.

I've always been somewhat baffled by the rush release theory. If my memory is correct the only Presley bootlegs available back then featured audience recordings, poorly recorded TV broadcasts or film soundtrack material.

There was certainly nothing escaping from the RCA vaults at this point in time, so had the show been bootleged, it would almost certainly have been an audience recording which would have only have been bought by a small group of diehard fans. And there's no doubt that the very same people would still have bought the resulting RCA release.

So, whilst I accept that beating the bootleggers was the stance of RCA & The ColoneI at the time, I really don't see how any proposed bootleg release would have had a significant impact on sales of the RCA album...

[eligain]

As Recorded at Madison Square Garden was rush released in regards to how quickly the album was available to buy, as opposed to RCA making a hasty decision to record the shows. Typically, live albums take months to be released, but this album was prepared and available to buy in little more than a week. Whilst there was clearly an anticipated high demand for tickets, given that block booking was prohibited in an attempt to deter ticket scalpers.

I also believe that the rush release of the album was down to the record label (and the Colonel) wanting to beat the bootleggers. They must have known that illicit recordings of these monumental concerts would be in great demand, and by rush-releasin it they would've effectively killed that market.

I've always been somewhat baffled by the rush release theory. If my memory is correct the only Presley bootlegs available back then featured audience recordings, poorly recorded TV broadcasts or film soundtrack material.

There was certainly nothing escaping from the RCA vaults at this point in time, so had the show been bootleged, it would almost certainly have been an audience recording which would have only have been bought by a small group of diehard fans. And there's no doubt that the very same people would still have bought the resulting RCA release.

So, whilst I accept that beating the bootleggers was the stance of RCA & The ColoneI at the time, I really don't see how any proposed bootleg release would have had a significant impact on sales of the RCA album...

Maybe a better explanation was to try to capitalize on the media hype and stories of the event. Striking when the iron was hot (So to speak). Even as a non fan and a kid at the time, I remember hearing about Elvis playing MSG and selling it out for a record attendance.

[rockinrebel]

As Recorded at Madison Square Garden was rush released in regards to how quickly the album was available to buy, as opposed to RCA making a hasty decision to record the shows. Typically, live albums take months to be released, but this album was prepared and available to buy in little more than a week. Whilst there was clearly an anticipated high demand for tickets, given that block booking was prohibited in an attempt to deter ticket scalpers.

I also believe that the rush release of the album was down to the record label (and the Colonel) wanting to beat the bootleggers. They must have known that illicit recordings of these monumental concerts would be in great demand, and by rush-releasin it they would've effectively killed that market.

I've always been somewhat baffled by the rush release theory. If my memory is correct the only Presley bootlegs available back then featured audience recordings, poorly recorded TV broadcasts or film soundtrack material.

There was certainly nothing escaping from the RCA vaults at this point in time, so had the show been bootleged, it would almost certainly have been an audience recording which would have only have been bought by a small group of diehard fans. And there's no doubt that the very same people would still have bought the resulting RCA release.

So, whilst I accept that beating the bootleggers was the stance of RCA & The ColoneI at the time, I really don't see how any proposed bootleg release would have had a significant impact on sales of the RCA album...

Maybe a better explanation was to try to capitalize on the media hype and stories of the event. Striking when the iron was hot (So to speak). Even as a non fan and a kid at the time, I remember hearing about Elvis playing MSG and selling it out for a record attendance.

Yes, I think that's a more plausible theory.

[rockinrebel]

Let's see, how would this have worked out?
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden - June/July 1972
Elvis on Tour - December 1972
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - April 1973

and where does Standing Room Only fit into that schedule?
But hey, it's Elvis, it's RCA, Colonel Parker, who never heard of overkill.

Had RCA released Standing Room Only (as per the FTD compilation) it would have been possible to compile a composite show from the two MSG shows in order to avoid track duplication.

However, this wouldn't have been as strong as the album that was released at the time, nor would it have been a true representation of the event - so I fully understand why RCA did what they did.

In respect of Aloha, it would just have been a case of choosing different 'new songs', although this would have put a little more pressure on Elvis, as a number of the songs that were 'new' to the event had already featured in previous concert set lists.

[eligain]

Let's see, how would this have worked out?
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden - June/July 1972
Elvis on Tour - December 1972
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - April 1973

and where does Standing Room Only fit into that schedule?
But hey, it's Elvis, it's RCA, Colonel Parker, who never heard of overkill.

Had RCA released Standing Room Only (as per the FTD compilation) it would have been possible to compile a composite show from the two MSG shows in order to avoid track duplication.

However, this wouldn't have been as strong as the album that was released at the time, nor would it have been a true representation of the event - so I fully understand why RCA did what they did.

In respect of Aloha, it would just have been a case of choosing different 'new songs', although this would have put a little more pressure on Elvis, as a number of the songs that were 'new' to the event had already featured in previous concert set lists.

Elvis was too coddled. It should have been no problem to add and rehearse new and different songs for Aloha. Tom Jones had to do new songs for his TV show every week as did every other singer that had a TV show or did TV specials. Parker had Elvis convinced to do the least amount of work possible for any project. It’s like the extra songs that were added for the US broadcast. One of the reasons for these songs was to extend the special to 90 minutes for the US market but I think it was also to showcase the Hawaiian locale. How much better would it have been if they had Elvis in casual clothes at various locations (beach, waterfall etc.) Singing these songs instead of motionless in a little box in a cover of the screen?

If things had been better planned an MSG album, EOT soundtrack and Aloha album should have been able to be released with little to no duplication in songs. The EOT soundtrack could have had the gospel sing along, and the Ed Sullivan clip and Johnny B and Separate Ways rehearsals/mock recording and he could have changed the set list of Aloha to eliminate any duplication from the other 2.

One way to look at MSG vs Aloha is that MSG was for the fans and Aloha, because it was a TV special seen by more than just Elvis fans, was for the general public.

[eligain]

Let's see, how would this have worked out?
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden - June/July 1972
Elvis on Tour - December 1972
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - April 1973

and where does Standing Room Only fit into that schedule?
But hey, it's Elvis, it's RCA, Colonel Parker, who never heard of overkill.

Had RCA released Standing Room Only (as per the FTD compilation) it would have been possible to compile a composite show from the two MSG shows in order to avoid track duplication.

However, this wouldn't have been as strong as the album that was released at the time, nor would it have been a true representation of the event - so I fully understand why RCA did what they did.

In respect of Aloha, it would just have been a case of choosing different 'new songs', although this would have put a little more pressure on Elvis, as a number of the songs that were 'new' to the event had already featured in previous concert set lists.

Elvis was too coddled. It should have been no problem to add and rehearse new and different songs for Aloha. Tom Jones had to do new songs for his TV show every week as did every other singer that had a TV show or did TV specials. Parker had Elvis convinced to do the least amount of work possible for any project. It’s like the extra songs that were added for the US broadcast. One of the reasons for these songs was to extend the special to 90 minutes for the US market but I think it was also to showcase the Hawaiian locale. How much better would it have been if they had Elvis in casual clothes at various locations (beach, waterfall etc.) Singing these songs instead of motionless in a little box in a cover of the screen?

If things had been better planned an MSG album, EOT soundtrack and Aloha album should have been able to be released with little to no duplication in songs. The EOT soundtrack could have had the gospel sing along, and the Ed Sullivan clip and Johnny B and Separate Ways rehearsals/mock recording and he could have changed the set list of Aloha to eliminate any duplication from the other 2.

One way to look at MSG vs Aloha is that MSG was for the fans and Aloha, because it was a TV special seen by more than just Elvis fans, was for the general public.

I just can't see the wisdom in flooding the market with 3 or 4 live albums in less than a year, duplication or not. Elvis did a handful of "new" (to him) songs for Aloha, but still the fans say that wasn't enough.
Maybe they should have just planned Aloha as a variety special; have Elvis on the beach swinging with some hula dancers; Don Ho and Elvis sing a couple of duets; Jack Lord could do a cameo; anything but another concert with Elvis singing the same old songs again!

Maybe you are right but I would have jumped at buying a EOT album along with MSG and Aloha if it would have been released back then.

Btw, I’m guessing you are being facetious but how was Aloha just another concert of Elvis singing the same old songs? The 68 Special was not just a concert and there were only 2 duplicate songs in Aloha from the 68 special. TTWII and EOT may have been in a similar vein but neither were a big hit so very few fans and even fewer of the general public saw either film. So Aloha was the general public’s first real look at Elvis in concert.

[eligain]

Let's see, how would this have worked out?
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden - June/July 1972
Elvis on Tour - December 1972
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - April 1973

and where does Standing Room Only fit into that schedule?
But hey, it's Elvis, it's RCA, Colonel Parker, who never heard of overkill.

Had RCA released Standing Room Only (as per the FTD compilation) it would have been possible to compile a composite show from the two MSG shows in order to avoid track duplication.

However, this wouldn't have been as strong as the album that was released at the time, nor would it have been a true representation of the event - so I fully understand why RCA did what they did.

In respect of Aloha, it would just have been a case of choosing different 'new songs', although this would have put a little more pressure on Elvis, as a number of the songs that were 'new' to the event had already featured in previous concert set lists.

Elvis was too coddled. It should have been no problem to add and rehearse new and different songs for Aloha. Tom Jones had to do new songs for his TV show every week as did every other singer that had a TV show or did TV specials. Parker had Elvis convinced to do the least amount of work possible for any project. It’s like the extra songs that were added for the US broadcast. One of the reasons for these songs was to extend the special to 90 minutes for the US market but I think it was also to showcase the Hawaiian locale. How much better would it have been if they had Elvis in casual clothes at various locations (beach, waterfall etc.) Singing these songs instead of motionless in a little box in a cover of the screen?

If things had been better planned an MSG album, EOT soundtrack and Aloha album should have been able to be released with little to no duplication in songs. The EOT soundtrack could have had the gospel sing along, and the Ed Sullivan clip and Johnny B and Separate Ways rehearsals/mock recording and he could have changed the set list of Aloha to eliminate any duplication from the other 2.

One way to look at MSG vs Aloha is that MSG was for the fans and Aloha, because it was a TV special seen by more than just Elvis fans, was for the general public.

I just can't see the wisdom in flooding the market with 3 or 4 live albums in less than a year, duplication or not. Elvis did a handful of "new" (to him) songs for Aloha, but still the fans say that wasn't enough.
Maybe they should have just planned Aloha as a variety special; have Elvis on the beach swinging with some hula dancers; Don Ho and Elvis sing a couple of duets; Jack Lord could do a cameo; anything but another concert with Elvis singing the same old songs again!

Maybe you are right but I would have jumped at buying a EOT album along with MSG and Aloha if it would have been released back then.

But how many other fans would buy 3 successive live albums? And we wish Elvis had learned a bunch of new songs so there wouldn't be a lot of duplication between albums; but realistically, veteran touring acts don't change their setlists much between shows. Even the between song pattern tends to be the same after a few years. I heard the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, and the Beach Boys repeat the same jokes year after after year.
No, the answer wasn't that Elvis needed to change his setlist more often; he needed to book more studio time in 1972, and put out a proper studio album instead of the grab bag approach that was being used for Elvis Now, the Fool album, and throwing current hit singles on Camden product. It wouldn't have hurt to have another solid rocker to followup the success of Burning Love.

I guess it depends when you caught The Beach Boys live. I’ve seen them many times in the late 70’s and through the 80’s and they basically became and oldies act starting in the 70’s, only playing their well known songs. Some singers like Tom Jones and Wayne Newton changed their shows and set lists all the time although their banter and jokes were probably similar.

It would have been better for Elvis to record a good and decent studio LP in 72. He had 4 songs already with Burning Love, Separate Ways and their flip sides. Too bad they were waisted on Camden albums instead of a good 1972 studio album.

All I know is that I made my own EOT soundtrack tape from recording it off of TV in 76 and played the hell out of that and always wished that RCA had come out with a soundtrack of it. But I understand why they didn’t.

[rockinrebel]

Let's see, how would this have worked out?
Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden - June/July 1972
Elvis on Tour - December 1972
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - April 1973

and where does Standing Room Only fit into that schedule?
But hey, it's Elvis, it's RCA, Colonel Parker, who never heard of overkill.

Had RCA released Standing Room Only (as per the FTD compilation) it would have been possible to compile a composite show from the two MSG shows in order to avoid track duplication.

However, this wouldn't have been as strong as the album that was released at the time, nor would it have been a true representation of the event - so I fully understand why RCA did what they did.

In respect of Aloha, it would just have been a case of choosing different 'new songs', although this would have put a little more pressure on Elvis, as a number of the songs that were 'new' to the event had already featured in previous concert set lists.

Elvis was too coddled. It should have been no problem to add and rehearse new and different songs for Aloha. Tom Jones had to do new songs for his TV show every week as did every other singer that had a TV show or did TV specials. Parker had Elvis convinced to do the least amount of work possible for any project. It’s like the extra songs that were added for the US broadcast. One of the reasons for these songs was to extend the special to 90 minutes for the US market but I think it was also to showcase the Hawaiian locale. How much better would it have been if they had Elvis in casual clothes at various locations (beach, waterfall etc.) Singing these songs instead of motionless in a little box in a cover of the screen?

If things had been better planned an MSG album, EOT soundtrack and Aloha album should have been able to be released with little to no duplication in songs. The EOT soundtrack could have had the gospel sing along, and the Ed Sullivan clip and Johnny B and Separate Ways rehearsals/mock recording and he could have changed the set list of Aloha to eliminate any duplication from the other 2.

One way to look at MSG vs Aloha is that MSG was for the fans and Aloha, because it was a TV special seen by more than just Elvis fans, was for the general public.

I just can't see the wisdom in flooding the market with 3 or 4 live albums in less than a year, duplication or not. Elvis did a handful of "new" (to him) songs for Aloha, but still the fans say that wasn't enough.
Maybe they should have just planned Aloha as a variety special; have Elvis on the beach swinging with some hula dancers; Don Ho and Elvis sing a couple of duets; Jack Lord could do a cameo; anything but another concert with Elvis singing the same old songs again!

Maybe you are right but I would have jumped at buying a EOT album along with MSG and Aloha if it would have been released back then.

But how many other fans would buy 3 successive live albums? And we wish Elvis had learned a bunch of new songs so there wouldn't be a lot of duplication between albums; but realistically, veteran touring acts don't change their setlists much between shows. Even the between song pattern tends to be the same after a few years. I heard the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, and the Beach Boys repeat the same jokes year after after year.
No, the answer wasn't that Elvis needed to change his setlist more often; he needed to book more studio time in 1972, and put out a proper studio album instead of the grab bag approach that was being used for Elvis Now, the Fool album, and throwing current hit singles on Camden product. It wouldn't have hurt to have another solid rocker to followup the success of Burning Love.

Standing Room Only as released by FTD was a half studio/ half live set which followed the same format as TTWII. I agree that it would have been better had Elvis booked more studio time and released a new studio album, but the FTD compilation remains a great listen, and is certainly a far better album than Now, Fool and Raised On Rock.

With regards to Elvis recording a rocking follow up to Burning Love, yes it would have been great, but unfortunately this sort of material just wasn't inspiring him at the time. We only have to look at the new material added to the set lists for the February 1972 Las Vegas recordings and the rest of the March 1972 studio cuts to see where Elvis was at back then.

I agree with Elgain on Aloha. It could have been totally different from Elvis On Tour or MSG, but the agreement seems to have been for Elvis to perform his regular touring / Vegas show, with just enough 'new' material to make it different enough from the previous live albums.

We've discussed this many times before, but Elvis had countless classic hits from his own back catalogue that could have been included in the show, but again, I think his mindset at the time had a major influence over the 'new' material he chose to include.

[jurasic1968]

I prefer also the rehearsal show of Aloha. He was more relaxed, natural and more confident comparing to the main event.

[jetblack]

I prefer also the rehearsal show of Aloha. He was more relaxed, natural and more confident comparing to the main event.

I love both shows but as there are many lyrical errors (see below) in the rehearsal concert the televised show is my go to.

January 12 lyrical errors:-
Burning Love
Something
Steamroller Blues
My Way
Welcome To My World

Andy

[jurasic1968]

I forgive Elvis for Welcome to My World.

[jurasic1968]

And I think he was better in the first show.

[Paul Allen]

And I think he was better in the first show.

Would you care to elaborate more on that?

How was he "better"?