An Elvis On Tour Album in the works for 2007!
I just saw the new FTD CD soundboard from Charlotte called Unchained Melody . Personally 1977 isn't my taste but there are those who seem to think he was fine and not ill or off any in that final year. I would think Ernst would have gone with Indianapolis as the final show for a soundboard from 1977 instead.
Anyhow on to the really good news! The April release by FTD is going to be a multi channel release of the February 1972 Las Vegas recordings possibly titled: American Trilogy . So this has me thinking that there must be some type of On Tour album in the works for 2007 on the main stream market! I can't see Ernst repackaging the already available 1972 Vegas tracks again (minus a few still unreleased songs) with 3 fantastic unreleased shows from April laying around in the vaults if nothing was being planned for the RCA label. He would be a ***** to do that. Now if the April release was Richmond or Hampton Roads, then I would assume there would be no On Tour album. But that's not the case and that has to mean something is planned.
Now as a die hard fan of Elvis On Tour , I have waited 30 years for this material to be officially released on album. I remember as a child seeing On Tour for the first time on VHS and it got me so hooked that I made an audio tape of the songs from the soundtrack by placing a small tape recorder next to the tv speaker to record the audio. I was that hooked! I now have the San Antonio show but I consider this to be the weakest of all 4 shows recorded. The show begins great and energetic but after Polk Salad Annie , the energy level drops and it seems to lose its edge. Also the set list wasn't as strong as the other shows taped. I think this is the prime reason for RCA to release that particular show ahead of the others on the Close Up box set.
I hope that they give us the Hampton show. But if not that, at least a mixture of the best from the 3 remaining shows and include the 3 lost performances from the import album of the Hampton show. Maybe include the lost 7 songs from the Import of the Richmond show too. And I want this album to have the ultimate sound and mix possible. And hopefully they go the route of Love by The Beatles where you can buy the stereo mix or the 5.1 mix.