Capturing Elvis's season at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in 1970 - and originally the soundtrack souvenir of the film of the same name - this expanded 3-CD edition boasts dozens of unreleased performances.
Following his successful return to the stage with the 1968 TV Comeback Special, these recordings find The King still at the height of his vocal power and possessed of an incredible charisma.
Disc One features the original album, enhanced with several additional tracks from the Vegas concerts and rehearsals in Nashville. Elvis tackles contemporary material like Dusty Springfield's 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' - which lacks the pathos of the original - and The Righteous Brothers' 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling', which features a fine vocal performance.
However, his versions of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and The Beatles' 'Something' tend to veer towards melodrama, despite some fine guitar work on the latter. Presley is obviously more comfortable with traditional fare like 'How The Web Was Woven' and 'I Just Can't Help Believin' '.
Disc Two features the entire concert from August 12 1970 which ably demonstrates that, aside from the 'showstopper' covers which don't always work (The Bee Gees' 'Words', Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline'), Presley was still on top of his game. The opening double-whammy of 'That's All Right' and 'Mystery Train/Tiger Man' absolutely rattle by without pause for breath.
The show consciously mixes the ballads with the rock'n'roll numbers, giving Elvis free reign to perform vocal gymnastics. The closing 'Suspicious Minds' and 'Can't Help Falling In Love' also vindicate the decision to back him with vocal choruses.
Disc Three is probably the most superfluous, featuring rehearsals for the performances. Although some great tracks are featured, including 'In The Ghetto', 'It's Now Or Never' and 'The Wonder Of You', the rest is somewhat lackadaisical, as you would expect in a rehearsal situation.
It would have been better to take the best of the material and put it on a two-disc set, which still would have allowed for the complete concert but would have eliminated the extraneous versions of tracks that appear more than once.
Having said that, this set is still is a prime slice of classic Elvis and proves the Vegas years have an awful lot to offer.
