Elvis' first legitimate live album remains one of his best. The seven-minute version of "Suspicious Minds" surpasses the studio recording. Another highlight is a rare performance of Willie Dixon's "My Babe." Though abridged, "In Person" displays a revitalized Presley in triumphant form.

When Elvis returns to play before a paying audience in late July 1969, after a eight year, four month layoff to make Hollywood movies, he does so with a vengence. The shows taped in August 1969 capture a 33 year old legend who wishes to remind his audience that the fire still burns. This album is ample evidence of that fire, with an eight minute version of his soon to be number one single "Suspicious Minds" that astonishes. Some of the ballad arrangements are, admittedly, weak and pedestrian, but no fault can be found with the vocalist or musicians. One listen to Elvis's rather ironic version of "Johnny B. Goode" tells the story: they rock the house! Perhaps someday RCA/BMG will see fit to issue a single, complete performance from this engagement, but until then this serves as the best example of the "mature," rockin' Elvis Presley. (Note: two Aug'69 tracks snuck onto the following year's 'On Stage' album, "Yesterday" and "Runaway." The latter, a Del Shannon cover, harbors an amazing James Burton lead guitar solo and Elvis's stunning vocals turn the song from one of longing and regret to triumph. Check it out!)

THERE IS NOT A SINGLE BAD TRACK ON THIS CD.THE BEST SONG ON THE CD IS A SEVEN MINUTE VERSION OF SUSPICIOUS MINDS.THIS CD ALONG WITH THE ON STAGE ,1970 ARE THE BEST LIVE ELVIS CDS.I WISH MORE MATERIAL WOULD BE RELEASED FROM HIS 69 AND 70 LAS VEGAS RECORDINGS.

Well, it's now the end of September 2009 and those in charge of the treasure trove of Elvis Presley recordings have really missed a golden opportunity in not remastering and reissuing this seminal, great live album this past July/August, what would have been the 40th anniversary of this album's recordings and Elvis' retaking the stage for live concerts for the first time in nine years, as he said.

It is really tragic how RCA/SONY/BMG or whomever these days has control of the Elvis catelogue treats it so abysmally and with so little regard not only for those of us who've long been fans but also those who should be familiar with the greatest of all rockers.

Michael Jackson called HIMSELF the King of Pop and forced people, interviewers, his PR people, etc to call him that. But Elvis was given the title of The King Of Rock by others, his fans and those in the business, who knew there was none better.

Anyway, I am quite sad, when thinking of this particular recording, that this was not reissued with more material from those particular shows with a background/history of why the album and those concerts in 1969 were so important and how powerful and committed Elvis was to the music, the performances and his fans. And maybe a DVD with more of the rehearsals and performances that must still have never been seen in the "That's The Way It Is" film(s).

What a missed opportunity by the caretakers of The King Of Rock's music. And how his fans have missed out in being able to celebrate that specific time in Elvis' life and the great recordings made from that incredible set of shows.

Someone, somewhere, should hang their head in shame for not having had the respect for Elvis and his music, as well as his fans, in making something like this happen. What a great PR move that would have been for The King's work and place in music and cultural history, as well as how so many who're unfamiliar with this album would unquestionably been amazed and impressed by the sheer power and vigor of this set of recordings.

Now, the stuff below was written some years back:

WHY HAS THERE NEVER BEEN AN ANNIVERSARY REISSUE OF THIS ALBUM?!?

I wrote the review below some while back so I won't go into any further thoughts on it other than to say as these were culled from Elvis' triumphant return to the live stage in Las Vegas after nine years of doing the movie thing these recordings and this specific period of time for Elvis should be treated with greater respect and attention by RCA and the Presley estate.

I have great confidence that there are more recordings made from these concerts which could, AND SHOULD, be made available to Elvis' legions of fans who understand just how important this time, as reflected by this one album, was for The King.

C'mon, RCA and Presley estate! Get with the freekin' program and go through the material to find the rest of the recordings that this album was made from! Please. - Added 10/18/2005.

Original Review:

LOOK. IN TRUTH, ONE CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND ELVIS AT HIS BEST

(10/13/2003)

This is NOT to say that everything else the man did was bad. No.....Way! The ONLY song I ever heard Elvis record that WAS, in truth, awful, was The Beatles' "Hey Jude"(off the "Elvis Now" LP), and that is one of those songs NO ONE ELSE but the originators could do! Most of what Elvis recorded I would listen to over 90% of what's out there being heard listened to at any given time.

Still, if we're gonna talk "essential Elvis", ya know, the stuff that represents the man well and at his peak then really, I think, we gotta spell 'em out.

My picks for Top Five Elvis LPs:

1. "In Person At The International Hotel".

2. All of the "Memphis Sessions" recordings.

3. "Elvis Presley", Sun Records, 1956.

4. All of the so-called "'68 Comeback Special" recordings.

5. All recordings from the "That's The Way It Is" Movie and recordings(which, for this, I'll include the "On Stage" recordings).

I gotta say I came to be aware of Elvis during the early 60s, mostly from his films being shown on the Elvision Machine, aka the TV. My personal favorite of all the silly films has always been "Girl Happy". The movie, being the vacuous beach flick so popular back then, just worked very well from begining to end. Aside from Elvis, the cast, Shelley Fabares, Mary Anne Mobley and Gary Crosby, one of der Bingle's(Bing Crosby)older boys, were a pretty nice bunch who made the film easy to watch, and the film's music was, for an Elvis movie, much better than usual.

The next thing that really made me aware of Elvis was the "68 Comeback Special". I didn't getta chance to see this in it's original broadcast, as I likely had to get to bed early for grade school the next day, but I glommed onto the album at one point soon after and nearly wore it out.

But then came the "In Person At The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada" recordings which I purchased as a double album co-titled "From Memphis To Vegas/Vegas To Memphis", which paired up the live '69 recordings with much of the now legendary "Memphis Sessions".

I think we all have that one recording of anyone that we always, no matter what we listen to, no matter how long it's been since we listened to it, we jam back to at one point to refresh ourselves with what's at the core.

The '69 "In Person At The International Hotel" is my core recording. I will always, at one point, return to this recording for my fix of what is. Elvis was at the height of both his personal and musical/professional maturity on these recordings. Unlike anything since the original Sun recordings, and certainly never again afterward would he sound this vital, this powerful, this on top of his craft.

And let's not forget the band. What a tight-assed band this was and the arranger made the difference. Pianist Larry Muhoberac, and not, as everyone thinks, the great guitarist James Burton, was the original TCB band head man. He's the one that needs to be credited with the grittier, bluesier, more soulful instrumentals on these recordings. Note the overall sound shift from an edgier rhythm & blues band under Muhoberac in '69 to a still rocking, but more orchestra infiltrated sound under new leader Glenn D. Hardin. A dramatic shift to a cleaner, less rough sound, that may, oddly, and sadly in my view, explain why the '69 "In Person At The International Hotel" has been overlooked. I've always thought the average fan and off-the-street listener just didn't like this tough sound for some reason. Weird.

The core band of Jerry Scheff, bass; Ronnie Tutt, drums; Muhoberac, piano; and guitar god James Burton was one tough, tight band that kicked out the jams on these songs. James' lead and rhythim riffs are clean, stilletto sharp, often understated, but absolutely killer where they count!

Personally, folks, of ALL the albums Elvis recorded you could do no better than listening to this one if you've never heard the man beyond a few radio tunes to hear what Elvis was really all about.

Frankly, people, Elvis "In Person At The International Hotel" rates at LEAST a 10 Star rating.

The songs are phenomenal - Elvis rocks here the hardest ever, and the band is so tight it defies description. This is the essential live piece for every pop/rock collection, even bests Madison Square Garden, even bests On Stage...a must have, Elvis' voice at its' best rocking ever.