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Saturday, December 29, 2007

You have to own Tupelo's own

If you haven't already seen the DVD Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley it's about time that you do! I have just spent a rainy afternoon watching it once more and it lifted my spirits immediately.

The highlight is 13 minutes and 9 seconds of Elvis performing live at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo on the 26th of September 1956 - with sound!

When I first heard this performance on A Golden Celebration back in 1985 I certainly thought it interesting, despite the poor quality of the recording. But brought together with the footage it really gives you an idea of what an exciting thing a Presley concert must have been back in the 50's.

There's screaming, there's the band and there's, above all, Elvis Presley moving around and working the crowd. Seeing and hearing Elvis perform such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel", "Long Tall Sally" and "Don't Be Cruel" in this way is highly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, there is only parts of "I Got A Woman" and "Hound Dog", but what there is shows Elvis really going wild in front of the screaming fans.

One thing that I find interesting is that Elvis has his guitar strapped on for the whole show, except on the last song which is "Hound Dog". On the footage from his show in Tupelo a year later, also included on the DVD, Elvis is without his guitar the whole time. This clearly gives him more freedom as he moves and gyrates even more on that show.

Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley is without a doubt one of the most interesting releases in quite some time, and its importance as a historical document is priceless. After watching it, I'm sure you'll agree!

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