Caught In The Act (Memory Records) [August 26, 1973, Las Vegas, NV, Midnight Show]

• a mono audience recording of very good sound quality;
• the tape seems to be running a tad too fast (about 2%) hence the (approximately) 1 minute difference in the playing time between "Caught In The Act" and "Before Darkness Falls [CD2]";
• the show is complete except for a few seconds of the "Closing Theme" that are missing due to a fade out on the disc's final track;
• 22 tracks in total, with no song missing;
• the artwork is pretty basic and simple; the front and back covers feature photographs of Elvis performing in Richmond, VA on March 18, 1974, with additional Richmond and "Aloha" images under the CD tray; the 4-page booklet features several August/September '73 candid shots (backstage at the Hilton) plus liner notes by Arjan Deelen describing the August/September '73 Las Vegas engagement, the August 26 midnight concert itself (calling the recording of it "the definitive Elvis in the seventies show"), and not forgetting to promote his then newly published "Elvis: Caught In A Trap" book.

Before Darkness Falls [CD2] (Straight Arrow) [August 26, 1973, Las Vegas, NV, Midnight Show]

• a stereo ("two-mike live ambience") audience recording of exceptional audio quality (being a significant sonic improvement over the already very good sounding "Caught In The Act");
• a complete, speed-corrected concert (22 tracks in total), resulting in a longer playing time when compared to "Caught In The Act";
• the final track ("Closing Vamp / Announcements") being badly edited - the announcements are not there; after the complete "Closing Vamp" we get to hear the announcer say, "Ladies and gen..." and then the recording abruptly cuts out;
• the artwork and design are very well done, with the exception of the (unevenly cut) white border 'gracing' the front cover; although there is no booklet accompanying the CDs, the three-panel, folded-out digipak makes up for it quite generously, with 8 photos taken at the September 1, 1973 Dinner Show (and originally published in "Elvis: Caught In A Trap"); the short liner notes present an overview of the season and the two August 26, 1973 shows.

General comments:

• the concert features a pretty typical (at the same time very interesting) set list for the time period, with great renditions of "Steamroller Blues," "What Now My Love," "Release Me," The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," and "How Great Thou Art";
• luckily the annoying kid heard (a lot - too loud and too often) on the Dinner Show tape had already gone to bed when Elvis re-entered the stage at midnight;
• it is not known which jumpsuit Elvis wore for that particular show as no photos from August 26, 1973 MS have yet surfaced;
• Lisa Marie was present at the show (she is introduced by Elvis prior to the "Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel" medley), which undoubtedly encouraged Elvis to make an extra effort;
• the complete August 26, 1973 Dinner Show can be found on CD1 of the "Before Darkness Falls" 2CD set.