Elvis Presley – Please, Stay In Your Seats | CD

Elvis Presley – Please, Stay In Your Seats | CD
Live at The Spectrum, Philadelphia – May 28, 1977
Elvis Presley – Please, Stay In Your Seats is a fascinating live release documenting Elvis during the final year of his career. Released by the Ragdoll label, the CD presents the May 28, 1977 evening show at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to the information accompanying the release, the recording was sourced directly from a first-generation audience recorded master tape, with the sound quality described as Very Good.
Recorded only months before Elvis' final concert in Indianapolis, Please, Stay In Your Seats offers collectors another opportunity to experience a complete concert from this historically important period.
Elvis Live in Philadelphia – 1977
The concert opens in familiar fashion with Also Sprach Zarathustra, followed by See See Rider and an extended I Got A Woman / Amen.
One of the early highlights is My Way, a song that became increasingly associated with Elvis during the final period of his career. Other powerful performances include You Gave Me A Mountain, And I Love You So, Polk Salad Annie and Hurt.
Following Sherrill Nielsen's O Sole Mio, Elvis continues with It's Now Or Never. The set also contains a welcome performance of Little Sister, alongside familiar classics including Jailhouse Rock, Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog.
The TCB Band Takes the Spotlight
The middle section provides plenty of room for Elvis' musicians. Following the band introductions, the show includes Early Morning Rain, What'd I Say and Johnny B. Goode.
Individual instrumental spots feature Ronnie Tutt on drums, Jerry Scheff on bass, Tony Brown on piano and Bobby Ogdin on electric piano, followed by School Days.
Elvis then returns to centre stage for Hurt, while J.D. Sumner & The Stamps are featured on Walk That Lonesome Road.
The concert concludes with Hound Dog, Can't Help Falling In Love and the traditional Closing Vamp.
Bruce Springsteen in the Audience
An interesting piece of rock history connected to this concert is the presence of a young Bruce Springsteen in the audience that night. Springsteen later recalled attending the performance, making this Philadelphia concert an intriguing crossover moment in American rock history.
Rather than judging the performance solely from its historical reputation, Please, Stay In Your Seats gives listeners the opportunity to experience the recording and the atmosphere of the evening for themselves.
First-Generation Audience Source
For collectors, one of the most interesting aspects of this release is its source. Ragdoll stated that the concert was taken directly from a first-generation audience recorded master tape.
The original recording of It's Now Or Never cuts off after the first chorus. To present a more complete version, the missing ending was appended from a different source.
The recording also preserves the announcements following the Closing Vamp, adding another piece of the original concert atmosphere.
As this is an audience recording rather than a professional soundboard or multitrack recording, the audio should naturally be judged within the limitations of this type of historical source.
Track Listing
1. Also Sprach Zarathustra – 1:15
2. See See Rider – 4:59
3. I Got A Woman / Amen – 8:40
4. Love Me – 2:37
5. My Way – 4:00
6. Jailhouse Rock – 1:32
7. You Gave Me A Mountain – 4:21
8. O Sole Mio (Sherrill Nielsen) / It's Now Or Never – 2:22
9. Little Sister (with break) – 1:58
10. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel – 2:14
11. And I Love You So – 3:26
12. Polk Salad Annie – 4:27
13. Band Introductions – 2:50
14. Early Morning Rain – 1:51
15. What'd I Say – 0:49
16. Johnny B. Goode – 0:54
17. Drum Solo (Ronnie Tutt) – 2:30
18. Bass Solo (Jerry Scheff) – 0:58
19. Piano Solo (Tony Brown) – 1:05
20. Electric Piano Solo (Bobby Ogdin) – 1:28
21. School Days – 0:57
22. Hurt – 2:37
23. Walk That Lonesome Road (J.D. Sumner & The Stamps) – 2:28
24. Hound Dog – 1:59
25. Can't Help Falling In Love – 1:41
26. Closing Vamp / Announcement – 2:17
Please note: The original source of It's Now Or Never cuts off after the first chorus. The ending was appended from a different source for this release.
Product Details
Artist: Elvis Presley
Title: Please, Stay In Your Seats
Label: Ragdoll
Catalogue Number: Ragdoll 2017-05
Release Year: 2017
Format: CD
Concert Date: May 28, 1977 – Evening Show
Venue: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Recording Type: Live Audience Recording
Source: First-generation audience recording
Sound: Very Good  
For collectors exploring Elvis Presley's final touring year, Please, Stay In Your Seats offers an extensive document of an important 1977 performance, presented from a strong historical audience source.
Available from your Elvis specialist Bennies Fifties and the online Fifties Store.