On March 18, 1974 Elvis performed in Richmond/Virginia. Two years before MGM had filmed his performance at the Coliseum for "Elvis On Tour", now RCA taped the show as a test run for the planned live album. Unfortunately the stereo tapes are lost, so we have to do with a mono copy. The king performed in front of 11,791 fans and wore the "Aqua Blue Vine Suit". As usual the orchestra playes the "Einleitung, Oder Sonnenaufgang" before the band takes over with the "Opening Riff" and Elvis appears. Charlie Hodge hands him his guitar and the king walks to the microphone in the middle of the stage.

The opener is delivered with verve and power.

Elvis toys a bit with the word "well" and performs a straight, rockin' version of "I Got A Woman". As usual he adds a few bars of the gospel "Amen" and has J.D. Sumner display his bass voice. Like two days later in Memphis Mr. Sumner does it twice, then Elvis returns to "I Got A Woman" and greeds the audience. Jokingly he confuses the city and names a different location.

The ballad is performed in a straight, unremakable way.

Elvis obviously has fun and delivers an outstanding rendition of his SUN classic. If anyone in the building had doubts about the king's vocal abilities, they must have been a thing of the past after this performance.

The mega hit from 1957 is performed powerful and fast.

It's been a year since the king had scored a top 20 hit with "Steamroller Blues". Today's performance is much better. His voice is stronger, he sings with more power and is obviously enjoying what he's doing. Great!

The medley of top hits is performed with zest.

Now it's time for the title song of Elvis' first movie. He has fun with the simple ballad and supplies his female admirers with kisses and scarfs.

Elvis announces "Long Tall Sally", but instead of just performing the Little Richard hit, he combines it with "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On", "You Mama Don't Dance", "Flip, Flop & Fly", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog". The king puts much energy into this medley. It's a fast and fun time-travel to the good old days.

The king raises the level of entertainment by presenting the Peggy Lee classic with some well-calculated leg movements. Even though most of them being already in their 30s, the ladies scream like adolescent girls. Some of Elvis' remarks are very funny, too.

The great mood of the king and his crew becomes obvious here, because everyone is running at full throttle.

Now J.D. Sumner takes over the lead vocals and sings "Why Me, Lord". Elvis joins The Stamps during the chorus. For him it was a dream come true, because his original intension wasn't to be a solo artist, but a member of a gospel group. Besides that, J.D. Sumner was one of his heros.

Before he introduces his musicians, the king picks up the tempo with "Suspicious Minds". He delivers a lively version, much better than the one from his last year's live album "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite".

Elvis introduces the band and thanks the John Marshall Hotel for their hospitality. The musicians break out in taunting laughter, so I guess something might have gone wrong.

The introductions are followed by a dynamic performance of "I Can't Stop Loving You". There's no doubt that Elvis is enjoying himself.

The religious ballad is sung with emotion and skill.

The same applies to "An American Trilogy", albeit the song is played a tad faster now.

Elvis continues with Olivia Newton-John's hit "Let Me Be There" and performs it even better than the original artist. He obviously likes the song, because he does a little reprise.

Now the king has the houselights turned on, because he wants to take a look at the audience. Then he sings the country ballad "Funny How Time Slips Away". He obviously has fun, because he has to laugh here and there.

As usual Elvis closes his show with "Can't Help Falling In Love". He shakes some hands, gives a way his final scarf and exits the stage to the sounds of the "Closing Riff".

The album closes with five tracks, that were recorded in Los Angeles, where the king rehearsed for his "Elvis Summer Festival 1974" in Las Vegas. Elvis, the harmony singers and the drums are prominent in the mix, everything else is just a pap in the background. But it has to be said, that his is not a professional recording. The rehearsal session was recorded with a simple tape deck for Elvis' private use. "Down In The Alley" had been recorded by Elvis in 1966 and he sang it live on stage during the opening show of his 1974 summer season at the Hilton. It was the only live performance of the song, so it's nice to hear the rehearsal, too.

This song was also just performed once. After the opening show he did without the ballad. While the musicians rehearse, we hear the king sing a few lines of "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and "It's Midnight". The rehearsal performance is not as good as the studio recording, but still quite enjoyable.

In contrast to the first two songs "Softly As I Leave You" would become a regular feature of the Presley show, at least in Las Vegas and Stateline. Sherrill Nielsen sings the lead vocals while Elvis recites the lyrics. The men duet on the last line.

This power ballad was on the program for quite some time. Because the king also wanted to use it during the "Elvis Summer Festival 1974" he and the group went through it once more. 

Elvis had rehearsed that song several times, but never used it on stage. For his forthcoming Vegas season he did the same, but once again he would not sing it on stage. Back in 1995 BMG used the track to promote the new boxed set "Walk A Mile In My Shoes - The Essential 70s Masters". Even though the sound was not good and the king was gone for 18 years "The Twelfth Of Never" peaked at number 21 in the UK and at number 15 in The Netherlands.