Elvis: Sold Out Volume 20 DVD

Volume 20 in the 'Sold Out!' series: 'Sold Out' is back and part 20 really contains a wealth of rare and previously unreleased footage. We know that the 1977 footage is very popular, and several movies have been shot from the Spring/Summer '77 tours.

We all know he was out of shape, but on a good night he could captivate an audience with powerful moments like 'My Way'. There are several nice close-ups from 1977, even some of the best ever, and it's also good to see how much effort he puts into performances like 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Are You Lonesome Tonight', where he puts himself accompanies the acoustics.

The man still had it.

Yet there are also some difficult moments, including the last tour of June 1977, and it is still heartbreaking to see Elvis in this form. But it's all part of history, and Pyramid has stated from the start to document everything, without obscuring anything.

This release is really from Elvis live in the seventies, with especially 1969 to 1972 well presented. He really is the live ultimate performer in these movies, in complete control and giving his all. The early concert years were very exciting and his live show was very physical and dynamic as you can see in this footage. This release is actually the first time we've included footage from 1969, and what a great performer he was back then! As someone once said, if you didn't see Elvis in 1969, you never saw the real Elvis, and the footage here confirms that. But in his own way, the June 1972 shows were just as good, and performances like 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' and 'How Great Thou Art' show what a versatile artist he had become.

There are also plenty of highlights in the later years, although the tempos were a bit lower. There are four movies from April 1, 1975 and they are a real delight, because they highlight the fun side of Elvis as a performer, play with the audience and have a great time. There's Memphis 1976 and Forth Worth is a neat and fairly long movie - good to see it here with no logos or watermarks. 

The lesser performances are also discussed, including silent images from the infamous concert in Houston 1976, which shows how lethargic he was. And perhaps even worse is another (long) movie from College Park, where his behavior is strange to say the least and where he appears to be under the influence of something. We think these movies are just as important as the good shows because together they provide a balanced view of Elvis' live shows in the 1970s. And College Park is certainly insightful: the things he said were pretty bizarre, but it's even more surreal to see him in that state ('I love showbidnezz'), constantly punking Charlie Hodge to adjust his mic stand . Even after all these years, there's still something dark and disturbing about moments like this, but again, it's all part of the Elvis story.

But it doesn't diminish the magic the man created every time he made his entrance, whether it was in Las Vegas, Chicago, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Memphis, Philadelphia or wherever. These recordings take you back to all those special evenings. 

As always, we present these films as they were shot, with no edits or alterations of any kind. These films were carefully restored to remove artifacts added by time, such as discoloration. We think it's important to let these films speak for themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the greatest showman there ever was. On a good night there was no one like him, but even on a bad night he was still Elvis. 'Sold Out' volume 20 tells you that story.