Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds - 3 August 1969, Dinner Show (First Time Recorded Live)

This is the first known live recording of what is now regarded as one of Elvis' signature songs. Written by Mark James and recorded at American Studios in Memphis on January 23, 1969 Elvis immediately included it in his setlist on his return to live performances on July 31st 1969.

The show from which this song is taken has been released under many different titles on the bootleg circuit, the first of which was the inaccurately titled 'Opening Night 1969'. Sony finally released it last year on the FTD label titled Return To Vegas having previously been apparantly reluctant to do so as the exact date of the show is not absolutely certain although it is widely accepted as being 3 August 1969, Dinner Show and curiously the official release does not include any recording dates on the packaging!!

There are some clues as to the approximate date within the show such as Elvis saying that the song would be released in the next ten days which would place the show in the first week or so of the engagement. Also, the songs aren't quite as polished as they would get further into the engagement as singer and band became more familiar with each other.

The song itself would evolve in the Elvis Presley live show and it would become mariginally faster with each Vegas engagement. It would become a permanant fixture in the show in every tour and Vegas or Tahoe engagement until mid 74 and the end of Tour 13 in Salt Lake City on July 2nd. The exception would be at the Jan/Feb 71 Vegas engagement where it would be sang at only 8 of the 57 shows. After the Salt Lake City show on 2 July 74 Elvis would sing it only a further five times - at the Midnight shows on 22, 29 and 30 August 74 and on the first two shows of the abandoned August 75 Vegas engagement.

There was almost a final outing for one his most famous songs in LIncoln, Nebraska on 20 June 1977 although to be perfectly accurate after performing 'Help Me' Elvis says 'Suspicious Minds?' in response to a fans request and the band begins the intro but Elvis then remarks that instead 'he will be doing a new song' which would be himself on the piano singing 'Unchained Melody'! This concert, incidentally, was bookended by the two shows which would be filmed by CBS for 'Elvis In Concert'.
What is remarkable about this first version is just how close it sounds to the studio master that music fans, not just Elvis fans, know and love.

As with all of these videos, to get the most out of the audio, I highly recommend you use ear /headphones and turn the volume up as much as you dare!