Elvis Presley - How Great Thou Art - Omaha, 19 June 1977 - Re-edited with Stereo Audio

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Description

As the 70's progressed, How Great Thou Art would come and go from Elvis' setlist, sometimes omitted from complete tours or Vegas engagements, sometimes performed at most shows, and the delivery of the song would also evolve. In the beginning it would be almost identical to the master, the sincerity and emotion almost disguising the power behind Elvis' vocal performance, similarly to that Grammy winner in 74. From 1975 however Elvis would begin the chorus with a stirring powerful top A which would often be followed by a reprise.

The very first live version was recorded on 10 November 1970 in the Oakland Coliseum but unfortunately there is no decent recording of that show either on soundboard or as an audience recording (the only recording from Oakland is a barely listenable audience recording).

The final version, however, needs little or no introduction, as it comes from Omaha, Nebraska on 19 June 1977, one of two shows filmed by the cameras of CBS for the TV special 'Elvis In Concert'. This version was used both in the special and on the accompanying album.

Rumours persist that Elvis may have sung the song in Sioux Falls just three days later but this may be down to the uncertainty caused by the lack of any audio documentation of the show and it remains the only one of Elvis' final eight shows to which we have no audio access.

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