What do you want to hear? POLK SALAD or BURNING LOVE?- Fans choice in 75'
| Date | 'LORD' | Play it J.B @ | R/T | END R/T | Comments | |
| 4.5.75 A/S | 1x | 1'10" | 33 | 2'57" | Low leg squats/wind up. ending too fast | |
| 4.5.75 E/S | -- | 1'15" | 35 | 3'08" | Piano/drum end asks for 'slower' @30" | |
| 1.6.75 E/S | 1x | 1'27" | 33 | 3'20" | Real deep bass end,after a Burning Love f.start! | |
| 8.6.75 E/S | 1x | 1'22" | 28 | 3'07" | Drum end pretty fast,but ok. | |
| 9.6.75 E/S | -- | 1'10" | 27 | 2'52" | Brass wind up ending-very fast. | |
| 19.7.75 E/S | -- | 1'15" | 35 | 3'45" | Heavy brass long ending(when they finally come in) | |
| 20.7.75 A/S | 1x | 1'20" | 38 | 3'57" | 'duo' guitar playing and brass keying in end of solo. | |
| 20.7.75 E/S | -- | 1'17" | 31 | 3'15" | Drum ending-pretty average. | |
| 22.7.75 | -- | 1'20" | 30 | 3'25" | Brassy end extended. | |
| 23.7.75 | -- | 1'25" | 35 | 4'00" | Elvis sits down afterwoods-saying he is 40 yrs old. | |
| 24.7.75 | -- | 1'20" | 30 | 3'15" | Sock a little,sock a lot-arm jabbing end. | |
In 1975 Elvis performed POLK SALAD ANNIE prior to the introductions, this allowed Elvis to take a break afterwoods.The version available from the first tour in 1975 comes from Lake Charles evening show on 4th May. Here is clear evidence of What Jerry Scheff described in a recent interview in 1999 (with Arjan Deelen of ELVIS UNLIMITED)as 'the whole pace dropped down a notch and Elvis's shows changed from 'Rock n' Roll to more of a Country and WESTERN PERFORMANCE'. Elvis actually asks for the band to play it 'slower' early on in the performance as Jerry obviously came back expecting to play it like before he left the band! With so much of the 'Country flavoured material from his Today Album in his shows and 2 Olivia -Newton-John songs, despite some 'Rock' songs Elvis DID indeed sound much more 'Country'.POLK SALAD only seems to have been performed at the Huntsville 1.6.75 E/S because Elvis messes up Burning Love and annoyed starts another song!.POLK SALAD was to make much more of an appearance in Elvis's 3rd tour in 1975 and athrough I am missing his first version performed in Oklahoma on 8th July 1975- I do have the other versions. Apparently after his 9th July Terre Haute show the Colonel told Elvis about a 'special' menu available at the Keg and Quarter Restaurant in Cleveland Elvis moved on a day early so he could sample their boiled Turnip Greens!!
Polk salad then only made a re-appearance at the Uniondale 19.7.75 E/S because the audience given a choice between POLK SALAD or BURNING LOVE chose POLK SALAD! A GOOD VERSION FOLLOWS BUT YOU CAN HEAR THE 'HOLDING BACK' as the Brass section are late to come in and wind up the songs ending.The next day in Norfolk the audience again get the same choice of songs and POLK SALAD is performed once again the Brass key in the end of the guitar solo and there is a long ending.Now for those of you who have the 1999 Bootleg Video release 'Elvis Presley'-the CBS Tapes will already have seen the tremendous cover shot of Elvis doing a high Karate Kick in Asheville on 22.7.75 with a determined look on his face!. (those that haven't should check the Net or look at page 5 in The Man & His Music #45 September 1999)This clearly shows that Elvis performing POLK SALAD ANNIE in 1975 was still very compelling and a force to be reckoned with!.POLK SALAD was again performed at the last 2 Asheville shows in the Tour but doesn't sound quite as good.After POLK SALAD at the 23.7.75 show Elvis sits down afterwoods saying he's 40 years old- which seems a cause for concern.The 24.7.75 version sounds just like it did in August 75 with arm jabbing and 'sock a little, sock a lot' ending from Elvis. Continued on in Vegas in 75'was Elvis performing POLK SALAD but seeing the video's of him performing it's obvious he couldn't sustain his brief exertions in POLK SALAD (indeed he sits down absolutely stuffed) after the opening show 18.8.75 version.However his way of sort of sliding and cat walking on stage was pretty 'special' in 75' and he would do it at the start of POLK SALAD ANNIE to great affect!.Sometimes he could sort of slide sideways on stage -yet HE IS WALKING only you can't quite see it!.He seems a bit better the next night,but after 2 brief shows he cancelled out his Summer las Vegas season from 21st August onwards, returning well again on December 2nd 1975.
In his getting back to health time from September back to November Everything that Elvis did was still a 'big' production even just going to the movies or playing squash! Therefore it's no surprise that when POLK SALAD ANNIE came back into being performed every night at the Hilton it proved to be a big production number with Elvis characteristically conducting it when to start,when the Brass should come in for the last verse and the punctuated Karate chops/poses at the end of the song.
Elvis's opening 2.12.75 version sounded very similar to his August versions, however by 5th December the guitars were picking up on his low 'going down' movements at the conclusion of the song by without the clutter of too much Orchestration just giving a Guitar Riff from James as he did his low leg karate poses.Unusually for Elvis he actually ask Jerry to 'play it' before the instrumental at the 6.12.75 M/S! .Ron Tutt was away from the show on 7th December(for the birth of his Daughter) and Jerome Monroe played instead. When Ron came back for the 8th December show his Drumming was very noticeable , then on 9th December a MAJOR change took place that was too mark the last MAJOR development in Elvis's Evolution of POLK SALAD until his last ever version in Mobile on 2.6.77. This was what became the 'going down' music(because Elvis said 'going down' as this music started at his 24.4.77 show)This would only consist of 3 sounds in the backing Drum beat,James's Guitar licks and the 'Sweets' chanting 'SOCK IT TO ME'. The affect is absolutely mesmerising, for around up to a full minute we have this almost crude stripper like beat going on that just compels you to watch as Elvis would do first the left leg low Karate pose,then the right leg then pick up his microphone again slowly standing back up and 'shaking it' before the end jump and 1 Karate Kick. This would be the end 'Formula' for how he performed Polk Salad for the next 18 months. I have seen some nice pictures around of Elvis performing POLK SALAD in his 'Premier' of the White Bi-centennial suit at the 14.12.75 show and good he looks too.
| Date | 'LORD' | Play it J.B @ | R/T | Going Down? | END R/T | Comments |
| 18.8.75 o/s | -- | 1'12" | 40 | no | 3'20" | Cat walking start,arm jabbing,then a sit down. |
| 19.8.75 m/s | -- | 1'15" | 35 | no | 3'25" | Quite a physical version. |
| 2.12.75 o/s | -- | 1'25" | 30 | no | 4'00" | Very long ending with all instruments playing. |
| 3.12.75 | -- | 1'10" | 32 | no | 3'25" | Great bass start and really ferocious drum end. |
| 4.12.75 | -- | 1'16" | 34 | no | 3'33" | Long drum leed up to a wild ending. |
| 5.12.75 | 1x | 1'18" | 36 | no | 4'10" | Goes down without drum beat-really into it. |
| 6.12.75 d/s | 1x | 1'12" | 33 | no | 3'35" | Pretty fast, drum beat till end |
| 6.12.75 m/s | -- | 1'20" | 35 | no | 3'53" | 'play it Jerry' ,blurry guitar end to song. |
| 7.12.75 | 1x | 1'18" | 38 | no | 3'46" | Drummer Jerome Monroe,goes down-no music |
| 8.12.75 | 2x | 1'17" | 43 | no | 3'59" | Drum ending |
| 9.12.75 | -- | 1'15" | 30 | yes | 3'40" | 'going down music' @3.00 till drum end. |
| 10.12.75 | -- | 1'17" | 36 | no | 4'22" | 'duo' guitars and drum ending. |
| 11.12.75 | -- | 1'15" | 35 | no | 4'00" | Crude organ sound and muddy end music. |
| 12.12.75 | -- | 1'25" | 42 | no | 3'40" | Brass sound and organ,drum ending. |
| 13.12.75 d/s | -- | 1'30" | 20 | no | 4'20" | Incredible long silent end from Elvis with band. |
| 13.12.75 m/s | -- | 1'30" | 35 | no | 4'45" | Big brass ending,as Elvis does leg squats. |
| 14.12.75 | -- | 1'30" | 35 | yes | 4'22" | Duo guitars,loose going down and drum end. |
| 31.12.75 | -- | 1'20" | 33 | yes | 4'25" | @3.00 'going down' for 40" until brass end. |
Possibly under pressure to try and put on a good version for 63,000 fans at his Pontiac 31.12.75 show we find Elvis giving a good version complete with the 'going down' part but the result was splitting his pants with a Karate end as he was heavier than in Vegas in December.
