"Never Been To Spain", was hit for Three Dog Night and written by Hoyt Axton and this song fit Elvis like a glove. It has an arrangement which works especially well on the stage, and perhaps a studio recording may never have captured it in the same way.

Although Elvis never recorded a studio version, RCA recorded thirteen live versions on multi-track in 1972 alone, but only six of these have actually been released officially. This rendition is among the seven of those without an official release as well as those among the countless concerts recorded by the engineer at the soundboard and now lie within RCA/Sony's vaults.

Despite performing the song over fifty times on stage it was these two performances from 1972 which would be the most remembered, this from 18 April 1972 in San Antone which was filmed by MGM and included in "Elvis - On Tour" and that recorded by RCA during his evening show in New York's Madison Square Garden on 10 June 1972

00:00 Version One – 26 January 1972 Opening Show, Las Vegas – First Live Rendition
Elvis opened his sixth Las Vegas season on 26 January 1972, and the set list included five new songs and an oldie which would receive it's first 70's live performance.
This was the first of the six performed that evening, with Elvis wearing the 'White Pyramid' jumpsuit featured on the cover of the MSG album.

03:20 Version Two – 16 February 1972, Midnight Show, Las Vegas
The song was recorded by RCA over two weeks after the first rendition, at seven shows between 14-17 February. The master from 16 Feb Midnight Show was initially intended for the abandoned 'Standing Room Only' album. This recording would have to wait for the 70's Masters box set for it to be officially released. In 2009 however, Sony would release through the Follow That Dream label, a two disc album called 'Standing Room Only', including the master of this song with the original concept in mind.

06:46 Version Three – 14 April 1972, San Antone, Texas – The “On Tour” Rendition
This is the only known professionally filmed version of the song by Elvis and was captured during principal filming of the 1972 documentary “Elvis – On Tour”. It was captured during the final of four shows which were filmed by MGM’s cameras and made it into the final edit of the movie. It was not until 2001 and the release of the 4CD box set “Live In Las Vegas” that the multi track audio of this show was officially released.

10:20 Version Four – 9 June 1972 – First Madison Square Garden rendition
The four shows which opened Elvis’ June 1972 tour consisted of Elvis’ historic first and only engagement as New York’s iconic event arena, Madison Square Garden. Having scrapped the “Standing Room Only” project in favour of a live album from these historic shows, RCA were on hand with their recording equipment. They recorded shows two and three which were both shows on 10 June but this rendition is from the previous days show was both his first show at the venue and of that particular tour.

14:04 Version Five – 4 August 1972, Opening Show, Las Vegas
Despite having appeared to have become a permanent fixture on the set list during the previous two tours, the song was rarely used during his Summer stay at The Las Vegas Hilton. Having been performed at the first four shows of the engagement including this opening show rendition, it would only be sung a couple more times.

17:38 Version Six – 18 August 1972, Midnight Show, Las Vegas
The final known rendition from 1972 and the last one for almost exactly two years.

21:09 Version Seven – 19 August 1974, Opening Show, Las Vegas – The Final Rendition
Having been ignored for exactly two years, it was reintroduced to the set list as part of Elvis’ attempt to radically revamp his live show. The result of this project is well known and the new format was unceremoniously abandoned by the following show and the song was a victim of this. As a result, this would be the final time that Elvis would perform the song on stage, save for a one line excerpt during his 24 May 1977 show in Augusta.




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!

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