Never seen during his lifetime, this astonishing live performance could accurately be described as Elvis unplugged. Taped in a small studio, the session is a no-frills, intimate presentation of the Memphis rocker jamming with four of his earliest bandmates, revisiting early favorites in a relaxed and unrehearsed setting. With the musicians seated in a circle, facing one another while surrounded by a small but rapt audience, One Night with You is far removed from the more conventional staging seen elsewhere in his videography; Elvis's warm interaction with his old allies meanwhile refers directly back to his earliest stage and TV work in trio and quartet configurations. Originally taped for the rock & roll legend's triumphant 1968 holiday special (available as Elvis: '68 Comeback Special), this reunion was never intended to be seen as a whole. Knowing that only brief segments might be used, Elvis jokes, clowns, and remains unfazed by the occasional musical gaffe. Yet he also brings an unforced vigor to his guitar playing (which had, for years, been reduced to pantomime for his formal shows), another clear link to the necessarily greater self-reliance of those career-making early shows.
For fans, the comeback special itself still looms as an unsurpassed feast of Presley music at the artist's peak. But this 53-minute companion, first aired by HBO, stands on its own as the tenderloin. --Sam Sutherland
