'Aloha From Hawaii'
40th Anniversary Legacy release
- CD review by Piers Beagley
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There is no doubt that most people reading this review will know Elvis’ phenomenal Aloha From Hawaii' concert inside out. Every fan will know the TV broadcast and most will have bought the DVD, most fans will have bought the album several times, a fair number will have also bought the "Alternate Aloha" rehearsal and a few will have seen the original broadcast on TV back in 1973.
We all know this classic record-breaking concert so well. Dressed in his stunning "American-Eagle" jumpsuit, tanned, slim and Adonis-like Elvis was truly at the peak of his later career. ...
EIN's Piers Beagley takes a good look at the new 40th Anniversary Legacy release of this all-important concert event...
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See Below for review on the BOXCAR 'Aloha' Deluxe book |
In early 1973, Elvis Presley was performing at one of the highest peaks of his career, and 'ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE' is proof positive of that. As Ernst Jørgensen notes, "The immense pressure of being beamed live to one billion people didn’t seem to faze Elvis a great deal; showing little evidence of nerves, he was highly focused, and he executed a flawless set that sparkled with all the flash of his image. The unparalleled media attention and size of the audience, not to mention the worldwide number one album that followed, were perhaps the most effective statement ever engineered of one artist’s worldwide power."
NOW UPDATED - with EIN readers' feedback below - Plus Ernst Jorgensen interview |
There is no doubt that most people reading this review will know Elvis’ phenomenal Aloha From Hawaii' concert inside out. Every fan will know the TV broadcast and most will have bought the DVD, most fans will have bought the album several times, a fair number will have also bought the "Alternate Aloha" rehearsal and a few will have seen the original broadcast on TV back in 1973.
We all know this classic record-breaking concert so well. Dressed in his stunning "American-Eagle" jumpsuit, tanned, slim and Adonis-like Elvis was truly at the peak of his later career.
And with almost one-quarter of the world’s population watching, the pressure of it being the first worldwide live concert broadcast, sadly there could be nowhere else to go but down.
There really were no more challenges left that could properly invigorate Elvis to a greater peak. The only possibility was a world-tour but we all know that wily Colonel Parker was having none of that. (See our spotlight The Dark Side of the Colonel ..)
So with nothing "new" that can really be offered on this Legacy 40th Anniversary re-release let’s not forget some of the key points of the original album and concert.
- Aloha featured "8 songs never before recorded by Elvis".
'Something', 'Steamroller Blues', 'My Way', 'It's Over', 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', 'What Now My Love', 'Welcome To My World'.
Aloha also featured a pile of songs never before seen by fans on film - even if they had seen the recent 'On Tour' 1972 movie.
'Love Me', 'Johnny B Goode', 'I Can't Stop Loving You', 'Fever', 'I'll Remember You', 'Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'.
Out of the 22 songs featured, it is a pretty long list when you think about it and 40 years later fans are a little blase knowing 'Something' from as early as 1970, 'I Can't Stop Loving You' from hundreds of other performances and songs such as 'My Way' from 1972 and so many later concerts.
But looking back at the time there was more "new content" to the whole show than we now realise or remember.
However the trouble with the concept of the satellite broadcast was that Elvis could not possibly perform in the way he had for the filming of 'TTWII.' or even ‘On Tour’.
There was going to be no time for Elvis to recoup between songs if he turned himself into the usual "sweaty karate kicking mess" that featured in his best concerts.
The production lighting also had to be pretty hot, so encased in his heavy suit the show was all about "The Look" and "the vocal performance" instead of Elvis' usual kick-ass exciting performances.
This was Elvis "The Icon", Elvis "The Image" rather than the real Elvis of the spontaneous and fun performances that we all know.
Nowadays these major productions are all performed with breaks and costume changes every 15 minutes, whether it be George Michael or Beyonce. It would be a very different Elvis show had it been done today with a chance for Elvis to let rip and still look super-cool in front of the cameras.
In fact when Elvis asks for a pause, "Just bear with me a minute" as he gets ready for 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' the break is in fact only for 7 seconds!
For that reason Elvis has to put on a fairly staid performance and almost all his concentration is put into his vocal performance and cool relaxed moves rather than karate demonstrations and action-packed ‘Polk Salad Annie' moves.
Comparing the concerts to the recent ‘Prince From Another Planet’ release of Elvis’ two 1972 Madison Square Garden concerts there is a very notable drop in energy level. This is a true reflection of Elvis concerts in general when comparing 1972 to the following year, but the intensity of the Aloha set-up and the constraints of the TV cameras could only tie Elvis’ physical performance down even further.
In fact it’s rather interesting to note that Elvis’ vocal performance on the rehearsal show is a far more relaxed affair, both in remembering the lyrics and overall performance. Listening to it again it is obvious that Elvis really is treating the first show as a true rehearsal to the main event where he does then pull out the vocal-power and perfection.
The new Aloha Legacy version is released in the usual Legacy double-pack with 24 page booklet.
To be honest after the glorious deluxe pack for the "Prince From Another Planet" this seems a little bit of a let-down for a 40th Anniversary release – although without any "new" material this is a cheaper package at aimed at a different market.
The Package
The booklet features some cool photos of Elvis performing (see above) plus a good selection of memorabilia. But how I wish the booklet had been bigger size and packed with even more rare photos.
A few of the images however, I am sure I have seen in better quality as well.
It’s also obvious that most of the main photos are from the rehearsal show (Elvis has a different hair-style and frangipani lei) yet the booklet rather oddly dates them as from the Main January 14th show.
(Right: Elvis at the rehearsal show, yet the booklet notes that it is the main Jan 14 concert!)
The very knowledgeable Stuart Colman provides an interesting article explaining the immensity of the whole project - and the truth of the "First ever world-wide broadcast"...
"$2.5 million in the making and one billion in the watching, the global telecast of Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii was and forever will be a pinnacle in television and music history. No solo performer other than Elvis Presley could have headlined such an undertaking, and for that matter no entertainment enterprise other than RCA could have pulled it off.
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Now that might seem a bold claim, but outside of Elvis himself and the managerial smarts of Colonel Parker it was the technical leadership of the "Victor Talking Machine Company" that enabled the finished article to be presented in such a hi-tech manner.
"Aloha From Hawaii" wasn’t the first global satellite broadcast; that was rudimentary arts magazine known as Our World. But it was the first of its kind to be transmitted in color and the first to be recorded for release in Quadraphonic Sound. It might be hard to comprehend now, but ‘in person’ location recordings were still in their infancy when the extravaganza began to take shape."
I love the part that tells of RCA's Joan Deary (Felton Jarvis was unfortunately ill that all-important night) spending the whole show in a small room checking that the tape VU meters didn't hit distortion.
Colman also notes that...
..."Viewing figures from the Far East broke all records, and the media reaction to Elvis having made television and entertainment history was one of respect and admiration. The Quadraphonic double-album of the show was released the first weekend in February, and it dominated the charts, reaching #1 on both the pop and country charts in the United States. Due to demand and the possibility of a long shelf life, the albums were eventually released in standard two-track stereo.
One of the key factors to the success of the venture was the little-trumpeted fact that Elvis had done the show for charity. There was no admission charge, just voluntary contributions for cancer research in the name of a Hawaiian singer/songwriter named Kui Lee who died in 1966.
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I believe that NBC having the rights to the Super Bowl (the highest rating annual TV sporting event) which was to be broadcast on the same Sunday January 14 weekend in US was also one reason the Elvis show could not be shown until a later date, along with the issue of ‘Elvis On Tour’ only recently being in the cinemas. Colman’s article for some reason doesn’t mention the unfortunate Super Bowl timing.
The booklet also doesn’t show the original album insert that I always thought was rather interesting as it also promoted the previous ‘Madison Square Garden’ RCA release. (see below)
The Music
The rush release of the original double-album just 3 weeks later (and in quadrophonic!) is probably a reason why the LP vinyl mix has always sounded muddied and lacking any real audio punch.
And sadly this is the major dissapointment with this new Legacy set.
DISC 1 "Aloha From Hawaii Via satellite" Main Broadcast Performance
As I noted in my review of 'The Complete Masters' the Aloha disc was one of the major sonic let-downs.....
"‘Aloha From Hawaii’ – I was hoping for so much here but the original master tape must have been a bad mix. The audio here has some bad compression and added reverb giving it a very muffled sound. There is no shine to the percussion. This time the 1998 CD version, remixed by Dennis Ferrante from the multi-track tapes sounds much better with crystal clear percussion and biting guitar and Elvis’ voice much clearer without added reverb."
As the representation of an Elvis original vinyl 'Master' it was understandable that it would match the original release.
However it is still rather odd as the Vic Anesini 'Madison Square Garden' re-master (another originally rush-released mix) was a great improvement over previous CD versions - which was not the case here.
In any case, there was no reason that 'The Complete Masters' had to be used in this Legacy release and I was so hoping for this Legacy release to contain the Vic Anesini remix from the original tapes to bring out the sparkle and excitement of such an important Elvis performance.
Instead SONY/RCA have saved money and the version is identical.
In this "LP Master version" the horn section and trumpets annoyingly dominate the sound on the left channel and the whole band seem to blur in a muddied "Narrow" mix somewhere in the centre. There is no real clarity at all.
The audience is faded up and down at times rather oddly and there is no real focus or "balls" to the sound.
It is such a shame as the original CD mix remixed by Dennis Ferrante in 1998 from the multi-track tapes shines in comparison. In fact this old mix almost sounds like a Vic Anesini new re-mix since the musicians have a great separation, James Burton's guitar sparkles while there is also a real richness to the bass. It is a great STEREO mix and you can hear the whole band.
For instance listen to the Sweets/Stamps clear hand-claps during 'Burning Love' that are absent in this new Legacy version.
In fact The Sweets & Stamps backing vocals are also beautifully placed and separated in this 1998 remix and wonderfully match Elvis' powerful vocal.
Here they are again blurrily massed as one.
Even worse this Legacy version is the edited version and not the whole concert.
Elvis’ introduction of My Way, "I'd like to do one of our favourites called My Way" is edited out and his ‘Band Introductions' are incomplete.
Charlie Hodge is no longer teased as a "general flunky", and Elvis doesn't introduce his favourite actor Jack Lord. Nor does he even mention the fact that the show is a fund-raiser! It was all edited out of the original 1973 album.
Even more annoying there is an audio fade out/in inserted between every end and start of each original LP side, thus removing the flow and excitement of the concert. Why this is needed on a 2013 representation of Elvis’ most important 70’s concert beggars belief. |
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There can be no doubt that the old 1998 version, shown right, with the white cover is still the best audio release of this magnificent concert even 40 years after the event.
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DISC 2. ‘The Alternate Aloha’ - The Rehearsal
The audio upgrade of this rehearsal concert is the reason most long-term Elvis fans would want to buy this set all over again for the umpteenth time.
And luckily it is worth the effort.
The original ‘Alternate Aloha’ was a 1988 Elvis CD that actually featured ‘Audio Technical Production Notes’ but all these years later their techniques seem very out-dated.
(Interestingly this was an early Elvis release that involved Roger Semon before he teamed up with Ernst Jorgensen.)
Listening to the original release now with audio engineering by Rick Rowe one realises just how much the mix was drowned in echo. The audio now sounds very thin and has odd phase and echo effects over the whole sound image, plus the drums having an oddly flat "cardboard box" sound.
The audience is mixed up high while Elvis’ vocal somewhat held back. The horn section is often too high compared to the rest of the musicians.
This new legacy version remixed by Steve Rosenthal & Rob Santos is a delight. Elvis’ vocal is very clean and high in the mix. The overall sound has a richness to it plus a very thick bass sound and this time it really does have "balls".
There is also great band placement across the stereo mix, the drums are really pumping, with a rich bass and an overall strong powerful Elvis vocal, plus well-placed backing vocals.
This is the sort of remix I had hoped would have been released for the Main Aloha concert on this special Legacy re-issue.
Steve Rosenthal & Rob Santos who engineered this rehearsal remix (they also did the excellent Sam Cooke ‘Live At The Harlem Square Club’) should have been paid to do the remixes of both of these classic Elvis concerts. Why not?
From the extreme quiet of the intro and the tension you can feel in the crowd, there is a marvellous build up to the explosion of ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra' and ‘See See Rider.’
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‘Steamroller Blues ’ has always been one of the favourites of this rehearsal concert and on this release has a beautifully prominent and a delightful piano mix. The piano is also placed correctly on the left channel compared to the original release where it was on the right.
Songs like ‘My Way’ & ‘I’ll Remember You’ sound beautiful on this new release with an amazing clear Elvis vocal. They capture an astounding Elvis performance and on this release he sounds that he is singing far more personally and close rather than echoing around a basketball arena!
‘American Trilogy’ on the original release similarly had too much echo and a very odd sounding drum mix. Here there is a sensational clean sound to the whole mix and Elvis’ vocal is strong and pure. To be honest it almost sounds as if it is a different performance, it is that different.
If they could be any complaint it would be that this new mix is a little "dry" having less reverb and less audience and the cleaner band sound. HOWEVER the overall sound image really thrills and in any case if you want to feel the distance and crowds of Elvis in the HIC Arena you would of course watch the DVD in surround sound. |
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After the Rehearsal concert we get the five Bonus Songs that Elvis recorded as filler material for the extended NBC American TV production. These have been remastered by Vic Anesini and although they are all previously released they do sound better here. Although since they were recorded at 3AM after biggest concert of his life, poor old Elvis still sounds as tired as ever, as do the band. Why on earth did Elvis and the musicians agree to this?
They still are a nice little bonus and part of the whole Aloha story.
This Legacy set however has been getting very positive reviews in the mainstream media which is nice to see - for instance below....
“Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite” was part of a multi-media extravaganza that captured Elvis Presley at the top of a resurging career in 1973.
Just months after “Elvis On Tour” played the big screen at the movies, “Aloha…” was the first-ever broadcast of a full concert around the globe, reaching over 40 different countries and breaking television viewing records worldwide. The accompanying double-LP soundtrack was rush-released to stores and took up residence on the Billboard chart for a full year, ultimately going five-times platinum. But it turns out there was much more of Elvis’ powerhouse performances than just the 24 tracks from the broadcast, and that’s what makes this 40th anniversary, two-CD release so essential. To begin with, there’s the digitally remastered, “Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite” soundtrack. It’s been the live album of choice for many fans because of its satisfying combination of classics, new hits and covers, including what were some rarely performed songs at the time.
Which means the playlist ranges from “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog," "Love Me," and "Can't Help Falling in Love" to "Suspicious Minds," "Burning Love," and "Steamroller Blues" — a James Taylor cover and Top 20 hit when it was released as a single that year. Plus other covers as only Elvis could do them: "My Way," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Fever," and the Beatles’ “Something.”
Then there’s the full dress rehearsal of the broadcast (with a slightly different running order), that had been recorded as a backup and previously released separately as “The Alternate Aloha.” Those 22 songs are also here, remixed and remastered, providing a fascinating contrast to the performances in the actual concert. And finally, there are five must-hear bonus tracks from a closed-door, 3:00a.m. recording session that took place after the show was over, featuring a great cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain.”
With a total of 51 tracks —each sounding better than ever — plus rare photos and new liner notes, the Legacy edition of “Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite” adds a bright shine to the King’s crown. |
So what a shame that the "general public" who buy this set for the first time will be listening to a disappointing sounding and edited version of Elvis’ biggest concert of this whole career. If Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon are here to help sort out the previous mess of Elvis’ musical releases then this seems very wrong to me.
Overall Verdict: Unfortunately this new ‘Aloha From Hawaii’ Legacy release features nothing in the way of the excitement of the ‘Prince From Another Planet’ wonderful 2012 release of Elvis’ two Madison Square Garden concerts.
However this lesser Legacy 40th Anniversary set has been released at an amazingly cheap price - available at only US$14 or £12.00 or less - and so although I feel the main concert disc does disappoint, fans are certainly getting good "value for money".
It is still a terrible shame that this release does not feature Elvis’ complete ‘Aloha From Hawaii’ January 14th concert. However for hard-core Elvis collectors the new rehearsal mix by Steve Rosenthal & Rob Santos is ultimately well worth the cost of the whole set.
Review by Piers Beagley.
-Copyright EIN April 2013 - DO NOT COPY -
EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
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ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE: LEGACY EDITION by ELVIS PRESLEY
(RCA/Legacy 88765 43389 2 1)
Disc 1: The Main broadcast recorded January 14, 1973
(originally issued February 1973, as Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite, RCA 6089)
Tracklist
1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey)
2. See See Rider
3. Burning Love
4. Something
5. You Gave Me A Mountain
6. Steamroller Blues
7. My Way
8. Love Me
9. Johnny B. Goode
10. It's Over
11. Blue Suede Shoes
12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
13. I Can't Stop Loving You
14. Hound Dog
15. What Now My Love
16. Fever
17. Welcome To My World
18. Suspicious Minds
19. Introductions by Elvis
20. I'll Remember You
21. Medley: Long Tall Sally/ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
22. An American Trilogy
23. A Big Hunk O' Love
24. Can't Help Falling In Love
Disc 2: The “dress rehearsal” show recorded January 12, 1973
(originally issued June 1988, as The Alternate Aloha, RCA 6985)
Tracklist:
1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey)
2. See See Rider
3. Burning Love
4. Something
5. You Gave Me A Mountain
6. Steamroller Blues
7. My Way
8. Love Me
9. It's Over
10. Blue Suede Shoes
11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
12. Hound Dog
13. What Now My Love
14. Fever
15. Welcome To My World
16. Suspicious Minds
17. Introductions by Elvis
18. I'll Remember You
19. An American Trilogy
20. A Big Hunk O' Love
21. Can't Help Falling In Love
22. Closing Riff
Bonus songs:
23. Blue Hawaii
24. Ku-U-I-Po
25. No More
26. Hawaiian Wedding Song
27. Early Morning Rain
TCB Band:Guitar: James Burton
Guitar: John Wilkinson
Guitar & Vocals: Charlie Hodge
Bass: Jerry Scheff
Drums: Ronnie Tutt
Piano: Glen D. Hardin
with: Vocals: J.D.Sumner & The Stamps
Vocals: The Sweet Inspirations
Vocals: Kathy Westmoreland
The Joe Guercio Orchestra conducted by Joe Guercio
Legacy Edition Produced by Rob Santos & Ernst Jorgensen
Art Direction & Research by Roger Semon
Alternate Aloha re-mixed by
Mastered by Vic Anesini |
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Get the new Legacy release at a truly FABULOUS price.
<<< In the US only $14!! ....................................
.....................................In the UK only £12.00 >>
And with Free Delivery (depending where you live)
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In Australia and New Zealand, please don't be ripped off paying over $34 !
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Harvey Kubernik Interviews Ernst Jorgensen for Record Collector News
HK: In preparing this expanded re-release of the original landmark event, what sort of reactions and initial observations came to you?
EJ: The main issue here was completeness – to gather in one package both shows and also include the 5 extra songs Elvis recorded exclusively for the US broadcast.
Can you tell me anything about the original engineers? Were they RCA staff engineers or chosen by Elvis?
EJ: This was recorded by RCA staff engineers and because of Elvis’ producer Felton Jarvis’ illness, RCA’s A&R person Joan Deary oversaw the recording project.
In reviewing concert tapes of Elvis post ’68 Comeback Special, what strikes you most about his live shows and band that we hear on this 1973 endeavor?
EJ: Normally Elvis would chat a lot on his shows, especially in Las Vegas, but this is a very tight show, with as many songs as you could squeeze into the time frame of the show. Elvis at his most determined and professional might be the best way to describe this.
Can you add anything about the sort of concert repertoire captured on this new re-release? How did Elvis usually select his set list?
EJ: Since Elvis had just recently released a live album (from Madison Square Garden) it was important to include new repertoire — especially for the record release. Some of these had already been incorporated in the repertoire back in August (but not recorded) and some were added during rehearsals. The list of songs for the rehearsals is quite extensive, and with an eye to unreleased songs, it was also a question of flow in the program that Elvis was very aware of.
Is there anything you can offer in terms of the restoration process as far as assembling tapes and the full concept you have edited and compiled?
EJ: We wanted to have the original album in the mix it was originally released in. As for the rehearsal show, we were less enthusiastic about the earlier release, and decided to re-mix the show.
Elvis has always had a special relationship with Hawaii. Did you feel that as well?
EJ: We certainly know he did — he went there often for both filming of his movies and later for his holidays. Whether it has any consequence for the actual is less likely.
Can you offer some observations about Elvis doing this revolutionary TV broadcast as opposed to his live shows. Did the technical preparation or collaboration take on a bigger undertaking as it was a new technical forum for broadcast. Elvis and the band rose to the occasion.
EJ: I think the most important issue here was to be able to show the world — not just the U.S. — what an Elvis Presley show was like. Ultimately to sell a lot of records. It was always of the utmost importance for Elvis’ manager, Colonel Parker, to do something for Elvis that maintained that his artist was on another level than any other performer. The Colonel also knew that Elvis delivered his best if he was challenged.
Can you compare and contrast the Elvis New York City Madison Square Garden 1972 live recording with this 1973 live recording in Hawaii? As far as quality, performances, tape results, and the growth of Elvis still as a stage performer.
EJ: There are only seven months between the two events, so I think it’s hard to talk about growth — both represent challenges to Elvis (he didn’t think New York would like him), so Aloha is possibly only a step up in the circumstances of the show — the magnitude of a worldwide live broadcast — that he could deliver a flawless performance under that kind of pressure.
One question about CD and vinyl. How has the Elvis catalogue benefited from the CD formats as much of his early work was out on 45s and album vinyl. The master tapes from his recording career seem to be in perfect shape and easy to transfer.
EJ: We have worked on the ambition that we can always get the sound closer to what the original intent was by using the right equipment, analyze flaws coming from digital transfers — and we believe we have gotten better at — the goal is to hear the same on the CD as you hear on the original master tapes. Sounds easy, but it isn’t. Tapes were recorded on different equipment, with various technical issues, but in general the tapes are brilliant.
Can you provide some reflections about the Elvis’s early and mid-‘70s live and studio catalogue? I think in general the reporting and documentation overlooked some real gems and great band playing.
I saw five or six Presley shows in California during 1970-1976, and with the exception of the last one his voice sounded great. I did write a story in ’76 for Melody Maker suggesting Elvis retire from the world of touring owing to obvious health issues I witnessed on stage. But this ‘73 concert collection presents an entertainer and not just the rocker most everyone, especially reviewers, still wanted him to remain.
EJ: I think all journalists and many fans basically wanted to still see Elvis as a rock ‘n’ roll artist, where Elvis himself strived for a bigger musical stance including ALL the music he loved — in many ways I think in his own mind, he may have felt that the summer of 1970 — the making of That’s The Way It Is, was his own crowning achievement: The repertoire, band, the freedom to perform exactly what he wanted to.
Why do Elvis and particularly his musical recordings still endear and endure?
EJ: Elvis’ life story is fascinating – it’s in some ways a tragedy, and yet it’s full of glorious moments of achievement. At the bottom of it all is however that he was a brilliant singer. |
ALOHA HAWAII 40th Anniversary - The King "live via satellite" a Great Experience in 2013: The local Honolulu newspaper gave Elvis' 'Aloha From Hawaii 2013' a great review. Longtime arts journalist John Berger reported...
... Any lingering suspicions that the long-anticipated "Elvis ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ 40th Anniversary Screening" was going to amount to a shared viewing of the familiar television special that’s available for free on YouTube were laid to rest as soon as the lights went down on several thousand Elvis fans who’d assembled to celebrate The King’s "live via satellite" concert last night in Blaisdell Arena.
First, there is no way that watching anything on a p/c screen — or even a "home entertainment center" — can match the experience of seeing it on a theater-size screen and hearing it on an arena sound system.
Second, the 40-year-old television special was dramatically modernized and upgraded for the anniversary screening. The entire concert was re-imagined as a multi-image experience — at times there were two or three images on the giant screen, at others there were 16 or more in various combinations.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie sent a shout out to the people who were seated "right up there in the upper deck" where he had been sitting 40 years ago, and asked everyone who had been in the audience for the original "Aloha from Hawaii" concert to stand — and a notable number of people did. |
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The bottom line to the evening was about more than commemorating an entertainment milestone 40 years on. It was remembering or, perhaps, learning that before there were Elvis impersonators mumbling "thankyuverrymuch," and tribute artists and look-alikes and "weekend warrior" karaoke singers, there was a flesh-and-blood entertainer named Elvis Presley who created something fresh and new and revolutionary in American music.
So much that the entertainers of today and their fans take for granted began with Elvis.
Go here for NEW images of the 2013 concert EIN EXCLUSIVE REVIEW plus much more on Aloha 2013.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
 Above: Aloha LP with original album insert
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'Elvis - Aloha Via Satellite: A 40th Anniv Release': Getting rave reviews from Elvis fans - "this book is just nothing short of incredible!", "Beautiful packaging and quality all the way through", "my first thoughts on the book are WOW the photos are incredible so sharp, many I have never seen before", "Really enjoy following the whole story in chronological order, and some of those black and white rehearsal show shots are astounding" - are just some comments on FECC.
The latest release celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Aloha Via Satellite from Joseph Pirzada’s Boxcar label dropped into the EIN mail box. With considerable pre-publication hype, a stunning 440 pages and more than 1,000 visuals, many of them "alternate" shots or unpublished, can it really be as good as we all hope. Is this the ultimate photo-journal about Aloha? GO HERE AS EIN brings you the first on-line detailed review.
Click here for our detailed review by Nigel Patterson - including plenty of fabulous Aloha Elvis images
(Book Review, Source: ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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Reader Feedback.
In general EIN understandably receives some positive and negative reader comments about all our reviews.
In this case however nearly everyone felt let down by the main concert as presented for this 40th Anniversary Legacy release. Here are some comments EIN received.
From: Christoph H
thanks for your review - great! It hits the nail on the head.
My impression: The clarity and mix of the rehearsal show is REALLY AMAZING! Just listen to the percussion and cymbals: many details and a lot of space and dynamics never heard before! They did an outstanding job on this material - thumbs up!
The price is ok, BUT the audioquality and presentation of the January 14th concert is an embarrassment. Every ELVIS fan has bought ALOHA numerous times, so did I. What could and should have been the "final" statement of ALOHA is a VERY sad affair. If you consider the public attention that this set has gotten, SONY´s/RCA´s behaviour makes me a bit sad. ALOHA is a major stone in ELVIS' legacy, the bad presentation of the concert is certainly NOT!
From: Peter D
Excellent review, Was looking forward to this release, I ended up feeling flat, first the package and the cd and music itself,
Perhaps we were spoilt with the release with the release of ; a prince from another planet’’
I believe the ALOHA RELEASE DESERVED THE SAME EFFORT,
It’s seems sony will only get it right when it suits them,
A big disappointment,
But a brutely honest review , only hope some of the sony bosses get to read it,
From: Armond J
Your review nailed it. My sentiments, exactly. Disc 1 is very disappointing. Who wants an exact copy of the LP from 1973, when the entire show has been available for years? Disc 2, incredible! I love the rehearsal show.
From: Rob G
I would have to agree with all you have said…
I went back to recheck the 1998 cd and there is a BIG difference…unfortunately Sony seem to have done it backwards this time they are not consistent with all there releases at times.
BUT CD 2 well worth as you said the price alone a very good remix….
From: Mark B
Read your review and couldn't agree more. I was so disappointed on the sound quality of disc 1. I think Vic Anesini is too into the 'original mix' for his own good. I understand the historical significance etc but sometimes it's just not a good master and you have to improve it. Oh well. I pulled out the 1998 one and it sounded considerably better.
From: Robert V
Thank you for your review on the Aloha Legacy version. Yes, the Jan 14th concert is not complete and edited and as you put it it's the same as on The Complete Elvis Masters set. However, I'm very happy and rapt with the sound quality on The Alternate Jan 12th concert. Finally I never have to play the horrible 1988 CD which sounds like it was recorded in a fish tank! In the space of a year we've have The Alternate Aloha and Recorded At MSG (evening show) released officially and in top sound.
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See EIN review of 'Prince From Another Planet’
See EIN review of 'A Boy From Tupelo'
See EIN review of 'Young Man With The Big Beat'.
See EIN review of 'Elvis Is Back!' Legacy Edition review:
See EIN review of 'The Complete Elvis Presley Masters' in-depth Review
See EIN review of 'On Stage' 40th Anniversary LEGACY in-depth review:
See EIN review of From Elvis In Memphis (40th Anniversary Legacy Edition)
See EIN review of 'I Believe' BMG Gospel set.
See EIN review of 'The Complete '68 Comeback Special' CD Review:
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