Post Description

Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii Deluxe Edition

Put yourself in the place of the world's most influential musical artist of the 20th century, circa 1972. In less than two decades, you've charted 132 singles (including 38 Top 10s and 18 #1 hits), recorded over 50 albums, starred in 33 films, headlined a Peabody Award-winning/critically hailed television special ('68 Comeback), won two Grammys, shattered concert attendance records in the US, earned enough gold records to occupy an entire wing of a mansion and can lay claim to being on a first name basis with the world: Elvis. 

So what's left for the King of Rock and Roll to do in terms of a creative challenge?

Colonel Tom Parker, in his 17th yearof service as manager to the world's most popular live act, in the fall of 1972, announced that Presley would headline a live television concert from Honolulu, Hawaii to be televised worldwide via satellite, the first such event of its kind.

Memphis' favorite honorary son couldn't have been in better hands thanks to highly skilled producer-director Marty Pasetta (Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour alumnus and Hollywood's soon to be go-to control booth guy for many an Academy Award night), a topnotch band and of course, the lovely state of Hawaii. For those not in the know, the 50th state had played a vital role in Elvis' career over the years. Not only would it become his favorite vacation destination, it was also the site of some legendary early performances, including a 1961 charity show that unintentionally became a farewell gig of sorts as Hollywood would beckon for the next seven years. Speaking of which, his 1961 film Blue Hawaii probably did more for the island's tourism than a million travel agencies. During the midst of on-location shooting, Elvis and  Colonel Parker donated all the profits from their recent benefit concert toward the building of a memorial site for those who perished aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in 1941; it would be one of Presley's proudest moments when he returned four years later during the making of Paradise, Hawaiian Style to see the completed tribute he helped make a reality.

Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii commemorates the performer's historic return to the island in a lavish two-disc set. In addition to the global concert of yore, the rarely seen rehearsal show from two nights earlier is also included amongst the extras. Often the subject of critical debate amongst music scholars and Presley faithful over the years, Aloha's critical reception in the years that followed was mixed. In fact, one reviewer called Elvis' historic tossing of his bejeweled cape into the audience during the climatic final chord changes of I Can't Help Falling in Love with You the 'highlight' of the evening.

To be honest, this isn't the same man who prowled like an panther on that classic NBC special of five years earlier. Besieged by occasional boredom and personal difficulties, Elvis' more ballad-oriented song selection during this period of his career reflected his heart and soul, a quality that more often than not became the impetus for some stirring performances with many definitive versions emerging via this big event: You Gave Me a Mountain, the middle of the road Frankie Laine tune that Presley infused with soul and feeling; a bluesy take on the Hank Williams classic, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (sadly, a planned album filled with Presley interpretations of the legendary songwriter's biggest hits never materialized); It's Over, a beautifully executed cover of a Jimmie Rogers single Elvis rescued from obscure oldie oblivion; the utterly lovely I'll Remember You (buried as a bonus track on 1966's Spinout soundtrack), written by Hawaiian tunesmith Kui Lee, one of Elvis' favorite artists whose career was cut short by cancer (all $75,000 in concert receipts from both 1973 Honolulu shows were donated to the performer's memorial fund); and, of course, An American Trilogy, an under-performing 1972 single that combines images of Southern pride and gospel fervor, which fit the Tupelo native like a glove. Three decades onward, those trumpets hailing the final repetition of the chorus, Elvis' breathtaking high note at the end, and the thunderous ovation of that Honolulu Convention Center audience in response still delivers chills.

Though ballad heavy, the King didn't neglect his rocking contingent with stellar versions of Johnnie B. Goode, a swinging A Big Hunk O' Love, Suspicious Minds, the slow-burn of Fever, and a fabulous reworking of James Taylor's Steamroller Blues (which became a surprise Top 20 hit at the time of the American broadcast of the special).

One of the joys in revisiting Aloha is getting a chance to see what an amazing handpicked live unit Elvis' back-up group had become since the summer of 1970: lead guitarist and master of the paisley Fender Telecaster, James Burton (the 1957 version of Suzie Q, original Ricky Nelson guitarist, studio musician who played with everyone from Dean Martin to The Monkees, recent Jerry Lee Lewis sideman); Jerry Scheff, always 'on the Fender bass' (bassist on The Door'sclassic L.A. Woman album; mid-1980s Elvis Costello band member); stickman Ronnie Tutt (Billy Joel's debut Piano Man, longtime Neil Diamond drummer); Glen D. Hardin, the incredibly versatile keyboardist whom Elvis dubbed the 'fastest piano player in the world' (post Buddy Holly-era Crickets, John Denver accompanist); and close friend/rhythm guitarist John Wilkinson (mid-'70s Kingston Trio).

And who else could have organized an eclectic mix of accompanying singers whose backgrounds included Southern Gospel, late '60s soul, and the Metropolitan Opera? Yet the combination of J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet, The Sweet Inspirations and soprano Kathy Westmoreland gelled perfectly. With harmony vocalist/stage manager/scarf wrangler Charlie Hodge and the Joe Guercio Orchestra providing the icing on the cake, you had a backing ensemble... fit for a King. (Source: Elvis.com.au)