Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite - Th E Alternate Aloha

I purchased the  Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (Deluxe Edition)  two-DVD set in 2004, and enjoyed it immensely. Until now, I did not own the audio CD of the shows (I never had the vinyl, as I was not that big an Elvis fan then), but Sony Legacy has put together an excellent two-CD set, commemorating the 40th Anniversary of this concert, which was broadcast in most parts of the world on January 14, 1973, but was not shown in the U.S. until April 4, 1973, due to a conflict with Super Bowl VII (the undefeated Miami Dolphins 14, the Washington Redskins 7).The first disc contains the 24 tracks from the actual concert that appeared on the original vinyl double LP, though they are in conventional stereo, not Quadraphonic, as the original LP was (can there be a Quadraphonic CD? I doubt it). The second disc, originally issued by RCA as  Elvis: The Alternate Aloha  in 1988, is the rehearsal concert that was filmed in front of a live audience as a "fail-safe" measure. Both concerts have similar programs, except that three songs done in the final concert were not performed at the rehearsal - "Johnny B. Goode," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and the medley of "Long Tall Sally" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." The second disc also includes the five bonus songs that were taped after the concert for the U.S. version of the TV special - "Blue Hawaii," "Ku-U-I-Po," "No More" (which was cut from the U.S. NBC special, but later appeared on home video releases), "Hawaiian Wedding Song," all from the soundtrack of  Blue Hawaii , and Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Mornin' Rain." Another difference is that the concert's "Closing Riff," which follows the concert's last song, "Can't Help Falling In Love," is a separate track on the second CD and lasts a lot longer. Unlike other Elvis concerts, we do not hear the announcement that "Elvis has left the building!"2016 UPDATE: The latest version of ALOHA FROM HAWAII, included in  The RCA Albums Collection  box set, has the original die-cut packaging, but only the final concert, not THE ALTERNATE ALOHA concert, though the five bonus tracks (listed above) are included.This was the last major televised concert that Elvis would give in his lifetime, though other live material would be released posthumously (look for a Legacy CD reissue of  Elvis In Concert  in 2017, the 40th Anniversary of that concert and The King's death, but don't hold your breath waiting for a concert DVD - to date, the Presley Estate has never allowed a release of ELVIS IN CONCERT in ANY home video format, not Betamax, VHS, SelectaVision, LaserDisc, DVD, or Blu-ray - because of The King's awful physical appearance. Only those who recorded the concert off the air when it was originally broadcast on CBS-TV in late 1977 are lucky enough to have it, although some of the home tapings have been bootlegged and/or downloaded to YouTube. Some clips from the concert do show up in various Elvis documentaries.)Although this CD set is excellent, I would also recommend the DVD. Although a  single-disc version from 2006  is available, I would recommend the Deluxe Edition mentioned above. It not only contains all of the music from both shows, but archival footage of Elvis arriving in Hawaii, several outtakes of the "bonus songs" mentioned above, and the re-edited U.S. version of the concert, broadcast as a "special program in Living Color" on NBC, April 4, 1973.Either way, audio or video, you will love this concert if you are an Elvis fan.By the way, ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE was not the first worldwide satellite broadcast. That honor goes to the 1967 British-based arts documentary OUR WORLD, which featured the first performance of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love." OUR WORLD was not widely broadcast in the U.S., except on a few "educational television" stations.

Here is a chance for any Elvis fan to have a concert on their own terms. What I mean is this CD or DVDFor close to 2 hours you can be back in time listening to this or be in the back row by watching the dvd.The best songs by Elvis , You gave me a moutain, My Way, American Trilogy are both on the CD and DVD

Elvis at his finest in a Historic Concert!!! My all time favorite!!!💯

Great songs from the King Of Rock n Roll

It was everything I wanted except the skipping but it’s OK I’m not returning it

I love this Elvis CD my Family listened to the 8-track tape of this version.

In excellent condition! Sounds great! great Gift for Elvis Fan!

If you want Elvis singing "My Way" live, then this is the Elvis CDs you want to purchase. Just don't like that Disc 1 and Disc 2 basically all have the same songs on them. Odd.

Great classic recording of this History making concert

Elvis in his prime is an listening experience like no other, the power of his voice, his masterful working of the crowd and his infectious humour when either singing or talking to the audience is truly something to be heard (or witnessed if you've watched the show).This legacy edition release expands on the previous CD edition by including the 'warm up' charity concert he gave the day before the live TV broadcast. The usual songs featured in his tour set are present with excellent versions of Suspicious Minds and Fever (with his small shrugs / movements making the crowd go crazy).

A good collection of the two concerts and the five extra songs which were recorded and filmed for the American broadcast as it didn't go out live at the time there & bizarrely wasn't picked up by BBC or ITV at the time here.I prefer the actual concert to the ' Alternate Aloha' which was filmed and recorded the previous night in case something went wrong with the proper broadcast & the five songs recorded after the show are just throwaway really & not a patch on the originals that Elvis had previously recorded for the Blue Hawaii soundtrack & another version of ' Early mornin' Rain'.The concerts themselves are not Elvis's best or worst & like most of his gigs from the 70s his 50s tracks performed are just throwaway with the exception of ' A Big Hunk O' Love'.The big ballads are the most effective here but again not the best that Elvis had performed before or after this.A solid if uninspired set from Elvis but his last great triumph before the real downward spiral began

Elvis Presley's January 14th, 1973 concert from Honolulu in Hawaii was seen by some 1.5 billion people and was the first time that a rock concert had been presented in this way, using what was then revolutionary technology. Often considered to be the last great high of Presley's career, the show was captured on the double-album ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE for posterity. But did the spectacle of the show itself overshadow the music that was performed?Well, compared to his previous live album, which had been recorded at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1972 (also as available as a Legacy Edition), the mix of the ALOHA FROM HAWAII album is noticeably superior, although the sound of one of the brass musicians does come through a little intrusively at times, particularly during Presley's rendition of The Beatles' 'Something', during which the singer also sounds rather bored. As usual by this stage in his career, The King was rattling through his oldies like 'Hound Dog' and 'Blue Suede Shoes' with an almost perfunctory abandon (although 'A Big Hunk O' Love' is given a fuller and far more committed work-out towards the close of the show), and it is with the ballads where Presley gives more dedication. 'You Gave Me A Mountain', 'My Way', 'What Now My Love' and 'American Trilogy' are notable highlights, while 'Burning Love' - a song that Presley infamously didn't particularly like - and 'Steamroller Blues' are arguably the best of the harder-edged selections on offer.Maybe it was nerves on the big night, but The King's voice does actually sound in better shape on the accompanying ALTERNATE ALOHA concert featured on disc two, where a rehearsal performance from January 12th was recorded for safety reasons in case the money ran out of the satellite's meter at the wrong moment. In fact, this listener enjoyed the "alternate" concert rather more than the "official" show, not least for the inclusion of the five after-hours songs; one of these, a truly lovely take on Gordon Lightfoot's 'Early Morning Rain', is quite possibly the highlight of the entire album: here Presley sounds thoroughly relaxed and his delivery of the song is beautifully poised. These extra selections - four of which are songs from Presley's BLUE HAWAII movie - were taped for inclusion in ALOHA's American broadcast, which didn't occur until April of 1973.Needless to say, ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE was a huge success upon its release, giving The King his first American chart-topping album since the relatively forgettable ROUSTABOUT soundtrack in 1964. Originally released to standard in quadraphonic sound (but compatible with conventional stereo systems, apparently), it would have been nice if Sony could have released this reissue as a dual layer Super Audio CD, so that those with the right equipment could listen to the album as it was originally intended (a surround mix might help that brass player blend in better with the band too!).All in all, then, ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE remains a key event in Elvis Presley's career, but it doesn't represent the best live Elvis. His first two concert albums, ELVIS IN PERSON and ON STAGE, FEBRUARY 1970, are rather superior to this. However, that beguiling version of 'Early Morning Rain' is something I could listen to again and again.

This is the only cd version I've got as I bought the original vinyl version in 1973 (and watched the live broadcast....which makes me feel really old) and it really wasn't a favourite. I've just been searching around to read opinions on various blogs and fan sites and I'm thinking I'm hearing a different concert.For me (on the rehearsal disc particularly) he sounds tired, slightly disinterested and his voice is weak. Many of the songs are rushed through, lyrics forgotten and the phrasing not crisp. The actual real concert is better. And I know many people will disagree with me - but I've never really like him doing Something or Fever. I've never really like either song much.I've read other people say that disc 2 (rehearsal) is better than the concert - but I'm listening to it now and I'm still not sold (although American Trilogy always seems to get him to raise his game, no matter how he was feeling). And I like What Now My Love. Put it this way - it's not a concert I'd recommend to someone who was a new Elvis fan. For me it's one of those albums I will listen to a couple of times and then put at the back of the cupboard. Maybe after putting 1 or 2 tracks in my digital playlist.PS - part of the problem may be that I've been listening to Way Down In The Jungle room and the vocals are brilliant on it. Kind of colouring my judgement.