Elvis Aloha DVD-- great!

Let's see, where to begin...


The picture is fantastic, sharp colors.
The 5.1 is beautiful, especially on something like American Trilogy, with the strings, horns and background singers in the rears and the music filling the room.

The contents:
1. Rough cut of Elvis's arrival in Honolulu-haven't watched yet.
2. The Aloha rehearsal concert-fantastic. Elvis is singing much better than the broadcast version, puts more oomph into the songs and more of his humor comes out. Only quibble-he muffs a few lyrics, but that shows how spontaneous this concert was. He knew it was a backup to the real thing. Love the part at the end where he talks about the next day's satellite broadcast and confesses "I'll need all the help I can get!"
3. The Aloha broadcast as shown live Jan. 14. Much faster paced than the NBC version, with no after-concert Hawaiian songs and scenery to slow things down. Elvis seems slightly more unsure of himself, perhaps taking no chances so as not to muff up lyrics again. Altogether, pretty good with better camera angles than the NBC broadcast.
4. The after-concert rough cut with several takes of Hawaiian Wedding Song and some others. Very interesting, very mild swearing but Elvis seems in pretty good humor. The parts where he apparently gets really peeved are left out. Very understated renditions. EP shields his face during Early Morning Rain, as if he's about to sneeze. Also in 5.1.
5. The NBC broadcast- Too many distractions with the multi-screen effects, especially during the after-concert segments, with Elvis restricted to one of several screens.
A must buy!

 

I could only afford one of the new Elvis releases this month, so I chose this one, much to my delight. I agree with everything you've said about it. The archival material may be more for the purists like me, but all of it is worth while. The "Elvis greets the fans" segment is a little irritating since much of it is people waiting around for Elvis. It gets interesting once he arrives, though. I love the post-concert segments. They give us a look at Elvis we haven't really had before -- late-night-recording Elvis.

We get three versions of the concert in this set, all sounding and looking great. Elvis is in fine form, as are James Burton and Ronnie Tutt. This is a great dvd set. Now I'm going to save up for the '68 SPECIAL set.

 

Why does the packaging look the way it does? Couldn't they find any pictures to put on the cover? Anyone think it looks good?

 

I heard a number of songs from the original release have been omitted. Is that true?

 

No. The original dvd had songs omitted because a royalty agreement could not be worked out with one of the music publishers. The new dvd is complete.

 

I think the packaging looks fine -- very unique. It certainly distinguishes this set from other ALOHA dvds that might still be floating around out there.

 

Great to hear! Guess what I'll be picking up in the very near future?

 

I'm confused about what exactly "The NBC Broadcast" is. Wasnt this shown live around the world? Did NBC NOT show it live, but wait and edit in the other stuff, and then show it later? Whats the story?

thanks

Mikey

 

Mikey,

your assumptions are correct. The actual concert was beamed live via Satellite to over 10 countries, e.g. Australia, South Korea, Japan etc, on January 14th, 1973. In Europe it could be seen on a delayed basis shortly after. In the US, it did not air until April 4th, when NBC showed an edited version of the concert. This is the programme that has been available on DVD for several years now and which can now be found on disc 2 of the new deluxe edition.
Hope this helps.

Regards,
Sebastian

 

I agree that the picture and sound are indeed very good. A nice improvement over previous releases.

 

I definately believe you, but I read the following statement in the listing of the re-release at www.towerrecords.com

Note: Elvis' performances of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, I Can't Stop Loving You, and Johnny B. Goode in the Aloha From Hawaii concert have been deleted from the newly re-released DVD/VHS editions of this program. Music publishing clearance from the songs' owners was up for renewal and an agreement could not be reached.

This edited version is the only available version of Elvis' historic Aloha From Hawaii concert.

 

The Tower ad is in error. All of those songs are on the new DVD set.

 

I figured it was in error after reading GuyDon's post. I just ordered it a few minutes ago! The '68 Comeback set arrived today.

 

Great! The video and sound on the 68 Special are greatly improved; I think you'll agree after giving it a play.

 

The reprocessed stereo/5.1 on the '68 special sounds good? Interesting.

 

Have you noticed, that the second verse of Saved has been edited out of the Original Broadcast version by mistake and It Hurts Me is missing from the Guitar Man Production number (not a big deal, imo, as the song wasn't part of of the aired special anyway).

 

Yes. It isn't a big deal for me either.

 

Yes. It actually works out alright. I would have rather had a mono version with someone like Steve or Vic remastering it, but I am still pleased with the sound.

 

This text refers to the previous edition which came out on DVD and VHS circa 1999-2001 (i.e. I can't remember when). It's not unlike a site like that to copy information from a different version, heck, the administration must be difficult.

1) I remember reading this spiel a couple of years ago and chose not to buy the then current DVD as my old VHS has the "missing" songs, and I wasn't convinced that the upgrade was significant. How many of you have bought DVD's only to have a Special Edition come out 6 months later?

2) There IS NO VHS of the new release.

 

Has anyone encounter this problem? I wonder if they are going to correct this and do an even exchange? Boy this sucks and inconvenience. I have not open mine. Here is the news:

Aloha From Hawaii Disc 1 technical glitch

Why is the opening sequence of Elvis arriving in Disc 1 of Aloha only 5 minutes long when it should be 17 minutes?

Answer: There is a glitch in the DVD in countries which use the PAL format. The segment is 17 minutes of footage where the crowd is waiting for Elvis to arrive by helicopter. At exactly 4:59 there is an "end code" which causes the picture to jump to the next Chapter (Rehearsal Concert). This is the glitch on the DVD.

All of the footage is actually there. You can see it by hitting the "skip" button on your remote at 4:58 and that will make the program jump over the "end code" and allow the arrival footage to continue. At the end of the 17 minutes you must return to the main menu to proceed with Chapter 2.

Please note at 4:59 where the glitch occurs, Elvis has not arrived yet. The shot is actually of a lamp post. If you follow this procedure you will not miss any Elvis footage!

We apologize for any inconvenience.

You bet!!!!

 

here is the website: http://www.elvisthemusic.com/

 

So I assume it is safe to purchase in the North American market??

 

Yes, the region 1 release doesn't have the problem.