Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

I've never bothered to listen to it but there is a 2013 Legacy Edition.

 

The problem with the "stereo" mix of Aloha is that it's a fold from the 4-channel quadraphonic master. A proper stereo mix of the main show was never created from the 16-track master until Dennis Ferrante mixed it for the 1998 CD.

 

It's due another go, the Ferrante mix was okay but some of the instrumentation was mixed too far down on some songs for moi.
Hello, calling FTD!

 

I'd give this 1,000 'likes' if I could. Excuse my French but f**k the Colonel. All we got instead was that stupid, ridiculous gold-plated Cadillac.

 

The 1998 remix might not be the greatest, but it's miles ahead of the original mix, imo. I don't have the DVD, but I remember seeing some clips on YouTube and thinking that they sounded better than either the 1998 remix or the Legacy Edition.

I don't get much out of watching Aloha, to be honest. Part of it is that I'm not a visual person, but I also find the set sort of unappealing.

 

Does your computer have a DVD drive? If so, you can use MakeMKV (currently free) to rip the DVD as a movie file, and then you can use VLC (also free) to convert the movie file to an audio file. Then, if you want to have the songs as individual tracks, you'll have to use something like Audacity (again, also free...and none of these programs have ads or malware) to split the resulting file into separate tracks.

Alternately, you could just play the DVD on your computer and record the results directly via Audacity, but I've had mixed results doing that. I once spent a whole weekend converting my Girls Aloud DVD collection to .flac before realizing that the audio had been compressed and collapsed to mono because I didn't have my Audacity recording parameters set up properly...

 

I didn't see the concert until years after I had the album. I used to look at that obviously cropped photo on the back side of the album sleeve and wonder what part these ladies played in the show. Were they dancers or part of the charity that benefited from the concert? Were they part of the staff at the venue? What a bizarre photo and I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw the video back in the mid 1980s and that he didn't have a grass hut on stage. I don't watch Aloha near as much as the '68 Special or TTWII because I enjoy those performances more. Elvis gives a solid performance here and I consider it one of his best. As for Elvis not moving much, I have some theories. If you notice, he moves just fine doing his bows at the end and running off stage. I'm thinking that he toned down the gyrations because this was a world wide audience and he was playing to people of many cultures and traditions. I think that after the criticism of the 1950s, he wanted to just do a show without controversy.

 

I couldn't bear to watch or listen to Aloha for years after Elvis' death because all I saw and heard was a man hurtling towards the precipice. I know that's because I didn't see it till 1977 and screened back to back with the 68 Comeback, its shortcomings were on full display. I find it hard to shake that bias even now, but I now find myself drawn to individual performances of songs I'd never have given the time of day to back then: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (of course), but also "What Now My Love" and "It's Over".

I love those tight shots on his face when he closes his eyes. He makes you feel what he's feeling. Aretha did the same thing in 'Amazing Grace'.

 

The original mix is hardly a sonic marvel, but I play it every time over the lifeless ‘98 remix. Perhaps FTD will reissue Aloha with a remix of the broadcast version and a disc containing the complete post-broadcast session. No need for the January 12 rehearsal/back-up show considering it was recently remixed for the Legacy Edition.

 

It must be something about Hawaii as an Elvis money-maker

 

So the mastering of the main show on the Legacy edition is still the '98 version?

 

Great lineup! I also figured since Mahalo from Elvis hadn't been released yet they also had One Broken Heart For Sale, Baby If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love, and Happy Ending. These three are not the greatest songs but they would have beat the tracklist as it was any day.

 

I've seen Aloha only once, back when I was first getting into Elvis. I had watched all the previous performance films and was excited to finally play my VHS TV recording of Aloha.
I was disappointed. The show was high on imperial pomp and low on the passion that had made Elvis remarkable in the first place. My Elvis gold standard was the commitment of '68 Comeback Special, so Aloha not only came up short but also marked a chapter in Elvis's continuing deterioration, from the summit of '68 to That's the Way It Is to On Tour to Aloha and eventually In Concert. I agree entirely with Guralnick when he writes "there are musical highlights, to be sure, but the overall atmosphere is...stilted, and for all of his dramatic weight loss, Elvis appears strangely bloated, his expression glazed and unfocused. It is as if, in his Captain Marvel getup, his jewelry, his helmet of hair, Elvis has finally acceded to the need to be, simply, Elvis—there are no surprises, just effects." Jorgensen is on the same page: "Watching Aloha from Hawaii was almost like watching Elvis Presley through a stained-glass window or a badly focused pair of binoculars. The sparkle in his eyes, the natural grace of his movements, and the joy that were all so visible back in 1970—they all seemed to be missing."

Yes, there are a some songs, primarily ballads, where the old passion and commitment break through, like lava from an otherwise dormant volcano, but Elvis has truly entered his decline: the medley of "Long Tall Sally"/"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" is a pathetic insult to rock'n'roll and symptomatic of the contempt that overtook his presentation of 50s music. In a way, I regret that so much of the world had to see this Elvis--imagine if the '68 Special or That's the Way It Is had been satellite broadcasts instead. Or just imagine that Elvis hadn't begun falling apart in 1973.

 

I mostly agree with you re: the merits (or lack thereof) of the Aloha show, but I do have to disagree about the "decline." Actually, I think things tend to get better from here, starting with the better Stax performances, going into the fantastic 1974 Memphis album, and ultimately climaxing with the pathos and passion of the Jungle Room sessions.

 

I actually agree with you. I should have made it clearer that the trajectory of decline is a visual one based solely on Elvis's recorded appearances, from '68 to In Concert. However, off-camera there were times when Elvis rallied and regained his passion, whether in the studio or on stage. There are many later recordings and performances that I value more than Aloha.

 

Will check those out. Thanks!

 

I saw the special the first time it aired in the US. It did not compel me to change my Elvis LP buying boycott.

 

But surely a billion Elvis fans can't be wrong.

 

Never heard of this before now. Can you elaborate?

 

No, it is the original mix, remastered. It is probably the best the original mix has sounded on CD.

 

The billion figure is likely an inflated number. The numbers, based on the 1973 world population, the countries that received the satellite transmission, and the actual number of television sets in those territories, have never added up. The number of viewers was probably half that amount at the most. Still a huge figure.

 

Oh yes, I am well aware of the disputed figures. It was said with tongue firmly in cheek and in reference to his 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong album.

 

Intro/ Also Sprach Zarathustra
I seem to have heard this somewhere before

 

See See Rider
We get Ronnie pounding the hoo haa out of his kit, and the famous intro music that led to a few different songs over the years.
Elvis vocal sounds pretty good here. It sounds a little tight in the thoat, but that can often be nerves and when you're about to play in front of the biggest crowd that anyone ever has, that would be understandable. The trick is to not damage your throat forcing it while you loosen up.
Not my favourite Elvis tune, but a very acceptable version here.

 

Burning Love
Punching straight into the recent hit single. This seems like a bold move from Elvis, who often seemed to keep his sets pretty locked up during a tour, and I know that isn't a trait peculiar to Elvis, but anyway, a good choice to go to the new single here.
This is a very good version, this is a punchy version and the big band sounds great. It is funny hearing Elvis do the delay on the vocals.