Details: Elvis Presley (1935-1977), Aloha From Hawaii. Recorded Jan. 14, 1973. RCA, 1991 CD. Total time: 62:48.
Just after his 38th birthday the legend performed a concert in Hawaii that was broadcast via satellite to virtually every corner of the globe. More than 1 billion TV viewers saw the performance. Most of the songs on this album, his last No. 1, are from that performance with a few tacked on that were recorded the same day without an audience.
Elvis is in great vocal form and displays his amazing singing versatility with everything from pop ballads to rock & roll, to country to blues and even some near operatic moments. There is not one bad song but the real standouts are:
-"See See Rider" which comes after the Strauss "Also Spake Zarathustra" opening
-an epic "American Trilogy"
-"My Way"
-very gritty "Steamroller Blues"
-fantastic "Suspicious Minds", his last No. 1 song
-"Fever" (the Peggy Lee hit) with superb vocal, upright bass, finger snaps, and occasional buh-buh-bum drum and a few female shrieks.
-Beautiful version of Gordon Lightfoot's "In the Early Morning Rain"
He gets fantastic support throughout with great backup singers including The Sweet Inspirations and excellent musicians. There are no wild special effects, no smoke and mirrors, no lip-syncing, and no autotune. Just flat out great musical performances.
The star of the show is humble, polite, relaxed, and focused. The audience is attentive, respectful, and not filled with selfish screaming loudmouthed narcissists who distract or detract from the live recording--like is often seen today. Although there are a few typical Elvis fan shrieks on the recording.
This was a true megastar, professional and gifted, and the performance shows it clearly from start to finish.
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