America said Aloha to Elvis Presley in between a trip to the Dark Side of the Moon and a visit to the Houses of the Holy when the once and future King's Aloha from Hawaii album earned a berth between Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin atop the Billboard chart.  Presley's Honolulu concert of January 14, 1973, preserved on records by RCA, was monumental in every respect.  The most expensive entertainment broadcast to that point in time, Aloha from Hawaii was viewed by an estimated audience of over one billion people.  The RCA soundtrack has long been one of Presley's most beloved concert recordings, and it's returning once again for its 50th anniversary.  A new 3CD/1Blu-ray edition arrives August 11 from RCA and Legacy.

Though initially aired via satellite to over 40 countries in Asia and Europe, the United States didn't get to see Elvis in his splendor until April 4, 1973 due to a conflict with Super Bowl VII on January 14.  But by the time the concert special aired in the U.S. on NBC, most fans' appetites had already been whetted by the release of the double-LP set preserving the concert.  Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite was released to stores by RCA on February 4, 1973, initially in the quadraphonic format only.  It became the first quadraphonic album to top the Billboard chart, and was certified Gold shortly after its release.   (A stereo release was first offered through the RCA Record Club before it supplanted the quadraphonic disc in shops.)   In 2002, it was certified five times platinum.

For the performance at the Honolulu International Center, Elvis was backed by his regulars: the TCB Band (including James Burton, Jerry Scheff, Ronnie Tutt, John Wilkinson, Glen Hardin and Charlie Hodge), Joe Guercio's orchestra, and vocalists Kathy Westmoreland, The Sweet Inspirations and J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.  All tickets for the concert and a January 12 rehearsal show would be on a "pay what you can" basis benefiting the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, for which Presley raised over $75,000.00.  Five additional songs were recorded by Presley after the concert to be inserted into the eventual U.S. broadcast, four of which, appropriately, came from his film Blue Hawaii.  (One of these five, "No More," didn't get an airing until the release of the 1978 album Mahalo from Elvis.)

This 50th anniversary edition produced by Ernst Mikael Jorgensen is the latest in a long line of Aloha releases.  The original Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite album was first reissued on CD by RCA in 1984, and was joined in 1988 by The Alternate Aloha, containing the entire dress rehearsal performance.  In 1998, Dennis Ferrante remixed Aloha from Hawaii for a 25th anniversary CD from RCA which included the five additional songs.  A 40th anniversary Legacy Edition in 2013 paired the original album and The Alternate Aloha in one package for the first time, remixing both.

This new edition takes its cues from the audio contents of last year's 3-CD release from the mail-order Follow That Dream label: the original album on CD 1 as newly remixed by Matt-Ross Spang, the dress rehearsal on CD 2 as reprised from the Legacy Edition, and multiple takes of the additional songs captured for the U.S. broadcast on CD 3, also newly remixed by Ross-Spang.  New to this release, however, is the Blu-ray premiere of the original special.  A 28-page booklet with liner notes by Randy Lewis is also included.

Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, TN will present Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii 50th Anniversary Concert on August 16, 2023 as part of the annual Elvis Week festivities. Earlier in the day, Legacy will host a free Aloha from Hawaii Q&A and Listening Event at the Guest House Theater at 1:00 pm. Tickets for the concert and the listening event are available now at ElvisWeek.com.

Look for the 50th anniversary release of Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite on August 11 from RCA/Legacy.  A 2LP vinyl edition of the remixed original album will also be released the same day.  You'll find pre-order links and the track listing below.  Elvis' newly-remixed version of James Taylor's "Steamroller Blues" is streaming now.

Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (50th Anniversary Edition) (originally released as Follow That Dream/RCA 506020-975164, 2022 - reissued RCA/Legacy, 2023)

3CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1: Remixed original concert (released as RCA Victor R 213736, 1973)

1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)
2. See See Rider
3. Burning Love
4. Something
5. You Gave Me a Mountain
6. Steamroller Blues
7. My Way
8. Love Me
9. Johnny B. Goode
10. It's Over
11. Blue Suede Shoes
12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
13. I Can't Stop Loving You
14. Hound Dog
15. What Now My Love
16. Fever
17. Welcome to My World
18. Suspicious Minds
19. Introductions by Elvis
20. I'll Remember You
21. Medley: Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
22. An American Trilogy
23. A Big Hunk O' Love
24. Can't Help Falling in Love
25. Closing Vamp

Recorded live at the Honolulu International Center Arena, Honolulu, HI - 1/14/1973

CD 2: Rehearsal show (released as The Alternate Aloha - RCA 6985-1-R, 1988)

1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)
2. See See Rider
3. Burning Love
4. Something
5. You Gave Me a Mountain
6. Steamroller Blues
7. My Way
8. Love Me
9. It's Over
10. Blue Suede Shoes
11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
12. Hound Dog
13. What Now My Love
14. Fever
15. Welcome to My World
16. Suspicious Minds
17. Introductions by Elvis
18. I'll Remember You
19. An American Trilogy
20. A Big Hunk O' Love
21. Can't Help Falling in Love
22. Closing Vamp

Recorded live at the Honolulu International Center Arena, Honolulu, HI - 1/12/1973

CD 3: Aftershow bonus songs

1. Blue Hawaii (Rehearsal/Takes 1-2)
2. Ku-U-I-Po (Rehearsal)
3. Ku-U-I-Po (Take 1)
4. Ku-U-I-Po (Take 2 - Incomplete)
5. Ku-U-I-Po (Take 3 - Incomplete)
6. Ku-U-I-Po (Take 4)
7. No More (Take 1 - Incomplete)
8. No More (Take 2 - Rehearsal)
9. No More (Take 3)
10. No More (Take 4)
11. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Take 1)
12. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Rehearsal)
13. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Take 2)
14. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Take 3)
15. Early Morning Rain (Take 1)
16. Early Morning Rain (Take 2)

Recorded live without an audience at the Honolulu International Center Arena, Honolulu, HI - 1/14/1973. Edited material first released on Mahalo from Elvis - Pickwick ACL-7064, 1978

Blu-ray: Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite special, rehearsal show and bonus songs