Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite (album)
Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite is a live album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records in February 1973. The album consists of recordings from Presley's January 1973 concert of the same name. It peaked at number one on the Billboard chart in the spring of the same year. Despite the satellite innovation, the concert did not air in the United States until April 4. Aloha from Hawaii went to number one on the Billboard album chart. The album dominated the charts, reaching number one on both the pop and country charts in the US.
The album was certified Gold on February 13, 1973, platinum and 2× Platinum on May 20, 1988, 3× Platinum on July 15, 1999, and 5× Platinum on August 1, 2002, by the RIAA. On April 15, 2016, the BPI certified the album Silver for sales of 60,000 units.
Content
Aloha from Hawaii is a two-disc set—only the second such release of Presley's career. It was initially released only in quadraphonic sound, becoming the first album in the format to top the Billboard album chart. After Quadrophonic sound failed to catch on, RCA issued a standard stereophonic version of the album.The album contains all the live performances from the TV special, of which, eight of the songs had previously been recorded by Presley at various times, but had never before been released, as a sticker on the album cover announced. The album omits the five songs Presley recorded after the show and which were featured on the original broadcast; these would be issued later on the album Mahalo from Elvis. The album also omits Presley's brief announcement concerning the concert being presented for the benefit of the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
This is the penultimate live album that Presley released during his lifetime, the last being Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis the following year..
Cover art
The album's cover art features an illustration of an Intelsat IV F satellite, the same model used in broadcasting the concert, in orbit over the Earth. A circular cutout on the cover allows the viewer to see a photo of Presley that is printed on the album's inner sleeve.Allegedly, the Van Camp Seafood Company, the parent company of Chicken of the Sea, gave promotional copies of the album to employees prior to the concert's satellite broadcast on US television. These copies had large hype stickers that featured the Chicken of the Sea logo, a message about the concert that dubbed it "Elvis Presley's greatest T.V. performance", and the air date. These copies became especially coveted by record collectors, with sealed copies selling for over a thousand dollars each. However, there is no evidence that Van Camp ever designed or printed such stickers, and they're most likely forgeries by Elvis memorabilia dealers.
Track listing
CD reissue
The following tracks were recorded by Presley after the concert and inserted into the broadcast with the exception of "No More", which remained unheard until 1978's Mahalo from Elvis. They were not included in the original soundtrack album, but they appear on the 1998 CD reissue.Charts
| Chart | Peak position |