DEC4 Podcast: Elvis Aloha From Hawaii - The Complete Story (Omnibus Edit)
Features Gary Wells
A very warm welcome to this special omnibus edition of our series on the pioneering 1973 satellite concert broadcast, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii, with our leading contributor, Gary Wells.
There’s so much to explore; preparations and rehearsals, critically important people behind the scenes, the intense pressure on everyone involved, creative and corporate conflict, a near catastrophe as technical faults threatened to derail the broadcast at the last minute; and finally an entertainment event that would present to an international audience Elvis at the top of his game, dominate television ratings around the world, afford him a number one album – the final in his lifetime – and create the definitive image of his later career.
For this edition, we’ve noted a couple of factual corrections and added some additional context, on the dedicated webpage at dec4podcast.com. The original episodes remain on SoundCloud with accompanying newsletters in our Substack archive.
We hope you enjoy the epic Aloha From Hawaii adventure as much as we did.
Since our original recording, we note the sad passing of a supremely talented musician whose special contribution we highlight; Gabe Baltazar Jnr played the flute solo in American Trilogy, and was rewarded by director Marty Pasetta with a memorable closeup. He was a professional jazz flute and sax player who enjoyed a long and distinguished career on the US mainland and at home in Hawaii. He passed away June 12th, 2022, aged 92.
Content Guide
These timestamps refer to the YouTube version. If you are listening to the omnibus edit on Spotify or other platforms, you may notice a slight variance.
0:00:00 – Introduction, highlighted corrections & clarifications, personal comments; 1972 successes, destination Hawaii, KNBC News reporting; Colonel Parker
0:11:15 – Introducing the heroes of Aloha From Hawaii
0:19:00 – Recapping 1972 including Burning Love, Elvis on Tour & Madison Square Garden; Aloha concept, commissioning & budget
0:27:55 – Rocco Laginestra & Elvis press conference; profiling producer-director Marty Pasetta; Pasetta takes command, defies the Colonel, challenges Elvis & the Memphis Mafia
0:39:40 – Elvis, the Colonel & Hawaii, USS Arizona, feature films; Elvis’ November 1972 Honolulu concerts reviewed by Wayne Harada
0:45:55 – Eddie Sherman & the Kui Lee cancer benefit; Elvis arrives in Honolulu, meets the fans; Tom Moffatt encounter (expanded in end-notes segment)
0:50:00 – Under pressure; arena capacity, stage and equipment, catastrophic technical issues, Don Ho & the US Navy; American Eagle jumpsuits and accessories
1:00:00 – Dress rehearsal show, setlist, Dave Marsh review, mistakes & lessons learned
1:05:50 – The satellite show – Gary’s commentary on the performance, musical & visual highlights; onstage talent; Jack Lord introduction backstory; American Trilogy & Gabe Baltazar Jnr
1:35:10 – Wayne Harada’s review; post-concert recording session, audience stats, Colonel Parker’s letter to Elvis; Gary’s concluding personal thoughts on the show
1:50:10 – Live double album and single releases; domestic US television broadcast & reaction; Marty Pasetta’s vision; some thoughts about the album
2:05:20 – Joan Deary and RCA take control; back-catalogue buyout, royalties & financial manoeuvres, the Colonel fights back; some thoughts on Elvis’ career arc 1974-77; closing comments & thanks; album art
2:38:10 – END-NOTES: Tom Moffatt profile including pivotal role in cementing Elvis & the Colonel’s special relationship with Hawaii, more on the USS Arizona benefit; Elvis, the Colonel & overseas touring; special HIC Arena souvenir tickets (with thanks to Adam)
Sample Clip: 1973 Back-Catalogue Buyout - RCA, Elvis, The Colonel & Money
Very special thanks to Gary Wells, to all our readers and listeners, to Detlef Wolff and Gainesville, and to Steve Collins.