Blue Hawaii

CD

ElvisNews review

FTD just released a 2CD version of Blue Hawaii, the beginning of the end according to a lot of fans.

Design

To be honest I am among those fans, and it never appealed to me to see an artist I admire so much dressed up like a German tourist with a toy guitar. I know, I know, it is not a guitar and it is for a movie, but still…

So it’s not surprising that the booklet, although as complete as possible with the usual information and memorabilia isn’t my kind of thing. I did like the pictures of the recording session, especially the one where he is laughing like a farmer with tooth ache, as we say in Holland, I imagine him thinking “Do I really have to record this stuff?”.

Content

Blue Hawaii must be the album I played the least. I really never understood why the thing was so popular in the early 60s. To me it is the most boring stuff Elvis ever recorded, even the popular Can’t Help Falling In Love is, although beautifully sung, not more than a boring lullaby to me. The same goes for the title track, and the even more Hawaiian coloured songs really makes me shiver, and not because I like it!

If I really try to be positive about this album I can come up with 2 songs I really like: Rock-a-hula Baby and No More. The first is a nice piece of action, not his strongest, but more than bearable and the second has a nice south European flavour. Steppin’ Out Of Line and Beach Boy Blues, well okay, Slicin’ Sand too, are acceptable, but the remaining stuff is a no no in my book.

Still I tried to listen to the complete thing, but I found myself skipping through it quite soon. A hell of a job on Disc 1, much easier on Disc 2, especially since I gave up after the takes of No More.

I know some people will say – once again – that this is not a real review, but it perfectly describes my opinion on this album and isn’t that what a review is all about? At this very moment I invite them to write a review by their own, and ElvisNews will publish it…. at least one of them.

Conclusion

To me it is another cabinet filler which will never find its way to my player again. I'll bet others will think different... and it'll end up pretty high on the FTD Top 40.
 

Tracklisting

• Blue Hawaii
• Almost Always True
• Aloha Oe
• No More
• Can't Help Falling in Love
• Rock-a-hula Baby
• Moonlight Swim
• Ku-U-I-Po
• Ito Eats
• Slicin' Sand
• Hawaiian Sunset
• Beach Boy Blues
• Island of Love
• Hawaiian Wedding Song
• Steppin' out of Line (Movie version)
• Beach Boy Blues (Movie version)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Movie version)
• Moonlight Swim (Undubbed master)
• Steppin' out of Line (Record version)
• Blue Hawaii (Takes 1, 2, 3)
• Almost Always True (Take 3)
• Aloha Oe (Section 2, take 1)
• No More (Take 7)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Take 13)
• Rock-a-hula Baby (Takes 1, 2, 3)
• Moonlight Swim (Take 2)
• Ku-U-I-Po (Take 1)
• Ito Eats (Takes 1, 2)
• Slicin' Sand (Takes 1, 2, 3)
• Hawaiian Sunset (Take 1)
• Island of Love (Take 8)
• Hawaiian Wedding Song (Take 1)
• Hawaiian Sunset (Take 2)
• Hawaiian Sunset (Takes 6, 3)
• Aloha Oe (Section 2, take 6)
• Aloha Oe (Section 2, takes 7, 5)
• Ku-U-I-Po (Takes 2, 4, 5)
• Ku-U-I-Po (Takes 6, 7)
• No More (Takes 1, 2, 4, 8)
• No More (Takes 11, 15 (insert ending))
• Slicin' Sand (Take 4)
• Slicin' Sand (Takes 5, 6, 7)
• Slicin' Sand (Takes 8, 13, 15, 16, 14)
• Blue Hawaii (Takes 4, 5, 6)
• Ito Eats (Takes 4, 6, 5)
• Island of Love (Takes 1, 2, 4, 6)
• Island of Love (Takes 7, 9)
• Steppin' out of Line (Movie version takes 4, 5, 7/8)
• Steppin' out of Line (Tag for movie, takes 18, 19)
• Almost Always True (Takes 2, 4, 5)
• Almost Always True (Takes 7, 6)
• Moonlight Swim (Takes 1, 4)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Takes 14, 15, 16)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Takes 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Takes 25, 26)