King of Hawaii

[asian1]

I have just looked through my newly received copy of Elvis, King of Hawaii and would like to share my thoughts on its' content.

The book is a large and copiously filled with photographs, many in color. There is very liitle, if any, information about the various people photographed with Elvis or background information under which the photographs were taken. That is too bad as I think it would add to the overall enjoyment of the reader.

51874The book includes Elvis' first visit to beautiful Hawaii, the movies he filmed there and his last vacation to the island. The photos from his last vacation are very limited and have all been seen in various Elvis Magazines and fan websites. His 1961 Pearl Harbor Benefit Concert is displayed here but has minimal information regarding it's content. All the photos of the concert are b@w aside from one color photo. It is a pity since he wore his gold lame jacket and the color photo show is striking. I was hoping that more color photos would have added a rich palillette to enhance the viewing experince. The photos from his first visit in 1957 are the most interesting to me as they are seldom published. The vacation phots are equally fascinating as they offer a glimpse into Elvis rarely seen private life. However, there are few of these photos published are nothing really new to members who frequent this site.

The one very amusing story covered in this book was most intriguing to me. It is about Elvis first visit in 1957 and is told from the perspective of a Hawaiian teenage girl, Barbara Wong. Not only did she see Elvis in his first Hawaiian show, but she got to meet her "Knight in Shining Armor" in his hotel room, recive a hug and kiss from Elvis, attend his press conference and chat with him by the hotel poolside! I believe the article, titled: "In Elvis" Arms" (A personal story) was given shortly after Elvis" departure form Hawaii as the last paragraph suggests: "Every time I walk past the Hawaiian Village and look up to the 14th flr, I'll think of Elvis and the gang that brought joy to my heart." Barbara Wong continues to describe how she was on the pier watching Elvis throw his last Hawaii kisses as the band played "To You Sweetheart Aloha". She remembers Elvis wipping tears from is eyes with the plumeria lei that she gave him before tossing it into the ocean, Barbara watched the lei wash ashore (if the lei returns, he'll return to the islands, if it goes to sea, he'll never never return). Barbara states: " God bless them all and keep them safe forever. Someday, they'll be back to Hawaii" It would have been interesting to have tracked down Barbara Wong today for an interview and her wonderful recollections of meeting Elvis. I realize that would be an arduous and time consuming task but considering the very expensive cost of thisbook, should have been explored.

The book is in itself intersting with a plentitude of photographs, however, I don't believe it can justify it's hefty price tag.

I was fortunate to have taken my first visit to Hawaii in 2008 and it is amazing how many Hawaiians fondly recall Elvis and how he imbued Hawaii with a sense of magic.

[my boy]

Interesting thoughts. Please can you tell me what the ALOHA FROM HAWAII section is like, regarding info on songs and the helicopter landing and rehearsal show.

Thanks

My boy

[Cliff]

Thanks so much for sharing your views. I'm sure the fondness of the people of Hawaii for Elvis was mutual. He truly loved the Island and the people and this can be seen in the production number in "Paradise Hawaiian Style" , "Drums Of The Island/This Is My Heaven". It really is a shame that he could not have retired there.

[asian1]

The Aloha from Hawaii show is one of my favorites and the book chronicles it with many photos. I did not feel that the photos were anything particularily special. Better and more interesting photos have been published elsewhere. The book does cover both the rehearsal show and the live broadcast as well as the 1972 concerts. However, the photos from the 1972 shows are too few and not the best onmes I have seen in terms of print quality. In my opinion, I think that there could have been additional photos added where Elvis is interacting with his fans. THese photographs best showcase the love and affection between the performerand the fans.

In the Aloha section, the author compares Elvis performance of the songs between the rehearsal show and the broadcast show. He feels that Elvis came out stronger in the first half of the rehearsal show while the 2nd half of the broadcast show was better performed with Elvis' voice being more powerful and fuller. The author thinks that although the overall show was well produced and that Elvis looked great, he does contend that his perfomance was not as stellar as it was in other shows from the 70's. I disagree with the author on this point. Aside from a weak version of Hound Dog, I thought Elvis did indeed instil great passion in his songs.

When I was in Hawaii, I had the opportunity to talk with a few locals who attended the Aloha show. They remember vividly the surreal events of the concert and the feeling of wonder that Elvis imparted to the audince on that night. I don't think this could have been achieved with anyting less than a stellar performance.

The book is replete with photos although I don't believe it can justify its' exorbiant price.

[Albert]

Thanks for sharing your review with us. I really dig those Elvis coffee table books. Unfortunately they're quite expensive and after reading them once, I rarely pick em up again. This results in seldom buying a book.

If only they'd sell it in digital format (or as an iPad app!), that would be fantastic!

[my boy]

The Aloha from Hawaii show is one of my favorites and the book chronicles it with many photos. I did not feel that the photos were anything particularily special. Better and more interesting photos have been published elsewhere. The book does cover both the rehearsal show and the live broadcast as well as the 1972 concerts. However, the photos from the 1972 shows are too few and not the best onmes I have seen in terms of print quality. In my opinion, I think that there could have been additional photos added where Elvis is interacting with his fans. THese photographs best showcase the love and affection between the performerand the fans.

In the Aloha section, the author compares Elvis performance of the songs between the rehearsal show and the broadcast show. He feels that Elvis came out stronger in the first half of the rehearsal show while the 2nd half of the broadcast show was better performed with Elvis' voice being more powerful and fuller. The author thinks that although the overall show was well produced and that Elvis looked great, he does contend that his perfomance was not as stellar as it was in other shows from the 70's. I disagree with the author on this point. Aside from a weak version of Hound Dog, I thought Elvis did indeed instil great passion in his songs.

When I was in Hawaii, I had the opportunity to talk with a few locals who attended the Aloha show. They remember vividly the surreal events of the concert and the feeling of wonder that Elvis imparted to the audince on that night. I don't think this could have been achieved with anyting less than a stellar performance.

The book is replete with photos although I don't believe it can justify its' exorbiant price.
Thanks for the wonderful review