Full Article Text
~VIS Presley left the
building almost 30
years ago, but his
music and concert per
formances remain -and
two new DVD sets focus
pearances may prove he's
more popular than ever.
, ) "~lvis '68 Comeback
Special- Deluxe Edi
tion" is a threecdisc set
($49.98; BMG) featuring
the entire ferocious,
'leather-jacketed NBC
special that spectacularly
put Elvis back on top
after years of fending off
the British invasion, serv
ing in the Army and
churning out awful albums
(and even worse movies).
It includes seven hours
of material, including the
original special, and com-
o plete uncut footage from
the entire four concerts
that Elvis performed to
'cdrm the core of what -
many consider the most
important TV event of his
career.
, l"Elvis -Aloha From
Hawaii Deluxe Edition"
($29;98; BMG) is a two"
pis~ set documenting
Presley's groundbreaking
i(~grandiose concert that was broadcast by satellite all around the world and
$den:l?Ymore than 1.5 bil
H6il people.
f [ -The DVD set includes
the entire concert, the en
tire rehearsal concert from
the night before and un
edltediootage of Elvis
moving through the crowd
~~~~hting blessings and fmill people lIke a
new messiah.
BMG's Ernst Jorgensen
served as a consultant on
the projects -no sur-
"On the '68 special,
you can see Elvis is
trying everything he
can to please us.
Therets an urgency
and almost despair
in it."
prise, since he's one of the
key people responsible for
the elaborate boxed sets
that have reclaimed Elvis's
musical importance and
the author of fanatically
detailed accounts of Pres
ley's recording sessions
and day-by-day doings.
Jorgensen has been wait
ing years for this treasure
trove, but he's used to
waiting -he had to wait
until 1969 to see the spe
cial in the first place.
"In the small country of
Denmark, it arrived 12
months after you'd seen
it," says Jorgensen. "So I'd
had the album for a year
before I actually saw the
show. and I freaked out completely." Despite all
the advance hoopla, the
" '68 Comeback Special"
more than lived up to the
hype.
"It was nothing like I
could have ever imagined
because we'd never seen
him in concert," Jorgensen
says. "We only knew him
from the movies.
On the NBC special, you
-can see Elvis is trying ev
erything he can to please
us. There's an urgency and
almost despair in it. And
when you see 'Aloha From
Hawaii,' here's somebody
sitting on top of the
world in total con-
trol. It's two very
different emo
tional experi--
ences. Elvis
needed us in
'68."
These two
DVD sets are
Holy Grails
for Presley
fans, but
don't think that
means Elvis re
leases are
coming to an
end.
In the
works by
the Presley
estate is
an elabo
rate multi
part docu
mentary - a la "The Be::l,tles An-,
thology" -that plans to
cover his entire career and
to include never-before
seen footage that Jorgen
sen has been compiling
from collectors and fanat
ics all over the world.
But don't hold
your breath: it
won't be out
any sooner
than 2007.
Two new
DVDs feature
Elvis Presley's
TV specials
from his later
years-both
part of his
comeback.
building almost 30
years ago, but his
music and concert per
formances remain -and
two new DVD sets focus
more popular than ever.
, ) "~lvis '68 Comeback
Special- Deluxe Edi
tion" is a threecdisc set
($49.98; BMG) featuring
the entire ferocious,
'leather-jacketed NBC
special that spectacularly
put Elvis back on top
after years of fending off
the British invasion, serv
ing in the Army and
churning out awful albums
(and even worse movies).
It includes seven hours
of material, including the
original special, and com-
o plete uncut footage from
the entire four concerts
that Elvis performed to
'cdrm the core of what -
many consider the most
important TV event of his
career.
, l"Elvis -Aloha From
Hawaii Deluxe Edition"
($29;98; BMG) is a two"
pis~ set documenting
Presley's groundbreaking
i(~grandiose concert that was broadcast by satellite all around the world and
$den:l?Ymore than 1.5 bil
H6il people.
f [ -The DVD set includes
the entire concert, the en
tire rehearsal concert from
the night before and un
edltediootage of Elvis
moving through the crowd
~~~~hting blessings and fmill people lIke a
new messiah.
BMG's Ernst Jorgensen
served as a consultant on
the projects -no sur-
"On the '68 special,
you can see Elvis is
trying everything he
can to please us.
Therets an urgency
and almost despair
in it."
prise, since he's one of the
key people responsible for
the elaborate boxed sets
that have reclaimed Elvis's
musical importance and
the author of fanatically
detailed accounts of Pres
ley's recording sessions
and day-by-day doings.
Jorgensen has been wait
ing years for this treasure
trove, but he's used to
waiting -he had to wait
until 1969 to see the spe
cial in the first place.
"In the small country of
Denmark, it arrived 12
months after you'd seen
it," says Jorgensen. "So I'd
had the album for a year
before I actually saw the
show. and I freaked out completely." Despite all
the advance hoopla, the
" '68 Comeback Special"
more than lived up to the
hype.
"It was nothing like I
could have ever imagined
because we'd never seen
him in concert," Jorgensen
says. "We only knew him
from the movies.
On the NBC special, you
-can see Elvis is trying ev
erything he can to please
us. There's an urgency and
almost despair in it. And
when you see 'Aloha From
Hawaii,' here's somebody
sitting on top of the
world in total con-
trol. It's two very
different emo
tional experi--
ences. Elvis
needed us in
'68."
These two
DVD sets are
Holy Grails
for Presley
fans, but
don't think that
means Elvis re
leases are
coming to an
end.
In the
works by
the Presley
estate is
an elabo
rate multi
part docu
mentary - a la "The Be::l,tles An-,
thology" -that plans to
cover his entire career and
to include never-before
seen footage that Jorgen
sen has been compiling
from collectors and fanat
ics all over the world.
But don't hold
your breath: it
won't be out
any sooner
than 2007.
Two new
DVDs feature
Elvis Presley's
TV specials
from his later
years-both
part of his
comeback.