Elvis continued his trend of giving short shrift to his classic fifties hits. “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog” both clock in under a minute. He sounds disinterested on “Love Me” and “A Big Hunk Of Love.”
He is on more solid ground with the country hits, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams and “Welcome To My World” by Jim Reeves. He just had the knack of taking these classic country songs and updating them with his wonderful pop voice. He made them accessible to both pop and country fans.
His continued to present "American Trilogy" as a highlight of any live performance. This song was a medley of “Dixie/Battle Hymn Of The Republic/All My Trails.” Elvis always treated this song as a gospel type performance. It is also a song of patriotism and it finds Elvis completely invested.
The original release of Aloha From Hawaii contained 22 songs and was only Elvis’ second two disc album. It remains one of the essential releases by Elvis Presley and no serious music collection should be without a copy.
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