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March 23 1961
(+ means you need both    ~ means same material    °° means stereo or binaural    ° means mono)
(SFS = Short False Start | FS = False Start | LFS or BD (Breakdown) = Long False Start | PB (Playback) or Complete = Complete Take)

Radio Recorders Studio B - Hollywood, California
Soundtrack Session for Paramount's Blue Hawaii
Paramount Producer : Joseph Lilley
Engineer : Thorne Nogar
(9.00am - 12.00pm / 1.00pm - 5.22pm)

Musicians:   Backup Vocals:
Guitar: Hank Garland The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker; Neal Matthews; Hoyt Hawkins; Ray
Guitar: Scotty Moore Walker
Guitar: Hilmer J 'Tiny' Timbrell The Surfers: Pat Sylva; Bernie Ching; Clay Naluai; Al Naluai
Bass: Bob Moore  
Drums: D.J. Fontana  
Drums: Hal Blaine  
Drums: Bernie Mattinson  
Piano / Celeste: Dudley Brooks  
Harmonica: George Fields (1.00pm - 4.20pm)  
Saxophone: Homer 'Boots' Randolph (9.00am - 12.00pm)  
Ukulele: Bernie Lewis  
Ukulele: Fred Tavares  
Steel Guitar: Alvino Rey  

Hawaiian Sunset (The Surfers)
OO March 23 1961 (Thur: 9.00am - 9.40am)
Take 1 Complete 3:37 "vocal group & orch only"  
Take 2 (M) 3:25 Soundtrack° (1:39)

Aloha Oe (section 1 - The Surfers)
BO March 23 1961 (Thur: 10.25am - 10.55am)
Take 1 Complete 1:01
Take 2 FS
Take 3 LFS
Take 4 (M) 1:06 (used for composite master) Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Blue Hawaii (24 Bit)°°~Blue Hawaii (BMG '97)°°
+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 2 (FTD)°° (part of composite master)
+Tape°° (count-in)

Aloha Oe (composite)
M2PB 2986
   
Spliced M 1:53 Composite of BO 'section 1' Take 4
and BO 'section 2' takes 7 & 5
Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 7 (Sony)°°~Elvis In Hawaii (Franklin Mint
Complete Masters Collection 21)°°~Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(24 Bit)°°
~Blue Hawaii (BMG '97)°°~The Making Of Blue Hawaii 1 (FTD)°°+The
Making Of Blue Hawaii 2 (FTD)°°

Hawaiian Shave And A Hair Cut Guide (The Surfers)
PTO March 23 1961 (Thur: 10.55am - 11.25am)
Take 1 FS    
Take 2 Complete 0:39  
Take 3 (M) 0:37  

Wild Uke Tracks (The Surfers)
QT March 23 1961 (Thur: 10.55am - 11.25am)
Take 1 (M) 1:17    
Take 2 (M) 1:17  

Can't Help Falling In Love
RO March 23 1961 (Thur: 1.40pm - 3.20pm)
Take 1 FS
0:26 (Movie version) Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 2 FS 0:25   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue
Hawaii Box° (0:25)+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°~Blue Hawaii
Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°° (0:18)
Take 3 FS 0:19   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 4 FS 0:36   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 5 LFS 2:08   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 6 FS 0:32   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 7 FS 1:06   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 8 LFS 1:40   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 9 Complete 2:18   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 10 FS 0:24   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alt. Album (MRS)°°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 11 FS 0:24   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alt. Album (MRS)°°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 12 LFS 0:56   Tape°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°°~Blue Hawaii - The
Expanded Alt. Album (MRS)°°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 13 Complete 2:36   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sess. Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 14 FS 0:53   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Close Up 2°°+Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits
Volume 3°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 15 FS 0:17   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Close Up 2°°+Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits
Volume 3°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 16 Complete
2:03   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Close Up 2°°+Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits
Volume 3°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)
Take 17 FS 0:27   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 18 FS 0:23   Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded
Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°
+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 19 FS 0:19   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°+Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
(extra dialogue)
Take 20 FS 0:36   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 21 FS 0:30   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 22 FS 0:48   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 23 M 1:53 Movie version master
(2:00 with count-in) (WPA5 2550)
Comp. Elvis Presley Mast. 28 (Sony)°°~Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(BMG '97)°°
~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°° (master only)
+Tape°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue
Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)
Take 24 Complete
2:00   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Elvis Aron Presley 2°+Elvis Aron Presley (Cassette
- 2:44)°+Tape°°~Alt. Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions
Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)
Take 25 FS 0:32   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°+Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue
Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
(count-in)
Take 26 Complete 2:03   Today, Tomorrow & Forever 2°°+Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°°~Alternate
Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°° (count-in)~Blue Hawaii Sess. Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°
(count-in - middle part missing)+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 27 FS 0:23 (Record version) (piano Intro) Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded
Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°
+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 28 FS 0:14   Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Vol. 3°°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded
Alternate Album (MRS)°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°
+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 29 M 3:00 Record version master
(3:06 with count-in) (M2PB 2988)
Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 7 (Sony)°°~Elvis In Hawaii (Franklin Mint
Complete Masters Collection 21)°°~Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight 2
(Legacy)°°~Elvis 75 CD2°°~Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(24 Bit)°°~(BMG '97)°°
~Platinum 2°°~Command Performances°°~The Making Of Blue Hawaii 1
(FTD)°°+E1 (30 #1 Hits)°°+A Legendary Performer Volume 1° (different
mix)+The Mono Masters CD1 (Venus)° (master only)+Tape°°~Alternate
Gold Award Hits Volume 3°°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°
~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)
         
Re-Recording 3:17 2014 re-recorded backing track If I Can Dream°°

Beach Boy Blues
SO March 23 1961 (Thur: 3.30pm - 4.20pm)
Take 1 FS 0:51   Tape°°~Alternate Gold Award Hits Volume 3°° (2nd pressing - not listed)
~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°~Blue
Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°+The Making Of Blue
Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 2 M 2:03 "SO Take 3"
Record version
(2:16 with count-in) (M2PB 2985)

Complete Elvis Presley Masters 7 (Sony)°°~Elvis In Hawaii (Franklin Mint
Comp. Masters Coll'n 21)°°~Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(24 Bit)°°~(BMG '97)°°
~The Making Of Blue Hawaii 1 (FTD)°° (master only)+Tape°~Blue Hawaii
Sess. Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded
Alt. Album (MRS)°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)
Take 3 M 1:58 Movie version
(2:05 with count-in) (WPA5 2585)
Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(BMG '97)°° (master only)+Tape°~Blue Hawaii
Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°~Behind Closed Doors°
~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)

Rock-A-Hula Baby
M2PB 2989
TO March 23 1961 (Thur: 4.23pm - 5.22pm)
Take 1 FS 0:59 "I Went To Your Wedding" Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(BMG '97)°° (count-in only - not listed)+Tape°
~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°~Blue
Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°+The Making Of Blue
Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 2 FS 1:02   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~Tape°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°
~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 3 Complete 1:58   Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°~(BMG '97)°°+Tape°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Vol. 4
(TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
(count-in)
Take 4 FS 0:59   Tape°~Blue Hawaii Sessions Volume 4 (TCB-LP)°~Blue Hawaii Box°
~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album (MRS)°+The Making Of
Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°°
Take 5 M 2:00 (2:13 with count-in) Complete Elvis Presley Masters 7 (Sony)°°~Elvis In Hawaii (Franklin Mint
Comp. Masters Collection 21)°°~Elvis 75 CD2°°~Blue Hawaii (FTD)°°
~Second To None°°~Blue Hawaii (24 Bit)°°~(BMG '97)°°~Command
Performances°°~The Making Of Blue Hawaii 1 (FTD)°°+The Mono Mast.
CD1 (Venus)° (master only)+Tape°~Blue Hawaii Sess. Vol. 4 (TCB-LP)°
~Blue Hawaii Box°~Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alt. Album (MRS)°
+The Making Of Blue Hawaii 4 (FTD)°° (count-in)

Notes

Apart from being slightly edited, the most complete release of these sessions can be found on Follow That Dream's book and 4xCD set The Making Of Blue Hawaii, where everything RCA have, has been restored, remixed and remastered from the original 3-track tapes.

When the master takes were cut from the stereo session tapes, so were some of the take slates and count-in's, which is why some of the remixed masters appear without the take slates and count-in on The Making Of Blue Hawaii. They all remained intact on the mono session tapes.

A remixed version of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' can be found on Elvis 30 #1 Hits (E1).

An extended Take 24 of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' can be found on the cassette version of the box-set Elvis Aron Presley.

Takes 13 to 28 of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' on the bootleg Alternate Gold Award Hits Volume 3 have the left and right channels swapped.

On FTD's extended soundtrack of Blue Hawaii all outtakes and masters have had the left and right channels corrected as opposed to other releases of this material, where they were reversed (i.e. Japanese 24 Bit, BMG '97 Collectors Edition, Today, Tomorrow And Forever and Close Up).

The second pressing of Alternate Gold Award Hits Volume 3 includes an unlisted Take 1 of 'Beach Boy Blues' in stereo after 'Can't Help Falling in Love'.

The re-recording of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' can found on the 2015 album If I Can Dream, which contained Elvis' original vocals but with new backings by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and which actually went to number one in the UK album charts.

Take 3 of 'Rock-A-Hula Baby' on the 1997 collectors edition of Blue Hawaii also includes the count-in for Take 1 that is not listed.

Elvis can be heard singing a few lines of 'I Went To Your Wedding' before Take 1 of 'Rock-A-Hula Baby'.

Bootleg sources for this session are the 4 TCB LP's Blue Hawaii / The Complete Session (TCB 21-23-3-61) and the Laurel 3-LP Blue Hawaii Box (BPM 501-A). The latter is not as complete and seems to be slightly noise reduced and compressed. The TCB LP's have more noise and some pitch problems (>4% too fast), but it is the most complete collection and even has some takes in stereo. Not listed as source is the Venus set Mele Mai Ka Lani Mai! as it is only put together from different other sources, although for the first twelve takes of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' in stereo Mele Mai Ka Lani Mai! does appear to be the best source available.

Although not listed as a source, the Memphis Recording Service release Blue Hawaii - The Expanded Alternate Album contains the usual masters in stereo but with the count-in (mostly in mono) edited in before the masters.

The song 'I'm Yours' was submitted for the wedding-scene (scene 251) in the movie but rejected at the pre-selection stage. It was later recorded for RCA on June 26 1961.

In March of 2007, Sony decided to go through all of Elvis' masters. They retransferred everything and remastered all tracks including repairing as many clicks, pops, bad edits and dropouts as they could. They have used these newly mastered recordings on their new releases since 2007 including budget soundtracks, Legacy releases, the 30 disc Complete Elvis Presley Masters collection and the Franklin Mint package.

Thanks to Ernst Jørgensen and Erik Rasmussen for providing information regarding the missing production numbers.

Session Logs
Recording Information
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Recording Information
March 21-23 1961
March 21-23 1961 - Thanks to David English
Tape Legends
March 23 1961
Tape Legend - March 23 1961

Musical Breakdown
Blue Hawaii
Musical Breakdown - Blue Hawaii
Joseph Lilley's Notes
March 23 1961
Joseph Lilley's Notes - March 23 1961 - Thanks to David English
Studio Manager's Report
March 23 1961
Studio Orchestra Manager's Daily Report - March 23 1961

Acetate
Hawaiian Shave & A Hair Cut Routine
Hawaiian Shave & A Hair Cut Guide
Acetate
Can't Help Falling In Love (movie version)
Can't Help Falling In Love (movie version)
Acetate
Beach Boy Blues (movie version)
Beach Boy Blues (movie version)

Acetate
Rock-A-Hula Baby
Rock-A-Hula Baby
Demo Acetates
Blue Hawaii
I'm Yours
 


Music Sheets
Music Sheet
Aloha Oe
Aloha Oe (Thanks to Christopher Brown)
Music Sheet
Can't Help Falling In Love
Can't Help Falling In Love
Music Sheet
Beach Boy Blues
Beach Boy Blues

 
Music Sheet
Rock A-Hula Baby
Rock A-Hula Baby
 

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