Little Shines in Unearthed Elvis ‘Gold’

RCA Records’ latest Elvis Presley retrospective album sounds irresistible- on paper.

What rock fan wouldn’t want 48 previously unreleased studio or live tracks by the most important figure in modern pop music?

But beware.

Except for hard-core collectors who want a copy of everything that Presley committed to tape, “Collectors Gold” is mostly fool’s gold.

The 33 studio tracks--which a spokesman says were “uncovered during an exhaustive 1989-90 worldwide RCA vault search”--aren’t undiscovered gems, but alternate versions of songs that have appeared on Presley albums.

That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem--if we were speaking about alternative versions of great Presley recordings. But these are rejected versions of some of his weakest recordings--most of them drawn from his Hollywood output in the ‘60s.

The movie material on “Collectors Gold” consists mostly of such easily forgotten tunes as “Pocketful of Rainbows,” “Big Boots” and “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears.”

The second of the set’s three discs--alternate versions of some of the tunes Presley recorded in the ‘60s in Nashville--is only slightly more interesting.

The most valuable material--found on Disc 3--is taken from Elvis’ Las Vegas showroom performances in August, 1969. The best of the material from those dates--including a show-stopping version of “Suspicious Minds”--was featured in an excellent live album released the same year.

These 17 tracks are generally far less inviting, though a few of them are quite dynamic. The latter include renditions of Jimmy Reed’s “Baby, What You Want Me to Do,” Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away” and a pair of Ray Charles tunes.

Consumer note: Presley collectors may enjoy the way the movie, Hollywood and live music are put on separate discs to give each disc a separate theme. But it’s an expensive division. All the music on “Collectors Gold” (just over two hours’ worth) could easily fit onto two discs. According to one major retailer questioned, the additional disc means the package will cost around $35 instead of the above $25.