Title: Collectors Gold (3 CD set) (released in 1991)

Label: BMG

Compilation Rating: * * * * / * * * * * +

Sound quality: * * * * * - / * * * * * +

CD 1

1.G.I. Blues (take 1) 2.Pocketful of Rainbows (takes 22 & 17) 3.Big Boots (Take 10) 4.Black Star 5.Summer Kisses, Winter Tears (takes 1 & 14) 6. I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell (take 18) 7.Lonely Man (take 4) 8.What A Wonderful World (takes 2&1) 9.A Whistling Tune (take 4) 10.Beyond The Bend (takes 1& 2) 11.One Broken Heart For Sale (take 1) 12.You're The Boss 13.Roustabout (take 6) 14.Girl Happy (take 4) 15.So Close, Yet So Far (take number not listed) 16.Stop, Look and Listen (take 3) 17.Am I Ready (take 1) 18.How Can You Lose What You Never Had (takes 1 & 3)

CD 2

1.Like A Baby (takes 1 & 2) 2.There's Always Me (take 4) 3.I Want You With Me (take 1) 4.Gently (take 3) 5.Give Me The Right (take 1) 6.I Met Her Today (take 1) 7.Night Rider (takes 1 & 2) 8.Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (take 1) 9.Ask Me (take 2) 10.Memphis Tennessee (take 2) 11.Love Me Tonight (take 1) 12.Witchcraft (take 1) 13.Come What May (You Are Mine) (take 6) 14.Love Letters (takes 4 & 7) 15.Going Home (takes 24 & 21)

CD 3

1.Blue Suede Shoes 2.I Got A Woman (live, 25/08/69, D.S.) 3.Heartbrake Hotel (live, 24/08/69, D.S.) 4.Love Me Tender (live, 22/08/69, M.S.) 5.Baby, What You Want Me To Do 6.Runaway 7.Surrender / Are You Lonesome Tonight 8.Rubber Neckin' (live 26/8/69, M.S.) 9.Memories (live 25/08/69, D.S.) 10.Introductions by Elvis Presley (live, 21/08/69, M.S.) 11.Jailhouse Rock / Don't Be Cruel (live, 22/08/69) 12.Inherit The Wind (live, 26/08/69, D.S.) 13.This Is The Story (live, 26/08/69, M.S.) 14.Mystery Train / Tiger Man (live, 22/08/69, M.S.) 15.Funny How Time Slips Away (live, 25/08/69, D.S.) 16.Loving You / Reconsider Baby (live, 23/08/69, M.S.) 17.What'd I Say (live, 23/08/69)

Review:

CD 1:

The first song - G.I. Blues - kicks off. Take 1 is pretty good. It sounds bluesy, if not jazzy. Good for the first take. Pocketful of Rainbows starts with a false start. Elvis says "You know what, let's do one more and if I crack, uh..." "If you crack we'll get the new world's record," the engineer says, "it's 29". "I did 60 one time," Elvis answers," The record never came out!" The song itself (it is take 17) is much faster than the original, and is not that heartbreaking. The next song - Big Boots - is also at least 3 times faster than the original. When I played the original version and this one in a row to my grandma, she said something like " That first version was sentimental, I almost cried out, and the second one is just fast and says nothing". Black Star is also the same version as on the Double Features CD. The only difference is that in the end with have the End Title Theme, or whatever it is called. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears is the original version, as well as I understand. I Slipped, I stumbled, I Fell, along with Lonely Man appeared later on the Double Features CD. What A Wonderful World is a stereo outtake. It differs from the original pretty much, as long as El hits some notes differently from the original, "Till the moon is gone" is sung differently. If in the original he goes up here he takes this words in a pretty low voice. A Whistling Tune is almost the same version as the original Double Features CD. I think that it would be better if they would have released the whistle version, the one used on the old C'mon Everybody LP. Right before Beyond the Bend Elvis fools around with the Billy Eckstine's #6 hit from 1951 - I Apologize. Beyond The Bend is really close to the original - nothing special. One Broken Heart for Sale was released on Double Features CD - so, nothing really special. You're The Boss, also, was later released on the Double Features CD later, the only difference is that it is some seconds longer here - more of the faded Elvis' and Ann's dialogue is present. Roustabout is really close to the original, just with a couple of delays during it. Girl Happy is pretty different from it's original version - it begins with an intro and goes all the way through until Elvis doesn't sing the last "Girl Happy, Girl Happy, Girl Happy, can't you see?" So Far, Yet So Far is also pretty close to the original version. The drums intro of Stop, Look and Listen is longer. Also the back vocals differ - they do not do that "Aha-ha". In the ending El just says "You better stop", and does not add "Real Still" the way he does in the original. A nice performance. Next is Am I Ready, which is pretty close to the original. Before the take 1 of How Can You Lose, What You Never Had Elvis sings Down In The Alley. Take 1 is a disaster, and brakes just after some seconds after beginning. Take 3 is pretty good - I like the way the instruments come into the spotlight - really jazzy.

CD 2:

From 1967 with get back to 1960. Like A Baby - take 1 has the intro played by Elvis. But he says that he can't think of two things, and asks Scotty to play the intro. So it is how take 1 becomes take 2. For a first complete take it is just great. There's no big difference from the original. The same goes for There's Always Me. It is take 4 and is just magnificent. Listen to how Elvis goes into an opera singer in some parts of the song. I Want You With differs a bit from the original, in some parts it is sung by El differently and also the back vocals are a bit different. But it looks like Elvis tries to sing the song without the paper, 'cause he forgets some of the words. So, after take 1 it is clear that some polishing is needed. Gently needs some polishing also - in some parts Elvis is late. But the guitar playing on this take 3 sounds better to me. Give Me The Right is pretty close to the original. I always was amazed how the tune is close to Don't Leave Me Now, from 1957. I Met Her Today is a good take 1. Night Rider's take 1 is lost by Elvis. The second take is close to the original, and is a good start. If not Elvis' joke in the end - "Knife Rider" - it could have been the master right from the start. Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello is also take 1 but sounds great to me. There's a little difference in the rhythm, but nothing special. Really close to the original and a great start. Ask Me is from 1963 and is take 2. Pretty good, maybe even better than the original 1964 version. Memphis Tennessee is also from 1963, but it doesn't really differ from the original. I always thought that Elvis; voice was to high on this song. It is strange why didn't he make something like Long Tall Sally from it, a shouting Rock'n'roll. Love Me Tonight is take 1 and is pretty close to the original, but not bad at all for a take 1. Witchcraft is take 1 and differs from the original pretty much. A low attempt to Come What May is the next. How rocking it could have been, but with all this trombones or whatever they are named, it was just impossible. Always Elvis is not that mean as he should have been. Love Letters starts with two false starts, after each of them Elvis announces "It is to slowly". The complete take 7 is pretty close to the original. The last one is Going Home, before which Elvis sings "Say I got A Woman, Way Over Town", and during a false start (take 24) Elvis sing "Well since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell" and the engineers just can't help but laugh. After that Elvis says "I don't know what I can I improve than just go home". The take 21 is pretty good. But I think that the original is better. CD 3:

CD 3 is the best thing on this set, no doubt about that! Blue Suede Shoes is the show opener and Elvis does a great rendition. The horns that are really in front during the solo of James Burton on this song on Elvis In Person are way back now and they were right doing that. I Got A Woman still got that special 1969 treatment and is... Fantastic, saying in Elvis' words! Heartbreak Hotel is pretty bluesy, but Elvis is not focused much on it, so I can only say that it is O.K. Love Me Tender is pretty good, with a rare arrangement. Nice rendition. After the song there is a piece of the dialogue about Elvis' career. He jokes about wanting to play craps with Kirk Kerkorian and Howard Hughes! The next in line is Baby What You Want Me To Do, which is great, but I think that without Elvis on the guitar it looses all the power. Del Shannon's Runaway is sung by Elvis next. A good version, but Elvis laughs during it, so it looses pretty much. Burton's solo is wonderful! Elvis introduces Del to the audience, 'cause he is present. It looks like Elvis is with the guitar during Surrender, which has no words, but still is funny. Are You Lonesome Tonight? is the so-called laughing version. Really funny. He begins to laugh after singing "Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair?" and laughs right to the very end. Like a Brazilian fan Marcelo Eduardo Lemos Costa wrote in his notes to the Brazilian 5 LP set ELVIS PRESLEY "If you're feeling low, just put on this song and you will feel better!" Rubber Neckin' is a good live version and pretty rare, but the original is much better. Memories has a better than the original's arrangement but Elvis is not really focused. The intro's are funny, Elvis sings Happy Birthday to James Burton, jokes by saying "Muhoberac, Muhoberac, it's a new dance". Jailhouse Rock is really great with the joke he used later "You should have heard the knock of those sonsofbitches singing "Let's Rock!" Don't Be Cruel is funny also, with singing " If made you mad, you feel like you've been hit, please let's forget the past, before I kick your ..."

"Where's the words?" asks before singing what maybe is the only live version of Inherit The Wind. A nice rendition, anyway, with the great ending, and wonderful organ playing during the intro and all the way through the song. This is the Story, on the other hand, is a looser, Elvis hits some notes of key (or is it the whole group hitting a wrong chord) on the same place of the song. Anyway, interesting to hear a live version of this song. Mystery Train / Tiger Man is longer than always. But nothing really special. Funny How Time Slips Away is great version, and bluesy, probably with Elvis on the electric guitar. Loving You is just a few lines long, but nice to hear the audience already going crazy. Again Elvis on electric guitar and Reconsider Baby which is a wonderful jam. What'd I Say is a very long 5 minutes version.

The 18 page booklet is added and gives you lots of info on the tracks. Also it contains some rare photos.

The whole thing is worth the money paid for it. Though while CDs 1 and 2 have almost no high quality material, CD 3 is marvelous. So if you still miss this one in your collection - you surely have to get it.

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