ELVIS PRESLEY -- SUNRISE (RCA) : With the myriad of Elvis reissues that RCA seems to bring out every other day, it's nice to actually see one that's an important release instead of another cash cow. "Sunrise" compiles all the known (and a few previously unknown) titles from Elvis's days with Sun Records when he was a fresh young talent just about ready to take over the world. Compared to his later career, Elvis took a lot more chances in these earlier days. The songs range from neo-country to rock to blues. The master takes are all on disc 1, while disc 2 mainly has alternate takes and the previously unreleased tracks included on the set. The last six tracks are live tracks that survived on acetate. Included is the great rare song "Hearts of Stone," which first appeared on a Louisiana Hayride compilation, but now is released with the rest of the songs from the set that have survived. All in all, this is an important Elvis release, the kind we seem to be seeing less and less of. (Feb. '99)

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