the elvis presley gold standard 45s part 8 (1976–2000)

Es­ti­mated reading time is 34 min­utes.

THE GOLD STAN­DARD SE­RIES was re­vamped for the fourth and final time in 1976 with a new look. Along with the rest of the RCA cat­alog, the modern look and layout of the pre­vious or­ange and red la­bels was jet­ti­soned and the com­pany opted for a retro look: black was back and so was Nipper!

But the ef­fect was cheesy: the paper used for the la­bels seemed of a lesser quality—a dull black rather than the high gloss stock of the past. The whole thing looked as though it hadn’t been prop­erly thought out, or hadn’t passed through any kind of peer re­view. Of course, by this time the Amer­ican record in­dustry was raking in record amounts of profits and did what Amer­ican cap­i­talism dic­tates: they cut quality and pock­eted even more profit as they sold an in­creas­ingly in­fe­rior product to Amer­ican record buyers. Few seemed to notice.

This is one of sev­eral ar­ti­cles with discogra­phies and cur­rent market values to be found on the A Touch Of Gold web­site; refer to the post­script below for more in­for­ma­tion on the other articles.

This is part 8 of the most com­plete discog­raphy and ac­cu­rate price guide to Elvis’ Gold Stan­dard 45s on the Internet.

Fol­lowing Pres­ley’s death in 1977, mas­sive quan­ti­ties of these records were man­u­fac­tured at sev­eral pressing plants on a round-the-clock basis for months (years?). The pro­duc­tion process ap­par­ently cut a few cor­ners in quality con­trol, as the un­even­ness of the paper quality gave many brand new records an un­fin­ished cast to them—if not an ac­tual ‘used’ look. This was hardly some­thing one ex­pected from one of the gi­ants of the recording industry.

As for its retro as­pect: in­stead of the full logo, only “RCA” graced the top of the label. Whereas Nipper had looked just right below that logo and above the spindle hole, here the poor dog looks forced into a place to the right of the logo (at 2 o’­clock), giving the label a cramped feel.

The weirdest part of the layout was a huge blank spot left on the left side from 7 to 11 o’­clock. This gave the label a lop­sided look. Some press­ings fill a small por­tion of that space with the side’s recording date, but it still looks mighty empty.

  

Elvis_GS_0645_dot

Elvis_GS_0603_new

On top is the orig­inal look for the Gold Stan­dard Se­ries 1959-1965: glossy black label with “RCA Victor” and Nipper at the top. Below is the new look that greeted record buyers in 1976: black label with only “RCA” at the top and Nipper to the side. While the ear­lier de­sign in­cluded tech­nical data on the left side, the new label was ei­ther blank of had this one line noted the recording date.

Indianapolis pressings

Since the ’60s, RCA’s In­di­anapolis plant man­u­fac­tured the vast ma­jority of GS 45s. In­di­anapolis records are easily rec­og­nized: by the ma­trix num­bers are machine-stamped into the trail-off area (the dead wax around the label).

There should also be a cap­ital ‘I’ with serifs (re­ferred to as a cross-beam ‘I’) stamped into the same area, but this marking can be dif­fi­cult to see in some light.

RCA’s basic label template

The basic label tem­plate that RCA shipped to the re­gional printers that worked with their pressing plants had only three bits of information:

 “RCA” in white, open-block let­ters at the top (12 o’clock).

 Nipper near the top to the right of the logo (1 o’clock).

 “TMK(s)” and other trade­mark in­for­ma­tion in tiny type on two lines laid across the bottom of the label.

Every label has that in­for­ma­tion in the same style and in the same places. The rest of the label data was set by local shops working with RCA in­struc­tions on the rest of the layout:

 The song title (all caps), the song­writer’s credits (low­er­case), and the artist’s name (all caps) in plain block type were below the spindle hole.
 “Gold Stan­dard” with the cat­alog and ma­trix num­bers were on the right side be­tween ap­prox­i­mately 2 and 3 o’clock.

These three lines of type were flushed left with a hard ver­tical line. The vari­a­tions on New black label 1 and New black label 2 take place on both sides of the spindle hole.

New black label 1: without publishing data

This label 1 can also be called the simple ver­sion due to its having less in­for­ma­tion than label 2. There are three bits of in­for­ma­tion on four lines on the right side: 1) “Gold Stan­dard” with 2) the 447 cat­alog number fol­lowed by 3) the ma­trix number. Like so:

    GOLD STANDARD
    [cat­alog number]
    [ma­trix number]

Elvis_GS_0621_new

These three lines are usu­ally flushed left and usu­ally with a hard ver­tical line. Minor type-setting er­rors may exist.

New black label 2: with publishing data

A more de­tailed vari­a­tion (the com­plex ver­sion) has five bits of in­for­ma­tion on at least seven lines of type on the right side. Like the simple ver­sion, there is 1) “Gold Stan­dard” with 2) the 447 cat­alog number. Next, we find 3) the song’s pub­lisher with ei­ther ASCAP or BMI taking up two or three lines. Then comes 4) the ma­trix number fol­lowed by 5) the side’s run­ning time. Like so:

   GOLD STANDARD
   [cat­alog number]
   [pub­lishing data]

   [ma­trix number]
   [time]

ELVIS_GS_0628_new

These lines are flushed left with a hard ver­tical line. Again, don’t be sur­prised to find sim­ilar type-setting errors.

A few more discrepancies

As the new black label is the one that has had the least amount of at­ten­tion paid it by col­lec­tors, it is the least doc­u­mented and the least un­der­stood. This discog­raphy is the best at­tempt so far to place these dog-near-top, new black Gold Stan­dard 45s into some kind of ra­tional order as col­lec­tables and it is woe­fully lacking.

Be­cause of the pan­de­mo­nium fol­lowing Pres­ley’s death, pressing plants all over the US and Canada were leased by RCA and given 24/7 as­sign­ments. The va­riety of mis­print­ings on the label are many, if minor. But there may be more major boners that would in­terest col­lec­tors like the one as­so­ci­ated with GB-11988 (see below).

There are sev­eral other dis­crep­an­cies with the new black label GS 45s for which I have not found a pattern.

 Copies may be found with a recording date on the labels.
 Copies may be found without a recording date on the labels.

 The recording date may be the month, day, and year.
 The recording date may simply be the year.

 “GOLD STAN­DARD” may be on the label.
 “GOLD STAN­DARD” may not be on the label.

 Copies may have “TMK(s) REG­IS­TERED” in all up­per­case at bottom of the label.
 Copies may have “TMK(s) Reg­is­tered” in upper/lower case at bottom of the label.

The pressing plants

By this time, RCA only used its In­di­anapolis, In­diana, plant for pressing Gold Stand 45s. This plant man­u­fac­tured records with vinyl into the late ’70s, so most if not all of the new black dog-near-top press­ings from 1976–77 should be on vinyl with an “I” stamped or en­graved into the trail-off area. In the discog­raphy below, I as­sume that there is an In­di­anapolis vinyl pressing for each number.

In 1979, In­di­anapolis began using a poly­styrene com­pound for records, so records with an “I” in the trail-off area on translu­cent wax are In­di­anapolis press­ings from the ’80s.

With Pres­ley’s death in Au­gust 1977, RCA had to lease sev­eral other plants to press product (mostly LPs) to keep up with the de­mand. Most or all of the GS 45s were pressed on the new black label at other plants, in­cluding Shelley Prod­ucts of Hunt­ington Sta­tion, New York, and Al­lied Record Com­pany in Los An­geles, Cal­i­fornia. Ap­par­ently, both these plants used poly­styrene, so press­ings with translu­cent wax could be from one or the other.

Other plants may have been used and those plants may have pressed records with vinyl or styrene. At this time, that data is not available.

There are two vari­a­tions with each listing below: the first is for a vinyl record as­sumed to be from In­di­anapolis; the second is a styrene record which could be from In­di­anapolis or Al­lied or Shelley or an as yet uniden­ti­fied fourth pressing plant. So the second vari­a­tion reads “In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.”

Note that wax is an older record col­lecting term used to refer to the make-up of the record, whether it is a polyvinyl-based or polystyrene-based or some other es­o­teric com­pound. Translu­cent in­di­cates that light shines through the black record with a brown or sepia tint. I as­sume that one of each ex­ists but you know what they say about assumptions.

 

ELVIS_GS_0628_new+NFS

This is an ex­ample of a computer-created des­ig­nated promo. The NOT FOR SALE stickers were ap­par­ently placed by hand, as there is nei­ther rhyme nor reason to their place­ment: right side or left, top or bottom. They could be on one side of a record or on both—some are even up­side down!

Designated promos

The term des­ig­nated promo refers to a stock copy of a record (here a 7-inch single) des­ig­nated for pro­mo­tional use with a NOT FOR SALE sticker af­fixed to the label on one or both sides. After Pres­ley’s death in 1977, new black label GS 45 with these stickers were everywhere . . .

A small white sticker reading NOT FOR SALE in black type could be found af­fixed to one or both sides of the record. A record with this sticker will prob­ably cost you a bit more when buying from a knowl­edge­able dealer.

Gold Standard company sleeves

Each GS 45 was shipped in a pro­tec­tive paper sleeve. These sleeves may have been plain white or brown paper with no print what­so­ever; this was the most in­ex­pen­sive way to go and every record com­pany used such sleeves.

The record com­pa­nies also had spe­cially man­u­fac­tured sleeves that fea­tured the record com­pa­ny’s name, often with a logo or an eye-catching de­sign. These generic sleeves did not iden­tify in­di­vidual records by having ti­tles or cat­alog num­bers printed on them!

 

For the Per­fect Elvis Col­lec­tion, each Gold Stan­dard 45 should be housed in a Gold Stan­dard sleeve that was man­u­fac­tured at the time of the record for use with that par­tic­ular record.

 

That is, these sleeves merely iden­ti­fied the record within as com­pany product without spec­i­fying what the in­di­vidual product was. Record col­lec­tors refer to these by sev­eral terms:

 man­u­fac­turers sleeves
 fac­tory sleeves
 com­pany sleeves

These are ef­fec­tively syn­ony­mous terms but it is com­pany sleeves that I favor and use ex­clu­sively in my ar­ti­cles on record collecting.

For the Per­fect Elvis Col­lec­tion, each GS 45 should be housed in a GS sleeve man­u­fac­tured at the time for use with that record. Of course, over­lap­ping of older sleeves with newer records was common with the Gold Stan­dards, but that should not stop a col­lector from seeking out the cor­rect sleeve for each record in his collection.

For this ar­ticle, I am listing those sleeves that were man­u­fac­tured con­tem­po­ra­ne­ously with the new black label records listed below. For more in­for­ma­tion on all Gold Stan­dard com­pany sleeves, refer to “elvis gold stan­dard 45s part 2.”

 

Elvis_GS_cs_1976

Company sleeve design 4

This sleeve was in­tro­duced in 1976 along with the new black label. This sleeve was shipped with this new label and with thou­sands of red label records. Ide­ally, every one of your new black GS 45s should be ac­com­pa­nied by one of these sleeves.

 

Elvis_GS_cs_1989y

Elvis_GS_cs_1989g

Company sleeve design 5a

This sleeve was in­tro­duced in 1989 and was shipped with the new black label num­bers. It can be found in two colors—a yellow-gold and a burnt-gold.

 

Elvis_GS_cs_1994

Company sleeve design 5b

This sleeve was in­tro­duced in 1994 and was shipped with the new black label num­bers. It lasted through the end of the Age of Vinyl. The only sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence be­tween de­sign 5a and 5b is that Nipper was in­creased in size and move from a po­si­tion of in­signif­i­cance in the lower right corner to the more promi­nent spot just below the die-cut window.

A tip for collectors

All Gold Stan­dard com­pany sleeves were made equal: these sleeves were used with GS 45s by other RCA artists, most of whom are not very col­lec­table. Should you be flip­ping through stacks of 45s and come across a Gold Stan­dard record by other artists in NM sleeves and the seller wants a couple of quar­ters for the record, buy it! The sleeve can be re­moved and used to re­place an anom­alous sleeve on one of the Presley plat­ters in your collection.

 

The low number in the value re­flects what these records might be pur­chased for when sold by someone not aware of the record’s ac­tual worth—which is most of the sellers on the Internet.

 

Assigning the values

Each record below is as­signed a value for the record in near mint con­di­tion. Here, NM means that the la­bels and the vinyl on both sides of the record are al­most ‘like new.’ The as­signed value for most records has a gen­erous spread to allow for the di­ver­sity in the prices paid for these records on the In­ternet, where many sellers are clue­less about grading a record correctly.

If I am cor­rect, the high number in the as­signed values more ac­cu­rately re­flects rarity and real value—and what these records might fetch when sold by a knowl­edge­able dealer to a knowl­edge­able collector.

The low number re­flects what these records might be pur­chased for when sold by someone not aware of the record’s ac­tual worth. (That is, a non-knowledgeable dealer, which is most of the sellers on the Internet.)

The num­bers were ar­rived at by hours of re­search on the In­ternet, pri­marily the Pop­sike, Col­lec­tors Frenzy and Grip­sweat web­sites. My own ‘common sense’ based on forty years of ac­tivity in buying and selling records and writing about buying and selling records also came into play.

Please note that copies of these records in less than NM con­di­tion usu­ally sell for sig­nif­i­cantly lower prices. For records in VG+ con­di­tion, start at half the value of a NM copy and work down from there.

Copies of most num­bers in VG con­di­tion have little value.

Every one of these num­bers with an or­ange label is rather rare records. Some of the harder-to-find num­bers (and they may be the big hits or the not-so-big hits) are prob­ably un­der­valued below . . .

I don’t own the records that are il­lus­trated below. I pulled these im­ages off the In­ternet, hence the vari­able quality of those im­ages. They are placed in the discog­raphy below to break up the mo­notony of the list, al­though each image is can be found near its listing.

And now for the discography

The discog­raphy and price guide sec­tion that fol­lows should be self-explanatory. I as­sume that most readers have seen and used some form of price guide for some sort of col­lec­table. Since I know that I should never as­sume any­thing, let’s take a quick walk through it anyway.

The records are listed in chrono­log­ical order based on the cat­alog num­bers. Each listing has three lines of information:

 Line 1 has the cat­alog number fol­lowed by the ti­tles of the two songs on the record.

 Line 2 notes that it is, in fact, a new black label record, which is fol­lowed by the as­signed value.

 Line 3 notes that the record was pressed at In­di­anapolis and is iden­ti­fied as such by machine-stamped num­bers in the trail-off vinyl.

Any record with en­graved or etched num­bers in the trail-off area prob­ably in­di­cates an­other pressing plant’s product. These would prob­ably be rather rare records and I would cer­tainly ap­pre­ciate your no­ti­fying me of their existence.

 

Elvis_GS_0603_new

For those ‘his­to­rians’ who be­lieve that RCA swayed Elvis in the di­rec­tion of man­ner­isms and con­trived ef­fects, I give them Milkcow Blues Boogie: “Well, I woke up this morning and I looked out the door. I can tell that old milk cow by the way she lowed . . . Hold it fel­lows, that don’t moo-ve me. Let’s get real, real gone for a change.” You can’t get much more con­trived than that out­side of Tin Pan Alley corn­ball songs and arrange­ments. 1

 

1976–1977

447-0600     I Forgot To Re­member To Forget / Mys­tery Train
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0601     That’s All Right / Blue Moon Of Kentucky
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0602     Good Rocking Tonight / I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    6–12
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   6–12
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0603     Milkcow Blues Boogie / You’re A Heartbreaker
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    8–16
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                     8–16
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0604     Baby, Let’s Play House / I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                      NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0605     Heart­break Hotel / I Was The One
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0607     I Want You, I Need You, I Love You / My Baby Left Me
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0608     Hound Dog / Don’t Be Cruel
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0613_new2

On Au­gust 31, 1956, RCA dumped seven new Presley sin­gles on the market (the next seven listed below), in­cluding all twelve tracks of his first LP. Within two weeks, each record had sold more than 100,000 copies! On Sep­tember 22, Bill­board’s re­viewer wrote, “Of the seven sin­gles re­leased by Victor two weeks ago, this disc, with em­phasis on Blue Moon, is step­ping out and starting to move.” De­spite having al­ready been in­cluded on two best-selling al­bums (LPM-1254 and EPA-830), Blue Moon man­aged sev­en­teen weeks on Bill­board’s Top 100, peaking at #55. In stark con­trast, it spent only three weeks on the Cash Box survey but all of them at a higher po­si­tion than Bill­board’s: #42, #48, and #45.

 447-0609     Blue Suede Shoes / Tutti Frutti
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                            $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0610     I Got A Woman / I’m Counting On You
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                            $   10–20
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

447-0611     I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’) / I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___
                     NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0612     Tryin’ To Get To You / I Love You Because
                     
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___
                      NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0613     Blue Moon / Just Because
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                              $   8–16
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   8–16
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

447-0614     Money Honey / One Sided Love Affair
                     
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                      NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0615     Shake, Rattle And Roll / Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0616     Love Me Tender / Any Way You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be)
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0617     Too Much / Playing For Keeps
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

  

447-0618     All Shook Up / That’s When Your Heartaches Begin
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0619     Jail­house Rock / Treat Me Nice
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $    5–10
                     • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0620     (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Loving You
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

Elvis_GS_0621_new

The pressing does have the recording date on the left but does not have the pub­lishing data on the right. Hence two large empty fields of black, giving the record a lost look. Had these two pieces of in­for­ma­tion been placed at 3 and 9 o’­clock, there would at be some balance.

447-0621     Don’t / I Beg Of You
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

  

447-0622     Wear My Ring Around Your Neck / Doncha Thinks It’s Time
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

447-0623     Hard Headed Woman/ Don’t Ask Me Why
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                  $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0624     One Night / I Got Stung
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

447-0625     (Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight
                     
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0626     A Big Hunk O’ Love / My Wish Came True
                     
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0627     Stuck On You / Fame And Fortune
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

ELVIS_GS_0628_new

This pressing has the pub­lishing data on the right side but not the recording date on the left side. Looks in­com­plete. Lop­sided. Was this due to the loos­ening of quality con­trol and over­sight to meet the de­mand for all things Elvis that fol­lowed in the months after his death in 1977 and lasting into ’78?

447-0628     It’s Now Or Never / A Mess Of Blues
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

   

447-0629     Are You Lone­some Tonight / I Gotta Know
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0630     Sur­render / Lonely Man
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0631     I Feel So Bad / Wild In The Country
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0634     Little Sister / (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame
                      
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0635     Can’t Help Falling In Love / Rock-A-Hula Baby
                     
Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0636     Good Luck Charm / Any­thing That’s Part Of You
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0637     She’s Not You / Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   8–16
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0638     Re­turn To Sender / Where Do You Come From
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0639     Kiss Me Quick / Suspicion
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0640     One Broken Heart For Sale / They Re­mind Me Too Much Of You
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0641     (You’re The) Devil In Dis­guise / Please Don’t Drag That Skin Around
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0642     Bossa Nova Baby / Witchcraft
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0720     Blue Christmas / Wooden Heart
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                         Not released

 

447-0643     Crying In The Chapel / I Be­lieve In The Man In The Sky
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0644_new_A

Never one of Pres­ley’s better sin­gles, Kissin’ Cousins / It Hurts Me is usually one of the more dif­fi­cult ti­tles to find as a GS 45. So far, that is not re­flected in the prices paid for it on the Internet.

447-0644     Kissin’ Cousins / It Hurts Me
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0645     Such A Night / Never Ending
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0646     Viva Las Vegas / What’d I Say
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0647_ps_2

This new pic­ture sleeve for 447-0647 was is­sued in 1977 and as it car­ries the same cat­alog number and the same song ti­tles like the orig­inal 1965 pic­ture sleeve, sellers on eBay can get it wrong—so be aware when buying it!

447-0647     Blue Christmas / Santa Claus Is Back In Town
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.
                       Pic­ture sleeve without “Gold Stan­dard Se­ries”                                           $   5–10
                       NOTE: This sleeve has a red border at the top and a photo of Elvis from 1969.

     

447-0648     Do The Clam / You’ll Be Gone
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0649     Ask Me / Ain’t That Loving You, Baby
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0650     Puppet On A String / Wooden Heart
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

      

447-0651     Joshua Fit The Battle / Known Only To Him
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                      NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0652     Milky White Way / Swing Down, Sweet Chariot
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0653     (Such An) Easy Ques­tion / It Feels So Right
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0654     I’m Yours / (It’s A) Long Lonely Highway
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0655     Tell Me Why / Blue River
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

Elvis_GS_0656_new_A_cs

Twenty years ago, I knew a few col­lec­tors who were looking for this record (Frankie And Johnny / Please Don’t Stop Loving Me) and willing to pay $10 when most col­lec­tors laughed at the new black GS 45s. 

  447-0656     Frankie And Johnny / Please Don’t Stop Loving Me
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $  10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $  10–20
 
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

      

447-0657     Love Let­ters / Come What May
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $  8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0658     Spinout / All That I Am
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0659     In­de­scrib­ably Blue / Fools Fall In Love
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0660     Long Legged Girl (With The Short Dress On) / That’s Someone You Never Forget
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                       NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

447-0661     There’s Al­ways Me / Judy
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top                                                               ___

                      NOTE: The ex­is­tence of this record is un­ver­i­fied; there is no as­signed value.

 

Elvis_GS_0662_new_A

While the de­mar­ca­tion point for Pres­ley’s “come­back” is gen­er­ally given as the Oc­tober ’68 re­lease of If I Can Dream, his trans­mu­ta­tion from life­less Hol­ly­wood hack to en­gaged folk-blues artist began a year ear­lier with the re­lease of bouncy, rel­a­tively rugged reading of Bog Boss Man. Elvis fol­lowed through with the promise of this record with Guitar Man and U.S. Male and even his next sound­track single, Let Your­self Go (all listed below). Alas, he had to wait until late ’68 for a real break­through in public per­cep­tion of this transformation.

447-0662     Big Boss Man / You Don’t Know Me
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

      

447-0663    Guitar Man / Hi Heel Sneekers
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

      

447-0664     U.S. Male / Stay Away
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

      

447-0665     You’ll Never Walk Alone / We Call On Him
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0666     Let Your­self Go / Your Time Hasn’t Come Yet Baby
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                             $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                 $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0666_new_A

How did those-whose-job-it-is-to-warn-us-of-the-coming-of-the-beast over­look this record: number 666 with a song ti­tled Let Your­self Go? Check out these sa­tanic in­struc­tions from the lyrics: “Trust me. honey. every­thing’s gonna be all right.” “You gotta do like I do, there ain’t nothing to it.” “Now don’t be afraid, just relax and take it real slow.” “Just do like I tell you, every­thing’s gonna be just fine.” “Baby, I’m the only one here in line.” “All you gotta do is just let your­self go.” Shades of Charlie Manson! How did we all miss this?!!? 2

447-0667     A Little Less Con­ver­sa­tion / Al­most In Love
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                             $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                 $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0668     If I Can Dream / Edge Of Reality
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0669     Mem­o­ries / Charro
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0670     How Great Thou Art / His Hand In Mine
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                             $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                 $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0671     In The Ghetto / Any Day Now
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0672     Clean Up Your Own Back Yard / The Fair Is Moving On
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0672_new_A_cs

In 1969, many of us Elvis afi­cionados saw Clean Up Your Own Back­yard as the third part in Pres­ley’s coming of age in the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Like If I Can Dream and In The Ghetto, it was a ‘mes­sage song’ with a sense of so­cial con­scious­ness. I heard the mes­sage here as a vari­a­tion on the maxim, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” As a state­ment in 1969, it was a good one. As a single that fol­lowed up a Big Hit like, In The Ghetto, it was a dis­as­trous choice.

447-0673     Sus­pi­cious Minds / You’ll Think Of Me
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0674     Don’t Cry, Daddy / Rubberneckin’
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0675     Ken­tucky Rain / My Little Friend
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0676     The Wonder Of You / Mama Liked The Roses
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0677     I’ve Lost You / The Next Step Is Love
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $    5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0678     You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me / Patch It
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0679     I Re­ally Don’t Want To Know / There Goes My Everything
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_0680_new_A_cs

After the run of su­perfine sin­gles (eleven 45s from If I Can Dream through I Re­ally Don’t Want To Know) and equally fine al­bums (six LPs from the NBC TV sound­track through ELVIS COUNTRY), in 1971 the promise ended. Where Did They Go, Lord / Rags To Riches and LOVE LET­TERS FROM ELVIS were bummers—and har­bin­gers of a less fo­cused, less cre­ative, less suc­cessful fu­ture. (PS: 447-0680 is harder to find as a new black GS 45 than the value below suggests.)

447-0680     Where Did They Go, Lord / Rags To Riches
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0681     If Every Day Was Like Christmas / How Would You Like To Be
                     Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0682     Life / Only Believe
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0683     I’m Leavin’ / Heart Of Rome
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   8–16
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0684     It’s Only Love / The Sound Of Your Cry
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                             $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                 $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

447-0685     An Amer­ican Trilogy / Until It’s Time For You To Go
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                             $   10–20
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                 $   10–20
                      • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

Elvis_GS_10156_new_cs

With the change over to a new company-wide num­bering system, the Gold Stan­dard Se­ries re­placed the 447 prefix with ‘GB’ and switched from a four-digit number to five. The first Presley re­lease within this new system was also a change: two A-side that had al­ready been is­sued as GS 45s were cou­pled as a new record. I haven’t a clue as to whether or not this had any im­pact on sales.

GB-10156     Burning Love / Steam­roller Blues
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10157     If You Talk In Your Sleep / Raised On Rock
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10485     I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby / Take Good Care Of Her
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10486     Sep­a­rate Ways / Al­ways On My Mind
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10487     T-R-O-U-B-L-E / Mr. Songman
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10488     Promised Land / It’s Midnight
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

GB-10489     My Boy / Thinking About You
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                $   5–10
                        • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                        Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

1978

GB-11326     Moody Blue / For The Heart
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

1979 

GB-11504     Way Down / My Way
                      Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                                 $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

 

1980 

GB-11988     Are You Sin­cere / Un­chained Melody
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (vinyl)                                               $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis pressing with an “I” in the trail-off area.

                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                    $   5–10
                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.
                       Black la­bels with “RCA Victor” on top                                                    $ 200–400

 

Elvis_GS_11988_new

This a printing error with “RCA Victor” at the top of the la­bels, as it was in the ’50s and early ’60s. How many such sports were pressed and found their way onto the mar­ket­place is un­known. What is known is that the only copy of this record auc­tioned on eBay sold for $350 in 2013! How many other label mis­print­ings of this nature—ones that would at­tract the in­terest of collectors—exist of new black GS 45s are still un­known. 3

 

Elvis_GS_11988_new4

This is how GB-11988 should look. Note that it is housed in a com­pany sleeve as­so­ci­ated with re­leases from the ’90s.

 

1983

GB-13275     Sus­pi­cious Minds / You’ll Think Of Me
                       Black la­bels with only “RCA” on top (poly­styrene)                                   $   5–10

                       • In­di­anapolis, Al­lied, or Shelley pressing on translu­cent wax.

The last new Gold Stan­dard 45 with Elvis record­ings ap­pears to have been GB-13275, which is ap­pro­priate given that Sus­pi­cious Minds is as much a defining mo­ment of the last third of Pres­ley’s ca­reer as any­thing he would record in the last nine years of his life.

 

Elvis_GS_header_8

HEADER IMAGE: The image at the top of this page is a photo of Elvis on stage at the Spring­field Civic Center on July 14, 1975. By this time, the end was near, al­though few fans were aware. Critics were get­ting down­right nasty about Pres­ley’s ap­pear­ance and his per­for­mance, which both were often er­ratic and often bloated. And there will prob­ably be end­less de­bate as to whether the in­creas­ingly gaudy out­fits were as okey­dokey as feathers on a pea­cock or were get­ting down­right goofy . . .

 

Elvis_GoldSuit

POST­SCRIP­TU­ALLY, I want to stress to col­lec­tors that finding some of the vari­a­tions listed here in “Elvis’ Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 8” is far more dif­fi­cult than the rather low values above would in­di­cate. Now, here are all the ar­ti­cles on the Elvis Gold Stan­dard 45s listed in the sug­gested reading order:

1.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 1 (Fore­word)
2.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 2 (Com­pany Sleeves)
3.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 3 (1958–1965)
4.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 4 (1964)
5.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 5 (1965-1968)
6.  Those Bloody Rare Or­ange Label Gold Stan­dard 45s
7.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 6 (1969)
8.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 7 (1969–1976)
9.  The Elvis Presley Gold Stan­dard 45s Part 8 (1976–2000)

 


FOOT­NOTES:

1    Milkcow Blues Boogie was Pres­ley’s third single for Sun Records and it nearly ended his bur­geoning ca­reer! Sales were so mi­nus­cule that it is far and away the rarest of the five Sun records. 

2    Speedway was yet an­other movie that in­volved fast cars and a hot chick singer, this time Nancy Sinatra. Of course, un­like Ann-Margret, Nancy couldn’t act or dance like Ann-Margret (who could?) and her pres­ence did little to save this movie from the quick death it de­served, But it did fea­ture better music than we had come to ex­pect, in­cluding the single, Let Your­self Go.

3   It’s pos­sible that other num­bers have this mis­printing on their la­bels. If so, as­sume a sim­ilar value for each until doc­u­mented else­wise elsewhere.

 

8 thoughts on “the elvis presley gold standard 45s part 8 (1976–2000)”

  1. Hi I read that you’d like to be con­tacted about a record with num­bers en­graved on the trail away area. I have an Elvis record with just that. I’d love to get your thoughts on it!

    Reply
    • AL­ISON

      Thanks for the comment!

      I’d be happy to help you iden­tify your record(s). An­swer these questions:

      1. What are the record’s title and cat­alog number?
      2. What is the number that is en­graved in the trail-off area?

      Hope this helps.

      NEAL

      Reply
  2. I’ve re­cently seen a label vari­a­tion with “Gold Stan­dard” on top under “RCA” and not on the side. Do you have any re­search on these types of variations?

    Reply
    • LVSFAN1

      Yes! I have been working on up­dating the en­tire se­ries of ar­ti­cles and discogra­phies on the Gold Stan­dard Se­ries sin­gles for a looong time. The ‘new black’ la­bels with “Gold Stan­dard” at the top and on the side and not there at all will be addressed.

      Un­for­tu­nately, I cannot tell you when these up­dates will be ready.

      N

      Reply
  3. FYI the cat­alog num­bers 0619 and 0620 are re­versed. Also, I have a third label vari­a­tion of a few of these records: (top to bottom) “Gold Stan­dard” on right side with cat­alog number, ma­trix number, pub­lishing info, time (pub­lishing and ma­trix num­bers reversed).

    Reply
    • LVSFAN1

      Thanks for catching that! I cor­rected those errors.

      I am working on up­dating all the Gold Stan­dard ar­ti­cles and the one the still needs at­ten­tion is the black label ver­sion with only “RCA” on top that came into use in 1976. Vari­a­tions of this label in­clude “Gold Stan­dard” on the right side of the spindle hole and “Gold Stan­dard” above the hole.

      I am hoping to get back to these ar­ti­cles in the next few months.

      Thanks and keep on keepin’ on!

      NEAL

      Reply
  4. As much as I ref­er­ence this site, I only just no­ticed a double entry for 447-0624, “One Night” / “I Got Stung.” 

    Cheers,

    Leigh

    Reply

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