A Great Look at Songs That Aren’t a Legend’s Greatest Hits : ** 1/2, WILLIE NELSON, “A Classic & Unreleased Collection” <i> Rhino</i>

This three-disc set may have the weight of a greatest hits package, but it’s not, which means casual fans should beware. For the quintessential Nelson, newcomers to this invaluable country singer-songwriter should try one of the many Columbia retrospectives. This box set is intended for the collector--and it’s a gem.

The package, which went on sale in record stores this week after being introduced two years ago through the QVC home shopping channel, is packed with rarities and unreleased material. It not only makes for enjoyable listening, but it also helps document further the evolution of an artist whose phrasing comes as close to the daring and revelation of Frank Sinatra’s as anyone active in popular music.

The discoveries begin with Nelson’s first single, which was released in 1957 on his own Willie Nelson label, and 12 demo recordings that he taped in the early ‘60s in hope of getting someone to record his songs.

It also includes nearly a dozen previously unreleased or alternative tracks from his acclaimed “Shotgun Willie” and “Phases and Stages” sessions in the early ‘70s, as well as a swing collection that he recorded in the mid-’80s with Merle Haggard’s band and his interpretations of 10 Hank Williams songs.

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** Merle Haggard, “A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (or, My Salute to Bob Wills),” KOCH. From singer to writer to guitarist, Haggard may be the most complete country artist ever, but he seems to enjoy himself most when he’s simply paying tribute to his musical heroes--as he’s doing in this engaging salute to Western swing legend Wills.

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* Dick & Dee Dee, “The Best of Dick & Dee Dee,” Varese Sarabande. Dick St. John and Mary Sperling (Dick and Dee Dee apparently sounded catchier than Dick and Mary) teamed up for five Top 40 hits in the early ‘60s, including “The Mountain’s High.” But none left the duo with much of a lasting pop profile. The surprise here: The ambition and grit in the group’s best R&B-shaded; moments are much more than you’d expect from a pair with such a pop-teen image.

* Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (e x cellent).