50 years later, extended play for ‘Hotel’

A new CD arrives at record stores Tuesday with a curious bit of text on the cover: “A new othrophonic high fidelity recording.” Right above that phrase there’s a picture of a Victrola phonograph and a dog with its head cocked in puzzlement. No, it’s not some new digital format -- it’s just the latest re-release from Elvis Presley, the once and future king of rock ‘n’ roll.

The EP that arrives in stores is the 50th-anniversary reissue of “Heartbreak Hotel,” that jolting slice of music history that was the first No. 1 hit (and first RCA recording) for Presley.

This time around, it’s three remastered tracks (the big hit, an alternate version and the flip side, “I Was the One”), and it costs about $3.50. The Elvis material has been well-mined (and, at times, strip-mined), so this release really targets the fans with a collector’s passion. The cover of the CD reproduces the art from a 1956 Presley EP, and for a certain generation, that nostalgic image might be worth a few bucks alone.

Really, though, the three-track CD primes the pump for a big event later this month: On Jan. 24, a new collection joins the retail parade: “Elvis No. 1 Singles: The Deluxe Box Set,” which has 21 No. 1 hits on 20 CD singles with original flip sides and artwork from those 45 RPM singles.

The allure of flipping through the songs and the images from the old singles is part of the modern approach to reviving the retail life of vintage music catalogs. It’s pretty easy these days for any fan to burn his or her own CD with “Return to Sender,” “All Shook Up” and all the other Elvis No. 1 singles, but Sony BMG is banking on this elaborate $60 archival edition to be as much a scrapbook as a song collection. Each 20-CD box is numbered and, preserving the look of the original 45s, each CD will be pressed on black plastic with grooves to mimic vinyl.

If it all sounds like a bit much to you, just wait: Elvis Presley Enterprises is ramping up a major slate of 2006 events, new merchandise and other acknowledgments of the 50th anniversary of the King’s pop-culture ascension. And don’t think it ends there -- 2007 just happens to be the 30th anniversary of Elvis’ death (he was born 71 years ago Sunday). He never really leaves the building, does he?