DATE: Friday, July 18, 1997                 TAG: 9707170213

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E12  EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  115 lines

CD REVIEWS

POP/ROCK

ELVIS PRESLEY

``Platinum: A Life in Music''

(RCA)

Two months ago, as the marketing push for this four-CD box set was gearing up, an RCA honcho told USA Today the label hopes it ``will be seen by the mainstream as the definitive collection of Elvis.''

Impossible. The House That Nipper Built has already released separate boxes focusing on Presley's music from the `50s, `60s and `70s. Last year saw ``Elvis 56,'' a standout CD collecting the 1956 hits that rewrote rock `n' roll. Earlier this year, the soundtracks from a few of his films were remastered.

Rather, ``Platinum,'' timed to the 20th anniversary of Elvis' death, is more akin to a Cliff Notes retrospective. That's not a criticism. Seventy-seven of the 100 tracks, some discovered in a file cabinet belonging to his late father, are demos, rehearsal tapes, home recordings and alternate takes.

Paired with previously released classics, the four-hour-plus set offers an often fascinating look at the man and his music.

Elvisians will eat it up; sales receipts will tell whether it flies with the mainstream, if such a thing exists when it comes to Presley.

This is certain: ``Platinum'' has something for even the casual musicologist, if only the opening ``I'll Never Stand in Your Way'' - a second demo made at Sun Records in early 1954 (archivists theorize that Elvis cut it hoping to be discovered) - or the closing ``My Way,'' taken from a concert in Michigan three months before he died.

In between, no point is left untouched. By far the most interesting discs are the first two. A raw 1956 performance of ``Hound Dog'' on the ``Milton Berle Show'' galvanized Elvis' detractors. An alternate take of ``A Mess of Blues,'' by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, shows his natural affinity for the work of those master songsmiths.

The ``Bad Nauheim Medley'' and ``When the Saints Go Marching In,'' informal tapes made during his Army hitch, are almost indecipherable, but no less revealing. Same goes for his low-register reading of ``Blowin' in the Wind'' and ``Bridge Over Troubled Water,'' recorded live in Vegas 27 years ago.

And on and on. But if there's one track on this set that says more about Elvis, it's Rodgers' and Hart's ``Blue Moon.'' As noted in the accompanying booklet, he skips the bridge and final-verse happy ending, giving it a haunting blues feel. Chris Isaak would kill for Presley's chilling falsetto.

In the just-published ``Quotable King'' (Cumberland House, $8.95), Elvis says, ``Long after I'm gone, what I did today will be heard by someone. I just want them to get the best of what I had.''

``Platinum: A Life in Music'' is a telling chapter in his legacy.

- Craig Shapiro, The Pilot

THE MUFFS

``Happy Birthday to Me''

(Reprise)

For a song or two, The Muffs will huff, puff and blow you away with catchy vocal melodies and chord changes. ``Happy Birthday to Me'' is a charm, but after the first few surprises, the trio's burning ambitions fail to keep the creative candles ignited for the entire musical chair party.

The Muffs' stuff is concise, early `60s-inspired pop songs dirtied with a Joan Jett-like growl. So to-the-point are these compositions, the longest track ticks off at 3:19. ``Crush Me'' is a smashing punkabilly number full of punch; the cheesey keyboard solo really makes it unique. Guitarist/vocalist Kim Shattuck packs a lot of music - in under two minutes - into ``That Awful Man.''

``My Crazy Afternoon'' and ``All Blue Baby'' use a big guitar sound to disguise a late `50s sad-girl pop.

Wonder if they listen to Weezer? Despite some redundancy on ``Birthday,'' The Muffs should make for a great barroom experience.

- Jeff Maisey, The Pilot

In concert: The Muffs, 8 tonight at Route 44, 206 22nd St., Virginia Beach. $8. Call 425-6979.

REEF

``Glow''

(Epic)

The fickle British rock press has crowned Reef its Next Big Thing. Usually, such pronouncements merely highlight the next one-hit wonder, but in the case of this West Country quartet, the accolades may be on target.

Having absorbed the rock of such masters as the Rolling Stones, early Led Zeppelin and T. Rex, the band waves it influences like a flag. The sound is such pure retro-rock, it almost sounds new and refreshing.

Gary Stringer switches from Robert Plant's raspy tenor to Mick Jagger's attitude-soaked vocals without missing a beat. The band provides tough, blues-based guitar backing with touches of feedback. Its unabashed approach easily outshines the latest from Aerosmith or the Black Crowes.

Right now, Reef is in serious need of its own identity. But the lads are learning. Besides, their swagger, snotty attitude and contagious energy literally crackle out of ``Glow's'' grooves.

- Eric Feber, The Pilot

In concert: Reef with Incubus, 9 p.m. Saturday at Friar Tuck's, 4408 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk. $5. Call 440-9464.

JAZZ

HERB ALPERT

``Passion Dance''

(Almo)

Herb Alpert's latest recalls his early Tijuana Brass days, when his Latin-flavored outpouring was a heavy favorite of record buyers and radio listeners.

But ``Passion Dance,'' on which his trumpet is augmented by 15 mostly Latin musicians, doesn't duplicate that base. Instead, Alpert builds on it by coating the sound with a a more urbanized veneer.

Inspired by a salsa show at the Hollywood Bowl, the CD features seven tracks suitable for today's smooth jazz formats, but which do not succumb to rote.

Aside from a sensual cover of Stevie Wonder's ``Creepin,'' with Alpert's wife, Lani Hall, on vocal sample, the music initially may sound somewhat cookie-cutter. Play it more, though, and the disc reveals subtle distinctions, and some standouts: A kinetic refashioning of his 1982 hit ``Route 101,'' the lovely ballad ``Until We Meet Again'' and the lilting title tune.

- Marvin Lake, The Pilot

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