Gregg Geller 1985 compilations

[pmp]

In 1985 i was 14 and still getting familiar with the vastness of Elvis' catalogue. There were two great Gregg Geller produced compilations released that year that i still love to this day.

Not only were the track selections and sequencing impeccable, but the artwork was cool as hell.

"Rocker" = pure dynamite
"Reconsider Baby" was a revelation. Still digging the the alternate/composite edit of "Ain't That Loving You Baby" and the alternate mix of "Stranger In My Own Hometown".

Anyone remember them / still have them?

I still find it odd that well over a hundred unreleased tracks were issued in the five years or so after Elvis's death, and yet people (not you) knock those releases and praise these compilations Sure, they were fine compilations, and the artwork was cool. I'm not knocking them, but to suggest that Geller was some saviour (as various other people do) is ridiculous.

[sweetangeline]

From the same article it seems that after Rocker (1950s) and Return of the Rocker (1960s), Geller tells of a third collection he assembled, to complete a trilogy of Presley uptempo glory. But it was left on the shelf.




Like the "Golden Celebration" series released in 1985, when Elvis would have turned 50, the new records were put together by Gregg Geller, who devoted his years at RCA to rescuing the best of Presley from the worst.

"It always bothered me to have to have the 'Spinout' album because I wanted to own 'Tomorrow is a Long Time,' " Geller said. "Love Letters from Elvis," he said, "had a lot of awful stuff, a couple of average things and then it has 'Got My Mojo Working' tacked on there. It makes no sense in the context of the album . . . It's nice to rescue that."

"Got My Mojo Working" remains buried today, though, this time on an unreleased album called "Rockers 3."

Geller, who had collected Presley's most rocking songs from earlier years on two previous collections, culled the "Rockers 3" material ("Guitar Man," "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago," "Promised Land") from the late '60s and early 70s.

"It's one of my favorite (albums) of all the things I did," he said. "I think it really presents that period of his life, which most people seem to think of as the decline and fall, in a new light."

But RCA chose not to release it with the current commemorative series . . .

I'd love to see a tracklisting for Rockers 3, if one exists. The first two volumes make for fantastic listening.

well thanks to the Doc you can pretty well gather together 12 tracks for the 3rd installment based on the other two released and you have 4 above ranging from 1967 - 1973...8 uptempo tracks left...I think most of us here can figure this out

[lucio]

In 1985 i was 14 and still getting familiar with the vastness of Elvis' catalogue. There were two great Gregg Geller produced compilations released that year that i still love to this day.

Not only were the track selections and sequencing impeccable, but the artwork was cool as hell.

"Rocker" = pure dynamite
"Reconsider Baby" was a revelation. Still digging the the alternate/composite edit of "Ain't That Loving You Baby" and the alternate mix of "Stranger In My Own Hometown".

Anyone remember them / still have them?

I still find it odd that well over a hundred unreleased tracks were issued in the five years or so after Elvis's death, and yet people (not you) knock those releases and praise these compilations Sure, they were fine compilations, and the artwork was cool. I'm not knocking them, but to suggest that Geller was some saviour (as various other people do) is ridiculous.

I agree pmp. As a fan who at that point had all his RCA music on lp as well as most of the bootlegs I was very disappointed with these 10th Anniversary releases and saw a bleak future in the Elvis world with Geller at the helm.

The fact that many of you here discovered or enhanced your love of Elvis music from these lps makes me feel a bit better about losing those years to reissues and poor quality audience boots.

[minkahed]

Burning Love ??? Na...

From the same article it seems that after Rocker (1950s) and Return of the Rocker (1960s), Geller tells of a third collection he assembled, to complete a trilogy of Presley uptempo glory. But it was left on the shelf.




Like the "Golden Celebration" series released in 1985, when Elvis would have turned 50, the new records were put together by Gregg Geller, who devoted his years at RCA to rescuing the best of Presley from the worst.

"It always bothered me to have to have the 'Spinout' album because I wanted to own 'Tomorrow is a Long Time,' " Geller said. "Love Letters from Elvis," he said, "had a lot of awful stuff, a couple of average things and then it has 'Got My Mojo Working' tacked on there. It makes no sense in the context of the album . . . It's nice to rescue that."

"Got My Mojo Working" remains buried today, though, this time on an unreleased album called "Rockers 3."

Geller, who had collected Presley's most rocking songs from earlier years on two previous collections, culled the "Rockers 3" material ("Guitar Man," "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago," "Promised Land") from the late '60s and early 70s.

"It's one of my favorite (albums) of all the things I did," he said. "I think it really presents that period of his life, which most people seem to think of as the decline and fall, in a new light."

But RCA chose not to release it with the current commemorative series . . .

I'd love to see a tracklisting for Rockers 3, if one exists. The first two volumes make for fantastic listening.

well thanks to the Doc you can pretty well gather together 12 tracks for the 3rd installment based on the other two released and you have 4 above ranging from 1967 - 1973...8 uptempo tracks left...I think most of us here can figure this out

[If_I_Can_Dream]

There's a May 21, 1984 letter from Don Wardell to Joseph F. Rascoff in which Wardell laid out the release schedule for "A Golden Celebration" and others, including "A Valentine Gift For You" and "The Complete Sun Sessions."

Screenshot_20220425-233543.png

Screenshot_20220425-233523.png

[DobroMojo]

In 1985 i was 14 and still getting familiar with the vastness of Elvis' catalogue. There were two great Gregg Geller produced compilations released that year that i still love to this day.

Not only were the track selections and sequencing impeccable, but the artwork was cool as hell.

"Rocker" = pure dynamite
"Reconsider Baby" was a revelation. Still digging the the alternate/composite edit of "Ain't That Loving You Baby" and the alternate mix of "Stranger In My Own Hometown".

Anyone remember them / still have them?

I still find it odd that well over a hundred unreleased tracks were issued in the five years or so after Elvis's death, and yet people (not you) knock those releases and praise these compilations Sure, they were fine compilations, and the artwork was cool. I'm not knocking them, but to suggest that Geller was some saviour (as various other people do) is ridiculous.

My point is that as a young fan at that time, these albums had an impact on me. They served their purpose. It's not berating all the compilations which came before. I would argue that the majority of previous compilations tended to be slapdash and thrown together without any care or concept behind them. Geller's focus was to reframe the catalogue, make it more coherent for potential fans like myself, including re-issuing the classic albums in their original form (with original artwork & not in reprocessed stereo...).

[Alexander]

Now we're strolling down memory lane... 1985 was the year RCA celebrated Elvis' 50th anniversary like 1977 never happened. That was about time since 1978 - 1984 had not been too exiting regarding official record releases. Except maybe for the 1980 silver box and the Our Memories of Elvis series. Remember this sticker?

logo50th.jpg

Anyway, the Gregg Geller releases were spectacular back then. Ands from my experience he is a very nice person too.
As an excited Dutch youngster (I guess I was 15 years old) I wrote Gregg a letter in my best English to thank him for the great records he had released. I addressed the letter to the New York address of the RCA offices that could be found on each album cover and found my parents willing to sponsor the postage costs, since such a letter to America turned out to be quite expensive. Months passed (ofcourse) and then a package arrived all the way from New York. The package included a "with compliments" card with some nice words and signed by Gregg Geller. And Gregg included (for free!) the latest vinyl releases of Essential Elvis Volume 1 (1987) and The Alternate Aloha (1988). I was so thrilled. It would have cost me months of savings and odd jobs. But most of all, I was so thrilled by the kindness. He did not have to send those albums, but he did.

[DobroMojo]

Now we're strolling down memory lane... 1985 was the year RCA celebrated Elvis' 50th anniversary like 1977 never happened. That was about time since 1978 - 1984 had not been too exiting regarding official record releases. Except maybe for the 1980 silver box and the Our Memories of Elvis series. Remember this sticker?



Anyway, the Gregg Geller releases were spectacular back then. Ands from my experience he is a very nice person too.
As an excited Dutch youngster (I guess I was 15 years old) I wrote Gregg a letter in my best English to thank him for the great records he had released. I addressed the letter to the New York address of the RCA offices that could be found on each album cover and found my parents willing to sponsor the postage costs, since such a letter to America turned out to be quite expensive. Months passed (ofcourse) and then a package arrived all the way from New York. The package included a "with compliments" card with some nice words and signed by Gregg Geller. And Gregg included (for free!) the latest vinyl releases of Essential Elvis Volume 1 (1987) and The Alternate Aloha (1988). I was so thrilled. It would have cost me months of savings and odd jobs. But most of all, I was so thrilled by the kindness. He did not have to send those albums, but he did.

Thanks for that. Great to hear the same releases had an impact on you too. Mr Geller certainly sounds like a nice chap.

[drjohncarpenter]

There's a May 21, 1984 letter from Don Wardell to Joseph F. Rascoff in which Wardell laid out the release schedule for "A Golden Celebration" and others, including "A Valentine Gift For You" and "The Complete Sun Sessions."

That's an interesting document that presupposes future Presley titles with the estate rep for the late singer. A careful review proves that some of these releases did not happen.

Most importantly, there is no mention of Gregg Geller, and there's a reason for that: he wasn't yet part of the Presley team.

By September 1984, four months later, Geller was in place as vice-president, A&R, at RCA, and the actual forthcoming releases, done under his guidance, were being promoted in the press.

Cash Box_Sep 29 1984_p07.jpg

Cash Box_Sep 29 1984_p28.jpg

Cash Box - September 29, 1984
"The campaign, which has been in the planning stages since last January, is under the direction of Don Wardell . . . and Gregg Geller"



As is very clear, "Geller's "The Complete Sun Sessions" set was to be originally released in June 1985" was never slated for that date, and didn't merit a public mention until 1987.

It's important to understand the difference between a private executive memo and a prepared retail release.

[drjohncarpenter]

I still find it odd that well over a hundred unreleased tracks were issued in the five years or so after Elvis's death, and yet people (not you) knock those releases and praise these compilations Sure, they were fine compilations, and the artwork was cool. I'm not knocking them, but to suggest that Geller was some saviour (as various other people do) is ridiculous.

My point is that as a young fan at that time, these albums had an impact on me. They served their purpose. It's not berating all the compilations which came before. I would argue that the majority of previous compilations tended to be slapdash and thrown together without any care or concept behind them. Geller's focus was to reframe the catalogue, make it more coherent for potential fans like myself, including re-issuing the classic albums in their original form (with original artwork & not in reprocessed stereo...).

It may easily be argued the posthumous era prior to Gregg Geller's arrival in September 1984 was slapdash, and without care.

Primarily in charge was RCA's Joan Deary.

Outside of two reasonable iterations of the Elvis: A Legendary Performer series and the Elvis Aron Presley box set, her work was a series of disappointments, and some outright embarrassments.


1978
He Walks Beside Me
Elvis Sings For Children... And Grownups Too!

1979
Our Memories Of Elvis
Our Memories Of Elvis Volume 2

1981
Greatest Hits Volume One

1982
The Elvis Medley
Memories of Christmas



Not sure what all the poppycock is about "over a hundred unreleased tracks" in the 1978-1983 era from RCA, it was less. And it's silly to even suggest their release at the time undercuts Geller's vision. Before his arrival, RCA served up a haphazard and sometimes dubious series of outtakes, alternate takes (some of them unnoted), and live recordings, along with previously-released masters. None of it served the man or his music particularly well, and only some of the music was new to collectors:


1978 - 17 across five releases
1979 - 1
1980 - 25 + 21-track concert amalgam from 1975
1981 - 8 across two releases
1982 - 3
1983 - 11


In that period, the import market flourished with stunning and historically significant material from the 1950s and 1960s, from studio work to live concerts, rehearsals and TV appearances that RCA seemingly had zero interest in sharing with the public. Often that import material was coherently packaged, allowing great insight into Elvis' unique talent and tremendous cultural impact. It can further be argued such releases inspired RCA's Elvis Aron Presley project three years after his death, although that idea was not repeated despite retail success.

Geller's re-centered Presley as a titanic American artist who changed the cultural landscape, by focusing on his most important work. This was crucial for everything with the RCA imprint going forward.

[pmp]

1978 - 17 across five releases
1979 - 1
1980 - 25 + 21-track concert amalgam from 1975
1981 - 8 across two releases
1982 - 3
1983 - 11

Once again, presumably you are supposing that fans of the period all had access to bootlegs, which was clearly not the case. So, the real totals for unreleased tracks by RCA are as follows:

1977: 25.
1978: 18.
1979: 2
1980: 60
1981: 12
1982: 15
1983: 12

That comes to 144 titles.

[Mike C]

Don Wardell had a very interesting career. He was previously a presenter on BBC Radio who hosted one of the Beatles Bank Holiday shows in August of 1964.

[drjohncarpenter]

Not sure what all the poppycock is about "over a hundred unreleased tracks" in the 1978-1983 era from RCA, it was less. And it's silly to even suggest their release at the time undercuts Geller's vision. Before his arrival, RCA served up a haphazard and sometimes dubious series of outtakes, alternate takes (some of them unnoted), and live recordings, along with previously-released masters. None of it served the man or his music particularly well, and only some of the music was new to collectors:


1978 - 17 across five releases
1979 - 1
1980 - 25 + 21-track concert amalgam from 1975
1981 - 8 across two releases
1982 - 3
1983 - 11


In that period, the import market flourished with stunning and historically significant material from the 1950s and 1960s, from studio work to live concerts, rehearsals and TV appearances that RCA seemingly had zero interest in sharing with the public. Often that import material was coherently packaged, allowing great insight into Elvis' unique talent and tremendous cultural impact. It can further be argued such releases inspired RCA's Elvis Aron Presley project three years after his death, although that idea was not repeated despite retail success.

Geller's re-centered Presley as a titanic American artist who changed the cultural landscape, by focusing on his most important work. This was crucial for everything with the RCA imprint going forward.

Once again, presumably you are supposing that fans of the period all had access to bootlegs . . .

If you read what I wrote, there is no presumption.

The posthumous era begins in February 1978, not 1977. Elvis died in 1977, yes, but the TV soundtrack album for "Elvis In Concert" was recorded in concert, while he was still living.

The "unreleased tracks" you brought into the discussion are not remixed or overdubbed masters, but studio or live outtakes or alternates approved by Joan Deary. If you don't know which projects she handled, go do some research.

You chose to argue all the "unreleased tracks" were unfairly forgotten when cast against the Geller releases. Actual scrutiny kills that view, as those so-called tracks -- again -- number less than a hundred, and most don't measure up at all to what was appearing on import, in terms of quality or historical importance. As I already wrote.

You further miss that Deary was well aware of all the import titles in this period, and the honorable intent behind many of them. But with the exception of Elvis Aron Presley, she took a different path, and the fan base was poorer for it.

Those are the facts, and arguing over an official outtake of "Big Boots" won't gain much traction with those who recognize the turnaround in the Presley catalog began with Gregg Geller.

[pmp]

The posthumous era begins in February 1978, not 1977.

Oh dear. Posthumous releases occur after someone dies. There is no six month wait just to suit you. Anything released after August 16th 1977 is a posthumous release.

Elvis died in 1977, yes, but the TV soundtrack album for "Elvis In Concert" was recorded in concert, while he was still living.

So, Elvis in Concert was recorded in concert while he was still living, eh? Congratulations in telling us something we didn't know already. I'm sure most of us would never have worked out for ourselves that he was still alive when it was recorded.

Are you suggesting that the recordings issued by Deary from 1978 onwards were recorded when he was dead?

Perhaps all that talk of BJ records has gone to your head...

[drjohncarpenter]

Oh . . .

You want to re-frame something already set in a discussion, start a new topic.

You so consistently behave like a miserable lout it's a wonder anyone bothers to engage with you at all.

I guess I cannot resist the smackdown I consistently deliver to your inept and inaccurate posts.

Carry on, and we all know that you will.

[pmp]

The posthumous era begins in February 1978, not 1977.

Oh dear. Posthumous releases occur after someone dies. There is no six month wait just to suit you. Anything released after August 16th 1977 is a posthumous release.

Elvis died in 1977, yes, but the TV soundtrack album for "Elvis In Concert" was recorded in concert, while he was still living.

So, Elvis in Concert was recorded in concert while he was still living, eh? Congratulations in telling us something we didn't know already. I'm sure most of us would never have worked out for ourselves that he was still alive when it was recorded.

Are you suggesting that the recordings issued by Deary from 1978 onwards were recorded when he was dead?

Perhaps all that talk of BJ records has gone to your head...

You want to re-frame something already set in a discussion, start a new topic.

You so consistently behave like a miserable lout it's a wonder anyone bothers to engage with you at all.

I guess I cannot resist the smackdown I consistently deliver to your inept and inaccurate posts.

Carry on, and we all know that you will.

Having a rant at me because you came up with an utterly nonsensical post is not a good look...

[drjohncarpenter]

Having . . .

Like clockwork.

[pmp]

Having . . .

Like clockwork.

Been listening recently to any albums recorded by artists after they'd died? We're all waiting for a list of recommendations.

[Asheville75]

Here is a clip from an interview with Don Wardell who worked with Gregg Geller on the Elvis releases at the time. It is interesting that he says that there was a dispute between the estate and RCA after Elvis died, have not heard that before. Maybe that in some ways explains the mediocre releases 1978-1980, even if I indeed like the Our Memories Of Elvis volumes.

[dougkapp]

I remember that in a fan club meeting in Brazil in the 1980's it was commented that RCA (later BMG) had difficulties to work with post 1973 material, because of the sale of copyrights on the Elvis catalog, which covered until 1973. Maybe this interfered with the releases. I remember that most of Elvis' albums were only released on CD after 1989.
If I am not mistaken there was some agreement between EPE and RCA still in the 80s. Does anyone know more about this agreement, if it really existed and interfered in the releases?

[mmoie]

Yes there was a policy by RCA not to release post 1973 songs because of the 1973 buyout and there was a row with EPE about this.
You can see even with the first ever Elvis CDs released in1984 the. 3 cd Box set The Legend which was a sort of a greatest hits compilation only went up to 1972 no tracks after 1972.
The exception been the compilation Always On My Mind which had tracks from after 73 on it.
May b there was a deal done with the estate by then.
I have all the 1985 50th amniversary releases on cd and vinyl .
I think it was a great idea to rerelease a lot of the 50s albums in original Mono with original artwork.
The best compilation was Reconsider baby which had some great tracks and unreleased material.
I think the A Golden Celebration box set was not great although it had all the 50s tv shows on it which were offically unreleased ,then to just put previously released 68 comback tracks and no songs from after 1968 was a major let down.

[ForeverElvis]

Yes there was a policy by RCA not to release post 1973 songs because of the 1973 buyout and there was a row with EPE about this.
You can see even with the first ever Elvis CDs released in1984 the. 3 cd Box set The Legend which was a sort of a greatest hits compilation only went up to 1972 no tracks after 1972.
The exception been the compilation Always On My Mind which had tracks from after 73 on it.
May b there was a deal done with the estate by then.
I have all the 1985 50th amniversary releases on cd and vinyl .
I think it was a great idea to rerelease a lot of the 50s albums in original Mono with original artwork.
The best compilation was Reconsider baby which had some great tracks and unreleased material.
I think the A Golden Celebration box set was not great although it had all the 50s tv shows on it which were offically unreleased ,then to just put previously released 68 comback tracks and no songs from after 1968 was a major let down.

All these albums post-1977 contained tracks recorded after the 1973 buyout. This wasn’t a period where RCA didn’t release post buyout songs on purpose. If the theme of the album necessitated those songs inclusion they were included:

Elvis in Concert (1977) LP

Unchained Melody/Softly As I Leave You (1978) 45RPM

A Canadian Tribute (1978) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 1 (1979) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 2 (1979) LP

Elvis Aron Presley (1980) LP’s

Guitar Man (1981) LP

This Is Elvis (1981) LP

Elvis Golden Records Vol 5 (1984) LP (first Elvis USA CD release)

Always On My Mind (1985) LP

And several 45RPM Singles associated with these album releases.

The last LP in the Golden Celebration box with the 1968 TV Special tracks was definitely out of place. Additional studio outtakes from the 1956-1957 period would have been a better choice. Also, the Frank Sinatra 1960 appearance should have been included. An, otherwise excellent release.

[dougkapp]

Yes there was a policy by RCA not to release post 1973 songs because of the 1973 buyout and there was a row with EPE about this.
You can see even with the first ever Elvis CDs released in1984 the. 3 cd Box set The Legend which was a sort of a greatest hits compilation only went up to 1972 no tracks after 1972.
The exception been the compilation Always On My Mind which had tracks from after 73 on it.
May b there was a deal done with the estate by then.
I have all the 1985 50th amniversary releases on cd and vinyl .
I think it was a great idea to rerelease a lot of the 50s albums in original Mono with original artwork.
The best compilation was Reconsider baby which had some great tracks and unreleased material.
I think the A Golden Celebration box set was not great although it had all the 50s tv shows on it which were offically unreleased ,then to just put previously released 68 comback tracks and no songs from after 1968 was a major let down.

All these albums post-1977 contained tracks recorded after the 1973 buyout. This wasn’t a period where RCA didn’t release post buyout songs on purpose. If the theme of the album necessitated those songs inclusion they were included:

Elvis in Concert (1977) LP

Unchained Melody/Softly As I Leave You (1978) 45RPM

A Canadian Tribute (1978) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 1 (1979) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 2 (1979) LP

Elvis Aron Presley (1980) LP’s

Guitar Man (1981) LP

This Is Elvis (1981) LP

Elvis Golden Records Vol 5 (1984) LP (first Elvis USA CD release)

Always On My Mind (1985) LP

And several 45RPM Singles associated with these album releases.

The last LP in the Golden Celebration box with the 1968 TV Special tracks was definitely out of place. Additional studio outtakes from the 1956-1957 period would have been a better choice. Also, the Frank Sinatra 1960 appearance should have been included. An, otherwise excellent release.

I am not sure, but I believe the dispute between the estate and RCA started around 1982 and only ended in 1983 with settlement, including Colonel Parker, who had his contract definitively terminated with the estate.
As you can see from your list above, there is a gap in releases between 1981 and 1984.

[pmp]

Yes there was a policy by RCA not to release post 1973 songs because of the 1973 buyout and there was a row with EPE about this.
You can see even with the first ever Elvis CDs released in1984 the. 3 cd Box set The Legend which was a sort of a greatest hits compilation only went up to 1972 no tracks after 1972.
The exception been the compilation Always On My Mind which had tracks from after 73 on it.
May b there was a deal done with the estate by then.
I have all the 1985 50th amniversary releases on cd and vinyl .
I think it was a great idea to rerelease a lot of the 50s albums in original Mono with original artwork.
The best compilation was Reconsider baby which had some great tracks and unreleased material.
I think the A Golden Celebration box set was not great although it had all the 50s tv shows on it which were offically unreleased ,then to just put previously released 68 comback tracks and no songs from after 1968 was a major let down.

All these albums post-1977 contained tracks recorded after the 1973 buyout. This wasn’t a period where RCA didn’t release post buyout songs on purpose. If the theme of the album necessitated those songs inclusion they were included:

Elvis in Concert (1977) LP

Unchained Melody/Softly As I Leave You (1978) 45RPM

A Canadian Tribute (1978) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 1 (1979) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 2 (1979) LP

Elvis Aron Presley (1980) LP’s

Guitar Man (1981) LP

This Is Elvis (1981) LP

Elvis Golden Records Vol 5 (1984) LP (first Elvis USA CD release)

Always On My Mind (1985) LP

And several 45RPM Singles associated with these album releases.

The last LP in the Golden Celebration box with the 1968 TV Special tracks was definitely out of place. Additional studio outtakes from the 1956-1957 period would have been a better choice. Also, the Frank Sinatra 1960 appearance should have been included. An, otherwise excellent release.

I am not sure, but I believe the dispute between the estate and RCA started around 1982 and only ended in 1983 with settlement, including Colonel Parker, who had his contract definitively terminated with the estate.
As you can see from your list above, there is a gap in releases between 1981 and 1984.

Yes, but there's only a relatively small amount of masters from 1973 to 1977, too, and as has been pointed out, 1973 songs were included on a considerable number of releases in the years directly after Elvis died. Their disappearance for a couple of years could have been coincidence. After all, they wouldn't have had a place on the EP collection, I was the One, or on the Christmas discs that were issued in 1982 or 1983. That only leaves Legendary Performer 4, and I don't think any of the previous volumes had used songs from the final years anyway.

[Mike C]

Yes there was a policy by RCA not to release post 1973 songs because of the 1973 buyout and there was a row with EPE about this.
You can see even with the first ever Elvis CDs released in1984 the. 3 cd Box set The Legend which was a sort of a greatest hits compilation only went up to 1972 no tracks after 1972.
The exception been the compilation Always On My Mind which had tracks from after 73 on it.
May b there was a deal done with the estate by then.
I have all the 1985 50th amniversary releases on cd and vinyl .
I think it was a great idea to rerelease a lot of the 50s albums in original Mono with original artwork.
The best compilation was Reconsider baby which had some great tracks and unreleased material.
I think the A Golden Celebration box set was not great although it had all the 50s tv shows on it which were offically unreleased ,then to just put previously released 68 comback tracks and no songs from after 1968 was a major let down.

All these albums post-1977 contained tracks recorded after the 1973 buyout. This wasn’t a period where RCA didn’t release post buyout songs on purpose. If the theme of the album necessitated those songs inclusion they were included:

Elvis in Concert (1977) LP

Unchained Melody/Softly As I Leave You (1978) 45RPM

A Canadian Tribute (1978) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 1 (1979) LP

Our Memories of Elvis Vol 2 (1979) LP

Elvis Aron Presley (1980) LP’s

Guitar Man (1981) LP

This Is Elvis (1981) LP

Elvis Golden Records Vol 5 (1984) LP (first Elvis USA CD release)

Always On My Mind (1985) LP

And several 45RPM Singles associated with these album releases.

The last LP in the Golden Celebration box with the 1968 TV Special tracks was definitely out of place. Additional studio outtakes from the 1956-1957 period would have been a better choice. Also, the Frank Sinatra 1960 appearance should have been included. An, otherwise excellent release.

I am not sure, but I believe the dispute between the estate and RCA started around 1982 and only ended in 1983 with settlement, including Colonel Parker, who had his contract definitively terminated with the estate.
As you can see from your list above, there is a gap in releases between 1981 and 1984.

The dispute between the Estate and RCA was related to the action brought by the guardian ad litem on behalf on Lisa Marie and the Estate against Col. Parker in 1981 with respect to his percentage of earnings taken during the last few years of Elvis' lifetime - the main claim was one of breach of his fiduciary duty. As part of the action, the Estate also sued RCA with respect to royalties owned and the 1973 buyout. One of the striking things we learned from the suit is that the Colonel never sought to audit RCA's books during Elvis lifetime. This was and remains a stranded practice in the management business. The Colonel's unwillingness to do so was a clear case of malfeasance.

Eventually, RCA agreed to settlement with the Estate whereby it upped the royalty rate on post-1972 recordings and agreed to pay fees for pictures and other items used on future RCA sets.