At the time of this release, Presley was at the final stage of his career; he was focused more on the country music market, where he had a string of chart-topping records in recent years.

This short and rather haphazard collection focused more on Presley's earlier Rock and Roll material than later hits, though a few of them are included.

Generally considered a mediocre compilation at best, Pure Gold became an enormous seller in the wake of Elvis' unexpected death in August, 1977.

When RCA reissued the album on compact disc in 1992, the tracks in reprocessed stereo were restored to their original mono sound.

The original back cover featured a listing of other RCA albums available in the Pure Gold series.