LOU REED & THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (Pride):: The packaging is ludicrous, transcendental cheapo in the Mike Curb tradition, and the song selection leaves a lot to be desired (no "Waitin' For the Man"??????). But if you've just begun to get into Lou Reed, and you can't find all the original Velvet Underground albums, you've got to have this. Songs like "Sister Ray" and "Heroin" are true manifestations of genius.

BOBBY BLAND - Call On Me (ABC Bluesway):: Thank heaven ABC�s got Duke/Peacock under their wing. This is a re-issue of one of Bland�s best albums, and if �That�s The Way Love Is� or �Queen For A Day� doesn�t convert you you�re hopeless. Very highly recommended introduction to a cruelly neglected talent.

THE BLUE RIDGE RANGERS (Fantasy):: Dull, irritating readings of overfamiliar material, for the most part. �Hearts of Stone� was good on the radio, but the album as a whole dies from a lack of the interaction between individuals that is at the heart of any good band. John Fogarty masturbating in the studio. Who needs it?