ROCK-A-RAMA

ROCK-A-RAMA

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?

THE O�JAYS — In Philadelphia (Philadelphia International):: Recorded a couple of years back and ignored, this is such a strong record that it�d likely kill you if they hadn�t included an awful ballad medly. The rest of it ranges fro%i merely great (�Branded Bad�) to Kozmik (�Looky Looky�). Get it. Now!!

JUNIOR PARKER Sometimes Tomorrow My Broken Heart Will Die (ABC Bluesway):: Parker died last year, broke, after a series of hideous pseudo-soul albums which somebody made him do, but this is what he really sounded like. Astonishing as this album is, though, ABC has even better stuff on tap, but this�ll do till they get around to it.

MERLE HAGGARD AND THE STRANGERS — Totally Instrumental (with one exception ...) (Capitol):: A side of Hag and the boys you might not be familiar with — the Strangers as country swing band. Especially recommended for people looking to learn new licks — these boys (and one girl!) have got �era for you.

THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE (Red Coach) / EVERYDAY PEOPLE (Paramount):: Ok, so the first group, The Everyday People, is seven black dudes who are only interesting because they are easily confused with the second group (well, they do have this nice chorus on one song: �Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do/ I don�t want your lovin� no more�). Group two is something of a mystery. They�re identified only, by their first names on the album cover (Bruce, Dave, Pam, etc.) and though the album was released nearly a year ago, the people at Paramount seem to remember that they�re from Canada. No matter. Basically, the album is about as unremarkable as the Red Coach thing except for one extraordinary cut, a 6:23 instrumental building into vocals called �I Like What I Like� that is one of the hottest dance cuts of the past five years. Very weird production, hard-edged drumming and guitars and just the sort of mindless lyrics that mean something to you when you�re dancing all out your head: �I like what I like/ because I like it.� Perfect. And worth the whole record, which should be in drug store bargain bins by now.

THE SONS OF CHAMPLIN - Welcome To The Dance (Columbia):: Everybody should have a Sons album, and this is their best since their first, double album on Capitol. Combining all the best elements of Tower of Power (horns), the Dead (danceability), and Yes (unbearably pretentious lyrics), this is great outdoor frisbee-tossing music.

STEVE FERGUSON (Asylum):: He sounds kind of like a Black Randy Newman, he�s young, and undeniably talented. Nothing on the album warrants playing it twice, but I bet his next one will be more exciting. Someone to watch, for sure.

SPOONER OLDHAM - Pot Luck (Family Productions):: Spooner, working with Dan Penn, has most likely written or produced at least one of your favorite songs, and here he sings and plays some of them, some others� stuff, and the result is gen-you-wine Southern Funk.