ROBERT JOHNSON—Close Personal Friend (Infinity):: This guy actually goes Elvis Costello’s name ploy one better, by appropriating the entire moniker of a certain famous and deceased bluesman. This new Robt. Johnson (a white guy, by the way) mixes his metaphors even further by resembling a young John Denver about the face, but dressing in the pegged pants popularized by yet another stiff, Eddie Cochran. Standard post-coke mooning-overrelating-to-June mushy lyrics, but put to skeletal, rhythmic rockabilly, played by a power trio that’s sometimes just a multi-instrumental Johnson himself. Aiming for all-American Beach Boy musical archetypes (gurls & cars) all the while, Johnson might be described as a disingenuous Walter Egan. As interesting as it is eccentric.

R.R.

SCORPIONS—Tokyo Tapes (RCA):: A convincing case for rock as international language here: a German band playing English-style heavy metal in front of an appreciative Japanese audience on a record released in America. Noise communicates.

M.D.

ALEC R. CONSTANDINOS AND THE SYNCOPHONIC ORCHESTRA-Hunchback of Notre Dame (Casablanca):: Gargoyle Fever, courtesy of the man who brought us Disco Jesus. “Maybe he is kinda short and terribly ugly,” thinks Esmeralda, “but that Quasi can sure shake his modo.”

B.A.