THE WATERBOYS

(Island).

Ah, progress. Back in the ’70s, we had slews of LPs with an EP’s worth of good stuff on ’em; now we have “Mini-LPs” worth a hot 45. Like this Waterboys thing. Mike Scott and chums create an atmospheric kind of folk-rock with horns— sort of between the Bluebells and Teardrop Explodes, if that helps—and when the material matches Scott’s sense of drama, it blows most of the competition away. Which happens twice here: “I Will Not Follow” is the perfect antidote to flagwavers of any stripe (see if your local Alarm fans can handle it); while “It Should Have Been You” is a passionate scenario of misplaced faith. Two gems out of five; hope the percentage improves when the album gets here. M.D.

GUN CLUB

The Las Vegas Story (JEM)