‘TREE’ TOPS MIDYEAR ALBUM LIST

Nothing is sweeter to an anxious record executive than news that one of his albums has just reached No. 1. The success confirms the exec’s savvy in signing the artist and signals that the company’s promotional muscle has been properly flexed. Besides, it probably means a hefty Christmas bonus.

Discriminating pop-rock fans, however, have become conditioned to view with suspicion any album that goes to No. 1--the result of years of seeing bland, unchallenging works zip into the Top 10, while passionate and pioneering efforts slip by unnoticed.

The good news at the midway point in 1987 is that executives and discriminating fans can toast the same record. U2’s “The Joshua Tree” is an album that was No. 1 during the last six months in more ways than one. The bad news is that few of the other key albums of the past six months are likely to get within 500,000 copies of the Top 10.

Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix spoiled rock fans in the ‘50s and ‘60s--not just by producing great music, but also by selling millions of records. Their success made the line between what was popular and what was “best” seem almost moot.

Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” the Stones’ “Beggars Banquet” and the Doors’ debut album (featuring “Light My Fire”) were among dozens of invigorating collections that reached the Top 10, while “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Creedence’s “Green River” and Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” and numerous Presley LPs were among the many works that made it all the way to No. 1.

By the mid-’70s, however, discriminating fans learned they could no longer trust the charts. After the decline of progressive FM radio formats, challenging new attractions found it increasingly difficult to get the exposure necessary to generate strong sales.

A few veteran rockers (the Stones, Led Zeppelin and Dylan) and quality acts with softer, mainstream tendencies (Stevie Wonder, the Eagles, Elton John) brought some respectability to the top of the charts during the past decade. Mostly, however, the albums on Billboard magazine’s weekly sales list were so discouragingly vapid that “wasteland” could be applied to the Top 10 as well as to prime-time TV.

Things haven’t improved much in the ‘80s.

Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Prince may have reached No. 1 with distinguished albums, but the more likely resident of the top spot is someone with the artistic timidity of a Styx . . . or Asia . . . or Men At Work . . . Phil Collins . . . Huey Lewis . . . Bon Jovi . . . or--this week’s No. 1 resident--Whitney Houston.

It was tempting a few years ago to blame challenging artists themselves when their records failed to capture a mass audience. After all, the great artists over the years--back to Elvis and the Beatles--reached millions of fans. How come the newer artists couldn’t find ways to make their music more accessible?

The problem is we are living in a different age. Where radio once encouraged bold vision and/or radical change, it now resists such independence. The fault now isn’t with the bands’ failure to make more accessible music, but with the system’s insistence on playing it safe.

The punk revolution of the late ‘70s was a reaction to the stuffiness and lack of passion in big-time rock, a condition created in large part by radio stations that excluded anything even a touch extreme in the hopes of attracting the widest possible audience.

To win the favor of these stations, most maverick musicians would have to radically alter (also read: severely weaken ) their style--and that’s not a compromise most are willing to make. U2--like Springsteen and Prince in recent years--beat the system by building a strong base of support through live shows and by finding ways to achieve accessibility without sabotaging their artistic objectives. But there was already a mainstream component in these artists’ work that made the move possible. Several other worthy bands simply don’t have the same option.

Diversity. That’s the message of today’s look at the most enticing albums of the first half of the year. The music cited carries datelines that stretch from Dublin and Harare to East Los Angeles and Queens. The themes are equally broad: from the social consciousness of U2 to the idealism of Los Lobos, and from the rowdy self-affirmation of the Replacements to the street-corner bravado of L. L. Cool J.

1. U2’s “The Joshua Tree” (Island)--A more accessible though no less challenging album than Springsteen’s “Nebraska,” this collection sidesteps the easy anthems of the Irish band’s powerhouse “War” LP in favor of deeper and more personalized songs. While some songs touch on specific social concerns, the heart of the album--such tunes as “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”--invite listeners to reflect on their own values. But U2 isn’t all themes. The guitar-accented arrangements are as gloriously designed at times as the best moments of the Who. “The Joshua Tree” is likely to be viewed a decade from now as one of the dozen best rock albums ever.

2. Los Lobos’ “By the Light of the Moon” (Slash)--Because four of the five members of this outstanding East Los Angeles band are Latino, it’s easy to assume these tales about the troubled pursuit of the American Dream are a diary of the “El Norte” experience. While there is a strong sense of community in Los Lobos’ music, writers David Hidalgo and Louie Perez aren’t dealing simply in regional stories. The best of these songs are poignant salutes to the resilience of the human spirit. (The album only made it to No. 52 on the Billboard charts.)

3. Concrete Blonde’s “Concrete Blonde” (I.R.S.)--Tough, intelligent, yet vulnerable and passionate pop-rock from a Los Angeles trio that is reminiscent of the early Pretenders in both its sharp, ringing-guitar thrust and in the cool authority of lead singer Johnette Napolitano. Indeed, Concrete Blonde has been compared to the Pretenders so much that probably the band members themselves don’t realize this is a more consistent LP than anything the Pretenders themselves have put out since that group’s scintillating 1979 debut. (Released in January, the album peaked at No. 96.)

4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)” (MCA)--Bouncing back from the schizophrenic “Southern Accents” LP, Petty and the band deliver their liveliest and most assured album since “Damn the Torpedoes” eight years ago. “Runaway Trains” and “It’ll All Work Out” are consoling works in the classic

Petty tradition, while “My Life/Your World” and “All Mixed Up” suggest movement toward more social awareness. Throughout, the Heartbreakers play with the friskiness and punch of a great new band just entering the studio. (Chart position: 20 and climbing.)

5. The Replacements’ “Pleased to Meet Me” (Sire)--While lacking the thematic unity of 1985’s splendid “Tim,” the new Replacements album exhibits a rough ‘n’ ready punch that sounds as confident as the early Clash. Producer Jim Dickinson brings a lean discipline to the band without interfering with its long-standing garage-rock instincts. Paul Westerberg likes to mix it up, but he is capable of writing melodies as lovely as McCartney’s and lyrics as biting as Lennon’s. (Released in May, the album slipped four places last week after reaching a high of No. 146.)

6. X’s “See How We Are” (Elektra)--Long the symbol of integrity on the post-punk L.A. rock scene, X sounds a bit overly familiar at times, but the best moments--including John Doe’s heartfelt rendition of Dave Alvin’s melancholy “4th of July” and the title number, a bittersweet protest song--infuse this album with an irresistible edge. (Just released.)

7. The Bhundu Boys’ “Shabini” (Discafrique import)--Released in 1986 in Britain, “Shabini” didn’t begin to pop up in U.S. record stores until Paul Simon’s “Graceland” tour stirred interest in the music of South Africa. The Boys are from neighboring Zimbabwe, but there is a refreshing, even cleansing tone to their dance-happy, “jit” music (with its strong Caribbean lilt and Louisiana bayou influence) that makes it an ideal next step for anyone wanting to follow up on the music of “Graceland.” Biggie Tempo doesn’t sing in English, but the feeling is universal. (A best seller in England, but no action on the U.S. charts.)

8. L. L. Cool J’s “Bigger and Deffer” (Def Jam)--If “Shabini” is the next stop for “Graceland” fans, “Bigger and Deffer” is a logical move for Run-D.M.C. and Beastie Boys fans. In his second album, the New York rapper (real name: James Smith) combines the bravado and rhyme of Run with the musical variety and fantasy orientation of the Beasties. Among the highlights: “Go Cut Creator Go,” which mixes the intro of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” with Chuck Berry guitar licks to underscore rap’s place in the tradition of rock, and “The Bristol Hotel,” a story of illicit afternoon delights. (Just out, but already No. 13.)

9. Firehose’s “Ragin’ Full-On” (SST)--Remarkably, this band (put together by ex-Minutemen Mike Watt and George Hurley after the death last year of singer-guitarist D. Boon) extends the legacy of the Minutemen, another seminal post-punk L.A. band, without ever seeming to exploit it. There is less emphasis on the old group’s jazz and funk rhythms, but a continued suspicion of unquestioned authority. (Released in February, the album has not made the Top 200.)

10. John Hiatt’s “Bring the Family” (A&M;)--No, singer-songwriters have not disappeared in rock. Hiatt, one of the genre’s treasures, is back with his most convincing LP since “All of a Sudden” in 1982. Hiatt has emerged from a period of personal turmoil to produce a record that has undercurrents of despair, but mostly asserts a warm, winning belief in love and music. (Just released.)