Cannibals Serve a Tasty ‘Raw & the Cooked’ for Alternative Top 10

Good news.

Fine Young Cannibals, the English band whose 1985 album was one of the most striking debuts of the ‘80s, is back with its second album--just in time to claim the top spot on the year’s first Alternative Top 10.

In the new “The Raw & the Cooked” album, the band mixes contemporary dance rhythms (courtesy of former English Beat members David Steele and Andy Cox) and soulful vocals (from the distinctive Roland Gift) so convincingly that the music virtually redefines the term rock ‘n’ soul .

The collection is so consistent that almost any track could win a spot on the Alternative Top 10, a periodic guide to the best in new singles and album tracks.

The list doesn’t automatically exclude records in the actual Billboard magazine Top 10, but the emphasis is on records by new acts or by artists--from such fields as alternative rock, rap, heavy metal and country--that don’t normally show up on radio’s mainstream pop formats.

This month’s Alternative Top 10:

1. Fine Young Cannibals’ “Don’t Look Back” (I.R.S./MCA)--The Cannibals’ stylish “She Drives Me Crazy” single--also from the new album--is already in the Billboard Top 30, so it looks like “The Raw & the Cooked” could be a smash. “Don’t Look Back” is an exceptionally inviting mix of the anthem-like swirl of David Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel” and the chase-after-your-dreams exposition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Gift’s voice captures equally well the frustrations of life in a dead-end town and the optimism of someone who isn’t afraid of setting off on his own.

2. Cowboy Junkies’ “200 More Miles” (RCA)--The word of mouth on this Canadian band’s frequently haunting blend of sweet dreams and restless visions has been so convincing that the album has moved into the national Top 50 even though the band hasn’t had a hit single yet. The enthusiasm is so strong in Los Angeles that the album has been No. 1 in some stores. The version of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” is getting the most airplay on MTV and alternative rock stations, but the band’s own “Misguided Angel” and this reflection on a musician’s life on the road are the real jewels. Sample line: “I’ve got Willie on the radio / A dozen things on my mind / And number one is fleshing out / These dreams of mine.”

3. Lou Reed’s “Dirty Blvd.” (Sire)--In a remarkable return to artistic form, the one-time prince of rock decadence serves up a stark yet compassionate portrait of street-life survival that is as disheartening as, well, a walk down some of our streets.

4. Guns N’ Roses’ “Patience” (Geffen)--For all its energy and flamboyance, this band can be affecting in its gentle moments. It demonstrates the point in “Patience,” a song in the sensitive, melodic tradition of the group’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Early prediction: If it comes even close to the commercial or creative clout of its debut, “Appetite for Destruction,” Guns N’ Roses’ next album should be the odds-on favorite to walk away with the hard rock/metal Grammy next year.

5. Roy Orbison’s “The Comedians” (Virgin)--With assists from Elvis Costello (who wrote the song) and T Bone Burnett (who produced the track), Orbison recaptures the dramatic tension that made his “Running Scared” one of the most powerful moments ever in rock. Added prediction: This will bring Orbison his first Grammy for a rock vocal. (Both his other Grammys were for country duets.)

6. Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina” (Delicious Vinyl)--Rap is the liveliest area of pop at the moment, and all you have to do to sample what’s happening is turn to 1580 on the AM dial (KDAY). The way this infectious follow-up to “Wild Thing” repeats the unorthodox beat and teasing monotone vocal approach of that hit suggests Tone Loc may be the Bo Diddley of rap.

7. De La Soul’s “Ghetto Thang” (Tommy Boy)--More rap, but in the tradition of the angry, unbending commentary associated with Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” and Run-D.M.C.’s “It’s Like That.”

8. Thelonious Monster’s “Sammy Hagar Weekend” (Relativity)--Bob Forrest, the lead Monster, is one of the most trenchant figures in American rock, though the word has been so slow in spreading that you can still probably find tickets available for the L.A. band’s appearance tonight at the Green Door in Montclair. Just as much of Randy Newman’s material is misunderstood, this song from the band’s excellent new “Stormy Weather” album will be taken by many as a celebration of reckless teen behavior. Listen again.

9. Eric Ambel’s “Loose Talk” (Enigma)--The Del-Lords guitarist teams with Syd Straw on this freewheeling remake of an old Carl Smith country hit about how you can be hurt by more than sticks and stones. Alternative country sidestep: Lyle Lovett’s remake of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man.”

10. Easterhouse’s “Come Out Fighting” (Columbia)--This may be an impassioned cry for social activism by a veteran, politically-minded British band, but it exudes the dance-floor vitality of the Pet Shop Boys.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Asked in the English weekly New Musical Express about the breakup of the Smiths, the outspoken singer Morrissey replied, “The split should never have occurred. It was utterly stupid. ‘You hate my cat, so I hate your cat.’ It was pettiness. It was literally my cat and (guitarist Johnny Marr’s) dog.”

LIVE ACTION: Rod Stewart headlines the Pacific Amphitheatre on April 14 and 15. Tickets go on sale Sunday. . . . The Gipsy Kings headline the Hollywood Palladium on March 17. . . . The Go-Betweens will be at the Coach House on March 16 and at the Palace on March 17. . . . Gregg Allman will be at the Ventura Theatre on April 18 and the Strand on April 19. . . . the Unforgiven, Rozzi Lane, Rude Boy, Honky Tonk Angels, Jo Jo Anthony, Desperation Squad and the Freeloaders join in an “Inland Empire Rock” salute Wednesday night at the Whisky.