POP MUSIC SPECIAL : The Record Industry’s Big Push

The fall season is always the most active time for pop record releases, as the music industry gears up for its November-December season, during which nearly a third of all records, tapes and CDs are sold. But that can mean confusion for even the most serious music fans, as old favorites compete with newcomers for consumers’ attention.

These are the albums expected to generate the most critical and commercial interest of all the post-Labor Day releases during the hectic year-end rush. The selections, presented in alphabetical order, cover all parts of the pop music spectrum, from heavy-metal fathers (Aerosmith) and sons (L.A. Guns) to rap innovators (the D.O.C., Young M.C.); from rock kings on the rebound (Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones) and pop queens living the lush life (Linda Ronstadt, Barbra Streisand) to country chartbusters (Randy Travis) and folkie mavericks (Tracy Chapman, Michelle Shocked).

The comments are by the Times pop writers indicated, but the star ratings (one is poor, five a classic) sometimes reflect additional pop staff input.

The reviewers are Robert Hilburn, Dennis Hunt, Mike Boehm, Richard Cromelin, Jonathan Gold, Steve Hochman, Connie Johnson, Craig Lee, Kristine McKenna, Randy Lewis, Don Snowden, Chris Willman, Paul Grein, Duff Marlowe and Don Waller.

*** HIGHWAY 101, “Paint the Town,”Warner Bros. The band can boast Paulette Carlson’s dusky, tremulous lead vocals, twangy, Buck-inspired electric guitars and singing pedal steel lines, wrapped around a solid batch of songs in which lovers depart, hearts break and the losers and winners both wind up at the local honky-tonk. (Lewis)

* OAK RIDGE BOYS, “American Dreams,”MCA. Had the original “Saturday Night Live” crew ever gotten around to a “Bad Country Music” skit, it couldn’t have been any funnier--or sadder--than this is, albeit unintentionally. This compendium of cliches is as sincere as Joe Isuzu and as authentic as the synthesized accordion on an ersatz Cajun tune. (Lewis)

*** POCO, “Legacy,”RCA. Granted, this reunion isn’t quite up there with a Beatles comeback, but that’s a bonus in this case, since there aren’t stratospherically high expectations of this seminal country-rock group’s five original members. There are a few modest love songs by Richie Furay and Jim Messina, a stone-country waltz from ex-Eagle Randy Meisner and plenty of luscious harmonies from all concerned. (Lewis)

Coming Up:

Other albums scheduled for release in the coming weeks include:

ABC, Art of Noise, Basia, Bobby Brown (dance mixes), Club Nouveau, Phil Collins, Erasure, Gipsy Kings, Ofra Haza, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Joan Jett, Quincy Jones, Kid Creole, Kris Kristofferson, Yngwie Malsteem, Roches, Shinehead, Keith Sweat, Tiffany, the Time, Jody Watley (dance mixes), Whitesnake and Peter Wolf.