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.

** 1/2 BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE, “Megatop Phoenix,”Columbia. More multi-culture rock-funk-reggae pastiches in service of a paean to London town, an account of the great James Brown chase, advice on how to win a girl, a Chinatown travelogue, et al. Some fun, but B.A.D.’s basic riff is getting pretty familiar, and their melodies still haven’t advanced beyond elementary nursery-rhyme level. (Cromelin)

** BONHAM, “The Disregard of Timekeeping,”WTG. Just in time to fill the Kingdom Come gap. Let’s make a deal: no Zeppelin comparisons if they can prove they’d have a record deal if their drummer wasn’t John Bonham’s son. Actually, not a bad-sounding wail-and-bash workout in the tradition of guess who. (Cromelin)

* 1/2 JETHRO TULL, “Rock Island,”Chrysalis. A dispirited-sounding series of verses on lust and longing. There’s a genuine, grimy flavor to some of the working-class vignettes, but the music wheezes and sputters and never works up any force behind them. (Cromelin)

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.