Will the Garth Juggernaut Roll On? : Oh, yes, Prince and Madonna also have new albums

Judging from the way he’s been selling albums, the most eagerly awaited album of the fall will be the Sept. 22 release of “The Chase” by pop-country king Garth Brooks. It should also be the best-selling album through the end of the year. His recent Christmas album has just whetted his fans’ appetites for more.

Albums by Prince and Madonna should be among the season’s best-sellers, too. Prince’s follow-up to “Diamonds and Pearls,” which re-established him as a commercial force, is due out on Sept. 29. Madonna’s album, called “Erotica,” is due Oct. 13.

The fall’s top rock album will probably be Bon Jovi’s pop-metal “Keep the Faith,” due Nov. 3 on PolyGram. The big news is that it features the old lineup, including leader Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. This release will put an end to rumors that the conflict between these two had caused the band to split up.

Whitney Houston will have an album of songs related to “The Bodyguard,” the drama she stars in with Kevin Costner. This Arista album is due out Nov. 10.

Destined to be the biggest, most discussed rap album of the fall is Ice Cube’s “Predator,” scheduled for Nov. 3 release. According to insiders, though, it’s not as inflammatory as his last album, “Death Certificate.”

One of rock’s most respected performers is singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, who is, at last, bringing out a new album, “Us,” on Sept. 29 on Geffen. His fans have been waiting six years. His last one was “So,” featuring the big hit single “Sledgehammer.” Garth Brooks’ Christmas album could easily be the top-selling collection of holiday music. But three A&M; albums should get a lot of attention this holiday season: Amy Grant’s “Home for Christmas,” due Oct. 6, featuring traditional songs plus three of her compositions; a gospel-oriented package by the Sounds of Blackness, also due Oct. 6, and the star-studded “A Very Special Christmas II,” featuring George Michael and Sinead O’Connor.

Neil Young’s “Lucky 13,” a collection due Nov. 13, is geared to his hard-core fans. This package features alternative tracks of songs already in release and some material that has never been released.

Here are some other significant releases:

* Michael Crawford. “Songs From the Stage and Screen” and “With Love” (Atlantic). Tuesday. Two albums. One includes such songs as “Memory” and “When You Wish Upon a Star” and the other is a collection of romantic songs by such composers as Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim.

* Sinead O’Connor’s “Am I Not Your Girl?” (Ensign Records) is due Sept. 22.

* Bob Marley. “Songs of Freedom” (Island). Sept. 22. A four-CD set that includes 78 songs, some previously unreleased, and a 64-page booklet.

* Michael Bolton. “Timeless: The Classics” (Columbia). Sept. 29. Most critics don’t like this pop-soul singer, but he’s a big fan favorite. This is an album of cover versions of soul oldies.

* Extreme. “III Sides to Every Story” (A&M;). Sept. 22. This pop-metal band attempts to surpass its last album, which sold more than a million and turned this into a prominent outfit.

* Public Enemy. “Greatest Misses” (Columbia). Tuesday. A combination of remixes of old songs and new material from one of rap’s most respected groups.

* Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Live” (Epic). Oct. 6. A collection of some of the best performances of the late blues guitarist, recorded in many different venues.

* R.E.M. “Automatic For the People” (Warner Bros.). Oct. 6. The best pop-rock band ever to come out of Athens, Ga. This should be one of the Top 5 albums of this fall.

* Bell Biv DeVoe (MCA). Nov. 10. Three members of New Edition follow their smash hit debut album with one, as yet untitled, that promises to be one of the fall’s R&B;/hip-hop hits.

* Alan Jackson. “A Lot of Livin’ (and a Little About Loving)” (Arista). Oct. 9. One of the big sex symbols in country music tries to muscle in on Garth Brooks’ pop-country monopoly. Insiders are predicting that this is the album that will make him a star in pop circles too.

* Barry Manilow. Retrospective. (Arista). Nov. 10. No title yet on this 4-CD set of his old material, also including several new tracks. You’ll be able to see all the stylistic changes Manilow has gone through since he became a major star in the mid-’70s.

* Various Artists. “Rap Rhymes” (Epic). Oct. 20. Tone-Loc, Kid ‘N Play and Kid Frost, among others, do rap versions of nursery rhymes.

* L.L. Cool J. “Cross Roads” (Def Jam). Late November. One of rap’s long-running stars, he continues to have success while others have come and gone.

* The Simpsons. “The Yellow Album” (Geffen Records). Nov. 24. TV’s favorite cartoon family is singing again, looking to match the success of their first album.

* Reba McIntire. “It’s Your Call” (MCA). Nov. 24. Wynonna Judd is probably the queen of country right now, but McIntire isn’t far behind and may reclaim her throne with this album.