Motley Crue’s ‘Swine’ Feeds Off the Reunion

The reunited Motley Crue has returned to its home sweet home near the top of the pop sales charts. The L.A. rocking foursome’s eighth release, “Generation Swine,” sold 81,000 copies last week, according to SoundScan, claiming the No. 4 position on the national chart and demonstrating that unabashed heavy-metal still strikes a nerve.

The Spice Girls’ “Spice,” meanwhile, sold 123,000 copies and stayed at No. 1. The week’s best-selling single, for the fifth straight week, was Puff Daddy and Faith Evans’ “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute to slain rapper Notorious B.I.G.

What’s Hot

Here are some recent releases that are generating critical or commercial attention:

Prodigy’s “The Fat of the Land” (Maverick). “Fat,” which employs samples from such varied sources as Ultramagnetic M.C.s to the Breeders, carries you along with the sonic rise and fall of a spectacular roller-coaster ride.

Lady of Rage’s “Necessary Roughness” (Death Row). Rage delivers her lyrics with gale force and knocks out her tracks with rabbit-punch viciousness. “Get With da Wickedness,” arguably the album’s best track, was produced by Rage herself--a formidable woman with many surprises up her Afro puffs.

Wu-Tang Clan’s “Wu-Tang Forever” (Loud). The overwhelming passion of the music and the relentless nature of the rhyming make the concept “Wu-Tang Forever” feel more like a reality than a folly.

Megadeath’s “Cryptic Writing” (Capitol). As sharp as the execution is on such songs as “FFF” and “The Disintegrators,” most of the album is made up of moody, meandering songs that are less cryptic than vague.

Radiohead’s “OK Computer” (Capitol). This work is a solid, far-reaching nightmare of paranoia, aliens, “the future,” technology and social disgust, and the band makes the fear inviting with a dreamy cushion of stunning musicality.

Wyclef Jean’s “Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival” (Ruffhouse/Columbia). As captivating as the Fugee’s Lauryn Hill is, this record proves that the group’s success is due to the sum of all of its parts. The future of the Fugees may be even stronger as a result.

God’s Property From Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation’s “God’s Property” (B-Rite Music). This is the kind of group it takes to reinvent the field of gospel music and make it palatable--and irresistible--to a whole new generation of fans. And Franklin has the goods to be this genre’s new leader.

What’s New

In stores now: The Prodigy’s “The Fat of the Land” (Maverick/Warner Bros.).

What’s Coming

Tuesday: Brian Eno’s “The Drop” (Thirsty Ear), Kenny Loggin’s “The Unimaginable Life” (Columbia).