Free-for-All Michael Penn (BMG)

Copper Blue Sugar (Ryko)

Greatest Misses Public Enemy (Sony)

III Sides to Every Story Extreme

(A&M)

Dirt

Alice in Chains (Sony)

Fear Toad the WetSprocket (Sony)

he follow-up to Michael Penn’s de-

but, March, his latest, Free-for-All(8), is a highly enjoyable, tidy little pop

album. An expertly crafted set, Free- for-Allisamust for fans of dextrous Beatle pop. The album’s one weakness is Penn’s boyish and less than soulful vocals, especially unsuit- abie when trying to get across the attempted toughness of songs like ‘‘Seen the Doctor.”’ Ultimately, Free-for-All comesacrossas lack- ing soul and true inspiration (save maybe the

brooding but beautiful ‘‘Long Way Down’),

instead substituting clever craftsmanship. Still, albums this varied, imaginative and compact area find nowadays. Upped anotch for releas- ing a forty minute pop album. Recommended for fans of: The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Crowded House, Squeeze.

Sugar (currently number one on the U.S. college charts) is the latest project of former Husker Du member, Bob Mould, who was last heard from with the ferocious guitar hurricane Black Sheets of Rain. Copper Blue (8) combines the restraint of Workbook, his solo debut, with the fuzzy guitar of Black Sheets. Thealbum grabsyou from the firstnote with its melodic yet aggressive songs and never lets go, hitting its peak on track number two with the melodic complexity of ‘‘A Good Idea.” Ifyou dug Nevermind, Copper Blueis thereal thing. Recommended forfans of: Hisker Dii, Nirvana, the Replacements, the Pixies.

Public Enemy’s latest, Greatest Misses (4), ahalfnew, halfremixed collection, ismore ofthe same old sonic buzzsaw stuff, sounding especially numbing and unmusical this time around. Greatest Misses is interesting ifonly as a collection of samples, but unlike the band’s best work, they don’t convey songs. Recommended for fans of: rap.

After the last two promising singles (‘‘MoreThan Words’’ and ‘‘Hole Hearted’’) from the otherwise lame Pornografitti, I ex- pected Extremeto possibly abandon metaland gorock’n’roll. Instead, the guys have taken a step further with that still-born mutantknown as progressiverock, releasing III Sides to Every Story (Il), a simple-minded, eighty minute concept album divided into three sections, through which the band starts out sounding like Van Halen then slowly mutates into Queen, a transformation about as rewarding as watch- ing shitdecompose. By metal standards this is a tour de force, spiced up with funk guitar, horns, strings and relatively imaginative ar- rangements. So if you’re a metal fan you can stop getting pissed reading this and go buy it. And thereare listenable moments, like “‘Tragic Comic,”’ anacoustic pop ditty. Butotherwise we get loads of big, stupid guitar, flawless, faceless vocal arrangements and operatic melodrama laid on withoutrestraint. Evidently Extreme’s ambitions dwarf their brains. Rec- ommended for fans of: Queen, Van Halen, Extreme.

The follow-up to 1990’s Facelift, Alice in Chains’ new effort, Dirt (5), is pretty one- dimensional stuff compared to the likes of Pearl Jam or Soundgarden. Dirt is essentially modernized Sabbath, featuring lots ofslowly descending guitar drones, predictable power- chords and songs that move like dinosaurs. Dirt’ ssaving graceis the band’ sability to pile the intensity onto their riffs with overloaded guitar and angry vocals. And the albums last track, ‘‘Would?,’’ (also contained on the Sin- gles soundtrack and bestexperienced there) is oneofthe year’s bestsongs. Recommended for

fans of: anything from Seattle.

In the better late than never category I’mreviewing Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Fear (4), originally released in 1991, but only be- coming widely available with the recent suc- cessof‘‘AllI Want,” atruly transcendant pop song. Butthe rest of Fear is pretty forgettable;

“**AJl | Want’” may very well have been a

complete fluke. Notrecommended to anyone. =