THIRTY DAYS BEFORE THE STEREOANOTHER MONTH'S WORTH OF REVIEWS, JUST FOR YOU

This slick, double live set breaks little new ground, but includes plenty o' cover songs--some fully realized versions, some just vamps tacked onto the end of other songs. Gracious to a fault, Van introduces his band members more times than Sinatra without a TelePrompTer. He even lets them perform whole songs by themselves, which will come as a disappointment to those who purchased this CD expecting to hear Van sing "You Make Me Feel So Free" and "Beautiful Vision." Another minor gripe: Do we really need another version of "Moondance," especially one that sounds more like Merv Griffin swinging out with Mort Lindsay and the Orchestra?--Serene Dominic

Angelfish Angelfish
(Radioactive)

Picture Patti Smith dropping her Rimbaud references to sing Til Tuesday's material and you get this impeccably smart pop album that never pretends to be anything but. Angelfish has enough sense to throw in some twist whenever it starts sounding a little too corporate. This maiden effort was produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, although Mike Chapman probably could've done the same job, and Angelfish would've only had to pay one fee.--Serene Dominic

Huey Lewis and the News
Four Chords & Several Years Ago
(Elektra)

This year, it seems that everyone bereft of new ideas about how to jump-start his or her stalling career chose to do an album of cover songs. Vintage rock n' roll gets the nod here, with Huey and the boys recording things like "Blue Monday" and "Your Cash Ain't Nothing but Trash" live in a studio, utilizing old microphones and recording techniques. Although there might be little point to rerecording "Shake Rattle and Roll," the rest of the song selection indicates that Huey's heart is in the right place. But this can hardly qualify as a solid career move unless the group's gearing itself up to be a bar band again.