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Monday, 6/23/97 Summer sizzles with new CD releases and hot hits MUSIC: Recordings available from old, new favorites in every genre

By Mike Prevatt Daily Bruin Senior Staff It's a symbiotic relationship - college students with money to burn and record stores with albums to browse through. With school out, there's even more time to shop, and this summer's hot new releases promise something in every genre. For the UCLA crowd, this means sales galore at the many different outlets selling music in Westwood Village. Stores like Blockbuster Music, Tower Records and the Wherehouse are already displaying their splashy, colorful sale ads. But you shouldn't count out such local faves as Rhino Records, Penny Lane, Circuit City and Sisterhood which provide selection and prices much different from those of the big chains above. What to buy: The summer has already gotten off to a great start with blockbusters and high-profile releases carried over from the spring. Artists like Notorious B.I.G., the Wallflowers, LeAnn Rimes, No Doubt, the Spice Girls, Jewel and Hanson have already sold tons of records. New releases by Wu Tang Clan, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Erasure, Foo Fighters and God's Property From Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation are making dents in the charts, as are the Indigo Girls and Paul McCartney. Surprise blockbusters have also crept up or maintained their reign in the charts, like the popular "Space Jam" soundtrack and "Pure Moods," an atmospheric compilation of New Age, trance and electronic dance music by such artists as Enya, Enigma and Michael Nyman. Rap and hip-hop are flourishing with hit albums, and this summer should be no exception. Expect Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to debut at No. 1 with their upcoming, double album, "The Art of War." The soundtrack to "Nothing To Lose," featuring artists like Coolio and Naughty by Nature, will surely sell well too, as will the soundtrack for "Steele." The music business has its eyes set on the release from Wyclef Jean, titled "Carnival," after his success with the Fugees last year. Other rap/hip-hop artists releasing albums are Robyn, 40 Thevz and Brotha Lynch Hung. The other big college music draw, alternative music, is guaranteed to have a lucrative summer as well. Radiohead's third album, "O.K. Computer" hits shelves July 1, as does the eagerly-anticipated Prodigy album, "Fat of the Land," Primus' "The Brown Album" and the Geraldine Fibbers' "Butch." Echo and the Bunnymen reunite for "Evergreen," led by Ian McCulloch. Pavement, Seven Mary Three, Magnapop and Faith No More are also releasing albums. Old veterans like John Lydon (Sex Pistols) and the Misfits are sure to shock and scare us once again with their new works. Britain is importing albums left and right this summer. Most anticipated, in addition to Prodigy and Radiohead, is the Seahorses' debut album, "Do It Yourself." The band features John Squires, creative mastermind of the early '90s pop sensation, the Stone Roses. Kenickie and Reef debut here in the States, as does the red hot rock outfit Mansun. And British pop favorites like the Tindersticks, Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub and the Charlatans, all of which hid during the Britpop era, are releasing new albums this summer as well. Dance and electronic music, still surrounded by hype, have a few offerings. Lords of Acid have two albums on the way this summer. The retro-ish Pizzicato Five and the quirky Lightning Seeds also join the rush. Reggae sees a line-up of big artists releasing albums, such as Shaggy, Ziggy Marley and UB40. There is even a reggae-style Police tribute album coming out, called "Regatta Mondatta," due at the end of July. For the more conservative music listener, there are many old favorites who are coming out with new albums. Sinead O'Connor and Michael Penn both release albums after long hiatuses, as does Steve Winwood and k.d. lang, who comes out with "Drag," an album dedicated to smoking in songs. Steve Earle, fresh from his critically acclaimed "Ellis Unit One" song on the "Dead Man Walking" emerges this summer with his down-home style, as does a live album by Neil Young and Blues Traveler. Such '80s icons as Kenny Loggins, Pat Benatar and Belinda Carlisle hit the scene again, along with heavy metal heroes Alice Cooper and Motley Crue, with singer Vince Neil back to lead the group. Going solo this summer is Jon Bon Jovi and famous Rush drummer, Neil Peart. En Vogue brings the R&B listeners in the stores with "EV3" and Superdiva Patti LaBelle releases "Flame" in June. Jazz fans will delight with Wynton Marsalis' three-disc release, "Blood in the Fields." UCLA guest instructor Herbie Hancock comes out with "1+1," featuring Wayne Shorter. Herb Alpert, Dave Grusin, Grover Washington, Jr. and Fourplay also have new music for the summer. And several of jazz legend Miles Davis' albums will be reissued in July. Country music fans aren't to be left out of the summer album crush. Tim McGraw has already debuted at No. 1 on the country album charts with "Everywhere," selling more than 200,000 records, as has George Strait. Dwight Yoakam comes out with "Things We Said Today." Billy Ray Cyrus will release a best-of set. Lastly, two soundtrack releases are guaranteed to hit it big. The music for "Batman and Robin" is already tearing up radio charts, with contributions from the Smashing Pumpkins and R. Kelly. It is certain to be a big seller, especially with songs from Robyn, R.E.M., and the electronic Underworld. And the soundtrack for the Julia Roberts film, "My Best Friend's Wedding," has some hype behind it, with love song covers from punk-folkster Ani DiFranco and country star Mary Chapin Carpenter. Where to buy it: There is no shortage of music to choose from, but the real question involves where to get it. Our own Westwood boasts many different places to music-shop from, but where is the best place for selection and deals? The most popular store with students is Penny Lane, part of an independent chain that also includes stores in Pasadena and Santa Monica. With a selection that features not only high profile artists but many acts from the world music, ska, punk and classical genres, you are bound to find what you want and at a price generally lower than the Wherehouse and Blockbuster Music. They are perhaps most famous for buying and selling used CDs, with a selection and trade-in rate that beats the Wherehouse hands down. Tower Records has an impressive selection as well, with sometimes over a thousand titles on sale at the same time. Almost all new releases are on sale and their classical music selection is by far the biggest in town. The Wherehouse also has new release sales that will come in handy this summer, as does Blockbuster Music, but their selection of older releases is not as complete as Tower or Penny Lane. Furthermore, their standard prices for non-sale, single-disc albums are a student-unfriendly $16.99-$17.99, whereas Penny Lane's is $13.97-$14.97. Tower gives a dollar discount to students buying regularly-priced albums with a student ID. There are other more non-conventional music stores to shop from in Westwood. Mayhem, a Gen-X headquarters of sorts, features dance/electronic music and independent punk albums. Mayhem also features a used CD section, as well as vinyl and imports. Sisterhood, on Westwood Boulevard across the street from Borders (who also sells music but at high prices), sells albums by women artists such as Ani DiFranco and Paula Cole, usually at Blockbuster Music-like prices. Circuit City has a modest CD selection, and their prices are unbeatable usually, with new releases as low as $10.99 and regular prices around the $12.99-$13.99 range. If you have a car or don't mind a short bus ride, there are two stores geared for the music lover who just can't get enough in the village. Rhino, on Westwood Boulevard. right before Santa Monica Boulevard, offers used CDs, an eclectic selection of compilations and imports, and a very knowledgeable staff who know music better than most record-chain stores. They also have a store in Santa Monica. Virgin Records, on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, carries the biggest selection of music in West L.A., from all the big genres and more. Prices, save new releases and hits, tend to be around $16.99. Usually they carry the complete catalogs of the artists featured there. And you won't find a bigger or better import or singles selection anywhere. Summer is looking to be a musically exciting season for college students. With the plethora of places to buy summer sounds, the options available are infinite. Happy hunting and listening!