ROCK/POP

GROOVIE GHOULIES

'BERRY'D ALIVE' (GREEN DOOR RECORD CO.)

There's not a whole lot in the Groovie Ghoulies' catalog that would suggest the band as ideal candidates for an EP of Chuck Berry covers. Sure, the title is a natural, but the classic Ghoulies sound is more from the Rock 'n' Roll High School tradition. Or at least it seemed that way before this record hit the streets, approaching seven Berry classics like the Rolling Stones as raised on "Blitzkrieg Bop." And Kepi nails the deadpan quality of Berry's vocals, a frequently missing ingredient in covers.

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In the liner notes, the band admits to learning no fewer than three songs ("Don't Lie To Me," "Carol" and "Talkin' Bout You") from the Stones. But somehow, there's even more reckless abandon at work in the Ghoulies' renditions. Besides, Roach's approach to the master on guitar owes more to Johnny Thunders than to the early Stones. With "Come On" rounding out the list of Berry songs the Stones already got to, the Ghoulies revisit a handful of lesser-known treasures as well -- a spirited "Betty Jean," "All Aboard" and the seasonal favorite, "Trick or Treat." Before they're done, you'll swear they'd just discovered rock 'n' roll. That's how much fun they're having here. And you will, too. Unless, of course, you don't like rock 'n' roll (in which case we must never speak of this again).

-- Ed Masley, Post-Gazette pop music critic

The Groovie Ghoulies are at Garfield Artrworks Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8. Call 412-361-2262.

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JOHN FOGERTY

'THE LONG ROAD HOME' (FANTASY)

So now that John Fogerty's back on the label that famously sued him for cribbing a riff from one of his own songs, the long road home is officially paved for the first collection to package his solo material alongside such time-honored classics as "Born on The Bayou" and "Fortunate Son" by the most distinctly American rock 'n' roll revivalists to top the pop charts of the Woodstock era, CCR.

And there's no contest as to which is better. "Centerfield" has always sounded kind of cheesy, cursed with handclaps programmed on some God-forsaken '80s drum machine. But here, it's asked to hold its own between two classics by the people's band -- the swampy, pre-apocalyptic warning shot of "Bad Moon Rising" and the poignant quest for shelter from the storm in "Who'll Stop the Rain." At least it holds up better than the dated mainstream country moves that sink "Rambunctious Boy" and "Hot Rod Heart," both taken from the Grammy-winning "Blue Moon Swamp." But other solo tracks fare better, from "The Old Man Down The Road" (the one that got him sued) to last year's achingly topical "Deja Vu (All Over Again)." And if you caught his tour this summer, then you know how good the raucous live recordings of "Rockin' All Over The World," "Fortunate Son," "Hey Tonight" and "Almost Saturday Night" sound.

-- Ed Masley

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JERRY GARCIA

'GARCIA PLAYS DYLAN' (RHINO)

"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry" needs an energy supplement; "The Wicked Messenger" has too much sax; those female backing vocals on an otherwise generic "Tangled Up In Blue" suggest a Vegas show band doing "gospel"; and most songs are only getting started at the "Are we there yet?" mark. But more than any vocalist this side of, well, Bob Dylan (and, OK, a few of the guys in the Band), Jerry Garcia was blessed with the perfect voice to put these songs across, a bittersweet ache of a voice whose greatest strength was in its all-too-human frailty. And that's what carries most songs on this two-CD collection, from a poignant if too solo-laden "Positively 4th Street" that replaces Dylan's bile with hurt, to a '95 slow ride with the Grateful Dead through "Visions of Johanna," peaking on a gorgeous, album-closing "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

-- Ed Masley

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THE HAPPY BULLETS

'THE VICE AND VIRTUE MINISTRY' (UNDENIABLE RECORDS)

A throwback to the golden age of album pop, the Happy Bullets never stay in any one box long enough to earn a label, shifting gears abruptly from the melancholy understatement of the lead-off ballad to a quirky title track that mocks the upper crust with weird falsetto vocals, faux-baroque guitar and horns. It's like a quirkier Decemberists. For a song. And then, they're onto something else again, whether bringing Grandaddy-esque keyboards to the wistful "Drinkin' on the Job," recalling ELO's post-Beatles chamber pop on "Mr. Grey" or going straight-up jangle pop with female vocals on "If You Were Mine."

There's a hint of the Kinks' middle period work, complete with horns, on several tracks. And like the Kinks, what really separates this record from the pack of new pop classicists is the lyrical content, spinning tragicomic tales of desperate people stuck in lives they didn't choose, from the factory worker resigning himself, with a sigh, to the fact that he'll just have to learn to love his co-workers, to the office worker who's constantly drinking on the job while writing little poems she tucks inside her head where no one ever goes. But that's to be expected from a band that would actually title a song "A Momentary Vision of the End of the World As Seen Through the Eyes of a Suburban Housewife."

-- Ed Masley

MOONLIGHT TOWERS

'LIKE YOU WERE NEVER THERE' (SPINSTER)

Austin's Moonlight Towers bring a hearty Texas twang, a drummer who not only bashes but swings and some actual power to the old-school power-pop equation, suggesting a poppier V-Roys or maybe a twangier Superdrag. There's nothing especially revolutionary going on here, but the hooks are undeniable, from cuts as effervescent as the lead-off track, "Never the Same Again," to "Born To Die," a stately lighter-worthy ballad of the sort Tom Petty used to write.

HIP-HOP

REV RUN

'DISTORTION' (RUSSELL SIMMONS MUSIC GROUP)

Rev Run sounds great if decidedly old-school on his first release since the murder of Jam Master Jay forced his group into early -- OK, not that early -- retirement. It's hard to say why he'd salute his fallen comrade using Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" as a chorus, but at least his heart is in the right place on the genuinely moving verses (backed by Skynyrd on guitar). He's clearly more at home, though, in "The H to the O double L-I-S" of the funkier "Boom Ditty."

Most tracks here are haunted by his platinum past. Or maybe it's his past that's being haunted. Either way, he takes stock of his early rise to fame -- "selling records, making money just to throw in the air" -- with police sirens wailing and a pair of Funkadelic samples to kick off the album with "I Used To Think I Was Run." And in "Don't Stop Y'all," he samples "Hit It Run" and "Rock Box" while reminding listeners that he was the "first platinum status rap president."

The spotlight may have moved on several times since then, but Run is still delivering the goods. His rapping here is as high-energy as ever -- and as fast. And if the raucous Joan Jett-sampling "Mind on the Road" had dropped a little closer to "Down With The King," he'd have another platinum record he could tell you all about. Some critics have complained about how short it is, but at 23 minutes and change, at least it's mercifully short on filler -- well, unless you count the Skynyrd song.

-- Ed Masley

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JAZZ

MIKE TOMARO AND THE THREE RIVERS JAZZ ORCHESTRA

'NIGHT OWL SUITE' (SEA BREEZE)

"Night Owl Suite" raises the standards -- not just in jazz -- but in music.

This recording is filled with nearly 72 minutes of multi-layered, engaging and skillful arrangements, performed by some of the best musicians on the local jazz scene.

Mike Tomaro, saxophonist and director of jazz studies at Duquesne University, has placed his stamp on the orchestra, arranging all the tunes. The songs range from "Del Corazon," a piece commissioned by the 2002 Young Sounds of Arizona Jazz Ensemble, to three extended pieces titled "Movement 1 -- 11 p.m. - Searching For Birdland," "Movement 2 -- 3 a.m. - Lonely City" and "Movement 3 -- 6 a.m. - The City Awakes, The Nightowl Sleeps."

The title track, "Nightowl Suite," was commissioned by the Kentucky Music Educators Association.

The recording ends with "Little Sunflower," a tune written by Freddie Hubbard and rearranged here for trombone, saxophone and tight ensemble playing.

Tomaro has taken his musical cues from his mentor, Dr. John Wilson, and has evolved into an intricate arranger. "Nightowl Suite" is a wonderful document from a local orchestra that just seems to get better and better.

-- Nate Guidry, Post-Gazette jazz writer

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CLASSICAL

DUNSTABLE

'SWEET HARMONY' TONUS PEREGRINUS (NAXOS)

Fans and critics love to talk about how fresh a new band sounds or how a new album "changed everything," but it all pales in comparison to John Dunstable. This guy all but invented the chord. In 15th-century England, composers were experimenting with adding more harmony to lines that were predominantly being coupled with fifths and octaves. The third -- that rich note that determines whether a tonal chord is major or minor -- was the target. But Dunstable went further by using full triads, giving his resonant music a "frisque concordance" or fresh harmony, as one contemporary theorist wrote. (I guess things haven't changed that much). Dunstable's new sound revolutionized music and laid the groundwork not just for Renaissance, but for all of Western music -- pop and classical.

This disc presents some of Dunstable's most important works. The seminal motet "Quam pulchra es" and "Veni Sancte Spiritus/Veni Creator" are remarkably sophisticated considering their experimentation. The members of Tonus Peregrinus sing with an appropriate bite, as this music should not have that velvet smoothness of Palestrina or Lassus. Directed by Anthony Pitts, they wonderfully emphasize the occasional dissonance, too. Several gorgeous mass movements round out this disc that showcases a pivotal time in music history.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette classical music critic