ROCK-A-RAMA

HEAVY ORGAN: BACH LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO - Virgil Fox (Decca):: Virgil Fox accomplishes the rather unexpected feat of turning Bach into the Roller Derby. Which is probably what needed to be done all along.

HOPE (A&M):: Produced by Jack Richardson of Alice Cooper, Guess Who and Mitch Ryder fame, this Canadian group specialises in balladic panaceas with a strong Jesus-rock slant, inflated with full string orchestra which fails to hide the fact that they can’t write at all, though they don’t have to prove their instrumental chops much.

HONKY TONK ANGEL - Ellen Mcllwaine (Polydor):: If Grace Slick singing “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” with congas is your bag, this is where to find it. She used to be in a one-album band called The Fear Itself, if even the archaeologists are interested.

FORGOTTEN SONGS & UNSUNG HEROES - John Kay (Dunhill):: Not half as macho obnoxious as before, Kay has mellowed to the point of treading the aprons of folkiedom, and become merely dull.