Fiona Apple

Cheap TrickSex, America, Cheap Trick (Epic/Legacy 64938)Kiss isn't the only '70s band with a brand-new buzz. Cheap Trick is also on the comeback trail this year, a much-deserved revival sparked in part by the ambitious retrospective "Sex, America, Cheap Trick." For the hardcore, the four-CD set is a treasure trove of rarities and unreleased material, ranging from demos and non-LP B-sides, to such oddball cover versions as Bob Dylan's "Mrs. Henry" and the Velvet Underground medley "Waiting for the Man/Heroin" (with vocals by bassist Tom Petersson)

NEW YORK -- On the charts, 1997 was mostly kid stuff, all fluff, silliness and sentimentality.But at the Grammys, 1997 turns out to have been a very grown-up year, indeed. When nominations for the 40th Annual Grammy Awards were announced in New York yesterday, the major categories -- Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist -- were dominated by adult pop acts, including Paula Cole, R. Kelly, Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan and Babyface.Cole, in fact, was named in all four categories.

DOWNTOWN Reisterstown is looking good these days -- aesthetic street lamps, new brick sidewalks, a freshly paved main drag.But what is that big field of dirt at the north end of town, just opposite the High's store and the Lamplight Lounge? Alas, we know what it is, or rather, what it is going to be.It's going to be a parking lot for a strip shopping center going up, and, this being America, where the world revolves around the automobile, there must be a conspicuous sea of asphalt.But why must it be that way?

The MTV Video Music Awards is not your parents' award show. And unless you're in a state of arrested development, it probably wasn't your idea of an award show, either.A star-studded exercise in celebrity bad taste, the 1997 VMA show epitomized MTV's strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side, it offered some brilliant performances, some provocative thoughts, and the widest range of popular music in broadcasting today.On the minus side, there were all the things parents fear about the Home of Beavis and Butt-head -- tasteless humor, barely bleeped bad language, and the sad spectacle of a guy from No Doubt in diapers.

Theologians remain divided on the question of whether God is a woman. But judging from the weather for yesterday's Lilith Fair performance at Merriweather Post Pavilion, S/he is definitely a women's music fan. Clear skies, cool temperatures and virtually no humidity made spending seven hours outdoors listening to music an utter delight.Then again, given the quality of the performances yesterday, it would have been a gas even in high heat and humidity. Because not only was the singing and playing first-rate throughout, the bill offered enough variety to ensure that there was no chance of boredom creeping in.It helped that the stars seemed to be having as much fun as the fans.

It is the ideal summer CD, one glistening with infectious songs that feel as good as the sun on your face. It Won't Be Soon Before Long, the highly anticipated new album by Maroon 5, finally hit stores this week, five years after Songs About Jane, the pop band's blockbuster that sold 10 million copies worldwide. During the gap between albums, the quintet toured extensively while recording and tweaking the new disc, which extends the effervescent blue-eyed soul approach heard on its predecessor.

It's been revealed that the Obama administration named its war against Libya -- Operation Odyssey Dawn -- after a little-known album by English progressive rock band Yes.  But what hasn't been revealed are the names of other album titles seriously considered by Obama's inner circle during the build-up to the attack. Through our well-placed sources at the White House, we present to you the Top 10 Rejected "Operation Odyssey Dawn" Names.  Here we go:  10. C-Murder,  Operation The Truest S--- I Ever Said Why it was considered:  It sounded hard-core.

I received letter recently from a woman angered when I noted, more cynically than sympathetically, Kelsey Grammer's recent post-rehab appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." She was upset that I didn't support Grammer's brave attempts to conquer his substance-abuse problems publicly. My problem is that these "mea culpa" TV appearances always occur during ratings sweeps months, allowing TV to use, if not abuse, the former users and abusers. I mention all this because of tonight's latest sweeps-month example: Robert Downey Jr., making his first post-rehab appearance, as guest host of "Saturday Night Live."

Twist and styleTwisting your hair no longer means you're neurotic. It now suggests something else: You're trendy.Playful 'dos, created by twisting and sometimes knotting hair, are sprouting up on fashionable scalps this summer."

People remember different things about MTV's Video Music Awards broadcast.In addition to the expected trophy-distribution rituals, each program features comedy bits, celebrity cameos and performances by some of the biggest names in pop music. This year's show -- which airs live from Los Angeles at 8 this evening -- has Ben Stiller as its host and will include music and mayhem from such stars as Madonna, the Beastie Boys, David Spade, Tyra Banks and Jackie Chan.Some people remember the comedians who played host and will argue passionately over who was lamer, Dana Carvey or Arsenio Hall.