Clarence Clemons

As of today, anyone can legitimately hear part of the album. Columbia released "Brilliant Disguise," the first single from "Tunnel of Love." And regardless of the furor over the unauthorized copies, the fact that there's new Bruce music is clearly a surprise.

Sessions with the Beatles for the "Let It Be" album. Tours with the Rolling Stones. Hits on the charts. Billy Preston wants to Get Back. "I don't want to do any begging," said singer/songwriter Preston in a recent interview at his Malibu ranch about his goal of returning to prominence in the music world, "and I believe in timing. And when the timing is right, I'll be back." Preston will play at the Palomino in North Hollywood tomorrow night.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band "Magic" (Columbia) **** There comes a point in most believers' lives when faith transforms from an inevitability to a choice. Something alters life's usual patterns -- a personal tragedy, perhaps, or an intellectual realization -- and what seemed so true suddenly can't be trusted. Any creed is vulnerable to such a crisis.

Grady Gaines thought he knew Little Richard well enough by 1957 to dismiss the flamboyant rocker's constant threats to quit rock 'n' roll for the ministry. At the time, the saxophonist--who makes his Los Angeles debut with the Texas Upsetters revue tonight at Club Lingerie and Saturday at the Long Beach Blues Festival--had been leading the rock piano legend's live band, the Upsetters, for two years.

San Diego's Musicians Who Care has launched a letter-writing campaign aimed at getting radio stations KGB-FM (101.5) and XTRA-FM (91X) to reschedule their weekly local-music shows. Currently, both hour-long programs--KGB's "Homegrown Hour" and 91X's "Loudspeaker"--air the same night, at the same time: Sundays, starting at midnight. P.J.

Ringo Starr spent most of his own show in eclipse behind helpful friends Saturday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre. But at the very end, the fourth Beatle stepped out from behind his drums and put his own engaging stamp on the proceedings. Starr, who winds up the first solo tour of his career tonight at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, got off to a flat start fronting his All-Starr Band. Decked in a ringmaster's silver tux emblazoned with stars, he opened with "It Don't Come Easy."

Camille Porske, lead singer and songwriter of the band Camille's Blues Box, is not one to just sit around and wait for rock stardom to come to her. She's busy. Besides fronting the band, which is playing at Duffy's in Glendale this Saturday, she's busy writing new material for the group's second CD and promoting its first album, "Anything That Means Everything." The album was released last month on Real Soul Records, a company Porske runs out of her home. "I have a lot of goals," Porske says.