Paul Grein

Regarding Paul Grein's item on the mistaken rumors of the demise of Cramps lead singer Lux Interior (Pop Eye, Oct. 18), we knew Lux was alive the whole time! We also know his real name and age. What's the information worth to you? We'll consider all offers. SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS Long Beach

Paul Grein takes Catharine Hamm to task for denigrating Motown sounds ["Motown -- How Sweet It Is," Letters, Sept. 14]. As great as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the other musicians mentioned by Grein may be, a case can certainly be made that Mozart and Beethoven were even greater artists. Hamm was a bit snide in her comment, but Grein needs to avoid thinking that the music he happens to prefer should be appreciated by everyone. Ed Schoch Westchester

How incredible to read of record people expressing apathy-bordering-on-disdain toward their own records and the radio stations playing them ("Old Records Are New Hits," in Pop Eye, by Paul Grein, May 7). Rather than label this happy discovery of old records by new audiences a fad or trend, I think it can more accurately be described as a rare triumph of records over the record business. DAVID ROSNER Los Angeles

I'msurprised you'd let Paul Grein's article (Pop Eye, Nov. 7) about the likelihood of Carlos Santana getting some Grammy nominations appear without disclosing that Grein was involved in the Grammy selection process as part of the Grammy screening committee that met Oct. 22 and 23 in Los Angeles. JAY KEITH Sherman Oaks Grein, a freelance writer and member of the 13,000-member recording academy, was one of more than 200 participants in the screening meetings. According to the academy's Web site, "The purpose of screenings is not to make artistic or technical judgments about the recordings, but rather to make sure that each entry is eligible and placed in its proper category."

Paul Grein takes Catharine Hamm to task for denigrating Motown sounds ["Motown -- How Sweet It Is," Letters, Sept. 14]. As great as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the other musicians mentioned by Grein may be, a case can certainly be made that Mozart and Beethoven were even greater artists. Hamm was a bit snide in her comment, but Grein needs to avoid thinking that the music he happens to prefer should be appreciated by everyone. Ed Schoch Westchester

Paul Grein was absolutely right on the mark about Julio Iglesias ("Iglesias a Lover, Not a Singer," Sept. 27). I noticed that none of the indignant fans who have written to protest Grein's review have refuted any of the criticisms leveled by him (Calendar Letters, Oct. 19 and 12). Instead, they pounced on him for daring to criticize their darling, pointing to Julio's popularity as proof of how wrong Grein is. My friends, popularity is no proof of excellence. If you like Julio, fine, but just don't try to insist that everyone else should, too. As for me, I wouldn't walk around the corner to hear him again.

Where does Paul Grein get off saying that Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" won't make it to the Grammys this year ("Grammy Forecast: U2 Faces Stiff Competition," Jan. 10)? They proved to be the hottest group around in '87, despite what the U2 fans think. They showed that they have talent, unlike U2, who sing about politics and try to make "statements." Music fans don't want to sit around and hear about politics--there's enough of that on TV. Bon Jovi shows that they have topics that people can relate to, and enjoy.

The truly wonderful thing about pop music is that it allows for anyone . . . absolutely anyone to be a so-called genius. All it takes for one like ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson to qualify is to have some self-flattering, self-proclaimed omniscient Pop Critic declare it to be so ("The Album: Really Good Vibrations," by Paul Grein, July 10). . . and . . . ABRACADABRA! . . . it is. How naive I've been to think that the standard . . . the definition of a musical genius was/is to be found in the works of Beethoven and Mozart.

In response to the following: "Grammy Forecast: U2 Faces Stiff Competition," by Paul Grein, Jan. 10); "Who'll Rock Into 21st-Century Hall of Fame?" by Robert Hilburn, Jan. 17; Pop Eye: "Picking the Best of the Worst," by Patrick Goldstein, Jan. 10. The Grammy nominations are out and Grein's predictions were right. As a longstanding, U-2 fan, I wish them success. Mr. Hilburn, after four years of criticism, couldn't you give Duran Duran a few more percent than a 5% chance of making the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I'msurprised you'd let Paul Grein's article (Pop Eye, Nov. 7) about the likelihood of Carlos Santana getting some Grammy nominations appear without disclosing that Grein was involved in the Grammy selection process as part of the Grammy screening committee that met Oct. 22 and 23 in Los Angeles. JAY KEITH Sherman Oaks Grein, a freelance writer and member of the 13,000-member recording academy, was one of more than 200 participants in the screening meetings. According to the academy's Web site, "The purpose of screenings is not to make artistic or technical judgments about the recordings, but rather to make sure that each entry is eligible and placed in its proper category."

I think it's fine that the Carpenters' songs are being re-evaluated and performed by a new generation of musicians ("Trust Us, This Is for Real," by Paul Grein, Sept. 11), but I take exception to Grein's assertion that "for a few years, (Karen Carpenter) did give Barbra Streisand a run for her money." In what way? Perhaps for a brief time in the early '70s the Carpenters held the advantage in terms of radio airplay and hit singles, but once Streisand decided to take a more aggressive stance in the pop arena, her record sales held their own very nicely against the Carpenters.

"The Grammy Tip Sheet" (Jan. 3), Paul Grein's annual forecast, does a good job of summing up the competition (or lack thereof) in each of the categories. I realize he is not selecting albums that he deems worthy of Grammys (rather likely winners), but we longtime fans of Eric Clapton know full well that "Unplugged" is one of his lesser efforts. Perhaps Grein just inadvertently chose the wrong label to hang on that best-selling album, but his description of the live "Unplugged" as a "career retrospective" is also inaccurate.

How incredible to read of record people expressing apathy-bordering-on-disdain toward their own records and the radio stations playing them ("Old Records Are New Hits," in Pop Eye, by Paul Grein, May 7). Rather than label this happy discovery of old records by new audiences a fad or trend, I think it can more accurately be described as a rare triumph of records over the record business. DAVID ROSNER Los Angeles

The truly wonderful thing about pop music is that it allows for anyone . . . absolutely anyone to be a so-called genius. All it takes for one like ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson to qualify is to have some self-flattering, self-proclaimed omniscient Pop Critic declare it to be so ("The Album: Really Good Vibrations," by Paul Grein, July 10). . . and . . . ABRACADABRA! . . . it is. How naive I've been to think that the standard . . . the definition of a musical genius was/is to be found in the works of Beethoven and Mozart.

In response to the following: "Grammy Forecast: U2 Faces Stiff Competition," by Paul Grein, Jan. 10); "Who'll Rock Into 21st-Century Hall of Fame?" by Robert Hilburn, Jan. 17; Pop Eye: "Picking the Best of the Worst," by Patrick Goldstein, Jan. 10. The Grammy nominations are out and Grein's predictions were right. As a longstanding, U-2 fan, I wish them success. Mr. Hilburn, after four years of criticism, couldn't you give Duran Duran a few more percent than a 5% chance of making the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Where does Paul Grein get off saying that Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" won't make it to the Grammys this year ("Grammy Forecast: U2 Faces Stiff Competition," Jan. 10)? They proved to be the hottest group around in '87, despite what the U2 fans think. They showed that they have talent, unlike U2, who sing about politics and try to make "statements." Music fans don't want to sit around and hear about politics--there's enough of that on TV. Bon Jovi shows that they have topics that people can relate to, and enjoy.

Dennis McDougal's article on racial categorization in the music industry contained many telling points ("Black Radio Battles Warners With a Boycott," April 7). But he was mistaken in suggesting that Billboard magazine has separate columns to analyze the pop and black charts. Chartbeat, which I write, covers both the pop and black charts, as well as such other surveys as dance/disco and adult contemporary. The Rhythm & the Blues, authored by Nelson George, isn't a chart-based column, but touches on a wide range of topics of interest to the black music community.

Although pop prognosticator Paul Grein was successful in just 12 of the 19 Grammy categories he predicted in last Sunday's Calendar, he says that his only real regret was picking Run-D.M.C. over Prince's "Kiss" in the R&B Group Vocal competition. "A bum call," Grein said of that one. The other misfires, he maintains, were unpredictable upsets with no rhyme or reason: James Brown over Luther Vandross, Anita Baker over Janet Jackson, Peter Gabriel's losses in all his nominated fields.

Regarding Paul Grein's item on the mistaken rumors of the demise of Cramps lead singer Lux Interior (Pop Eye, Oct. 18), we knew Lux was alive the whole time! We also know his real name and age. What's the information worth to you? We'll consider all offers. SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS Long Beach

* * "ONE VOICE," Barbra Streisand, Columbia. The performance that led to this album is billed as Streisand's first full-length concert in 20 years. But there's a big difference between the two shows. Streisand's last full-length concert was in front of 135,000 fans at New York's Central Park. This one was last year in front of 500 friends and associates in her backyard in Malibu.