Steve Perry

Marx is a record company executive's dream. He's young, good-looking, talented and has--to use one of the music industry's favorite phrases-- multiformat appeal . Marx blends pop-conscious melody and craft with rock-oriented texture and attitude to produce a sound that suits a wide range of radio formats--and their listeners. His 1987 debut album generated four Top 5 hits and this follow-up--which rocks a bit harder overall--has several obvious candidates. Like Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry in their prime, Marx has a sturdy, elastic voice and a knack for turning out catchy, radio-ready pop/rock songs.

A faulty propane boiler seal was blamed Tuesday for the carbon monoxide poisoning of 13 people and the evacuation of 500 other patrons of the Stateline Hotel-Casino, a Nevada health official reported. "It turned out to be not as bad as originally thought," said Larry Matheis, Nevada Division of Health administrator. He said the faulty basement boiler used to heat water was directly under an air-conditioning duct that sucked up the deadly gas and pumped it into the resort's casino area.

Blame classic-rock radio. FM heroes Journey, Styx and REO Speedwagon might have been a dream concert for someone in 1980, or for anyone today who can stand to hear the same old tunes yet again. But that fan fantasy came alive Tuesday at Staples Center, roaring on as if punk rock, hip-hop, techno, garage, etc., etc., etc. never happened.

For better or worse, it's the singer in rock bands who is the focal point. No matter how hot the guitarist may be, or whether the bassist writes the songs, it's the singer who becomes the literal mouthpiece of the band--and usually its best-known member. What happens when lead singers vacate their vaunted slot? Some bands fold, as Nirvana did. In that case, it was in part to honor the memory of Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide.

Back in the mid-1980s, laughing at the "Rambo" movies wasn't just fun; it was a necessity. The three Sylvester Stallone films represented everything that was wrong with Hollywood at the time. It was the dawn of a new era for commercial pictures: mindless scripts, plenty of explosions, phenomenal overseas box-office receipts. Times have changed, though.

The exclusive Valley music charts are compiled for the Los Angeles Times from information supplied by SoundScan Inc., the music industry's leading sales-reporting service. The rankings are based on actual sales in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys and in Glendale.