Daily News from New York, New York • 162

c. to Pi A little reggae, a little rock "SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIALS If you can pet in and it should be crowded it's worth the money to go see The Specials next Saturday at the Diplomat While they're a bit better known in Britain (where "The Specials AKA Live" EP on the 2 Tone label is No. 1), the group is getting favorable attention here since the U.S. release of its first album, "The Specials" (Chrysalis), produced by Elvis Costeilo. I liked the LP pretty well until I 6aw the seven-man group play at Hurrah's where they were so good they made their own album sound tame by comparison.

The Specials' music is a descendant of ska, or bluebeat, a Jamaican form of that gave rise to reggae. While some of their tunes are reminiscent of reggae, they mix in a lot of rock 'n' roll, which makes for a unique sound. Their stage show, with two alternating lead singers, is a whole lot looser than their album, which leads me to believe that Costeilo exercised too much restraint in production. If you're interested in a more traditional ska sound than The Specials have to offer, you might want to pick up a copy of Original Ska 19C2CG" on 1 Visualizing a sound: The five-night Pink Floyd concert at Nassau Colisseum will include this futuristic, 65-foot wall to be erected, brick by brick, on stage. Tiny figure at right is an average-size human.

Bra EIqVj "ST? OF POP a (Continued from Back Cover released its first album, the Syd Barrett-inspired "Piper At The Gates of Dawn," until "Moon" in 1973. The interim period saw Barrett leave the band, an acid casualty at some'shows, he was said to have spent the whole evening staring at the audience while playing one chord over and over. The band also experimented with various forms of "psychedelic" music much of it mere sound effect experimentation. When Gilmour replaced Barrett on lead guitar and Roger Waters took over as the band's chief writer and lead vocalist, Pink Floyd settled into the configuration responsible for "Moon" and "The Wall." On first encounter, both these albums are listenable enough; but the more attention you pay to them, the more you wonder what all the fuss is about "The Wall," especially, is an album for chumps, offering little but that old, familiar aging rock star lament: "I'm a very famous rock star with a whole bunch of money, so why ain't I happy?" The all-too-easy answer for Pink Floyd, at least, is to blame society in general, and parents, teachers and lovers specifically. 1 suspect that to the younger listener and maybe even older listeners this complaint translates: "I'm really a smart and nifty person, so why doesn't anybody love me?" Pink Floyd's lavish" music then gives said listener a suitable dramatic soundtrack with which to cry into his or her beer while imagining it is champagne.

I used to experience similar feelings when I was In college and enamoured of the poems of Baudelaire and Rimbaud. Nobody, after all, likes to feel ordinary. On the other hand, listeners who like Pink Floyd because the band seems to be ever so metaphysical and serious aren't listening. How on earth can one hear -a song like "Goodbye Cruel World" cruel all you people there's nothing you can say to make me change my and think Pink Floyd is anything but dim? I certainly hope that I could come up with a better suicide note than that To give them some due, I must say that the members of Pink Floyd are exceptionally talented they just have exceptionally pedestrian imaginations. "The Wall" is at least a tolerable record I can listen to all four sides without Mango.

This is a compilation of 16 songs recorded by various performers and bands in Kingston, Jamaica. Like those old American blues records, "Original Ska" is scratchy, poorly recorded and sometimes hard to hear. Still, it's an interesting record, and it gives you an idea of what more mainstream British musicians like The Stones, The Clash, and Costeilo have been listening to. CARL'S OKAY Carl Perkins, legendary rockabilly singer Suede had to cancel a recent appearance at the Lone Star Cafe because of a sinus infection that threatened to spread to his brain. It didn't, thank heaven, and Carl's back in action again.

Watch for him to be re-booked in New York. He's merely great THE KING RETURNS Joe "King" Carrasco, that is, the incredible Tex-Mex rock 'n' roller from Austin, complete with his farfisa organ and 90 foot guitar cord. King Carrasco and his band will begin a City tour on March 6 at CBGB's on the Bowery, through March 8. On the 12th, you can catch him at SNAFU, and on the 13th atTR-3. SINGLES The title of the new Stones album is "Emotional Rescue" Chuck Berry is booked into Heat on Hubert St on Saturday, along with Sylvester Sylvaln.

But check with the club before you run on down, since Chuck's been known to pull a George Jones-style disappearing The Grammy Awards show this Wednesday will allegedly feature Bob Dylan among the presenters When Dolly Parton joins Burt Reynolds for the film version of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," she too, they say, will earn over a million dollars In other song to-screen developments, Jon Peters, former hairdresser and Barbra Streisand's live-in lover, will produce the movie version of Tammy Wynette's autobiography, "Stand by Your Man." Since Tammy started out as a beautician, she and Jon will have at least this much in common Neil Bo part, who was just bought out of Casablanca Records by Polygram, has a real toney ad in the trade magazines this week featuring a picture of what looks like Humphrey Bogart's back with the words, "To my Casablanca family and friends, here's looking at you kids. See you in the sequel coming soon." Bet it makes you wanna cry, eh? MIL Roger Waters: from cult to national Idol. wanting to smash it Instead of all this weltschmertz, though, I'd love to hear a rock band or any band sing something a bit more fun. Maybe something like, "I'm an incredibly rich rock and roll star and I can have anything I want Hooray! Good for me!" And how about a sense of humor? How about during all those tape recorded phone calls, instead of having the operator say, "That line doesn't answer," throwing in some royalty one-liners. you have Prince Albert in a I don't know.

Maybe I should call "Will pay any price" and just give the poor guy my tickets. 'j. CYNTHIA RAYMOND r3 TTEZS RECORD' Have your friends or relatives ever been jealous of your success? CO CO r. 1 Chuck Cissel Melba Moore It 4 Arista Records All of my relatives and friends have been very enthusiastic about my success. But I do believe that, in some cases, success can breed jealousies.

I remember one acquaintance who became so envious he tried to create situations that would hurt to 05 I haven't experienced much jealousy on the part of my family, but I have with friends. I had a close friend from college, a confidante. As I got successful, the friendship changed and the relationship ended. Then there are those who try to hit on me for money. I do believe giving is or money.

I do believe giving is Gene Simmons Kiss My family has always been very supportive, but unfortunately, I've lost all the friends I grew up with. I don't think it had anything to do with jealousy; we just no longer had anything in common. The last time I visited my best childhood friend, our conversation seemed to turn into an interview. To him, I was someone Srs. blessing, but I don't want to be a i me.

But I have been lucky. My friends are so beautiful I think cheated or conned. hpafpri nr rnnned. -i of them as gifts from God v..