New Pop Records

Concrete & Steel (Lorry Raine; Kem). Songstress Raine sings about a man whose behavior is perhaps best described as manic-depressive ("when he's high he's higher than the sky is ... but oh, when he gets low he's got a heart of concrete and steel"), in a voice that seems to tremble itself on the edge of hysteria.

Elaine (Percy Faith's orchestra with oboe solo by Mitch Miller; Columbia, also Hugo Winterhalter's orchestra with musette-accordion solo by Henri Rene; Victor). One of those bittersweet tunes from a French movie (Violettes Imperiales), on which both companies lavished top performers. The Columbia version has Miller's familiar buttery oboe tone; Victor presents Winterhalter in one of his loud moods, with plenty of braying horns.

Dream Time (Martha Lou Harp; Columbia LP). An intriguing vocal that has a hint of Johnnie Ray's edginess and intensity. But the voice is sometimes so concealed in foggy echoes that it might be Garbo singing. With a wispy accompaniment of harp and organ. Songstress Harp runs the gamut from artfully seductive (in Paradise) to reflectively sensuous (in By the Bend of the River).

Men from Mars (Woody Herman and the New Third Herd; Mars). A fine, socking band rides high, emphasizes its low brasses and reeds for some of the most luxurious contrasts in the band business. Effective moment: a bouncy trombone chorus in unison, ending in a brassy sunburst.

Oscar Peterson Collates, No. 2 (Clef LP). Unquenchable Jazz Pianist Peterson plays eight numbers, turns a new facet in every one. In tameless he is a firm-footed bopster a la Lennie Tristano; in Until the Real Thing Comes Along he chuckles along like a latter-day Fats Waller; his How High the Moon is rhythmically soulful, with fistfuls of notes; he toys with I Get a Kick Out of You like a playful kitten.

September in the Rain (Los Angeles City College Orchestra; Capitol). This band was the winner of a contest sponsored by Metronome magazine. It plays free-swinging modern arrangements (sometimes a bit too free for comfort) with a competence, flair and freshness that compare well with most of the old pro outfits.

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