TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : ****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : COMPACT DISCS

The following CDs are among the first 12 releases in A&M;’s new “Classics” series.

“Joan Baez.” A&M; (AAD). “Classics” in this case is not a comprehensive career survey of one of ‘60s folk music’s guiding lights, but simply what A&M; considers its catalogue treasures. The 17 songs, from her 1972-76 “pop period” at A&M;, include the haunting “Diamonds and Rust,” a powerful “Amazing Grace” but mostly uninspired covers of tunes by Dylan, Lennon and others. A live recording of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” substitutes for the superior original version. Strictly for fans who want a good-sounding CD documentation of one portion of Baez’s lengthy career. **