ON THE TIP: The “Explicit Lyrics” sticker...

ON THE TIP: The “Explicit Lyrics” sticker has become such a popular record-industry marketing tool that it’s practically impossible to walk into a record store without seeing a stack of CDs stamped accordingly. So it was only a matter of time before a shrewd rap artist (or his record company) decided--why bother with a sticker when we can just make it the title of our album? Which is why Virgin Records’ has just released a new rap album called “Barsha’s Explicit Lyrics.” (Trust us--we’ve heard the lyrics and Barsha isn’t exaggerating.) . . . Our fave oddball novelty holiday compilation is from I.R.S. Records. Titled “Just in Time for Christmas,” it features Squeeze’s “Christmas Day,” Wall of Voodoo’s “Shouldn’t Have Given Him a Gun for Christmas,” the dB’s’ “Home for the Holidays” and Dread Zeppelin’s “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” which the band concludes by segueing into “Viva Las Vegas.” . . . And contrary to what we reported last week, Profile Records is no longer distributed by California Record Distributors. Profile co-owner Steve Plotnicki says that the label severed its ties with CRD in mid-September and is now handled by Landmark Distributors, a Profile-owned distribution company.