FALL ALBUM ROUNDUP : In Brief

* * 1/2 Various artists, “Friends” soundtrack, Reprise. “Always stuck in second gear,” as the theme song says, despite intriguing throwaways from first-rate artists. The Pretenders’ lush version of “Angel of the Morning,” Grant Lee Buffalo’s fuzzed “In My Room” and new songs by Lou Reed and R.E.M. are highlights. But a techno remix of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” doesn’t click, while selected bits of show dialogue are lost without visuals--and there’s not a “Pulp Fiction” royale with cheese in the bunch.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).