THE FLESHTONES Fleshtones Vs. Reality (Emergo)

These goofballs can’t be relied on to keep their interview appointments and they’re no good with record-company politics, so it’s probably all for the best that I.R.S. has given up on them. Left to their own devices, however, the ’Tones have come up with a swingin’ slab that comes closer to capturing their party-hearty essence than anything else in their catalog. Though it lacks the mock-conceptual cohesiveness of 1981’s fabbo Roman Gods, Fleshtones Vs. Reality features more consistent songwriting and includes just about everything you could possibly want to hear on a Fleshtones record: lotsa horns, organ and harmonica, frat-gang vocals, a kitsch Top 40 cover (the Cornefius Bros.’ “Treat Her Like A Lady”), etc. Singer/MTV star Peter Zaremba is his usual wacky self (except when he waxes sensitive on “Too Late To Run”), guitarist Keith Streng steps out front credibly on “Way Down South” (reprised from the Full Time Men EP), and the band sounds as if it’s actually getting the hang of this recording stuff. (225 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012.) H.D.