SOUND CHECK.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: ``Born to Run (30th Anniversary Edition)'' (Sony Legacy) - Four stars

Everybody knows Springsteen's 1975 breakthrough remains a potent example of superbly executed, ageless pop music - cinematic, hard-driving and thoroughly satisfying. This 30th anniversary CD/DVD package has perfect pitch not only for the mildly tweaked remaster of the album's eight songs, but for the accompanying DVD of a storied two-hour-plus show filmed in 1975 at London's Hammersmith Odeon. Here, in a night that made him a superstar in the UK, a scruffy Springsteen, wearing a rasta hat, runs through six ``Born to Run'' songs in addition to material from his first two albums. The band is brilliant, Bruce is on fire and the crowd largely unseen. The second DVD, ``Wheels for Wings,'' is an illuminating making-of doc, featuring studio and live footage from the era, plus new interviews with the Boss, manager Jon Landau, wife Patti Scialfa, and E Street Band members. Fantastic stuff.

- Fred Shuster

SYSTEM OF A DOWN: ``Hypnotize'' (American/Columbia) - One and one half stars

The world's biggest Armenian hard-rock band not from Glendale returns with the pile-driving sequel to ``Mezmerize,'' which served up a few unexpectedly palatable moments for those immune to this earthbound quartet's charms. ``Hypnotize,'' though, is simply the usual roar of frenetic staccato noodling, crazed squealing and sub-Frank Zappa lyrics. Most useless among a dozen often predictable tracks is the moronic ``Victim of Obscenity,'' a nasty sliver of misogyny from these local lads. While generally tuneless and overly reliant on lifeless electronics, the quartet does manage to work up some steam in ``Attack'' and ``Holy Mountains.''

- F.S.

BILLY JOEL: ``My Lives'' (Sony Legacy) - Three stars

This five-disc box (four CDs, one concert DVD) aims to be a companion to the Piano Man's other box set, ``The Complete Hits,'' but this time showcases Joel as something more than a Top 40 artist. The new set includes B-sides, alternate versions of familiar songs, a handful of never- before-heard cuts, live performances and a great many cover versions of other people's hits. Predictably, the early material from the 1970s - including a demo of the beautiful ``I Loved These Days,'' titled ``These Rhinestone Days,'' a fun, reggae-ish ``Only the Good Die Young,'' a ``Zanzibar'' that lets Freddie Hubbard's trumpet soar even longer - provides many of the highlights. Discs three and four rely mostly on covers, which illustrate again that Joel is more convincing as a loungy balladeer than as an arena rocker. But then hard-core fans - for whom this set is intended - already knew that.

- Glenn Whipp

JON NICHOLSON: ``A Lil Sump'm Sump'm'' (Warner Bros. Nashville) - Three stars

It may be on a Nashville label, but the spirit of Nicholson's analog keyboard minor masterpiece echoes pure, cross-state Memphis soul. Sax and Wurlitzers and just the right dash of funky electric guitar funk kick up what are basically sentimental heartland rockers of the Mellencamp variety. Nicholson himself hails from Wisconsin, and used to ski on the lake Otis Redding's plane went down in. It's glib to suggest that a bit of the master's essence might've soaked into the kid, but glory if it don't sound like maybe some did.

- Bob Strauss

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(1) no caption (Bruce Springsteen)

Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

(2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers)