Warren Beatty. He's so vain that the song is apparently about him, at least according to Stephen Davis. Of course the whole thing's completely unverified, mere rumor, but the profile of Beatty in a recent Walter Scott Personality Parade makes him sound like a swell candidate. Anyway, good to see healthy revelation coming in with Ma Nature's second half offensive. This weather's going to make it real hard to change the shredded front tire on my car. To the music.

Lou Reed was half the brains behind The Velvet Underground. Andy Warhol's slightly successful excursion into rock as theater. The other half was John Cale. Seems that John used to tread upon Lou's rock 'n' roll shoes a lot in those days. It got to the point where the band wasn't big enough for both of them, so Cale split, leaving the Velvets to some good rock 'n' roll for a year or so. Now Lou's gone the way of his good friend David Bowie, but he's still supposed to know how to rock 'n' roll.

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells are not a new duo. Guy has always been with Junior Wells, it's just that he's also come into his own as a solo performer in the last few years. So they share billing now. They're just off the obligatory album with adoring white rockers, which includes Eric Clapton, whose idea of a good time lately has been playing rhythm guitar behind bluesmen looking to widen their appeal. The album's not too bad, although several of Buddy's solos come off sounding distressingly like Alvin Lee. This should be Junior's South Side Chicago Blues Band at Joe's Place, and, while that'll be closer to the real thing, if you're lucky maybe J. Geils will show up one night.

Merry Clayton's portrayal of the Acid Queen was supposed to be the highlight of an otherwise dull popstar version of Tummy Merry's talents, though artistically evident, weren't really visible until she turned up on "Gimme Shelter," and then on Joe Cocker's first two albums, and like Claudia Lennear, she's parlayed her experience as a backup singer, into a solo career. This woman has a very large voice: you have to, to put balls into some of the stuff Carole King writes.

LOU REED. Jordan Hall. Saturday, February 3, 8 p.m.

BUDDY GUY AND JUNIOR WELLS. Joe's Place. Inman Square, through February 11, 354-9385.

MERRY CLAYTON. Paul's Mall. 733 Boylston Street, through February 4, 267-1300.