* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : QUESTING CALL

* * * * “INTO THE WOODS.” The Call. Elektra. No doubt about it, life is quite a drag for the Call’s Michael Been, whose dank metaphors ( woods equals dark night of the soul, river equals tears of God) say it all. But there’s a big difference between this Northern Californian’s ennui and that of a hundred British bands: It’s filled with at least as much compassion as it is self-pity, and he’s passionate about finding a way out of his woods rather than intent on delving further into them. For Been, shedding the darkness is nothing less than a real spiritual quest, and in this he’s sometimes able to deliver what U2 only skirts--an integration of wispy spiritual yearning with down-to-earth, blues-based grit. Reflecting the intensity of a latent transcendentalist trapped very much in the real world, Been’s struggle is the listener’s gain.