It’s A-Live!

The alternative-rock band Live has been slowly building an audience around the country in the past 10 months. Its “Throwing Copper” album is finally selling well enough in Southern California to make the Top 10 of The Times’ pop album chart--No. 9 this week. Madonna’s hot “Take a Bow” single (No. 2 on the Southern California pop chart) is boosting sales of her album, “Bedtime Stories,” which re-entered the pop Top 10 at No. 7--up from No. 13. Van Halen’s “Balance,” which entered at No. 1 last week, had a stronger-than-expected second week, dropping only one notch to No. 2--both nationally and in Southern California.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Title, Artist (Nat’l Rank) Last Week 1 Dookie, Green Day (4) 2 2 Balance, Van Halen (2) 1 3 II, Boyz II Men (3) 7 4 Hell Freezes Over, Eagles (5) 4 5 Cocktales, Too Short (7) 3 6 The Hits, Garth Brooks (1) 5 7 Bedtime Stories, Madonna (13) 13 8 Crazysexycool, TLC (6) 9 9 Throwing Copper, Live (17) 10 10 Vitalogy, Pearl Jam (8) 6

TOP 10 SINGLES

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Baby, Brandy (1) 1 2 Take a Bow, Madonna (4) 5 3 Creep, TLC (2) 2 4 Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz (11) 3 5 Pimp of the Year, Dru Down (59) 4 6 Big Poppa, Notorious Big (6) 11 7 If You Love Me, Brownstone (8) 16 8 On Bended Knee, Boyz II Men (7) 9 9 I Miss You, N II U (16) 6 10 Before I Let You Go, Blackstreet (9) 10

TOP 10 R&B; ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 II, Boyz II Men (1) 2 2 Cocktales, Too Short (3) 1 3 Crazysexycool, TLC (2) 3 4 My Life, Mary J. Blige (4) 5 5 Best of Sade, Sade (6) 4 6 Brandy, Brandy (5) 7 7 Bootlegs & B-Sides, Ice Cube (15) 6 8 From the Bottom Up, Brownstone (8) ... 9 Murder Was the Case, soundtrack (9) ... 10 Creepin On ... , Bone Thugs N Harmony (7) 10

Source: SoundScan Inc., for week of Feb. 5