A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

ning singalong , including one that has a second verse : `` Rubbles ! Meet the R

ubbles ! They 're the other Stone Age family . '' One strange rediscovery on the

 collection is from a dream episode in which Fred imagines the infant Pebbles to

 be a pop singer . The resulting , `` Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sun Shine I

n '' sung with a pair of sped-up harmonies , is a weird song about the devil . P

art Shelley Fabares , part David Lynch . The most famous rockers on the show wer

e the Beau Brummelstones , a cartoon re-creation of the Beau Brummels singing ``

 Laugh Laugh . '' Sure , that band just inserted their prerecorded hit `` Laugh 

, Laugh '' into their episode , but just playing the song here without the surro

unding introduction by Jimmy O' Neillstone on `` Shinrock '' seems like cheating

 . At any rate , it still sounds great alongside the other animation-manufacture

d tracks . ( End optional trim ) But the best rock track ever on the Flintstones

 TV show was `` The Twitch , '' a rockabilly stomper by someone called Rock Roll

 . Already covered by cool bands ( especially memorable is a version by San Fran

cisco 's Buck Naked and the Bare Bottomed Boys ) , it is the other song covered 

by the B.C.-52 's on the soundtrack album . It sounds bloated and overdone compa

red to the original . More to the original Rock Roll spirit on the movie soundtr

ack is `` Rock With the Caveman , '' just about the most straight rockabilly eve

r done by Mick Jones as a part of his current Big Audio Dynamite . Another good 

new track on the album is `` Yabba Dabba Doo '' by Us3 , who sat down to write s

ome clever Flintstone-inspired lyrics instead of just inserting a few sound effe

cts . For the flipside of the soundtrack , the producers dug up some previously 

issued tracks that fit fine , especially Screaming Blue Messiah 's `` I Wanna Be

 A Flintstone , '' and the insidious `` Anarchy in Bedrock '' that splices the S

ex Pistols with Saturday-morning cartoons and ends up with Barney Rubble in a Mo

hawk . Weird Al Yankovic 's recent `` Bedrock Anthem , '' which ties cartoon the

mes to two Red Hot Chili Peppers hits , is also welcome . The producers may have

 overlooked a few Flintstone related songs such as the 1982 underground hit `` B

edrock Rap/ ( Meet ) the Flintstones , '' which brilliantly transformed Fred 's 

persona into Bruce Springstone . Rap strangely suited Fred and Barney , when the

y appeared as a prehistoric Run-D.M.C. on a 1980s Fruity Pebbles commercial . Th

erefore , it 's nice to see it returning on `` Bedrock Hop , '' one of two new F

lintstone titles on Kid Rhino Records ( the other is the more straightforward ``

 The Flintstones Story '' ) . On the cover , Fred , with a devilish look on his 

face , jewelry on his wrists and a knit hat with the initials `` D.J.F. , '' scr

atches a prehistoric disc on a stone-age turntable affixed with a bird beak need

le . Titles include `` Disco Dino Dinosaur , '' `` Welcome to the Gravel Pit '' 

and two versions of `` Bedrock Hop . '' But something must be wrong here not a s

ingle version of the `` ( Meet ) The Flintstones . ''

 Perhaps more than any other hobby , autograph collecting can be a difficult , i

f not downright intimidating , field for the beginner . Forgeries abound , and t

he variety of autographs to be collected seems almost endless a lot of famous pe

ople over the years have signed their names . Some basic rules : the cheapest au

tograph is just that , a plain autograph on a piece of paper , maybe cut off a l

etter or other document . Checks and letters are more desirable letters especial

ly , depending on their content ( a letter from Judy Garland asking that someone

 pick up her laundry would not be nearly as valuable as one in which she discuss

ed whether she truly enjoyed playing Dorothy in `` The Wizard of Oz '' ) . When 

possible , autographed photos can be valuable , and also make for the nicest dis

play . James Lowe , a New York City autograph dealer , says beginning collectors

 should pick a specific subject movies , authors , Civil War figures , signers o

f the Declaration of Independence , whatever and pick the brains of someone alre

ady in the field . Collectors , he says , should specialize in `` what interests

 them , what type of people they hold as ideals . '' Charles Searle , a dealer f

rom Asheville , N.C. , says collectors need to figure out how much they can affo

rd to spend , then concentrate on quality over quantity . `` Try to buy the best

 piece you can afford , '' he says . `` Don't buy an autograph if you can buy a 

nice letter . Don't buy a nice letter if you can afford a nice photograph . '' A

s for forgeries , `` the rule for the general public is , buy from dealers you k

now and trust , '' dealer Nate Sanders says . `` Don't buy from the flea market 

dealers , because you 're liable to get burnt . '' Lowe , who has been selling a

utographs for a quarter-century , says he will often do considerable research to

 establish a signature 's authenticity . If for example , a letter from Ulysses 

S . Grant is dated Sept. 4 , 1866 , in New York City , he 'll try to find out if

 the Union general and 18th president of the United States really was in New Yor

k at the time . There are also tricks of the signing trade collectors should kno

w . Many famous people use rubber stamps or autopens electronic contraptions tha

t can inscribe a signature thousands of times . Valentino , Sanders says , used 

rubber stamps a lot , while Richard Nixon was big on the autopen , making his au

tograph probably the most difficult to obtain among modern presidents . Jean Har

low presents her own unique problem . Most autographed photos of the actress , w

ho died of uremic poisoning in 1937 , were actually signed by her mother . Jean 

Harlow 's autograph , noticeably sloppier than her mother 's , will cost you abo

ut $ 3,000 if it 's on a photograph , $ 1,000 if it 's just on a slip of paper .

 But a mother-signed picture can be had for $ 50- $ 100 provided its new owner d

oesn't mind owning a second-hand Jean .

 Are you smart enough to appreciate the Beastie Boys ? A ridiculous question , r

ight ? Bela Bartok that takes brains to understand . Be-bop too . But the Beasti

es ? How many IQ points do you need to understand a few rhymes and a beat ? That

 depends on how carefully you listen . Because few albums reward close attention

 more assiduously than the Beastie Boys ' latest , `` Ill Communication '' ( Gra

nd Royal/Capitol 28599 , arriving in stores this week . It isn't just a matter o

f being able to sort through the pop-culture references and dropped names that l

itter these raps , though it 's difficult to savor a rhyme like `` So I kick out

 the jams and tell you who I am/And talk to the people like Les McCann '' withou

t knowing that `` Kick Out the Jams '' was a landmark release by the MC5 , while

 `` Talk to the People '' was the title of an album by soul-jazz keyboardist McC

ann . There 's also a lot of musical information to process , thanks to the Beas

ties ' fondness for densely layered grooves and astonishingly eclectic taste . T

ake `` Root Down , '' for example . Most of the track is straight retro-funk , f

rom MCA 's bone-simple bass line to the lock between Mike D' s drums and Eric Bo

bo 's congas . But when DJ Hurricane drops a few bars of Jimmy Smith 's `` Root 

Down ( And Get It ) '' into the chorus , the music 's flavor shifts dramatically

 , adding a rhythmic and harmonic tension that revitalizes the track . At the sa

me time , the mixture of musical elements creates just the right mood to convey 

the Beasties ' own sense of hip-hop roots . Soul , jazz and '70s funk , remember

 , were the most popular sounds on the early rap scene , back when the Beasties 

were just Brooklyn high-schoolers going to `` Harlem world battles on the Zulu B

eat show/It 's Kool Moe Dee Vs . Busy Bee , there 's one you should know . '' Gr

anted , it 's not necessary to catch every lyrical reference or musical allusion

 to get the basic effect here . In fact , there are some tracks where what the B

easties do sonically seems almost intended to obscure the rap 's verbal content 

. On the lyric sheet , `` The Update '' comes across as an urgent warning about 

the impending apocalypse , as the Beasties rap about `` searching for unity '' a

nd how `` a transition is occurring '' in global consciousness . Sounds cosmic a

nd kind of preachy , doesn't it ? But the track itself masks that didacticism in

 a dense , percussion-heavy mix that not only distorts MCA 's rap with fuzz and 

echo , but places far greater emphasis on the group 's Afro-Cuban percussion and

 fusion-jazz keyboards . Then again , it 's worth noting the Beasties have alway

s placed greater value in musical impact than on lyrical content or stylistic al

legiance . That 's one reason `` Ill Communication '' can so easily sustain such

 a wide range of musical interests . After all , how many other acts can sound a

s at home moshing through a punk tune like `` Tough Guy '' as trading rhymes wit

h Q-Tip ( from A Tribe Called Quest ) on `` Get It Together '' ? Who else would 

dare mix hip-hop with Tibetan Buddhist chant the way the Beasties do on `` Shamb

ala , '' or mix fusion jazz and klezmer music as freely as `` Eugene 's Lament '

' does ? But that 's precisely the sort of thing that makes `` Ill Communication

 '' worth hearing even if it does take some effort to appreciate .

 WEST HOLLYWOOD , Calif. . The phone rang , and it was Bruce . That probably mea

nt it was time for the band to tour . But that 's not what it meant . This time 

, in late 1989 , Bruce Springsteen told Danny Federici he was breaking up the ba

nd . `` I was surprised , '' Federici recalled . `` I was very hurt . It was the

 only life I had known for 22 years . '' Five years later , Federici , 44 , isn'

t completely healed . He says he is still `` working through all that stuff , ''

 but he is happy . For the first time since the E Street Band hit the road , for

 good , its former keyboardist is excited about his work . He plays Monday night

s for the house band the Sacred Hearts at one of the hottest clubs in town , the

 new House of Blues in West Hollywood . He is his own Boss . `` I 'm having a bi

t of the fun that I used to have , '' he said . `` I had forgotten why I became 

a musician . '' He can see his audience again . After Springsteen became a super

star during the mid-1980s , Federici said , the band lost that once magical inti

macy with its fans . `` You could see maybe the first 10 rows of the crowd , and

 that was it , '' Federici said . `` Now , I play for people I can hear , people

 I can see . '' Federici envisions himself as an `` R&B kind of guy , '' which m

atches his group 's blend of contemporary and old-fashioned blues . The band pla

ys Muddy Waters , Al Green and Albert King . These are the songs Federici loves 

, not just the ones Springsteen preferred . But he 's no fool . He understands t

he climb back to success is very steep , and so he calmly accepts his band 's se

condary role . `` We 're not there to be the stars , '' Federici said . `` We 'r

e there to make others look good . '' That means he will pull out his rock 'n' r

oll Rolodex , and bring in the best names possible . So far , Gregg Allman , Joh

nny Rivers and Paul Shaffer have stopped by to jam . Federici said there will be

 more guests . `` We want to give people a sense , '' he said , `` that anything

 can happen on Monday nights . '' The band is moving slowly with its music as we

ll . Eventually , members plan to introduce original songs into their repertoire

 , but for the immediate future , covers will suffice . The group also includes 

guitarist Steve Chrismar , who played with George Thorogood ; lead vocalist Jimm

ie Wood , who recorded with Bruce Hornsby , and drummer Tony Braunagel , who has

 toured with Ricki Lee Jones , Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt . Braunagel said Fe

derici has had the perfect attitude for a new band . `` He doesn't walk around w

ith his ego , '' Braunagel said . `` He 's very open to musical suggestions , an

d quite full of his own . '' ( Optional add end ) Yet , while Federici says the 

breakup of the E Street Band has liberated him , both musically and emotionally 

, he still misses the good life . He puts `` room service '' at the top of that 

list . `` I walked into the lobby of this hotel recently after a Billy Joel conc

ert , '' he said , `` and I saw someone with a room service tray . I don't miss 

the music , but I do miss the hotels . '' He also misses the dedication of the S

pringsteen days . When the band needed to rehearse , the band rehearsed . That w

asn't always the case when Sacred Hearts first got together . `` I came from a d

ifferent scene , '' he said , `` and either you 're committed or you 're not . I

 wasn't used to that . But I understand these guys have to hustle to make it in 

L.A. . '' That includes himself . Since moving out here in 1992 , his resume has

 gotten him into meetings , but it hasn't clinched the deal . He had hoped to wr

ite music for films or television but so far nothing major has clicked . `` It w

ould have been good , '' he admits , `` if I had just been a bit more famous . '

' But Federici 's only regret may be that he didn't leave it all sooner . `` I w

asted a lot of good time , '' he said . `` That 's what happens when you make to

o much money . '' In fact , it was Springsteen who made him realize it was time 

to move to Los Angeles . One day , he visited Federici 's New Jersey farm and to

ld him there was nobody left in New York . Everyone had moved west . `` It was t

rue , '' he said . And it wouldn't be a total shock if Springsteen pops up soon 

at the House of Blues to play with his former keyboardist . The two saw each oth

er a few weeks ago , and have remained good friends . `` He digs the club , '' F

ederici said .

 HOLLYWOOD `` Rap is a man 's world and for women rappers it 's sometimes a host

ile world where you have to walk on eggshells , '' says Karryl Smith of Consciou

s Daughters , which many consider the best female rap group to emerge in the '90

s . `` Sometimes it 's like working with the enemy . '' The vast majority of hit

 rappers and their audiences is male and often seems to thrive on one of the fav

orite pastimes in rap circles : female-bashing . `` You can't let that bother yo

u , '' says Smith , who , with partner Carla Green , recently had a huge hit wit

h `` Something You Can Ride to ( Fonky Expedition ) '' one of the biggest hits e

ver by a female rap group . `` When guys use the word bitch , I don't get too up

set , '' she says . `` It 's just a word . '' Isn't that just a rationale ? `` N

ot really but you do things you have to do to survive in this business , '' Smit

h says . `` I 'd like men to use nice , respectful terms for women but they don'

t and probably never will . We use the word bitch on our record too . It works i

n the context of our music . But there 's uglier things in rap than men calling 

women disrespectful names . '' The two 26-year-old women , who come from the Oak

land area , steer clear of those uglier things like the excessive violence in ga

ngsta rap . But their music , though generally positive , isn't exactly wholesom

e . Their debut album on Scarface/Priority Records , `` Ear to the Street , '' i

s nowhere near as extreme as the music of some other female rappers , but it doe

s include some crude language and images . `` There 's a street quality to what 

we do you need that , '' Smith explains . `` If you don't use the same language 

the kids use , they willn't want to hear your music . The problem is that they w

illn't be able to relate to it . '' Smith knows how crucial that aspect is . `` 

I got into rap when I was about 10 because I could relate to what they were sayi

ng , '' she recalls . `` Rap was just starting then but it had something no othe

r music had . Black kids can relate to rap better than any other music because i

t 's talking about what happens in their community . '' When Smith and Green got

 mesmerized by rap back in the early '80s , they were high school students in El

 Cerrito , near Berkeley . Though they branched out into other areas , their pas

sion for rap never waned . Both are 5-foot-10 , and Smith made use of her height

 playing basketball at San Francisco State , where she majored in radio broadcas

ting . Green has been working in the computer business , developing software for

 computer games . On the side , though , they were building the foundation for a

 rap career . `` We were hanging out at clubs working on our rapping and writing

 and looking for a break , '' Smith says . `` We wanted to be rappers in the wor

st way . '' Before ever recording an album , they had some minor successes , inc

luding an opening slot on a tour headlined by the group Fu-Schnickens . But thei

r big break came at a party in 1991 where they met Paris , a prominent rapper wh

o was looking to sign artists for his Scarface label . Paris , who produced thei

r debut album , was impressed by both their rap skills and their writing ability

 . He gave them free rein within certain limits . `` I wouldn't put anything out

 that was excessively violent or had a lot of negative images of the black commu

nity , '' he explains in a separate interview . `` There are some references her

e and there to things like that but it 's not a major theme of the songs . '' ( 

Optional add end ) Conscious Daughters , Paris insists , offer an honesty and re

ality missing from the work of what he calls the `` fake '' rappers . `` A lot o

f record companies are putting together a bunch of pretty faces for hip-hop albu

ms and have other people write all their music , '' Paris says . `` It 's not re

al and the fans know it . That 's why a lot of these female rappers fail . '' Sm

ith , though , points to another reason . `` These female rappers rap about stuf

f men don't want to hear about , '' she says . `` We avoid doing that . Sure , w

e have songs geared to women , but there are so many male rap fans we don't want

 to turn them off . `` What we don't do is shake our butts and flirt and tease a

nd show men what we can do for them in bed , '' Smith explains . `` That 's the 

bimbo way . We can get our messages across and still maintain our dignity as wom

en . ''

 President Clinton has met Pope John Paul II twice , and one topic abortion has 

dominated both meetings . Last summer in Denver , the pope publicly rebuked the 

president for his support of abortion rights . Thursday at the Vatican , the pop

e further pressed his adamant opposition to contraception and abortion and , in 

particular , to a document being prepared for a U.N. conference on population an

d development to be held in September in Cairo , Egypt . After Thursday 's encou

nter , the president told American seminarians that he and Pope John Paul discus

sed `` how we could come together on a policy that would promote responsible gro

wth in the world 's population and still reaffirm our common commitment to the c

entral role of the family in every society . '' That seems to have put the most 

optimistic spin possible on the conversation . A Vatican official told reporters

 , `` If he says there was a narrowing of differences , it 's clear it can be on

ly in one direction . '' Obviously , President Clinton would be foolish to hope 

for much common ground as long as the Vatican 's concerns about human reproducti

on center so strongly on opposition to contraception and abortion . The presiden

t would be equally wrong to capitulate to the pope 's desire to shape U.N. polic

ies in ways that would hamper efforts to give people around the world more contr

ol over the size of their families . Certainly moral and religious concerns shou

ld be central to these decisions , and the Catholic Church has every right to pr

ess its case . But governments everywhere are now recognizing the link between s

lower population growth and any reasonable hope of providing their citizens with

 adequate food and shelter . The central issue in this debate is not abortion , 

but rather population specifically , whether world population will be stabilized

 before it outstrips the resources necessary to sustain human communities . As i

t is , too many millions of people already subsist in abject poverty . Those con

ditions give rise to the reason abortion cannot be overlooked in population deba

tes . International family planning programs rarely get tangled up in questions 

of legalizing or subsidizing abortion . Rather , abortion forces itself into the

 debate in the ugliest of ways the 100,000 women each year who are so desperate 

not to have another child that they resort to unsafe , illegal abortions and end

 up paying for that desperation with their lives . That 's the messy reality . P

resident Clinton has long said abortion should be safe , legal and rare . But wi

thout adequate contraception , that will never happen . Unfortunately for a worl

d that desperately needs guidance on these issues , the Vatican 's opposition to

 both abortion and to any form of contraception it regards as artificial severel

y constricts its ability to participate in any realistic policy debate .

 President Clinton is now facing his biggest foreign policy crisis . North Korea

 , breaking a written promise , has prevented international inspectors from exam

ining the spent fuel rods it is withdrawing from its only operating nuclear reac

tor . At a minimum , that action feeds worries that Kim Il Sung 's regime is ind

eed covertly diverting plutonium to build its own nuclear weapons . The refusal 

also effectively ends U.S. efforts to coax North Korea into compliance with the 

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by offers of closer diplomatic ties and economi

c aid . The administration 's next step is to ask the U.N. . Security Council to

 impose economic sanctions . Kim 's regime , now in its fifth decade of iron con