Scaling a learning curve that would do the dons of their hometown university proud, Supergrass, from Oxford, England, have graduated from rambunctious adolescence to credible adulthood in just two easy lessons.

The band's 1995 debut, I Should Coco, a refreshing splash of simple pop songs, portrayed singing guitarist Gaz Coombes, bassist Mick Quinn and drummer Danny Goffey as lads out for little more than a pint, a spliff and a snog. So much for modest aspirations. Considerably aided by Coombes' brother, Rob, on keyboards, In It for the Money vaults a grown-up Supergrass into the league of ambitious bands like Blur and well on their way toward the congenial family appeal of Madness. Recasting pop traditionalism into diverse and accomplished arrangements, this rich and spirited album uses horns, emphatic percussion and even theremin to expand the band's burgeoning stylistic range.

In It for the Money repeatedly shifts gears while staying firmly on track, with the exception of the Oasis-like detour of "Going Out." "Richard III" and the hard-rocking "Tonight'" are powerhouses of bent melodics; the chugging party rhythms of "Cheapskate" contrast with both the ticktock bounce of "You Can See Me" and an acoustic ballad, "It's Not Me"; "G-Song" takes a witty trip through a catalog of Beatles influences.

Still cavalier after both these years, Supergrass finish with "Sometimes I Make You Sad," an outlandish entertainment of melodramatic organ, phased singing, grunting human beat box, tabla drums and a bazouki-like guitar solo. Whether or not Supergrass really are in it for the money, this album's great leap forward proves that the group is in it for the long haul. (RS 759)

IRA ROBBINS