FIRST OFF . . .

The Rolling Stones won’t reunite to perform at Atlantic Records 40th birthday bash in New York next month. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards won’t even be there to toast the label they recorded on before jumping to Columbia Records. An official statement, expected to be released today on behalf of the two Stones, says both considered doing “something separately” at the concert. However, Richards now cites his commitment to finishing his first solo album, and Jagger said, while his heart will be at the party, “my body will be elsewhere.” The unofficial story, a Stones source said, is that Richards and Jagger disagreed over how long the group would have to practice together beforehand: Richards said three weeks; Jagger thought a good weekend would do the job.