** LITTLE CAESAR “Little Caesar” <i> Geffen : </i> : <i> Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic). : </i>

In hard rock as in hemlines, fashion is a mutable thing. And because every possible permutation of hard rock seems to have been worked and worked again, style is largely a function of imitating the right band at the right time.

This year’s model seems to be the Faces, and from the Black Crowes to the London Quireboys, hip musicians are cultivating their nouveau barrelhouse stomps and their Steve Marriott rasps. Welcome to 1972.

Little Caesar possibly cranks harder live than any other Hollywood band. Torn jeans, motorcycles, tattoos and all, they epitomize the L.A. street thing.

But the major-label debut that insiders have predicted would lift Little Caesar to Guns N’ Roses status is yet another passionless Faces rip: mailed-in guitar solos, moody keyboards, banal ‘60s pop hooks and singer Ron Young’s paint-by-numbers rasp. Little Caesar still might be a band that matters, but in a couple of years their debut could seem as dated as bell bottoms.