As the Soap Songs Turn

They've made you laugh. They've made you cry. Now some of TV's most famous soap opera stars are about to make you swoon — or cringe — with a new album of songs performed (and sometimes even written) by daytime actors. With Love, From the Soaps features 12 numbers; Matthew Ashford (Jack on Days of Our Lives) does ''Only a Heartbeat Away''; Michael Damian (Danny on The Young and the Restless) sings his own ''Save the Earth''; and Jeff Trachta (Thorne on The Bold and the Beautiful) performs ''Part of My Life.'' Some profits from the album will go to the Child Welfare League of America and the Children's Aid Society of Canada. ''I'm hoping this is the beginning of something,'' says the 31-year- old Trachta. ''A recording career.''

He can also be heard on Soap Opera's Greatest Love Themes, a compilation of soap themes that includes ''This Time Around'' (from The Bold and the Beautiful, with Trachta handling vocals), ''Think of Laura'' (from General Hospital), and ''Theme to Days of Our Lives.'' Are the record companies expecting a music chart slugfest? ''We'd already finished With Love, From the Soaps when we heard about the Scotti Bros. album,'' says Quality Records president Russ Regan. ''We went out and bought their album to find out what was on it. But they're so dissimilar, we're not worried.'' Not a beautiful thought, maybe, but a bold one.