NEWS ROCK & ROLL

NEWS ROCK & ROLL

ON THE LOCAL SCENE-The Stooges, as bizarre-o and twist-o as ever, have been exposing themselves in new areas, not the least of which is St. Louis, where they completely stunned the audience at the St. Louis Pop Festival and returned two weeks later as “The Rolling Stones of St. Louis.” The west coast will soon see what the Stooges are really like (after an insane shuck of an article that appeared in Rolling Stone) when they play the Whisky and the Fillmore next month while they’re in the area to record their second album...Ted Nugent, Amboy Dukes guitarist, did a short gig at Chicago’s Northwest Hospital. He had his tonsils removed. While Nugent recuperated, the band took a rest and then resumed appearances at the Fillmore Auditorium in Frisco, with their new drummer K.J. Knight, formerly of Jack Burningtree...The Bob Seger system has a new organist, Danny Watson (formerly with the Caste) and a new stage show, that is reportedly at least equal to the Seger we knew way back when...Good of Robin Seymour is back again. He has returned to the scene of his original TV show, CKLW’s “Lively Spot” after ex-host George Young, was discovered to be some how involved in a counterfeiting scandal...Jazz giant Duke Ellington, will be in Detroit May 20/21 to appear with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Ellington will conduct the orchestra in his own composition, “Harlem.”...Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels have just returned from their Southern tour. The newly reformed Wheels will begin reocrding their first single release for Dot records in a few weeks for release this summer...The SRC have recorded the old Nolan Strong standard, “Mind Over Matter,” for possible release as a single. Reports from Ann Arbor rumor that the group is undergoing some heavy musical direction changes...The Frost, who change managers more often then they change their set, got rid of Mike-Quatro almost before he could get a press release out. Their new manager is Dennis Arfta, formerly of Universal Talents, the Frost’s national booking representative. Meanwhile, half of their album is completed but after an interview with the Frost and Quatro on Carlisle’s WKNR-fm show, during which Vanguard was discussed, the record company cancelled the rest of the advance for the album...Tom Wright, who used to manage the Grande Ballroom and before that worked with the Who, is returning to Detroit after being in Florida and Cleveland. He is returning to the Motor City to work exclusively on photographing bands...Watch for the Up’s new single on their own Sundance label, a two-sided hit with “Just Like an Aborigine” and Hassan i Sabba”...The Brownsville Station have been touring the South where, their single “Rock and Roll Holiday” is a smash and have nearly completed their album to be out soon on Polydor...Try and catch Iggy on the cover of the latest “Gay Power” with a discussion of the Stooges by Jackie Curtis and Rita E. and some rather good perceptions of Stooge-ism on the inside...WABXFM will be starting their free concert series May 24th at WSU’s Tartar Fieldl. The first concert’s line-p will include Catfish, SRC, 3rd Power and Virgin Dawn...Terry Knight, exdisc jockey and presently manager of Grand Funk, is trying again with a single written by Funk’s Mark Farner called “I’ll Keep Waiting Patiently.” Good Knight?!...WKNRFM is adding another Detroit/ Ann Arbor personality to its disc jockey team. It’s about time the legendary Jeep Holland, our unofficial Detroit Rock and Roll historian, got a chance to shine over the air. KNRFM will also be going twenty-four hour stereo in June.

NASHVILLE — Nowak Associates Inc., the firm responsible for the critically acclaimed Johnny Cash special, is filming a full-length motion picture tentatively titled “Nashville” that will be devoted to the Nashville music scene. Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth will be depicted at their farm in Tennessee and will perform “Wait, Wait, Wait” and “You Win Again”. The film also features Lester Flatt, Chet Atkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Stonemans and Johnny Cash and will be released sometime this summer.

NEW YORK — “So Young”, a new single by Roy Orbison, has been tacked on to the end of the movie “Zabriskie Point”. The move is a special promotional tie-in between MGM Records and MGM, Inc., the movie firm and also a part of the campaign to bring back Orbison as a major recording act in the U. S.

BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. - The Bakersfield City Council has voted a death sentence or life inprisonment with no parole for a second conviction for adults selling marijuana or illegal drugs to minors. The action is not expected to have any direct legal effect, since felony legislation as been preempted by the state.

Councilman Robert Whitemore, who introduced the legislation said “Unless severe measures are taken an entire generation will be destroyed by narcotics.” Whitemore achnowledged the unenforceability of the ordinance but said “It has the value of notifying the legislature of the city’s strong feeling about narcotics. ”

Mayor Hart said the ordinance would stiffen the attitude of the courts. Councilman Heisey, who earlier this month presented a bill to banish bizarre personages from the city said “These dopers need to be put away for good. Let’s put a little fear into these people.”

The measure passed by a 6 to 1 vote. The one dissenting councilman said he agreed with the proposal in principal, but feared that juries may acquit dopers because of the severity of the penalty.

Bakersfield has long had the reputation for giving the most severe marijuana penalties in the nation. Some people feel that the new city council action is an effort to regain the city’s reputation, which is tarnished by the 35 year sentance for marijuana possession Recently handed out in Muskogee, Okla.

Even the ultra conservative Bakersfield Californian was surprised by the action. The Californian commented in its editorial, It is shocking indeed, when supposedly responsible public officials advocate putting hundreds of thousands of citizens to death. If we are to believe the experts on the extent of marijuana use, it must be concluded that literally hundreds of thousands of people are involved in California in selling pot.”

NEW RELEASES

John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground and producer of the Stooges first lp, will release a solo album, his first venture since leaving the Velvet last spring.

Fleetwood Mac’s album, Then Play On, has been slightly rearranged to include their hit single “Oh Well,” and thereby deleting a couple of tunes. Fleetwoods Mac fanatics will be saving their egg money to get both albums.

The Grateful Dead have finished a new album, but it won’t be released for about a month because the cover isn’t ready yet. The tenative title is Working Man’s Dead and it’s unlike anything they’ve previously recorded, using close vocal harmonies, short tight songs and carefully paced styles from country/western to boogie to ballad. Something new for the Dead.

Warner Bros, has recorded a “live” Everly Brothers album for release in two or three months. But the two volume set of original Everly recordings, on Andy William’s Barnaby label, should be out soon.

Several members of Mike Bloomfield’s Electric Flag, including drummer, Buddy Miles, are recording a “reunion” album.

The Nice have just completed their upcoming album, Five Bridges, which was recorded live at Fairfield Hall just outside of London during their concert with a symphony orchestra and Joseph Eger as musical director.

The long-awaited album, The Who, Live at Leeds will be released May 1st. The album was recorded at the University campus at Leeds last fall and includes, “Happy Jack,” “Substitute,” “Magic Bus,”“My Generation,” “Summertime Blues,” “Shaking All Over,” and other goodies. The Who are presently riding the charts with their new single “The Seeker.”

LONDON-The Kink’s Ray Davies will have the title role in a BBC-TV play called “The Long Distance Piano Player” which is probably a take-off on the film “The Long Distance Runnier” of some years ago. Davies will not perform musically in the play that is being directed by Phillip Saville whose cinema efforts include “Oedipus” and “Stop The World 1 Want To Get Off.”

SAN FRANCISCO — The Flamin’ Groovies have finished their second and a half album (the first one counts a half, being only ten inches in diameter), “Flamingo,” which is their first for the Kama Sutra label. The album includes a tribute to Little Richard, the piano of Commander Cody; and a guest appearance by Gene Vincent.

Congratulations to Larry Benjamin, new advertising manager for WKNR-FM, from Creem.

SAN FRANCISCO-Jefferson Airplane have replaced Spencer Dryden, their drummer for the last five years, with Joey Covington. Covington has been drumming for Airplane side group, Hot Tuna, and recording duo Jack Cassady and Jorma Kaukonen. Dryden has left the Airplane to allow more time for the development of his other interests, such as writing and film making. In these capacities he will still be working with the band.

The Jefferson Airplane recently received two gold albums for their “Crown of Creation” and “Volunteers” lps. Recording plans are now being made for the Airplane’s second offspring, (first being the Kaukonen and Cassady duo album to be released shortly) Hot Tuna, whose members are Marty Balin, Jack Cassadv, Jorma Kaukonen, Peter Kaukonen and Covington, who will continue as drummer for both groups.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Fillmore Corporation is underwriting a package tour of six local groups of non electric rock acts to perform mainly for university audiences across the country. Named “Equinox: A Traveling Fair of Acoustic Music”, the entourage will include Victoria, female vocalist on Fillmore Records, Pagan and the Conspiracy of L^ove, a poet who performs his works to harp, flute, and violin, Lamb, another Fillmore group, Jan Tangen and Dave Friedman, Lambert and Nutty combo whose A&M lp will be released this month, and Pamela Poland, formerly of Gentle Soul.

AMSTERDAM — Apeldoorn government is still considering U.S. promoter Sid Bernstein’s, request to hold his world peace and music festival there, but have moved the possible date up to August 1971. Meanwhile, Bernstein is planning to hold a series of concerts this August, featuring Joan Baez, Donovan, Jose Feliciano and Blood, Sweat and Tears in the Berg and Bos Park of Apeldoorn, which would hopefully have been the site for his gigantic world festival.

ENGLAND — There is -a good chance that the impossible might happen at this year s Isle of Wight Festival and that the legendary Cream will return for one concert, according to Melody Maker, British music journal. The report was completely undocumented, but it’s always nice to Cream.

LONDON-Procol Harum have recently gone through some changes. David Knight has been replaced on bass by Chris Copping and Keith Reid, co-writer of “Whiter Shade of Pale” and most of Procol’s material will now play organ on stage, replacing Matthew Fisher. They have also signed management agreements with Chrysalis and will soon be recording an album to be produced by Chris Thomas.

LONDON-A color TV spectacular starring the Who is being planned for airing in Britain, Europe and Amerika in early summer. Jo Durden-Smith who produced specials with the Stones in Hyde Park, Johnny Cash at San Quentin and the Doors at Round House Chalk Farm, will produce the show. It will be a documentary-type presentation and TV cameras will follow the Who around.

ENGLAND — All British pressings of the Dylan Bootleg, “Great White Wonder”, have been pulled off the market by the Mechanical Copyright Society, but they are unable to do do anything about the American copies of this and other bootleg Ip’s. American pressings of Dylan’s “Stealin’ ” and Isle of Wight concert albums and the Stones’ “Liver Than You’ll Ever Be” are presently being marketed in the British Isles.

PHILADELPHIA — The FCC is seeking a test case in the often disputed use of indecent or profane language. It has developed from a fine of $100 imposed on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia. The “crime” was the uttera of two words, shit and fuck, by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, during an interview on that station. FCC chief, Nicholas Johnson, immediately blasted the majority decision, calling the act discriminatory censorship. He charged the FCC has decided that white middle class swear words may be heard over the air, but those of “blacks, the poor or the young” may not. He warned all who are interested in preserving civil liberty that the FCC has embarked on a

new and untested area of federal censorship. The station argues that the program was not indecent nor purient because the subjects discussed-ecology, music and philosophy-were obviously decent and that the challenged language “reflects the personality and life style of Mr. Garcia.” The FCC agrees that the program was not obscene, but disagrees with the life style argument as justifying the indecent language. Hopefully the station will challenge and win the censorship question in the courts, thereby providing a precedent for future obscenity rulings on radio. As of publication the WUHY-Inc. owned station had not decided if they will protest the decision in the courts.

ENGLAND-Deep Purple are now on Warner Bros, starting with their Royal Philharmonic album recorded live at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Formerly on Tetrogrammaton, Deep Purple are not yet noted for their symphonic efforts. Their most recent single hit here was “Kentucky Woman.” Also lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is offering a hundred pounds for the return of his favorite guitar, a black Fender Stratocaster, that was taken by some over-ambitious fan (?) at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall.

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels have returned home from the gaping maw of Crackerland. Back in Detroit after a seven week tour of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and the Carolinas, the band breathed a healthy sigh of somewhat mixed relief and settled down to work on material for an upcoming single, which they will record later this month in New York. Look for the story of their adventures in Dixie in CREEM in the near future.

LONDON-Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s final British appearance last month was a special show at the Ronnie Scott Club, where he demonstrated his method of circular breathing. Kirk reportedly played for nearly two hours without taking a breath.

DETROIT — Teegarden and Van Winkle, old Tulsa friends of Leon Russell, joined Cocker, Russell and the rest of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen at their Easttown premiere and are planning on joining the group for several other appearances, including one in Tulsa, where they will be joined by a couple other Oakies, Delaney and Bonnie. The tenative date for the Tulsa concert is April 21, but it seeems there was a slight problem with getting a place large enough to make the venture financially feasible. But, regardless of the money factor the concert will happen for the ‘old home week’ aspect of everyone getting together. Meanwhile, T and V W have dropped Atlantic and decided to wait until June to record their third album, at which time Russell and Denny Cordell will be done with the Cocker tour and free to produce the album. It also seems more than likely that the album will appear on Russell and Cordell’s Shelter label. Until then Skip and Dave will hardly be idle. They’ve got a single being released in a couple weeks on their own label,Plumm, called “God, Love and Rock and Roll”. The song will feature T and V W, plus conga drums, horns and a gospel choir.

LOS ANGELES-The Iron Butterfly have a new sound. (It’s about time. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” has been on the charts for two years now.) The change is at least in part due to the exit of lead guitarist, Erik Brann and the entrance of two new guitarists, Mike Pinera formerly of Blues Image and Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt. The newgroup’spremigre at the Whiskey was a regular celebritiy night in the audience with Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon and War, A1 Kooper, and B S & T. The new group was reportedly excellent. Their first recording venture with the new members will possibly be done in conjuction with jazz pianist, Herbie Hancock. That might give a hint as to where their music is headed. An album will be titled, “Metemorphosis,” and is due for release in early summer.

Oh yeah, Paul McCartney has left the famous Beatles, citing “personal differences, business differences, musical differences,” and the fact that he has “a better time with my family.” With his family, he has recorded a solo album, McCartney, which will be released this week, Paul sings lead and plays all the instruments, and Linda sings some harmony. For complete details on this and all other Beatlenews see the Beatle Book, Rolling Stone.