ROCK AND ROLL NEWS

ROCK AND ROLL NEWS

There is a bootleg album out which most definitely must be heard. It’s called The Blues Legend by Robert Johnson and so far as we know, it’s only available in Britain. Johnson, whose main influences were Son House and Willie Brown, stands at the crossroads of blues; he sums up the entire tradition of rural blues and gives impetus to the developing urban blues. He took from his wanderings all the regional traditions it is possible for one man to assimilate and welded them into blues that were unprecedented for power and complexity. In this sense, Johnson was the Blues’ first great electic performer, but also its greatest creative artist.

The LP features cuts like “Crossroads Blues”, “Dust My Broom”, “Four Until Late”, “Sweet Home Chicago”, “Dead Shrimp Blues”, “I’m a Steady Rolling Man”, “Malted Milk Blues”, and of course, “Love in Vain”, which the Rolling Stones did last year on their infamous album, Let It Bleed. (Without crediting Johnson’s authorship, by the way.) This may well be the most significant blues album ever released; however, at least in the U.S., you’ve only a couple of months to wait before Columbia releases King Of the Delta Blues, Vol. 2 which should contain everything on this record and maybe more. So don’t freak if you can’t find the bootleg and don’t pay exorbitant prices for it. (On the other had, if you come across a reasonably priced copy or three, give us a call.)

LOS ANGELES — Warner Brothers Records recording group Deep Purple of “Hush” and “Kentucky Woman” fame were featured in concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. The two groups, conducted by Lawrence Foster collaborated on Deep Purple organist Jon Lord’s “Concerto For Group And Orchestra.” The large audience at the Bowl’s third mixed concert seemed somewhat amused by the entire event. The first two concerts featured Issac’, Hayes ajid Ravi Shankar.

Deep Purple were playing a gig in Germany recently when their entire audience suddenly disappeared. It seems that someone had shouted, “There’s a bomb under the stage” and the entire crowd of 2,000 split to the street before anybody could say, “What?!?”

ANN ARBOR — The Stooges have switched bass players and finally added their new guitarist. The new bassist is Zeke Zettner, replacing Dave Alexander, who has drifted off to God knows where. Zeke was formerly the group’s roadie (and prior to that worked with SRC) as was the band’s new rhythm guitarist, handsome young Billy Cheatam, who was also a roadie.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Silver, the band’s manager, is not working in a meat packing plant, as reported by Desolation Rowe, the MC5’s surrogate manager, but is actually working with the Erewhon (mirror-image) Foundation because, according to Iggy, “He decided it was his turn to be irresponsible for awhile. And he wanted to work with his hands.” The Erewhon Foundation’s primary focus is macrobiotics, a lifestyle which Mr. Silver lives admirably. He’s expected back on the set by summer’s end.

Grace Slick has done a skonk-burger commercial for the Junior Hot Shoppe, a drive-in in Washington, D.C. “Somehow, the idea of selling a hamburger by singing about it appeals to my sense of humor,” she said.

Paul Kantner is apparently going to do a Hot Tuna stint with help from Grace Slick, David Crosby and Joey Covington (Covington is in Hot Tuna and the Airplane.)

Dennis Hopper is supposedly suing Peter Fonda for alleged non-payment of fees for portions of his work on “Easy Rider”. Hopper says he was paid as actor and as director but not for his part in the script-writing chores. Peter Fonda had no comment.

Canned Heat have finally recorded an album with their long-time idol, John Lee Hooker. John Lee sings and plays guitar and the boys in the band back him up. Bob Hite produced the session which consists of a collection of old Hooker tunes.

Tom and Dicky Smothers are doing their bit for peace. The anti-war poem read on their TV show last summer, “The Box” has elicited more than five million requests for copies. The brothers will be putting copies of the poem in record stores and plan to donate the money ordinarily used for postage to peace groups.

Rita Coolidge, the woman featured on various Delaney & Bonnie and Mad Dogs and Englishmen tunes, is cutting her first solo album. She will be backed by Stephen Stills and Booker T. and the MG’s.

On Columbus Day, which is October 12th, the Fillmore East is holding an auction to raise money for “peace candidates”, A number of famous rock and roll memorablia (including Johnny Winter and Peter Townshend guitars) will be put on the block, but we thought you’d be more interested to know about one item that won’t be.

Bob Rudnick, our bouncy friend who has now left WEAW (Chicago) for Goddard College and the Alternative Media Project, offered a handwritten Kokaine Karma column for auction but it was refused. (That’s real strange, too, because at least one CREEM staff member has admitted that the object is probably as priceless as an original manuscript of Crawdaddyl) On the other hand, it may not be so strange . . . Rudnick did definitively sum up Graham in the article, calling him the “Dick Clark of the Sixties”.

God is coming! God is coming! At least in the form of one baby to be born to Grace Slick and Paul Kantner in December. Believe it or not, they plan to call the child God. God Slick, Jesus Christ!

For you who still haven’t chocked to death on Woodstock you can look forward to a second Woodstock LP sometime this winter. They plan to include some of the groups left off the first one; i.e., The Band, Janis Joplin, Mountain, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Melanie, among others, if negotiations work out properly.

Delaney and Bonnie and new Friends have a new LP ready, which was recorded in Miami and New York, One of the friends this time is none other than our old friend, Little Richard.

Sly Stone’s sister, Rosie, has left Sly and the Family Stone due to illness, and replaced her with another sister Yvette, who also has her own. group, Little Sister. The replacement is expected to be only temporary.

Humble Pie have finished their first album for A&M. Steve Marriott arid Peter Frampton’s latest effort is called simply Humble Pie and features “Only A Roach”', “I’m Ready” and “See You Later Liquidator”. Marriott said, “I’m knocked out by the clarity, that’s down to Glyn Jones. I’ll stand up for this album any day of the week. I didn’t want to make it all the same and bore people — an album should be like a stage show.”

The Flying Burritos, having lost die services of lead singer and' energy center Gram Parsons, will continue as a quartet, with lead singing chores being split between Bernie Leadon and Chris Hillman.

Another ex-Bird, Gene Clark, is cutting for A&M a sold album. And his backup group is; mostly made-up of the rest of the old Byrds.

The Mothers of Invention have reformed with Aynsley Dunbar on drums and ex*Turtle Howard Kaylan (the lead singer) on vocals. While the MOI were .in Britain Kaylan payed a visit to Tyrannosaurus Rex in the recording studio: where they are at work on their fifth album. He ended up doing vocal harmonies with Ty Rex * instigator Marc Bolan on a tune called “SeagulL Woman”.

Tina Turner was rushed to the hospital a few weeks ago with' what doctors suspected was pneumonia. She was kept under observation until the doctors could determine what was wrong; no information as to what it actually was, yet, however. 1

The first free Indian since the coming of the white man to Amerika has been bom. The warrior was delivered in ‘natural childbirth on Alcatraz by his mother Lu and his father John, who is the head of the island’s council. The boy was named Wovoka after a medicine man of the Paiutes who, talked to the Great Spirit in a vision; the vision of the Ghost Dance.

Wovoka told his people that “there was another world coming, just like a cloud. It would come in a whilrwind out of the west and would crush out everythin on this world, which was old and dying. In that other World there was plenty of meat, just like the old times; and in that world all the dead Indians were alive and all the bison that had ever been killed were roaming around again.”

This was the power of the Ghost Dance of Wovoka’s vision. Sitting Bull was killed to prevent him from dancing the Ghost Dance and the Dance itself was outlawed by the whites.

Wovoka has now been reborn.

The Pig structure of Amerika nas struck out again to try and iricarcerate one-of it’s real people. Owsley Stanley is now* serving time on a three-year sentence in Terminal Island Federal Prison in Los Angeles, the same prison which once housed Charles Manson. It all started on July 13th when Owsley was denied a rehearing in the case of his old bust for alleged LSD factory.Two day later he was busted for grass, dangerous drugs and narcotics in him home, of course, on a questionable warrant. Because of this new bust, his bond for the LSD factory case was revoked, and voila, one Owsley Stanely imprisoned.

N.Y. - Blood Sweat, and Tears hive returned from their State Department sponsored tour of “Iron Curtain” countries (Yugoslavia, Rumania, Poland) where they met with a good measure of success. The tour had been heavily criticized by both members of BS&T and the public as xmerely another Amerikan ruse. However, Mood Sweat eventually agreed to go on with it and there’s not much more to add about the state of political consciousness among supposedly “hip” members of the rock community.

The group did at least manage to cause a hear , riot among their fans in Bucharest — fires lighted in the balconies,,windows broken, and trained dogs cut loose on the people, just like at home.

The whole shebang was filmed, of course, for Amerikan propaganda use on television later this year. “Back In The U.S.S.R.”?

Both Ringo Starr and George Harrisom have completed solo albums in Nashville, Ringo’s with Pete Drake doing the production.

Ronnie: Hawkins is in Miami cutting his second album since the fabled comeback. The back-up group will be the Dixie Flyers, with Jerry Wexler producing.

Don Eyerly is doing a solo album, even though there is no breakup between the two brothers. His album will be backed by such personages as Burrito Brothers* Sneeky Pete and Chris Etheridge and the former drummer for Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Jim Keltner.

Those wonderful Wizard animators who did Yellow Submarine are at it again. They plan to do an animated rock version Of Snow White the old fairy tale previously made famous by Walt Disney.

Love’s new album, False Start on Blue Thumb, will feature several live cuts from their British tour — and Jimi Hendrix is all over the place on it, they say.

John and Yoko Lennon have made ai further break from Apple. They have formed a new company, Ono Music, to handle the publication of Yoko’s songs, which were previously handled by Apple. What will be next?

Dave, Mason has formed a band with Cass Elliot and a pair of well-known L.A. super-session men, Russ Kunkel, a drummer, and Brian Garofalo on bass. Mason preferably hopes to add two more people, a keyboard artist and someone for additional' voice and second guitar parts.

Keith Emerson, the late Nice’s organist, has formed a new band with Greg Lake, of the late King Crimson (bass), and drummer Carl Palmer of the late Atomic Rooster. Or, the other two groups are still together with or without Palmer/Lake. And then again ...

That dapper young man of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, Peter Yarrow, has received a free three month vacation to one of Amerika?s least-popular havens, namely prison, for his “activities” with a 14 year-old girl in his hotel room some time ago. Specifically, he was charged with “molesting” her and her sister.

Rick Grech, formerly of Family, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, etc. fame, has now joined forces with Traffic. He will be appearing with them on their next; U.S. tour, scheduled for November.

Mother Earth are doing their share for peace by playing two concerts sponsored by Peace, Inc., an organization that grew out of the Vietnam Moritorium Committee. The first concert was held in New York and the second in Philadelphia. Tracy Nelson, lead vocalist, said, “As musicians we feel this is the most effective way we can fulfill our political obligations. By performing at any of these benefits, we not only find a way of stating what we believe in, but we also find a means of raising capital to be used to further these beliefs. And we can do all this while entertaining.”

Fantasy Records has signed to release Archie Shepp’s European albums.

Prophesy Records has completed production of five albums for a specialized blues series. The set includes records by Lightnin’ Hopkins, Clifton Chenier, Billy Riser, Calvin Johnson and T-Bone Walker, All the records were recorded in Houston where all those dudes live; the Riser lp is the last recorded before his death.

The most interviewed member of the Who, Peter Townshend, has picked up the pen himself and has become a member of the writing staff of Melody Maker, England’s best known newspaper of pop. Townshend. will have a column which will appear once a month and will cover “a wide variety of subjects”. Meanwhile, Peter’s brother, nine year-old Simon, has formed his own group.

Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider, The Last Movie) is preparing for his third film, based on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”. The film’s projected star is Michelle Phillips, recently divorced from John Phillips. Both Michelle and John were formerly central figures in now defunct folk-rockers, the Mamas and the Papas.

Michelle and Hopper are rumored to be engaged, as well.

Eric Clapton is about to descend upon Amerika with his new group, Derek and the Dominoes which is primarily composed of former Delaney and Bonnie band members, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon and Bobby Whitlock. They record in Miami for three weeks and then go back to Europe for a tour there.

Marshall Chess is supposedly the head of the Stones new label after his surprising resignation as head of Chess/Checker. And the latest rumoi says that the new Stones album (Get Your Yys-Yas Out, a live doubledisc) will be distributed by ABC and that it’s on its way.

Apparently the Rolling Stones have discovered another new talent. Kris Kristofferson has written three songs for the Stones’ new movie. He also has his first album out on Monument.

The rock opera, “Jesus Christ; Superstar” has finally been recorded for fall release over here. It stars Ian Gillian of Deep Purple as Jesus, Murray Head as Judas Iscariot, Mike d’Abo (Manfred Mann) as Herod and includes performances by the Grease Band, Quartermass, Juicy Lucy, and Nucleus.

Columbia is preparing to release a five album set of vintage blues material. The records include second albums by Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson, records by Bukka White, Leadbelly and an anthology by blues scholar Paul Oliver entitled The Story of, the Blues, based on Oliver’s book of the same name.

The Johnson album is to be entitled King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 the sequel to the first mind-blowing volume released a couple of years ago on Columbia. This completes the entire repetoire of Johnson, whom many feel was the greatest bluesman of all time. Featured on that disc are “Love In Vain”, “Phonograph Blues” and “Dead Shrimp Blues”

The Bessie Smith album is the second release in a five album series of her works and features “Wild About That Thing” and “Jailhouse Blues”.

The Oliver anthology includes cuts by Bessie Smith (“In The House Blues”), Otis Spann (“Bloody Murder”) and Robert Johnson (“Little Queen of Spades”).

Junior Wells has a new record coming out with Buddy Guy, the late, great Otis Spann, Louis Meyers, Fred Below, and Ernest Johnson. It’s to be released on Delmark.

Ginger Baker has now summoned up the audacity to challenge Elvin Jones to a drum duel. Baker, whose warped mind rates Max Roach ahead of Jones, said that “Elvin isn’t playing as well as he did five years ago.” And its a good thing too, otherwise the stage would cave in.

The James Gang are finally breaking out. They have been selected by the Who as their No. 2 band and plan to tour Europe with them in October.

The winner of the Montana Miss America beauty cofitest., 18 year old Kathy Huppe, was forced to give up her throne by contest officials because she wouldn’t keep quiet about her opposition to the war in Vietnam. Apparently such views are not in harmony with the officials definition of “Beauty”.

The Treasury Department of the Federal Government has begun a systematic effort to obtain the names of people who check out library materials about explosives and, in some case, books loosely described as “subversive” or “militant”. Investigators of the Treasury Department of the Internal Revenue Service have been quietly visiting libraries seeking this information for the last two months. The result is believed to be the nation’s first coordinated effort to gather intelligence information that makes Amerikans suspect because of what they read. Move evidence for our up-coming trials for thought crimes?

LOS ANGELES—A1 Wilson, writer of Canned Heat’s most successtul material, is dead at 27. He died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in the backyard of Bob Hite, another member of the band. Hite’s home is in Topanga Canyon.

Rumors abound that Wilson died of an overdose of “reds” (downers) although no official cause of death has been filed as yet. Hite’s wife, who found the body, said that Wilson had regularly camped out in back of the house, living out of a van parked there.

Investigators did find “four red tablets” in his pocket. But no official reason has yet been given for the death.

The rest of the group had left the day before for a six-week tour of Europe, their third this year, expecting that A1 Wilson would meet them there. Wilson founded Canned Heat with Hite and recently re-joined guitarist Henry Vestine.

The Rolling Stones are presently touring Europe with three additional members. One of the three is really no surprise, since Ian Stewart has appeared with the group and on records with them at various times over the years. The other two are former Delaney and Bonnie hornmen, Bobby Keys and Jim Price (trombone/trumpet and sax, respectively). Stewart plays keyboards.

Touring with the group is Buddy Guy’s group, featuring Junior Wells on harp. The tour closes October 8 in Amsterdam.

LOS ANGELES—John Kay, of Steppenwolf, is planning to run for a position as trustee of Los Angeles’ junior college (community college) system next April. Kay sees the next year and a half as the last opportunity for social reform through elections. And if Nixon and his ilk are re-elected he sees coming repression. But, he added, “If we’rb gonna go out on the streets, let’s learn how from the French underground resistance, from Che and make it meaningful.”