ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Disc and Music Echo, the British teen weekly, just published their pop poll for 1971 and we thought you might be interested in knowing that: THE TOP TEN GROUPS in the world are: Led Zepplin, Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Creedence, The Four Tops, the Who, CSNY, The Temptations and Deep Purple (?!?) in that order. In Britian, though, the top group is the Beatles, Zep second, Stones third. The Who place 7th there, as well, with Black Sabbath in at 9 and Pink Floyd at 10. THE TOP MALE SINGER in the world is: Elvis Presley, followed by Robert Plant. Dylan placed 5th, McCartney 6 then Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Andy Williams, and Scott Walker. The British only poll placed Tom Jones at the top, followed by Cliff Richard, Plant, McCartney, Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Jagger (seventh???), Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, Englebert Television, and Roger Daltry. My my.

Other categories were equally interesting: Eric Clapton landed in first place as top musician for the year, barely beating out Hank Marvin. Marvin, according to the poll, is better than Page, Hendrix, Emerson, McCartney, Harrison, Townshend and even teen-fave Richie Blackmore and Alvin Lee. Similarly the top singer on the planet is reputed to be MELANIE? and Aretha Franklin places a lowly seventh (seventh place is like a holy place in this quiz so far, right?). Weirdest of all, after Bridge Over Troubled Water was voted both best single AND best album, was that the live groups category made sense. One two three were the Who, Deep Purple and the Stones, in that order, with Zep fourth. Four Tops, Beach Boys, Hollies, Free, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd rounded it. Almost made sense, one might have said. The Brightest Hope Category is too ridiculous and scary to begin to consider. We’ll spare ya the details.

In an attempt to recapture its “youthful image” (which must have gone down the drain when the Depression snapped the flapper era) Miami Beach has allocated $300,000 for a series of ten rock’n’roll shows that will begip around June. Wonder if they’ll invite the Doors?

MACON, Ga. — The Allman Brothers and four roadies were arrested in Jackson, Ala. on March 22 on grass charges. Police also reported finding “small quantities of heroin and an unidentified drug.”

The Allmans and company were held for two days (during which time they missed two concerts) and then released on $2000 bond each. They had been busted when the manager of a roadside restaurant reported their “objectionable behavior” to the police. When the cops arrived they searched both of the Allman’s cars and their equipment truck.

The Allmans will probably face trial in Alabama: court in the fall according to their attorney.

KRAB-FM has been commended by an FCC examner and recommended for a full three-year extension of its liscense despite the fact that it occasionally deliberately allows the use of language which might “be offensive to some people”. The last is a quote from the actual FCC doctrine. The examiner, Ernest Nash, so strongly defended the programming of KRAB that if his decision is adopted it will serve to virtually ammend the commission’s position on obscenity on the airwaves as a whole. The FCC now has 50 days to ask for a review of the decision, or the liscense is granted.

A Buddy Miles impersonator caused a mini-riot in Minneapolis April 10th. Miles himself had originally planned to appear but the job was cancelled when the promoter failed to come up with the deposit for the gig.

The show was advertised and promoted as featuring Miles, however, and on the night of the show, one thousand people showed up, at $5.50 a head. They were introduced as Buddy Miles Band by Jimmy Smith, Music Director of KUXL in St. Paul, the show’s MC.

The imposter was identified by two criteria: he was much thinner than the 250 pound popstar and he didn’t have Miles’ diamond imbedded front tooth.

In the melee ensuing after the ruse was discovered, two people were arrested and charged with “public disturbance” after police were called because the crowd had overflowed to the streets. Extensive damage was caused to the club.

Yes, yes, yes. The Mamas and the Papas have reformed. Lou Adler won’t produce, but all the other elements are there, even Cass Elliott, who’s apparently left Dave Mason. At least for the nonce. Why is all of this so exciting? Because it proves, once and for all, that there is hardly any difference between 1961 and 1971, that’s why.

Paul McCartney, who is not the same one that was in Peter, Paul and Mary, is however cutting a solo album. “With a knife.”

Bob Dylan and Leon Russell just recorded together. Leon has now recorded with everyone in the rock and roll spectrum except: Commander Cody, Alice Cooper, Captain Beefheart, the Stooges, Ray Charles and (maybe) Sonny Til and the Orioles. So what?

The Holy Modal Rounders and Bobby Sherman are now on the same label, Metromedia. Any chance of a jam???

The Stooges made their return appearance, the first in five months, at a brand new Motor City ballroom on April 13. The band sounded great, the Ig was a little stiff but all in all things seem to be progressing. The boys have added a new bassist and rhythm guitarist, with the core of the band itself remaining the Ashton brothers, Ron and Scott.

The new ballroom is the Vanity, located in the city’s east side ghetto. It’s a plush palace, designed by the same architect who designed the legendary Grande. The difference is, of course, that the architect never finished the Grande — the Vanity was finished and it’s really posh. Neo-Aztec stylings and excellent acoustics, and as Wayne Kramer of the MC5 kept putting it, “real good vibrations, man, you know.”

Suprisingly enough, on a bill that featured the Five and the Stooges, the one band that got the crowd to its feet was the Frut, who sounded better’n ever.

Joe Cocker is due with a new single, “Black Eyed Blues”, done at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Flying Dutchman is gonna release an album with Angela Davis, taped just a few days before she went to jail behind conspiracy charges resulting from the Marin Shoot Out. Miss Davis and Ruchell Magee, the sole surviving member of the Marin Shoot Out gang, face conspiracy charges in Marin this spring.

The Rolling Stones made a pair of videotapes at London’s Roundhouse in March, one 28 minutes long and one which runs 52 minutes. The films are to be tied in with their next album and single for viewing.

Andy Warhol, incidentally, has designed the group’s new album cover, which features the world’s first zip-up front. And all this in the year of the button fly?

Bob Seger Will shortly begin appearances as a solo act. The “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” author won’t be acoustic, though, he’ll be playing electric guitar, without a band, perhaps with additional instruments. We don’t really know what to make of it either.

Let It Be; The MC5’s long rumored third album, High Time, has been delayed another three weeks, reportedly because the Five haven’t been able to get it together to mix the tapes. High tirpe, indeed!

The Siegel/Schwail Blues Band will be doing a gig with the Boston Symphony sometime this spring. The Siegel/ Schwall Blues Band with the Boston Symphony???

The Stooges move into the studio in June for album number three. Other Motor City groups: Amboy Dukes, live again, on their Southern tour; Brownsville Station, who’ve completed their second for Warners; Savage Grace, their second, Tor Warners; the Sunday Funnies, on Rare Earth, and produced by none other than Andy Oldham of Rolling Stones fame. Dick Wagner of the Frost is in the studio too, with a new group; Scott Morgan and Terry Trabandt, late of the Rationals have formed Guardian Angel and are looking about for a contract; and Detroit, cum Mitch Ryder, just released “It Ain’t Easy” on Paramount.

The Parliaments/Funkadelics have a British tour coming up. .They’re being booked by a lecture agency who call them the “most important thing since Jimi Hendrix.” Maybe the European gig will shake things loose for them over here, the way it did for the equally bizarre (but hardly more-so) Hendrix.

FLASH !!!

Mick Jagger arid Bianca DeMacias were married in London May 12th. Those were the only details available at presstime.

Miroslav Vitous, Joe Zawinul, Wayne. Shorter and Alphonze Mouzer, have formed a new group called Weather Report. Vitous, ZaWinul and Shorter have previously played together in Miles Davis’ group, with Shorter being with Davis the longest. Wayne, as a matter of fact, has several solo albums to his credit including the chilling Super Nova. Along with Shorter’s soprano and tenor saxophone, Vitous adds bass, Zawinul keyboards and Mouzer, formerly with Roy Ayers and Gil Evans, among others, drums.

Zawinul is, of course, one of the foremost jazz composers currently writing. The group has been signed to Columbia with an album due shortly.

The story of Grand Funk Railroad will be documented in the upcoming edition of the Encyclopedia Americana.

Dangerous bizarro Kim Fowley has signed a contract with RCA, who may never learn.

By the time you read this Epic should have put out a new live album by the old, long-gone Yardbirds. It was recorded at the Anderson Theatre on New York’s Lower East Side in March of ’68. Cuts include “Train Kept A Rollin’”, “Drinkin’ Muddy Water”, “I’m A Man,” and a germinal, pre-Zep version of Jimmy Page’s latter day hit,' “Dazed and Confused.” Good stuff from what we’ve heard.