ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen have signed with Paramount Records. Without a record or a booking agent, Cody has a devout following in Ann Arbor-Detroit (his home) frenzied followers in Berkeley (his second home) and fans in New York City where three Cody songs on tape have been enthusiastically received at WPLJ. The Commander is in Berkeley recording the album, which is due around Labor Day.

Folks better start lining up now for their tickets, because Jesus Christ Superstar is opening on Broadway in October. And it ain’t no regular rip-off, either, it’s the Robert Stigwood Organization of Cream fame (who own the copyright) and they mean business, big business: their initial budget is $800,000.

Van Morrison recorded a song with the Band, and, yes, it will be on their next album. That’s due out sometime in July; or maybe August.

Wild Man “Larry” Fischer, who has a great album on Bizarre records, wants you to know that he is available for concerts anywhere. Larry promises his concerts will be unforgettable and unique, so, if you’re interested, you can write to him at 5 Westmihster, Venice, California. He is currently embarked on a midwest tour that began June 5 at Detroit’s Eastown Theatre, where Wild Man sang a number during a break in the Flamin Groovies set.

Free has broken up. No details are available yet. All right now.,.

The UP, Ann Arbor’s rock, revolution and roll band, affiliated with the Rainbow People’s Party (formerly the White Panther Party), recorded a new tune that was Originally only to be used in a radio broadcast as part of the Free John Sinclair Now campaign. Now they say they might release the record on their own Sundance label. Song is titled Free John Now, appropriately enough.

Dennis “Fearless” Frawley, of WABX (formerly half of the legendary Kokaine Karma) and one of the best rock and roll deejays in the country,, was married Saturday June 5 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. The Malevolent One wed the alsp legendary Chris Hench. “Going to the chapel...”

Also on the Detroit radio scene, we heartily welcome back to our airwaves Dan Carlisle and Paul Griner. Don’t know how we got along without you,

Bobby Neuwirth, former road manager for Bob Dylan and popular person at beautiful people parties, has finally finished his first album for Capitol. He’s been talking about it for at least two years. His followers (including Blind Boy Grunt) packed the Village Gaslight for a' week while he was there last winter.

Rick Derringer has left Johnny Winter And, and joined Edgar’s White Trash rock ’n’ soul band. Manager Steve Paul, Johnny and others of the Paul entourage are now lazing about Mexico in a flower-filled swimming pool. Rumor has it.

Look, if you didn’t hear the great John Lennon single, you should know that the lyrics go like this;

Power to the people Power to the people Power to the people Power to the people, right on!

Say you want a revolution We better get it on right away Get on your feet And into the street, singing... (chorus)

A million workers working for nothing You better give ’em what they really own We gotta put you down When we come into town, singing... (chorus)

I gotta ask you comrades and brothers How do you treat your own women back home She got to be herself So you can free yourself (chorus)

Needless to say, despite the importance of Lennon’s new stance (which you can check out in the July Ramparts in a truly amazing interview: “Nothing changed except we all dressed up a little1 bit, leaving the same bastards running everything.”) very few radio stations had the courage or foresight to program “Power to the People.” It’s on Apple 1830, and Yoko’s b side is killer too (a revolutionary poem like Diane Di Prima’s — “Touch”). And, oh yeah, it’s copyright, 1971, by Maclen Music, if John still cares.

Many thanks to Alice Cooper, Detroit and Pride of Women, all of whom helped raise some necessary bread for CREEM at a benefit in late May. Alice’s set was especially fine, and it helped put things on a better foundation for this rag.

Atlantic Records on-again, off-again plans to release Brigid Polk’s tapes of the Velvet Underground live at Max’s Kansas City recorded, last summer (copies of copies of copies of those tapes have been circulating cbast-to-coast for months) are off again. And .it looks like this time it’s permanent. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the forthcoming Lou Reed'solo album, his first since-leaving the Velvets.

Jackie Curtis’ new play opened in New York a few weeks ago. It’s called “Vain Victory, or Vicisstudes of the Damned” (sounds like Hollywood 1935) starring such Warhol regulars as Ld Curtis, Candy Darling, Ondine, and Mario Montez. With a title and a cast like it’s got, the rumors of internal friction still shouldn’t keep it from being a smash.

Newly released is “The Coward (?) p£ My Lai” by the Anonymous Soldier on PC Records. The song is about a soldier from the “C” company who wouldn’t follow orders. All artists’ royalties are going to the Southeastern Fund for World Peace. Now you know as much as we do.

A.J. Weberraan had a 30th birthday party for Bob Dylan May 23 outside of Bob’s house at 94 Macdougal, just off Bleecker. Bob wasn’t there, of course, and A.J. did his usual number about how Bob is ripping us off, and even. detailed Bob’s alleged various drug hangups. One of the afternoons highlights was a yo-yo demonstration by felon Abbie Hoffman. The party ended after a few hours, the most celebratory aspect of the afternoon being that A1 Aronowitz (of the N. Y. Post) and other Dylan cronies treated the whole crowd to free hotdogs and sodas saying “It’s Dylans treat” and giving out a leaflet inviting everyone around the corner afterwards to a similar party in front of Weberman’s loft, where, allegedly, A.J. would be giving away rare Dylan recordings, Untrue, and few believed it in the first place. A good time was had by all and A. J. even got his face in the Daily News.

Fantasy Records has bought North American distribution rights to the entire catalogue of Prestige Records. Prestige has long been one of the major independent jazz and blues labels; their historic albums featuring the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and John Lee Hooker will be re-issued, and they will be releasing new material from Gene Ammons, Idris Muhammed and Boogaloo Joe Jones, among others.

John Poulis, ex-drummer for Chicago’s defunct Buckinghams, has found religion. In fact the Buckinghams broke up right around the time Poulis dropped out to start managing the Midwest’s top Jesus-rock group, “Hope.” Recalling the golden days of the Buckinghams, Poulis says, “We were tired of being just a box of corn flakes. -We were just a figment of people’s imagination, all they wanted out of us was more hits . . . I got into religion, and now I’m so emotionally involved with ‘Hope,’ doing this business trip, that I don’t have time to perform ...”

In the past month or two, Love, the New Riders Of The Purple Sage, and Ten Years After have signed with Columbia. Three big moves, Clive, baby.

The Newport Jazz Festival(18th annual) commences July ‘2, through July 5, at familiar old Festival Field in Newport, Rhode Island. This year features many more traditional ja.Zz artists than have appeared there in recent memory, aS well as Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Roberta Flack, Voices of East Harlem, Eubie Blake, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and a few other modern artists.

The Newport Folk Festival will be back, after one year playing possum, July 16-18 at that same Festival Field featuring Oscar Brand, Flash and the Dynamics, John Hartford, J.B. Hutto and the Hawks, Rev. Kirkpatrick, Kris Kristofferson, Country Joe, Jay F. Murphy and Salt, Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, Chris Smithers, Happy & Artie Traum and many other' acts, a lot of them ethnic favorites.

Chess Records is planning, at long last, to release their Howlin’ Wolf album featuring British superstars (including Mick Jagger) sometime in the early fall. And remember their repackaged blues series last year? There’s more reissues on the way. Halleluiah.

The People’s Art Corporation has formed a record label, Good Records, h ead qua rtere d in C hie a go. Good Records will release its first LP in July by a popular Chicago group, Mountain Bus. The list price for the album, titled Mountain Bus, will be $2.98. The record will be pressed by the RCA pressing plant, which means it will be the same quality manufacture of other records that list at $4.98 and $5.98. Eight track cartridges and tape cassettes, manufactured by Ampex but distributed by Good, will list at $3.98 instead of the usual $6.98. Good will be dealing directly with stores, creating its own distribution network, instead of going through the chain of distributors that results in the higher prices. For more infprmation, wholesale or retail, contact Good Records at 1200 North Hooker, Chicago, Illinois 60622