ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Beatle John Lennon has got hisself a bad-ass rock and roll band for partners, said bad-asses being known as Elephants Memory, famed for their Metromedia album Take It to the Streets. Band is slightly changed from that record, adding Wayne “Tex” Gabriel, ex-Motor City whiz formerly with Detroit and Guardian Angel, on guitar. Lennon and E.M. did a week-long stint, with Jerry Rubin, Chuck Berry and others as guests, on the Mike Douglas show in January, which aired the week of February 14$.

Lennon will also be touring shortly, it appears, with this group, in a high-powered move for the rev. spearheaded by — among others - Lennon, Rubin, Yoko and Detroit’s John and Leni Sinclair. Sort of the first “socialist rock tour,” you might say.

Sounds good to us.

The amazing Chuck Berry sported an equally amazing backup band at a recent Hollywood Palladium gig: a rhythm section featuring Mad Dogs Carl Radle and Jim Gordon, and Keith Richard on guitar. Mick Jagger stood smiling in the wings, but nobody seemed to recognize Keith who was wearing his newly shortened hair under a Dylanish cap. Reports termedHhe band “awful,” despite (because of?) the stars, which just shows you can’t always get what you want even if it comes from people you trust.

Eric Clapton, who delighted London audiences with his surprise appearances with Leon Russell, is busy at work on Ins* second solo album. Outside of the fact that it will be recorded in Clapton’s home studios in Surrey, no details are being given.

Arthur Lee, prime mover of the legendary Love, and Columbia Records have parted company, apparently to both parties satisfaction and relief.

Having scored with Howling Wolf, Chess shipped Muddy Waters off to England in January to record with some British all-stars. Participating in the sessions were Stevie Winwood, Rory Gallagher, Georgie Fame, Rick Grech and Mitch Mitchell, among others.

John Lennon’s Socialist Rock Tour

Academy Award winner John Barry’s record album has been banned by many retailers in Britain. Reason: the cover depicts a full color, frontally-nude woman, top to bottom. Ember Records president Jeffrey S. Kruger commented, “It’s obviously time for some people in the recording industry to join the twentieth century. The John Barry album is lovely, the young lady is lovely and that’s that.”

Ron Wood had a hell of a time getting back to England from Hawaii in time for New Year’s Eve, after the Faces’ last tour. He and his wife made it from Hawaii to Los Angeles intact but upon arriving in New York, discovered that a $500 Martin guitar Ron had just bought in Detroit was missing from their baggage. The situation became even more complicated, the Martin’s bill of sale and i.d. papers were in the guitar case, as well.

Ron and his wife, Christina, collected their remaining bags, and began their wait for an 8 p.m. Air India flight to London; unfortunately, the weather conditions delayed that flight until 2 a.m., New York time.

When the Woods finally did arrive in London, they discovered — you guessed it - another bag missing. This time, the bag was full of about $750 worth of clothing. And, to add spice to the latest development, they hadn’t been given a claim check for the missing bag.

Exhausted, the couple headed for Ron’s parents’ home near London. When they arrived, naturally, they were informed that their own home, in Surrey, had been robbed while they were away.

It’s not known how the New Year’s party went.

New York’s noted media barons, Craig and Allison Karpel, are reportedly spearheading the Draft Howard Hughes Committee for the upcoming Presidential elections. The Karpels were unavailable, and said to be vacationing in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas (the answering service was uncertain), when we tried to reach them for comment.

CREEM had a brief phone call from Fred Smith the other day, just as the famous MC5 were about to leave .town for a tour of England, France and Denmark. They’ll be gone for a month and a half, which puts them back in the U.S.A., so to speak, just about the time you read this. First move when they do get back will be to conclude negotiations for an independent production (the Five and Atlantic having parted company) which would involve a live album by the group.

The first Star Trek convention was held in New York January 21st through 23rd. It was attended by upwards of 1,500 people, all of whom came together around the issues of Vulcanism and Spockhood. (CREEM has unofficially declared Star Trek its All Time No. 1 Fave Rave television show, at least among the hometown staffers.)

John Lee, of the British group, New World, was charged with assault in early January for tossing a bucket of ice water over traffic warden, Mrs. Lilly Zoeller. Lee received similar treatment from another traffic warden as the group was leaving Golden Shot TV studios in London a few days later.

Alice Cooper’s last concert managed to get rock barred from Town Hall in New York. Reason: the chicken feathers got stuck in the ventilation system. (Alice paid for the damages, but Town Hall management freaked, anyway.)

Yes, that is China, or god, or whatever her name is, on the cover of Sunfighter.

Beatle/Stone manager, Allen Klein, has formed ABKCO Records, his own label. It isn’t yet known whether Mr. Klein will record for the label himself, however.

Rod Stewart was in the studios in London recording his fourth solo lp for Mercury during February.

At presstime, it appeared that the same musicians would be used, and that Rod might do some unreleased Dylan stuff. Rod’s just been named best male vocalist in the Playboy Jazz and Pop Poll.

By the time you read this,

Rod will have celebrated his 27th birthday by marrying a former British music biz secretary and moving into a newly purchased mansion, Cranbourne Court.

Rod met his bride, 21 year old Deirdre Harrington, while she was vacationing in Los Angeles last summer.

Cranbourne Court, an eight bedroom Georgian mansion in the Berkshire countryside, was purchased by Stewart (at an estimated price of $250,000) to coincide with wedding arrangements. The 14 acre property also includes five bathrooms, kitchen, six reception rooms, staff wing, lodge, stables, garage and swimming pool.

Stewart is also gonna produce Long John Baldry again, but we were sort of planning on keeping this column full of happy news.

Rumors say Buddy Miles may be working with Miles Davis for a few gigs in the near future; it’s hard to believe, ain’t it?

Jimmy Page has become involved in politics, of a sort. He was responsible for organizing a protest in his adopted home town, Inverness, directed against the North of Scotland’s HydroElectric Board’s plans to erect four 83 foot pylons near the banks of Loch Ness. The reason for this sudden display of social consciousness? Seems one of the pylons was to have been constructed dangerously close to Page’s recently purchased estate. Lord, Lord, they blocked poor Jimmy’s view ...

English speculation seems to be that Free, who broke up on the verge of international success, may soon be reforming. Observers point to the dissolution of splinter groups Peace (formed by singer Paul Rogers) and Toby (formed by bassist Andy Fraser) as an indication.

An interesting bit of rock criticism from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Father Peter J. Maldori (“Programming Consultant”) owning the byline:

“May I take just a few moments to discuss with you a rather delicate matter of some concern.

What kind of man does read Playboy?

“The promotional spot for Grand Funk Railroad’s latest album, E Pluribus Funk, is both religiously offensive and commercially pointless. Even in this era of dalliance between the Master and music, the use of a famous Gospel text to sell records is a bit gross. Was there any connection between the music on Pluribus and the story of the coin of tribute, it would, perhaps, be excusable. Instead, the entire commercial hinges on the tenuous connection between Caesar’s much-touted token and Funk’s pun on the motto stamped on U.S. coins. I suspect there is supposed to be an incisive social commentary implied in the connection, although it thoroughly escapes detection.

From a marketing point of view, I doubt whether a stentorian reading of King James’ prose will garner much coin for Capitol or Grand Funk.

May I request that you withdraw this commercial and replace it with something composed by live copy-writers instead of dead and very much revered — evangelists.”

Someone penned, on our xeroxed copy, this comment: “Can we get them to form a Nun’s picket line around Terry Knight. His kind of publicity.” Really.

The recent rumor which had ex-Moby Grape guitarist Skip Spence dead from an overdose is apparently untrue. According to David Rubinson (who produced all of the group’s albums) Skip is very much alive and doing gigs in northern California clubs. Other ex-Grape news has Peter Lewis and Bob Mosely working on solo projects for Warners.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse have filed suit against Air Pirates Funnies, and their publisher, Hell Comix, charging copyright and trademark infringement, by portraying “well known Disney characters in a degrading, lewd and offensive manner.” Which means they’re balling, something far from the Disney imagination.

Carole King and husband/bassist Charles Larkey sort of mutually -you know what we mean - gave birth to a daughter on New Year’s Day. They named her, which was also mutual, we assume, Molly Nora. Carole will tour, mutually or not, in April or thereabouts.

Ran into Marshall Chess the other evening in Los Angeles; he says that the Stones tour looks like May, by now, with the album due. out in late March or early April. However, things keep getting put off, a month at a time, so don’t hold your breath yet.

Steve Marriot, who has left Humble Pie, apparently wants to tour with Glass Harp in Europe this summer. Reason: He really “rates” guitarist Phil Keaggy.

Germaine Greer’s next book, following the well-received Female Eunuch, will be a “new modern” adaptation of Lysistrata, the classic Greek tragedy, according to McGraw Hill. The book will also contain “an essay by Miss Greer relevant to the Women’s Lib movement.” McGraw is also publishing Marshall McLuhan’s master’s thesis, Cicero to Joyce, Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov, a fictional account of European dictatorships published originally in the late 30’s, and Howard Hughes autobiography, maybe.

Lou Reed called just as we were going to press to let us know that he was back, safe and sound from England. He has completed his solo album (for RCA), which is a rock record, as we keep assuring you and had a fabulous time while he was in Europe. “John (Cale) was there, and so was Nico, and we went and did a show in France for like 2,000 people,” said Reed, whose problem with under-recognition in the States is apparently much less severe in Europe. The album should be out by the end of the month.

Geronimo Black, the L.A. streetband featuring ex-Mothers Jimmy Carl Black, Ray Collins and Bunk Gardner, has been signed by Uni, and will have an album out (theoretically) in April.

Be on the lookout for a group called Queen, headed by exSteppenwolf bassist Nick St. Nicholas. At one of their first public performances, at Garden Grove High School, in southern California, the police were so revolted that they rushed the stage, causing a near-riot.