ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Best news on new Rod Stewart albums (no title yet): he’ll record Jerry Lee Lewis’ country hit, “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out of Me).” Yes, it’s about beer.

The Faces, Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood in particular, are working on a film score for a movie being shot in Canada. Should be released sometime in the fall. No vocals, as far as we know. It’s the first collaboration between Lane and Wood, too.

Meantime, Ron Wood did a video-tape of their Southern tour, which he said “is just like the poster.” The poster being the one1 that almost managed to get Nod withdrawn from American record store shelves.

The Faces themselves may do a movie. Chances are it wouldn’t be about rock & roll bands on tour, for which we can all praise whatever we praise when we’re exultant. (Someone has suggested that they could re-do the Marx Bros. A Night A t the Opera, getting Rod Stewart a mustache and cigar, given the way he trundles his bod around the stage.)

In the more audio portions of their presentation, the Faces can be expected with a new album in the fall. Meantime, watch for a western tour this summer, an Eastern/Midwestern tour in the fall. The Southern tour was great, almost every gig sold out and the circus ... well, see these pages next issue for the story of the Rock and Roll Circus.

Alice Cooper’s new record is School’s Out. The cover’s a school desk, and the top opens as usual. What’s inside is a pair of nylon panties instead of the usual slip sleeve, and pubic hairs covering the label on the disc. And, incidentally, also a record.

Gordon Lightfoot has been stricken with Bell’s Palsy, a disease which paralyzes one side of the face but does not affect the tongue or larynx. The cause is unknown, as is its treatment.

Thus far, Gordon hasn’t cancelled any performances, and a prompt recovery is hoped for. His new album is just out, is called Don Quixote.

Buffy Ste.-Marie is reportedly negotiating for a tour of Red China.

Deep Purple’s last tour was stricken down, as was the one before that, by hepatitis. This time it was Ritchie Blackmore, the group’s guitarist, who fell prey to the hep — all gigs after April 13 were cancelled, even though the band tried to go on without him. Apparently, no suitable replacement was to be found.

Frank Zappa is suing Playboy and Esquire for $4 million dollars, for appropriating his “artistic likeness” in advertisements for Paris belts which appeared in September issues of both mags. The advertising agency, KayserRoth Corp. and the manufacturer, Paris Fife & Drums, were also named in the suits.

B.B. King has singed a long term performance contract with the Las Vegas Hilton.

Marty Balin, late of the Jefferson Airplane, had his grass conviction upheld in Minnesota Supreme Court April 16; Balin (who was arrested under his real name, Martyn Buchwald) had appealed on grounds that a ruse had been used to bust him, leading to both illegal search and invasion of privacy, and that there was no probable cause for the arrest.

Balin was arrested when a cop dressed as a “hippie” had knocked at his motel room door, and when Balin answered, spotted a box containing “handrolled cigarettes.” The police returned later to make the arrest.

The Supreme Court ruled, in turning down Marty’s appeal, that the use of disguises “does not necessarily” violate the constitutional ban on unreasonable search.

London’s Royal Albert Hall has banned rock shows, leaving Royal Festival Hall as the only large venue for performances there. The ban was due to “enormous damage done to the hall when over-enthusiastic fans ripped seats, destroyed boxes and broke down doors.”

The Allman Brothers just purchased a 400 acre tract of land which is located in the middle of a game preserve twenty miniates from Macon. The entire band, their equipment crew and ladies are living there. They are temporarily quartered in a hunting lodge in the middle of the tract, while their permanent homes are being built.

Another part of the Allmans’ idea is to build a town to be called Abbville. This involves electing a mayor, sheriff and other officials, which the Allmans plan to do in May.

Northwestern University students have voted to change the name of Northwestern’s athletic teams from “Wildcats” to “Purple Haze.”

UNICEF, the U.N. Committee through which Bangla Deshian receipts are being channeled, says that Allen Klein has been cleared of any charges of embezzlement of funds from the Harrison and Friends show. The clearance came as a result of an investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s Office. (The investigation was initiated at the request of Klein, incidentally.)

Vigilant citizens of Corona, Ca. alerted Orange County Sheriffs deputies to check on a “big teenage narcotics party” transpiring in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. The cops moved in, surrounded the area in true t.v. fashion, closing off escape routes ... and bagged 50 Boy Scouts on a camping trip. The cops apologized for waking them up, and left.

Kim Fowley, he of the L.A. Alley Oop complexioned songwriting pen and beezaro demeanor, shoe designer, exhibition dancer, poet (published), occasional disc jockey, oft a producer, etc. has signed a “longterm contract” with Capitol records. His first album titled I’m Bad is out in about a month, but you won’t believe it anyhow ...

Roy Estrada, the ex-Mother of Invention, has left Little Feat to join Captain Beefheart. Little Feat has added three new members in replacing him:

Sam Clayton, Paul Barrere and Ken Gradney.

Joseph Begley of Eveashen, England saved 2,000 cigaret coupons and mailed them in to the tobacco company to receive a wristwatch. When the watch didn't arrive, he wrote and asked for an explanation.

He received three watches the next day. Begley, who only wanted one, sent two back. Then it started: ten packages one day,

18 the next, ten more the day after that.

All trade-in gifts from the tobacco company. Three tape recorders, a doll, a golf bag, tw6 electric blankets, a cot, saucepans, a pressure cooker, and record albums. Begley sat down and wrote a long, pleading letter to the firm, asking it to stop. The company replied, by mail, saying, “It was a computer error.” They gave Begley 10,000 coupons in compensation for his troubles. With these, Begley ordered tools and a bedspread.

The computer sent a plant stand and two step-ladders, instead. Frijid Pink have been signed to MGM’s Lion label; you might remember them from “House of the Rising Sun,” the 1970, not 1964, version.

The legendary Wolfman Jack (see Todd Rundgren’s Something/ Anything) has left Mexican hi-watt XPRS to Los Angeles’ KDAY. He’ll still be accessible all over the West Coasi, in that he is syndicating a three hour spot to 28 other markets. This marks the first time the Wolfman has ever done a live show, taking calls and requests from the audience, and the results promise to be as grosso bizarre as ever.

Beatles: John Lennon and Yoko have had their visas renewed, or at least extended, so they’ll be in New York and the States for a while longer; George Harrison cut all his hair off, not to mention his beard.

If the rumoured Allen Ginsberg album on which Bob Dylan plays is released (on Apple? Fantasy turned it down), the title will be Holy Soul Jelly Roll.

Clifford Irving, of Presidential candidate Hughes fame, turned down a $100,000 offer to do a 30 second tv commercial. Product: aspirin.

In Washington, D.C. 70 year old Clarence Hayes went to George Washington University Hospital seeking treatment for a blood disease. Refused admittance for lack of money, he told the receptionist, “I’ve got the money, I’ll go get it.” He was arrested 45 minutes later for holding up a bank.

The title of the new Captain Beefheart album is Brown Star; the quickest follow-up in history to a Beefheart album. The Cap is also engaged in a Jethro Tull tour, a result of his haberdashery-based friendship with head Tull Ian Anderson.

The Fire sign Theatre have completed filming a television commerical for their last album, a two record set of bits from their L.A. and syndicated radio shows, called Dear Friends.

Maud Walker, a 59 year old housewife from Sydney,

Australia, died of a heart attack on the Sydney show, “Temptation,” after being told she had won her round in a quiz show.

Said an Aussie tv bfficial: “When the relatives recover from the shock, we may offer them the film of the program (which wasn’t shown). I’m sure they’d like to see how happy she was.”

Sly Stone is making plans to transmit a West Coast performance on closed circuit video to other Western outlets.

Addendum to Knight vs. Funk/ Eastman, et. al.: The damages against Eastman have been upped by $16 million dollars, with Eastman being sued for “malicious and intentional” interference between Terry and the group, the band for statements made “with malice and with the intention of holding Knight up to public and personal scorn and ridicule.” Knight has also suspended the group’s contract, which would in effect (and if upheld) prevent the contract from expiring until some sort of settlement is reached. But don’t expect to see GFR at Madison Square Garden at any point this summer.

More Terry-Toons: When GFR had their huge L.A. billboard on Sunset Strip a few months ago, Knight got the big silver letters spelling out the band’s name sent back to him one at a time in the Capitol mail run.

Terry is also supposed to have contracted three 16 year olds, Mother’s Apple Pie, who are reportedly a “far cry from Funk, Grand or otherwise.” No record deal yet, though.

Latest Marc Bolan rumours from Britain: he has leukemia; he is about to undergo a sex change operation and marry Mickey Finn. Both decidedly untrue.

Bolan is to score, he says, the new Fellini movie. The name of the new T. Rex record label is “T. Rex Hot Wax Company.”

Steve Miller just spent some time in a Texas hospital with mono.

Black Monkees: the Funky Five, doing a projected tv series for Artco Productions in Hollywood. “Not based on the life of the Jackson Five or any other” singing group. Unquote.

Jerry Blavat one of the leading disc jockeys of early rock and roll, has started a new jukebox service in the Philadelphia area: Geater Boxes. The Geaters are loaded with Fabulous Fifties Oldies, and Fab ’50s oldies, only. Stuff like “Great Balls of Fire,” “Rock Around the Clock” and so on. And, this is the best part, he leaves Geater Grams around, with pads so you can write down your favorite songs that aren’t on the box. At the end of the week, the top five at each location are added. All reeet!