ROOK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Luscious Legs Lairy Smith of Bonzo Dog fame and Keith Moon (right) with his more-and-more frequent decolletage’ on the set of NBC’s special, Good Vibrations From London, which was shown in July. Moon and Smith were mc’s for the event which also featured Sha Na Na, Joe Cocker, Beach Boys and Melanie.

Leon Russell’s embarking on a 50 city tour, part of which will be video-taped? Faberge, the sponsor, is trying to place it with a , network as a half-hour or hour special.

Dean Torrance (ex-Jan and ...), Bruce Johnston (ex-Beach Boy) and Terry Melcher (still Doris Day’s son) have formed a new group, California. It's been delayed while Melcher recuperates in the hospital, a consequence of a motorcycle accident this spring.

Led Zeppelin’s next release may be a double set, half of which may also be recorded live. Dave Davies may overdub John Bonham’s drum solo.

Johnny Barbatta is the new Airplane drummer, replacing Joey Covington, who earler replaced Spencer Dryden.

Alice Cooper is going to play a Muscular Dystrophy Benefit in Allentown Pa. With, of course,

Jerry Lewis. “We’re Only In It for the Vomit,” as Herbie Cohen once said.

Alice ran into law trouble with School’s Out, their new lp. Seems that the pair of disposable women’s panties that comes with each hadn’t been properly treated for protection against fire (Alice Cooper fans light farts?), and the Federal. Trade Commission wasn’t about to let the record go into the mail without being properly sanctified.

As Alice itself pointed out, however, surgical apparel made of the same material is not subject to such regulations; Cooper also went out of their way to point out, in a two and one-half page press release, that this means you can legally wear the pants on your head. If you want to.

At any rate, there’s another Cooper first: FIRST FEDERAL PANTY RAID!

The wind-harp mentioned here last issue, will be on the next Don

McLean tour, backed by a 30 piece orchestra and the Masked Marauders.

Noted lush R. Meltzer doing a Boswell on Kim Fowley’s recent trans-continental tour.

The latest Deep Purple fiasco (the last two American tours by the group have ended in some kind of bizarre disaster):

Enroute from Cleveland to Edmonton, Canada, Deep Purple discovered that their equipment wasn't with them. All, save one guitar, has been rerouted to Zurich!

Fortunately, the plane was tracked down at a refueling in Toronto and the show went on as scheduled.

Another bit of sickness we didn’t make up: a new, LA. (where else?) rock group, Marquis de Sade.

And, on the electoral front:

Joy of Cooking, deciding that they “weren’t going to wait for Warren Beatty to call,” had their own G.McG. benefit. They raised $5,500.

Neil Young is donating his “War Song” proceeds to Gorgeous George, too.

And James Brown donated $5,000 to THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA! For an anti-drug program, in the state. But it just so happens that the Governor of Georgia is one Jimmy Carter, who wrote a song once, too. It’s called . “You Are My Sunshine.”

Duane Allman’s entire estate will go to his two year old daughter, Galadrielle. In a typically sexist move, the Georgia courts refused to recognize Dixie Meadows, whom Duane had been living with at the time of his death, in any way shape or form. She would legally have been his common-law

wife, except for a previously undissolved marriage.

Allman’s motorcycle was sold, after his death, to Grover Sassaman, a Macon Harley Davidson dealer. Sassaman says he intends to sell it to one of a list of about 50 persons who are interested in purchasing the bike after it has been restored. One has offered $2,500 for the bike, which was worth $2,200 new.

The Firesign Theatre is (are?) working hard these days, finishing an album originally designed as a Shakespearean parody entitled “Anything You Want To” to something called NOT INSANE!

We don’t know too much about it, but NOT INSANE! is the campaign slogan of Firesign Presidential candidate George Papoon. Papoon’s platform includes only three promises: One Organism — One Vote, which says that voting should not be restricted “by reason of age, size, or location on the food-chain,”

One Man — One Channel!, which says that “Everyone has a right to be seen and heard, at least by themselves,” and the Guaranteed Annual Year, which is selfexplanatory. When not on the bandwagon for Papoon, Firesign is going over the page-proofs of the Big Book Of Plays, which includes the scripts for their albums, and which will be out soon.

Cognoscenti who have heard acetates of Jim Dippy’s debut album are all abuzz over this 22-year-old, who many feel might be the answer to James Taylor's waning popularity. Dippy's producer, British veteran Ian Tuckwell is taking the album master around to record companies, looking for a deal, and refuses to comment on very much, including backup musicians. Trained ears say they hear Jerry Garcia, Carole King, Merrie Clayton, Clarence .White, and several other “names.” Tuckwell feels that the cut ‘Telegram To Jesus” has definite hit potential. Won’t somebody sign Jim Dippy?

Hie Turtles have reformed as the Phlorescent Leech and Eddie. The group will include Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman (both ex-Torti) Aynsley Dunbar and Don Preston. Frank Zappa will not produce, although he may be allowed to visit the sessions. Alice Cooper (right) in the pose that he couldn’t allow himself to take for CREEM last winter -seems it was bad for his image. Then.

Here’s a quick easy way to tell how bad your record store is ripping you off. Many labels, including the whole Warners/ Atlantic/Elektra group, are now including a retail price code on the spine of their albums. It’s usually pretty easy to spot. Frinstance: DR. JOHN/

GUMBO/ATCO SD 7006/0598 is what is says on the spine of that particular album, and it’s clear that $5.98 is the actual suggested retail price. Various industry groups are currently studying the feasability of making price-coding mandatory, which is at least a step in the right direction.

Another hot (actually, lukewarm) Grand Funk suit on tap: Delta Productions, the Michigan booking agency which rose to a certain kind of notoriety when they advertised such colossal whoppers as personal appearances by the Animals, Zombies and Archies years after the groups themselves had ceased to exist (or, in the case of the Archies, never existed in the first place), have sued GFRR for $56 million for alleged breach of contract signed several years ago, when the band members were all under-21.

Filing a $56,000,000 suit is a surprisingly easy matter it seems; it costs a $ 12 filing fee. This is one, for once, we don’t have to take too seriously, according to the best information anyone can gather. As sometimes-current Funk manager Knight remarked,” They better get in line. Others got there first.”

See' ya in court.

Anita Pallenbetg and Keith Richard’s second son was bom, in Switzerland, in June.

Funeral services are now on the sales list of a Tokyo department store. Do not think about this item.

The ultimate in ecumenical hoochiie-koo occured in Dallas, June 15, when 75,000 people showed up for “Explo ’72.” Billy Graham called it “a religious Woodstock.” Famous preachers and rock bands with names like The Armageddon Experience appeared, urging the crowd on to chants like “two bits, four bits, six bits, a All for Jesus. holler." Yea God!

Frank Zappa’s a mother after all. Noted rock muckraker David Walley has just written a book about smutlord Frank Zappa. Chances are you’ll never see it, though. Outerbridge and Lazard, and Fusion Magazine (the book’s publishers) are holding it up due to Zappa and manager Herb Cohen’s refusal to grant permission to quote song lyrics.

Permission to print the lyrics had been granted, previously, but once Frank and Herb read the proofs, they weren’t so sure. So they returned the check. Fusion, Walley and O&D are all expected to take a financial bath on the deal.

Kate Taylor, sister of J. and L. and A., has reportedly retired from singing.

KIOI-FM, in San Francisco, made “Sixteen Reasons” by Connie Stevens its Pick Hit for the week of June 19.J‘Sixteen Reasons” first reached the charts on February 7,1960.

Grammy Award Winner B.B. King, who is also the world’s number one blues singer and composer, has scheduled a worldwide concert tour for this fall. The tour will include stops in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Manila, where the King is certain to inspire the age-old musical question, “Can a yellow man sing the blues?”

Famed r&b singer, and rock and roll pioneer, Clyde McPhatter died on June 13th. He was 41.

McPhatter made numerous classic recordings with Atlantic in the Fifties, first with the Drifters (“Honey Love,” “Money Honey,” etc.), later as a solo artist (“A Lover’s Question”). He had begun his career as a member of Billy Ward and the Dominoes.

Col Tom Parker, who manages Elvis Presley, has been appointed vice-president and entertainment consultant to Hilton Hotels boss man Barron Hilton. (Hope he does better than he did with filmscripts.) Hilton had goldplated business cards made up for the Kentucky Colonel, whose claim to the military handle is at least as secure as the Fried Chicken King’s.

Meanwhile, Elvis and wife Priscilla are reportedly split, maybe for good.

Delaney Bramlett appeared at the Whiskey Au Go Go with a band that did not include Bonnie. Sort of like false teeth without Polident.

Pat Boone, who is heavily into Jesus, has formed a company known as Lambs and Lion Records. It will specialize in the musical embellishment of he-who-walks-on-water’s younger flock. Since these sheep -er, lambs, have in many cases tried to take on the lion of distribution with predictable results (they aren’t circulated ait all), L&L’s ready to handle that too. Pat plans to hype L&L via TV, radio and “print media”, and will have’ it set up as both a retail and mail-order front.

RCA is reportedly adding a “Jesus Music” division to the RCA Record Club, too, which will be supervised by L&L. Can you imagine checking one bpx: Teen, Easy Listening, Jazz, Jesus?

Prof. James Makepiece (oh come ON) of the California Technological Research Station (they’re really cornin’ out of the woodwork lately, ain’t they?) has estimated that seven million black plastic discs are sold and manufactured on a nonreturnable basis each week. These records, he explains, are non-biodegradable.

Prof. Makepiece recently had a hemorrage while viewing the combined record collections of several unidentified rock critics.

Will William Burroughs really interview Mick Jagger for Saturday Review? Not if Gary Stromberg can help it.

Everly Brothers billboard in Hollywood: “If they could turn your parents on, they' can wipe you out...” Didn’t think anybody still surfed ...

Mickey Dolenz showed up for , Alice Cooper’s concert in Flint late in June. The band and friend managed a couplechoruses of Mick’s ol* theme song: “Hey hey we’re the Monkees!!...”