ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Thailand's King Bhumi-bol ("Brother of the Moon," "Half-Brother of the Sun") has been playing jazz sax for thirty years, since he was 14 years old. But his highest wish has always been to play with The Rolling Stones. The wish will be granted on the Stones' current Far Eastern tour-but just for one night,according to Mick jagger.

Jagger may have great luck with heads of state,incidentally, but when it comes time to deal with the King of Jazz, Miles Davis,he's not in such high regard, or demand. Last time Mick & Bianca were in New York, Manhattan's leading friend of the great took Mick by Miles' house to introduce them. Miles was typically frank about how he felt about "white-ass" musicians, and Jagger and friend left, without their audience.

Miles, incidentally, has a couple of singles in the process of preparation, two albums in the can (and he's recording another), is about to begin touring again (after the car accident in which both of his legs were broken) and is thinking about beginning work on an autobioraphy.

David Bowie is augmenting the Spiders from Mars with several new pieces, turning into a 12-piece band. The new lineup includes three saxophones, moog synthesizer,male vocalists for backup and a new guitarist. Bowie will no longer play guitar. His next LP, incidentally, will be titled, Love Aladdin Vein.

At press-time, the expected "Superstar" lineup for Eric Clapton's comeback concert in London, January 13 was to be Pete Townshend, Ron Wood of the Faces on bass, Jim Keltner on drums and Steve Winwood on keyboards. (Winwood and Keltner had prior commitments which they hoped to postpone.) The group was put together for the show by Townshend. The performance was Clapton's first since the Bangla Desh benefit, a year and a half ago. Eric's new girlfriend, incdentally, is the daughter of Lord Harlech, Kennedy friend and concert promoter. Guess who's promoting Eric's ?

Bob Seger is recording in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Leon russell's studio there, Paradise Sound.

The Grateful Dead were asked to play at halftime for the San Francisco 49ers play off game. They, obviously, turned it down. A shame.

Jerry Lee Lewis is going to England to cut one of those Chuck Berry-type supersessions. Stevie Winwood, Rod Stewart, Rick Grech, Peter Frampton, more Faces will join in.

Ian Whitcomb, whom you may remember from "You Turn Me On," some years ago, has a book out: After the Ball is part history-of-pop-music and part autobiography.

You might want to check out Myra Friedman's book, Buried Alive, too. Myra was one of Janis' best friends and her press agent, and she knows the fax.

Michael Fennelly, late of Crabby Appleton, has signed with Epic.

Terry Knight recently ran an ad in the trades which featured a looney Phoenix jumping into a pit of fire; Grand funk say they'll retaliate with another ad, featuring a brown bag full of bird shit. Watch this space.

Norfolk, Va disc jockey John Nesciwho's been reported in these pages the last few issues has had his FCC obscenity trial dropped. Nesci and his attorneys are planning legal action to test the constitutionality of the obscenity ruling anyway. (It all stems from an airing of Country Joe's Fish cheer.)

Grand Funk's equipment was confiscated by guess which Rock Prince after their December 23 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Payment for the group was also withheld, because of said R. Prince's suits against the group and the halls on its current tour. Elton John sent the postcard (that's what it is) above to Sounds, a British rock weekly. He bought it in Dallas. What was it that Bob Dylan said about "selling postcards of the hanging?" (Earth News)

Wings, the Paul McCartney group, will be doing a TV special sometime this year. It's supposed to coincide with the release of a double album in March. The film was made during a tour of the Continent last summer. Wings are also said to be planning a British tour in April, and one for America sometime later.

Rumors abound that a) McCartney will join either all the rest of the Beatles, or at least George and Ringo, for an album sometime soon, and b) wings' LP will not be on Apple. Seems contradictory to us.

Another Beetle, Ringo Starr, has been talking to the British press, at least a little bit. Says the Number One Beatlemaniac, "There are only four bands you could really put on: T. Rex, David Bowie, Slade and Alice Coopr...but no you've got the Osmonds and that lumber jack, what's his name... David Cassidy...But that's not my scene ... The Jacksons are far superior to the Osmonds and that other kid. I mean if you listen to Michael Jackson...just the quality of his voice is fantastic, I love Michael Jackson. He's the only kid I really like in that the respect... Michael Jackson had it when he was one,"

Continuing, Ringo added, "Ry Cooder. How that's a man. Buy HIS records. What's the matter with you... bloody Donny Osmond."

Alice at the Palace is off, and so is Cheech & Chong's TV series. They say that Alice and Archie on All in the Family was never on.

WPRG-TV, Cincinnati, yanked the ABC rock show, "In Concert" in the middle of its broadcast because the president of Taft Broadcasting, Lawrence (Bud) Rogers found the performance by Alice Cooper "offensive." Alice was replaced by "Rawhide" reruns. He would have been proud. Said Rogers, "In my view, it had stopped being music and art and had turned into pornographv." He also called the act a "blatant invitation to drugs and sex." Well, what does he figure people DO after midnight?

Stones Collectors: WarnerPioneer, the Stones' Japanese label, is releasing a 45 of "Rocks Off" and "Sweet Virginia" for the rocky fellers Nippon tour.

If you've been wondering what the Braille passage on Stevie Wonder's Talking Book album says, here it is: "Here is my music. It is all I have to tell you how I feel. Know that your love keeps my "

Recording with Alice Cooper, on his new Killian Dollar Babies, Here none other than Donovan, Marc Bolan, Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson, Rick Grech and Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, The album was cut in London; Warner Brothers shipped $500,000 in singles for the album cover shot. Security was tight, the music was loose. (When we saw Alice at Bette Midler's fantastic New Year's Eve success, he told us he'd moved out of the band's mansion in Connecticut to take an apartment In Manhattan. More , action, of course, even if it ain't all easy.)

Alice's neighbors in Connecticut include Bette Davis and WB founder Jack Warner, incidentally.

Warner bros. is preparing a full-length documentary on Jimi Hendrix, to be released in the spring. It'll contain unreleased footage from Woodstock, Isle of Wight, Monterey, Berkeley, the Fillmore East, London's Marquee and elsewhere, along with interviews with various notables. There will, of course, be a soundtrack album.

MGM, the only record company which really believes in 1946. has released a new version of "Great Balls of Fire." By Mac West. (Earth News)

The London production of Tommy may be coming, to the U.S. sometime in '73. Negotiations. are also going on for rights. Roger Daltrey is reportedly a central impetus behind the U.S. idea; it'd be played at Madison Square:Garden,possibly for as long as a week.

Helen Reddy gave birth to a baby boy in December, the month that "I Am Woman" became a smash. She also hired a housekeeper... named George. And a woman contractor to do the $30,000 renovation of her Hollywood home.

Anthony Scaduto, who did the Bob Dylan biography last year,is working on a follow-up...on Mick Jagger.

David Ball (ex-Procol Haruiri lead guitarist) has formed a new group, The Beast. Felix Pappaiardi will produce; it's his first project since leaving Mountain. (Earth News)

Johnny Winter's been out and about lately. He jammed with brother Edgar at a Florida pop festival over Christmas and showed up with Ed and manager Steve Paul at the Bette Midler in NY New Year's Eve. Asked why he wasn't dressed up, incidentally, Steve replied, "I'm wearing two albinos!" What more do you want?

Johnny is also getting ready to go into the studio; in fact he's probably been in already, by the time you read this.

Expect Marc Bolan and T. Rex back for a third try. at conquering America, sometime in the spring. T.Rex' new album is full of soul and gospel attempts, using black female singers, and a piano. There's also talk of a Bolan cartoon series, for U.S. release, like the J5 and Fab Fourversions. (Earth News)

"You're So Vain" is about Warren Beatty?