ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

For the record: it’s Ronee Blakely, Bobby Neuwirth, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Joan Baez, Rob Stoner, Mick Ronson, Ian Hunter, and Joni Mitchell, to name just a few who are doing full-time duty on Dylan’s current mysterioso mini-tour of New England clubs; while Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Janis Ian, and George Harrison are completing or scheduled for only part-time duty with the “Rolling Thunder Revue,” when they get a chance.

But what’s this about Bette Midler being thrown off the tour after the first date for tossing a drink in Patti Smith’s face? And after Bob the D was kind enough to turn up at Secret Sound Studio to duet with the apparentiy-not-sq-Divine Miss M on his “Bucket of Rain” (produced incidentally by Moogy Klingman)?.. .It does seem like the Zim is being pretty strict with this whole jolly venture, having reportedly posted a guard outside one writer’s hotel door in order to limit that intrepid scribe’s access to Himself (i.e. no chance meetings in the hallway) and having also reportedly given certain photographers the choice of seeing the show or carrying cameras.

The silver lining dept. While the Allman Bros, were forced to cancel a portion of their tour until drummer Jaimoe’s back problems had cleared up, it may have afforded Gregg some extra time to work on his latest solo effort, tentatively titled Playing Up A Storm, which is due out in March, While the Allmans expect to put out a greatest hits LP shortly after the new year to be called The Road Goes On Forever. -sMSS*

Though Shelter’s directors, according to Earth News, refuse to stop doing business, Leon Russell is trying through a Los Angeles court to break up his record label, which was rumored to be losing around $25,000 a month of late.

New Bad Company early in ’76 and new ELPLP promised then, too.

Making a comback in England is Marianne Faithful with a new single release and an album due any day now.

The word is that there will be a January or February tour for Cat Stevens, his first in a long time.

Lou Reed was seen last month visiting Jimmy Cliff backstage at New York’s Beacon Theatre, and if Lou follows true to form, expect some reggae noodlingfrom him within the next few months. Who says rock ‘n’ roll stars have to be dumb? The Dead’s Bob Weir and Dead engineer Dan Healy recently lectured a group of physicists in San Francisco on the band’s elaborate recording techniques.

Speaking of dead... one of the music trade papers is suggesting that Shaved Fish, the title of John Lennon’s greatest hits album is actually another of John’s sneaky names for PaulMcC

The word is that ABC paid five and a half million to woo Ringo away from Capitol.

Speaking of Moogy Klingman, word has it that immediately follow1 ing the very successful Utopia tour of Britain, Moogy and the second keyboardist, Ralph Shuckett, submitted their resignations to Todd Rundgren due to irreconcilable musical differences. Despite reports that the band had broken up before they were even together, late word is that Steve Marriott’s All-Stars with Greg Ridley, Ian Wallace, Mickey Finn is in the studio recording and visiting performers have included Bad Company, Buddy Miles, and Carmine Appice.

The Carpenters have been forced to cancel the entirety of their British, European, and Japanese tours, which would have included a Royal Command Performance for the Queen in England, due to Karen’s “severe case of physical and nervous exhaustion. ”

According to Radio and Records, Led Zep drummer John “ Bonzo” Bonham received 13 stttches and has been permanently banned from several Hollywood niteries after he semi-trashed the Rainbow Bar and Grill there and punched out the famous restaurant’s owner. Well, all the more time for Bonzo to spend at the ongoing Zep rehearsals in Los Angeles, where the band is reportedly tuning up for that tour delayed by Robert Plant’s auto accident. — rumored starting date: January 24 in Pasadena — and for anew studio album out in February, to be recorded in Germany shortly.

Literary news, parts 2 & 3: Expect an authorized biography of Alice Cooper in February; and also a biography of everybody’s favorite cover boy, Bruce Springsteen, the same month, authored by none other than an old CREEM hand Dave Marsh.

Reports have it that Miz Gregg, Cher, that is, is planning to do a double bill show.in Vegas this summer with Bette Midler. Should Cher be warned about flying drinks?

The Who chartered their own jet in England, reports NME, at an estimated cost of over $700,000, because Keith Moon’s behavior was too much for ordinary airlines. What behavior? Sample: at a recent Who after-concert party , attended by Paul and Linda McCartney, members of Yes, Pink Floyd, and Queen, as well as Leo Sayer, ' Ringo. Nilsson and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the inimitable Moon allegedly started and finished a demolition job on the banquet room that led to tables being overturned and blood all over the white tableclothes.. .Please, Keith, NME told us! '

But on a more serious note, Moon has also been recording an allcomedy record of late in L. A., possibly with Peter Sellers, among others, lending a hand.

No, Panland Linda did not get hurt in the party scuffle and have moved up the start of Wings’ first American tour to the end of January.

It’s likely that following the current Roxy Music tour Phil Manzaneraand maybe even Andy Mackay will split with the band.

In literary news, Uriah Heap's Ken Hensley, who was just married this past October (Congrats!), is writing a book. Working title: The Theory and Practice of Songwriting. But just in case literature doesn’t pan out, Hensley is heading into the studio with the Heep in January to begin recording that band’s tenth

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Nils Lofgren accidentally took a swipe at himself with his guitar onstage in L. A. recently and had to stop the show to bandage his head and later that night got five stitches.

After the success of the Captain and Tcnnilie’s Spanish language version of “Love Will Keep Us Together,” other musicians have decided to follow suit: America is re-recording their hit “Sister Golden Hair” in Spanish and Janis lanis taking French lessons in preparation for her foreign language cover of her bit,yAt Seventeen, ”

New Stones studio album, with guest appearances by Rory Gal* iagher and Harvey Mandel, due in January, as well, to coincide with European tour recently announced by Jagger which will include Ronnie Wood, last seen (dimly) in these parts partying after the Faces’ Detroit gig at the home of Billy Preston’s sister. Also attending that after-concert shindig were David and jimmy Ruffin, and Ronnie’s fave musical rave, Bobby Womack.

But back to the Stones: Mick is set to star in the movie version of the bestseller Ragtime playing Paul Newman’s son.

Marty Batin, who recently rejoined his old buddies in the Jefferson Starship and sang their first smash hit single, “Miracles,” is also supposedly going to record solo for Arista.

Earth News confirms that their sources, who include Deep Purple’s Tommy Bolin, say that Mahavishnu John McLaughlin has renounced his guru, Sri Chinmoy, grown his hair back to a fuller length, and even resumed eating meat and drinking beer.

Boy. are popstars idiots! Haha... Ginger Baker was arrested in London recently for speeding — on a horse (actually his polo pony which he was exercising in a park). But why does Ginger want to start a music magazine in which the musicians criticize the critics, as rumors have it? Something about irreverence? Never, Ging.

Though the mercurial Van Morrison reportedly has an LP in the can. he apparently has chosen not to release it and is working on a whole new project with the Crusaders.

Prediction of the week or did / say that?! Yes, Paul McCartney said it: “The Hudson Brothers are going to be bigger than we [The Beaties] ever were!”

In Cleveland an entrepeneur is offering for sale at a minimum of $40,000 a trailer used once nine years ago by the Beatles as a dressing room. Now, Paul, the Beatles were big...

Heartache Dept,: Linda Ronstadt has reportedly broken up with funnyman Albert Brooks and is not too happy about it. Sniff. Signed to Swan Song, Led Zeppelin’s label, is Detective, with ex-SUvef head singer Michael Des Barres, original Steppenwolf axeman Michael Mon* arch, bassist Bobby Pickett, and ex-Led Zep drummer John Hyde. Jimmy Page is producing their debut album slated for February release

Commander Cody andHis Lost Planet Airmen made their collective debut in a dramatic (so to speak) television show by playing i the role of a band called Chromium Skateboard ori Police Woman and performing a couple of Cody originals. The Commander and bassist Bruce Barlow also had a few speaking lines in the show.

The Doobie Brothers were waylaid in Nashville after a show recently by a cop who disguised himself as one of their limo drivers and reported to his superiors that he had seen a quantity of barbituateson their plane. A search by a team of a dozen cops produced the pills... ’• which turned out to be vitamins. It doesn’t appear that the Doobs will take this one lying down, so watch out for lawsuits, Nashville P. D.

America’s hottest young jazz artist; Stanley Clarke, a Return To Forever regular, jammed with the Doobies at their last Atlanta gig. The Bros, returned the favor the next night across town by coming onstage with R .T. F,

In further crime news, an AfroAmerican. unidentified to us at this time, wasarrested by the police, acting upon a city ordinance passed in 1933, in Newport Beach, Calif . , for buyinga $125,000 home. He has not so far been implicated in any snuff films apprehended in California.

Erratum: in November’s R ‘n’ R News, we neglected to mention that Mike Bloomfield, Barry Goldberg. Ray Kennedy, and Rick Grech’s new group KGB also includes Carmine Appice.

Erratum #2: In last month’s Stones article we f orgot to credit (and thank) Stones executive Alan Dunn for allowing us to use the map he prepared for their summer tour.

Finally , congratulations and good luck to Earth Newsservice, who help us prepare the news section each month, for passing their fifth anniversary this past October.