ROCK 'n' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'n' ROLL NEWS

David Bowie has been on the ill side lately; when Angie found him in their Berlin apartment (where he was finishing his new album with Eno) looking rather peaked, a doctor was summoned. Their verdict: Bowie's heart was OK, but his four-pack-a-day nicotine habit is probably doing him no good. Angie adds that eight years of the music biz has him tense and sometimes depressed. Tense and depressed Bowie fans need wait for the new elpee no longer: titled New Songs Night and Day, it features Eno, Carlos Alomar, and Mary Hppfcht(l) on vocals.

Now It Can Be Revealed: When pPiUlMcCartney played the -Olympia pit in Detroit, it was necessary for himto travel from the exurban airport to Detroit along a

stretch of road that is decorated by an 80 ft. Uniroyal tire. When McCartney beheld the wondrous tire^ his driver recalls: "He asked me to pull over and stop. He got out of the limousine and walked way down and just stood there, in a ditch, staring at that tire. " Did he say anything? "Nope. Just stood there, mute." Ah, the creative mind... next trip we'll show him the five-story Dream Whip cans over on Telegraph:

Linda McCartney has stepped outfrom her hubby's shadow to have a book of photographs published (Alfred Knopf, $25) ^ taken back when she was just anybody. Besides pictures of Hendrix, dagger, Joplin, Dylan and the Beaties, she's thrown income from the family album. The title: Linda VJ^cmra«» § Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Celebration this summer includes plans to request the Beatles to perform. Could these Englishmen turn down their queen? Well, > Bingo is planning a carnival-type. concert tour and George confirmed that he will go on the road in 77, so at least all but John']} be ready.. .Ill

One of Detroit Mayor Coleman \ Young's press officers, upon being asked if he'd heard of Boh Seger "Heard of him? I even send out his albums as representative erf one of the cultural aspects erf the city."

Is Dickay Betts fleeing Capricorn?

Punk rock news: Talking Head* signed to Sire and the Ramones are recording in NYC; Richard Bells now fronting the Void Oids.

Besides working on the latest Bowie record, Eno has apparently put together a touring band including Phil Manzanera, Bill McCormick, Phillip Monkman and several others. Despite the fact that Eno collapsed onstage during a European date, his plans are going full speed ahead. And Island claims that they have not dropped him. Jonathan Hichman now includes a wicked parody of Mick dagger doi ng "EmpiyHeart" In his show. •' 1 IB

The Band's farewell concert at the Winter Garden in SF actually went off as planned: all of the scheduled ! guests showed up, and seemed to spur one another on to some hot playing. Eric Clapton seemed to be the stand-out, playing the flashiest guitar some observers have seen in years, and thrilling a crowd that hadapparently never seen the old Sixties guitar god in his prime. Joni Mitckeii p layed several songs, one with Neil Young, but displayed her rather cold stage manner; the unruly kids seemed to bother her. She was the fashion plate of the evening, though, in magenta sweater and skirt, putting a particularly seedy Dylan to shame. Other highlights: Van Morrison, Bingo Starr and all of the other guests joining in for the last song, "I Shall Be Released". Watch for details of the show next month...

What'& happening in Jamaica? First we hear of Tommy Bolin's death (too much guess what; alcohol and drugs), then reports come in about Bob Mtrlay being shot. Tune in next month.

We Only Report The Big Ones: JaeksonBrowne claims that he is infatuated With disco, that it is the only really interesting thing going in music today. In the Voice he rhapsodized: "Jt'srioteven the sound. It's the space and the attitude. In dtsco, we're talking about a tom at the same time as a snare. Thefe akftno , bump-a-cttr^;''It'sto^i|^r^

' infectious. ps a wonderful place to go. It's the one form I'm most interested in right now." ,-

ExMC5 y owler Bob Tyner and one of Brace Springsteen's favorite singers, Mitch Ryder, unleashed their vocal chords on

unsuspecting patrons of a suburban Detroit bar recently. Says Rob: "1 was pretty loaded from a champagne opening that same day, j sol was lyingon a sofa on my back, with one foot onstage, while 1 was singing. Billy (Mitch) had it more together; be was right onstage;, banging away on a guitar and singing. The kick of it wasn't jusfthat we did ft, but the two of us, together. " How did they gain control of the mikes? "Oh, we just said'You guys sit down now' to the band onstage. And they did." Tyner & Ryder's repertoire was strictly old blues songs...

1GGYG01S DISCO!!! Eariy^ reports are that his new Elektra album, due out in January, is very disco-flavored; produced by Bowie and featuring an all-black back-up band. Are you surprised? Elektra is planning to go back to being a heavy rock label.

. in last month's

edition, Blondie is not breaking up after all, but it was good to get their name in print, all concerned agree...

ROCK 'n' ROLL NEWS

Petti Smith keyboard player Richard "DNV" Sohl suffered a nervous breakdown, which necessitated adding a bass player for the Europeari||fcur. Regular bassist Ivon Krai went to keyboards. Patti expressed hope, though, that DNV would be able to rejoin the band as soon as he'was well enough. Patti also reports that she is haulinga typewriter around on tour with her and hopes to do more writing. Some of PattEs early CREEM writings will appear in the upcoming Best of CREEM. t.' 4^

Our recent stOry on Bine Oyster { Chit drew some flack from ■Dictators bassist Top Ten, who?r fumed: "Where does Laatorgetoff putting, down Sandy [Peariman] like that I*m not taking anything away from BOC. But Peariman was the visionary behind that band. The man's a genius, a great arranger. Now that the Cult is on their own and big, do they not need hinu> ^ Maybe not, but they wouldn't have made it without him. i don't see a -;* leader in that band. They all think they're the leader. He is. It's not that they owe him money either, it's just that he didn't take all the money I coming to him when he,could have. He kept fbe Dictators together!" Ricky Derringer is in the studios iuNYCwlfh Jock Douglas.. s :4/^

A firsttime Los Reed concert-goer in Detroit: "He missed his cues—he'd start sing|^^lfie !

wrong time! And then he'd forget some of the verses..Indeed* A *: friend reportste-viewing a 1971 videotape of Lou messing around4*? on an acoustic guitar. "Lou m was., .vibrant. Alive. Vital, Too bad some people never knew that Lou, "

What, again? Thin Lizzy canceled their winter American tour, .and Phil Lynnot is perfectly healthy. This time ft was guitarist Brian Robertson, who threw himself into a fight at a London club in an attempt to break it up, y'see,andgot a ruptured artery in the arm for his trouble.,Lizzy's manager, already in NYC, got a4:00a.m. call from an abashed Robertson who said that he guessed they couldn'f make that morning's flight. He won't be able to play guitar for 4-6 weeks, but some

American dates are now firm for February.

Hall ft Oates are drawing increasingly frenzied audiences of girls, we hear: in Philadelphia a girl popped one breast, then another, then bounced around % apparently mhc h of this female attention is directed at the dapper John I Oatea, who is taking some of the Spotlight away from cute Daryl. The boys are also being besieged dt

thdr dressing room doors by ready and eager ladies... it's a long Way from North Wales, huh?

AttheL.A. party for Hell ft Oates, Linda Blair arrived with her latest, .Glenn Hoghes of Deep Purple, but left with "one of the HaU & Oates entourage". Was it Hall Or Oates? Our Ear Hushes "I can't say"i, Congrats, JohnigffJ Robin Trowel's decision to supplement his three piece band with bassist Rusty Allen is a a permanent one; this will take some of the strain off vocalist/bassist Jimmy Dewar.

Who was fhatdo-ragged fellow with the backstage pass at Rory Gallagher's recent L. A. show? Why, Boh Dylan, wh ojust wanted to chat with the dynamo -guitarist, ». Joseph Stevens.

There's a Southside Johnny. '•,;* bootleg live Ip going around, while J impatient fans wait for the f ollow-up to I Don't WantToGo Home.

Rod Stowart, in London while Britt E. was filming in Rhodesia (?) had his plans for a night on the town squashed when Ms. LoraaLuft saif"No"4o Rod's invite (relayed through a Stewart aide). Ms. Luft's beau is Jake Hooker of the Arrows, who sniffed that it was too bad that Rod needed underlings to procure his ladyfrfends. Lorna added that she was a pal of ex-Stewart moll Dee Harrington, so just what'd he expect.. fefl

David JoHanson ami the New York Dolls played a hot set that apparently is to be their last in their current incarnation. Crowdpleasing numbers were "Funky Funky But Chic", "Teenage 1 News", anda ballad, "Frenchette".

Jimmy Page in a recent chat session confirmed-—albeit in his usual vague way—that he has returned to his long-time girlfriend Charlotte, mother of his daughter Scarlet. This of course must mean that Charlotte is no longer toiling in the London Wimpy bar (a U. K. burger chain), as one indignant rock star's lady would have us know.

Xen Mitchell, 18, has quit the Ray City Rollers, claiming that the m pressures of being a Roller (i.e., beating off girls),had him so depressed that he wanted to put his head in an oven and end it all. Ian, who replaced the aging Alan Longmuir in April, will be replaced himself by 18-year-old Pafjl McGlynn, who thinks he can take it. ' '