Rock 'n' ROLL NEWS

Rock 'n' ROLL NEWS

DEPARTMENTS

Dust off the old striped jacket and give those polka-dotted trusses a shine, cuz if the Who have their way, the Mod look is back to stay (at least this week). Townshend and Co. are putting out their own Mod line of threads to tie in with their Quadrophenia film and the current British Mod revival. Welcome to the 80’s?

Ho Nukes Make Yufeky Bedfellows? James ’n’ Carly have, according to the Hollywood Reporter, set up |jseparate nests.' -

In the beginning: New European punk sensation Pope John Pawl II (where have we heard that name; before?) is due to rebase a new LP stateside any minute now on the— label... And In, ‘ the end: The British are atit again, this bine offering anLPhnthe ■ Shadow label called The Elvis Presley Seance, which features “respected British medium" HB Carmen Rogers conducting a v seance to communicate with the spirit of Big Boy. In the words of a greatAmeriean. never give a sucker an even break...

A fool byany other name is still a fool: Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme are trying to break into the Top 40 by recording a singb caBed “Hallelujah,” released under the pseudonym Parker & Penny. Hey c’mon, why not be morell original and go with a name like Fieh & Hie Lips? That might sell..'.

Debbie who? Members of Blondie (male ones, that is) are reportedly stoopingto physical violence now whenever a scribe mentions Debbie Hatty too often during an interview. Hey guys, the name’s Blondie, notBully And besides, ifs j our job.,.

Thanks for nothin’, Frank: Trhimpb bassist Mike Levine %; revealed that it was Frank Zappa who convinced the trio to head South and try to make it Stateside. Says Levine, “Zappa walkedttp to me backstage and said, 'You guys are good; you should consider getting out of Canada. ’ I replied, 'You should consider getting out of Canada as well.’ Zappa walked away convinced I was a great wit.” More likely nitwit, moose breath.

Current events scholar HL Meltzer, sometime contributor to CREEM and former leader of Vom, now has his own radio show in L.A. on KPFK-FM caBed “Hep Cats From Hefl.” Aijd he wiB never play the rjNpmkch, he promises.

Firstthebad news: don't look for a Led Zeppelin tour until next May. But the good news Is that when it does roll around, it should be worth the wait. According to manager Peter Grant, the band will play for , three hours at each concert with no opening act and eliminate the orgasm machines and other special effects. The gpup also plans to slash ticketprices whenever possible, with ; $11 being the top dollar paid for a

If you’ve been following the continuing saga of Sham 69, you’ll recall that front manjlmmy Pursey left the group earlier this year, to much waiftngand beating of breasts by the worldwide music press. And although hopes were high for a new supergroup ■■■■■■■■ comprised of Pursey and ex-Se* Pistols Steve Jones and Peal Cook, itneverparined out. Sooo, jimmy has reassembled his ■ Sham-mates for recording and touring purposes, althoughhe still vowsnever toplay Lortdonproper again due to the ongoing problem with skinheads sabotaging their gigs. You really can’tteB the payers without a progra m, which becomes rhore and more obvious with the news that Siouxsie & the Banshees havebeen grounded due to the sudden departure of; guitarist John McKay and ,* drummer Kenny Morris without so muchas atwo-weeknotlce...

-And not a moment too soon: Bay Caviano, head of Warner Bros: * Disco division, intends to change the name of die department s the “ Dance Mtnfc Department/’affer noticing the increased attendance at rock ’n’ roll new wave night clubs by people who want to dance but are sickof disco. '-/Sap

Who do you believe? One source claims that three survivors of the LpplSIyapd plane crash— Artimus Pyle, Leon Wilkeson and Bilty Powell—are once again recording underthe name Alias.

< Yet, another source says that the trio have hooked up with the other two LS members, GeryRossington IS and Allen Collins, and recruited a guitarist named Barry Harwood to reform under the tide the Rossington-Collins Band Whoever is right, we’re just glad to see the guys back in the saddle. <

Just a little tax deduction: In spite of the general sense of gloom pervading all countries great and small, the rock ’n’ roll baby boom marches on. Rod Stewart and Aiana Hamilton dubbed their newest beneficiary Alana , Kimberly (not Maureen, as . reported before). And speaking of beneficiaries, comes news that ] E. Ficial and tittle known wife Marianna Faitlifnliate expecting their first curtain climber. Just don’t be tempted to name it Government O, Ficial, for !: everyone’s sake..

Could Detroit’s primo examples of Clemma rock, the Mntante, be breaking up just as they’re about to break on through with a record contract? We say any band that knows and reveres Gino Washington’s classic, “Gino Is A Coward, ” has Jay & The , Americans appreciation nights and whose lead singer holds Frank Sinatra and iggy Pop in equal esteem, is worth contorting yourself HBHj

Frampton Comes Apart? The Face of 78 had to cancel a show because he couldn’t sell out a five-thousand seater. H

In The Studio

L. A.—Cherokee: Rod Stewart;. I ! Sync: Thai

Popsicles (Kim Fowley producing), TbeOrchlds; San Francisco—

Film way s/Heid$r: TheTubes;

LA -jCrimson: Chevy Chase, Barbra Streisand; LiA. 3*. | Jennlfudy: Tavares;

L.A, —Fiknways/HeldepXHtle Feat, Jerry Lee Lewis|M jf. Blue Rock: Brian Eno; Miami— Criteria: J Barooga Bandit, FirefaB; Seattle— The Place: April Wine; ||i||~r Rusk: Elton John; Quebec—Le Studio: Rush; Toronto—Eastern Sound: Sweet, N. Y —Soundworks:£ Humble Pie;

Nashville—Quadrophonic: Alias;

L. A —Alma/Irving Music: Frankie Miller, Dr. John; Elsewhere: Aerosmith, Twiggy, Bob Welch, Rolling Stones, Eric Carmen, Herman Brood.

Suffer the little rockers: George Thorogood has cancelled ail tour plans for the next few months while he does battle with MCA records over their release of his early tapes. Jumpin’ George wants to wait until the suit is settled one way or the other, and in the meantime doesn’t want his fans to think he’s touring in support of the contested LP, Better Than The Rest, which features only one of the current Destroyers.

Jerry Lee Lewis is getting rfd of excess baggage, namely his fourth 111111

And just when we were beginning to ask the musical question, “What ever happened to the Jam?” comes news that Paul Weller and friends are currently at work on a (gasp! i gag!) concept LP. HasPaulie lost his marbles? According to him, no. “The story is based around the songs as opposed to the usual concept approach which is strictly vice-versa,” the gum-snapping youth remarked in a recent NME article. And what is the storyline? It’s the touching tale of three chums who join different sides during the British civil war (wha? Oh, there’s t more) which supposedly will take place in the80’s. After the dust settles, the blokes get together again to swap war stories, but Weller refuses to divulge the denouement. That’s okay, we can wait.

Was it something they said? Boston received a less-than-warm welcome from the Brits after landing in London; their limo was suddenly surrounded by angry chanting youths sporting picket signslike “Go Home Murderer” and other pleasantries, it seems the zealots mistaked the band’s long black auto for that of arriving South African dignitary Ian Smith, whose racist politics have made him iTJore than a few enemies in England.

■Save your Christmas cash, cuzthe new Ramones LP should be out the first of the year. Entitled End of the Century, the Phil Spector-produced album features twocovers (“Baby 1 Love Y ou” and ^Chinese Rocks”) and an abundance of original material. “This is the best album we’ve ever made,” gushed Joey Ramone. “All the songs are ouer three 1 minutes long!” To break ihe tension such a lengthy project causes, Phil Spector amused the boys with his impressions of Ahmet Ertegun and other music biz biggies

Give her your tired, your poor, your,, dirty socks, vour smelly garbage — the Patti Smith Group was pelted with everything but last week’s pasta and booed off the stage' in Bologna. Italy, after a U.S flag was furled behind the band. Was i^at what sparkedgoyem girl to pay off the band through the end of the year? Nada, say sources who claim Patti’s newest game plan is to record a solo album, then perhaps retire to Ann Arbor to make whoopee and babies with her love, Fred^Sonic" Smith. If he’s not awake, start without him... Arista, however, deniesaH rumours of a Smith retirement... Despite reports in the English press, Patti and Fred haven’t made it legal yet—the pair are all over Detroit, seen happily browsing in department stores, etc., but there’s the slight technicality that Fred would have to be divorced to get married again...

Despite the boyishly puckish face that peers from his album covers, Capitol’s Moon Martin has been around fora while, penning tunes like Mink DeVille’s “Cadillac Walk,” and headlining concerts with skinny young Boh Seger opening for him. Seems way back when, Moon asked Seger to sing lead for his group. The stripling demurred, and grew up to become big bad Bob. But some people never give up; when the two met in California recently , Moon assured Bob that the offer’s still open.

If they’re playing the Eagles LP as you’re reading this, let us ease the pain a bit; is a world in which Iggy Pop is force-fed down the nicotine-stained throatsof American youth on network TV, aisbud as you think? The Cars showpd class in choosinglggy, Suicide, and The ; Records as their guests on the Midnight Special in September, and troubled youths from coast to coast tapped their Topsiders to “Five Foot One” and “I’m Bored,” having tuned in for their fave rave Cars.What happened to the disco format, Burt?

According to an exceedingly reliable* source, the Untold Story about the ■ j Belushi/Ackroyd departure from Saturday Night Live {nowgoing to an all-female format) is that the gruesome twosome took offense at Michael O’Donoghue’s remark to an interviewer to the effect that Gilda Radnor was handling success well, not snorting color TV’s UP her nose in limos, “like some people l know.” The Blues Brothers took their marbles and sulkedfrome. What’a a girl to do? An enraged Wayne County {now going under * the name Jayne County) recently revealed that her Electric Chairs and record company. Safari, left h^r flat, as they say, without even enough money to finish her sex change operation. In addition, the blonde one shrieks that her band even has the bah. as they say. to begin recording a new a lbum without her! But don’t worry, she won’t be left -.pndroyvnous for long Jayne grabbed the bull by the horns and fled to New York to pick up a band and start gigging again so she can have the rest of her operation . Stay tuned next week to find put if little Jimmy will ever walk again...

Rude, lewd, crude, crass... Members of Kiss got a bit of a shock when they hit Huntington, West Virginia, recently. Had'some enterprising youth purchased that city’s entire supply of Stein’s Clown White? No, but a Holiday Inn manager was hawking roomsfora pretty fair price, not to groupies, but to the group itself. The disgruntled manager de manded a $500 deposit before handing over thdkeys, claiming th#»tthe last time the band stayed there, they were extremely rude to employees and guests. Ah, i notoriety... ?

OnTour

Buzzcocks; Arlo Guthrie; The Who; Magazine; Fleetwood Mac; XTC; AC/DC; Siouxsie & the Banshees; Elton John; Little Rivet Band; John Cale; Jethro Tull; The Cramps; Blue OysterCult; Pere Ubu; Joe! Cocker; lan Hunter; The Police; Richie Bavens;*999; Ultravox; Country Joe & the Fish; Iggy Pop; Eddie & the Hot Rods; Foreigner; Klark Kent; Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band; Eagles; Jacksons; Sniff ’n’ the Tears; Abba; Moon Martin.