ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

So Graham Parker teamed up with Bruce Springsteen for a

song on Geep’s new LP, “Endless Night” (a synthesis of “Hold Back The.. ” and “Prove It All...”?) (Well, at least it’s not about gambling or the streets)... so what, you say? The real news surrounding the new Parker album is the absence of keyboardist Bob Andrews in the Rumour as it appears on the album; Nicky Hopkins is apparently on most of the album in his stead, and has been telling folks in NYC about the album in great, knowing detail. As a songwriter, Andrews had to feel frustrated about not being able to devote full time to his songs, which comprise a good deal of the Humour’s solo material. That appears to be a problem of the past; now he’lldevote all of his time to it although the rest of the Rumour .will continue their Parker backup chores

No, No, Joe! The Clashappeared on new ABC Saturday Night rip-off .Fridays. The good news: they were allowed to play four songs, something SNL would never stand for. The bad news: Joe Strummer’snew | simulated-accident-victim haircut...

After opting out of his Elektra/ . Asylum contract, Tom Verleine has definitely signed with Warner Bros... And former partner-inTelevision Richard Lloyd has been dropped from E/A. ..And hasn’t Carly Simon left, too?

: Strange coincidences, eh?;,;.'

On Tour

Urban Verbs, Sue Saad & the Next;. Genesis, Squeeze, Rachel Sweet, Frank Zappa, The Who, Van Haten, The Pretenders, Pat Travers, Journey, Toto, Triumph, BobSeger &The Silver Bullet Band, Gang Of Four, The Selecter, Nazareth,

New ways to generate publicity? Ask ZZTop, who recently filed a request with NASA to be booked as the first “lounge group” onthe first space shuttle to be open to the public. Does this mean a battle of the bands with Hawkwind? With -Mango Jerry? With anybody? We’ll have to ask Gary Neman when we see himagairy..

After refusing to distribute Frank Zappa’s latest single—“I Don’t Wanna Be Drafted” (don’t worry Frank, they don’t want you either)— Phonogram Records kissed El Zkppo bye-bye. Or was it the other Way around? Either way , CBS has taken'over distribution chores and are handling the single. And God knows where they’re putting it...

that records in the U.K. cah hit the Number One position with as few as 40,000 records sold, as opposed to the 300,000 of less than two years ago. See $ Kordosh’s “Burbank Calling” in this issue for non-related details and speak in an American accent, please...

Famed heterosexual Gary Nnman has beaten Kondieto the punch by releasing the first big deal, commercial, rock 'n' roll video cassette—namely Herr Numanoid himself during live performance.

. Specifically what type performance remains unknown, but if we here any dogs howling we’ll let you know...

Despite initial speculation that former Easybeat (“Little”)

L Stevie Wright would replace . Bon Scott in AC / DC—which would have been great, we think— the relatively unknown Englishperson Brian Johnson (previously in Geordie) has been tagged as Scott’s successor. Good luck, guys./..

Ze Records, homeground for James Chance, Lydia Lunch, Lizzy Mercier Descloux et at t left Buddah Records in a royalty dispute and will now be distributed by Island Records.

Look for The Best Of Lave, a reissue of that group’s early Elektra recordings on L. A.’s Rhino Records. Good stuff all||t|J|

A Rory Gallagher live album, eagerly anticipated by his rabid Yank fans, has been postponed “until he tours the States again... ’’

Our own Jaan Uheiszki, girl reporter extraordinaire, and lately, married to Matthew King Kaufman of Beserkeley Records, just became the first CREEM editor to give birth; resulting in young Hayley Elisabeth. Nowcutit out, Jaan...

Blondie’s Nigel Harrison and ex-Detective Michael Des Banes, former partners in glitter non-sensations Silverhead, putting together an LP’s worth of self-penned tunes for inclusion in the latter’s next LP, to be produced . by denied-fascist Mike Chapman...

A few months ago, Blondie’s ■ Chris Stein Was talking about using Mike Chapman to produce theband’s next album; now plans have changed. With the exceptional success of “Call Me, ” the blondes have decided to go with collaborator Gtafgio Moroder instead. Other news from Chrysalis: expect hot piattersfrom Pat Benatar in July, not to mention the up-and-coming Uriah Heep. Who? New ones, from the Specials and Uttravox also due in August, and, in conclusion, perhaps the best news of all—Ian Anderson, who probably knows Uriah Heep, will have his own, long-awaited solo LP, possibly titled Skinflutesln Chains or Who Plays The Bone-a-phone? depending oh the cover art. No more to come...

Graham Gonldman of lOcc recently penned the soundtrack to pew British animated film called Animalympics, which, as you may have figured, deals with animals and£ the Olympics and not life in the rock biz. A soundtrack LP from said film & due shot%^«

Ifl Know All These People Then I 9 Must Be Good Too Dept "Famed companion Bebe Bnellsoon to release her own LP, with help from Ric Ocasekand Rick Derringer, not to mention sweetie SthruM«i^B Bator*. Good tunes chosen include cover versions of the Nlghtcrawlers’ “Little Black Egg” and Love’s “Little Red Book.” “Tie A Little Yellow Ribbon^ ’Round A Little Oak Tree” will not be the first single. Stay tuned.iM*'*

Cerdan? C’mon, you don’t know, put you do know Liada Ronetadt, and she’s been approached to play Edith Piaf, the fragile French chanteuse (“La Vie En Rose”, etc.) in a biographical film based on French heavyweight boxer Marcel Cerdan’s.life story (he was a romantic interest of Miss Piaf s until his death hr a plane crash). Ronstadt is as diminutive as Piaf—a staggering S’! —but you might say the resemblance ends there, Now

if someone would call Jani* lan?

Despite his anti-drug remarks recently, after his “lesson” in Japan, Paul McCartney recently showed support for Hugh Cornwall of the

Stranglers, who was arrested in London in early April for possession 7] of heroin, cocaine and marijuana.5 ^ Ashe was ordered to prison for two months, a few Stranglers dates in London were in jeopardy. But in comes Mighty Macca, who’s reportedly negotiating with Stranglers mgmt. to appear as a | special guest artiste and save the shows...surely a medley of “Silly Love Songs”, “Bring On The Nubiles,” “My Love (Does It Good)” and “Peaches On The Beaches” is in order Aside from challenging the staff of CREEM to a game of basketball, REO Speedwagon have actually been up to some good recently, v

First: they invested some of their own cashola to keep the list price down on their new Decade Of Rock And Roll LP. whicH is commendable any way you look at it. Secondly, they're also challenging radio stations wherever they play to basketball games andbonating the proceeds to orphanages around the country. We’d say something snotty -here, but hey, why should we?

No plans to reform the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band at this time...

Bob Seger is merely the second artist in eight months to have #/ number one hit LP for the first time. The Knack had their first ever (and only so far) number one last August, and all the successive chart-toppers have been Top Ten roadhogs like Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc., who’ve already scored numerous No. l’s.

The new Rolling Stones opus, : . -the muchdelayed Emotional j Rescue, isfinaliy out Bigbuzz is that the Stoneheadsused a >111 mucho-secret method of marking the new LP todiscourage the probable cbunterfeiterswhopian jro make big bucks from manufacturing their own copies. Organic stains ; ha ve.not been ruled oul.jjjf

Death Of A Punk, a “new wave mystery novel” written byJohn Browner, will be turned into a film, j to be produced by Robert Boyldn. Nowordon what groups will be featured, but videos of group performances at Hurrah wtflW usedr. .other clubs willbe used as background for the film’s action,

Debbie Harry to finally produce the B-Giris?

ThePlaematice, featuring :: ex-stripper Wendy Willisana, and prone to chopping automobiles and displaying a good deal ofMs.; |j Williams’ flesh onstage, have signed to Stiff Records worldwide, but it’s anyone’s guess if or when any new vinyl will be released in the States. Good news for Pretty Thing** fans: Founder Pretty recently signed on with Warner Bros in the U K. fora multi-album deal.No wordas toany §1

product at this date, but be prepared Tpf an already-recorded Prettiesi

ieu«i6nLP..lS

drummer wasn’t even wearing headphones? Or that he didn’t even know when the engineers turned off their tape recorders and went home to sleep? Or that he forgot what he,

didn’t matter anyway9 No? Or that | the backing vocals for their single"! Can Survive” were, in truth, recorded in an actual bathroom with the lights out ’ n every thing? You didn’t? Nb problem. We didn’t * | IJetiher. '

Caldwell, bassist With the. 9 Marshall Tucker Band, suffered mid-April automobife acddenf in> 4 Spartanbutg;Sbuth Carolina. At presstime, Caldwell was in critical ‘ madenos I Los Angeles, C^^^CiSound; jj John Entwistle. Record Plant Devo 1 Producers Workshop* the Kings (Bob Ezrin producing); Motown I Recording Studios: the Commodores; Allen Zentz: the Temptations (Berry Guards

producing), Michael Jackson (Quincy Jonesprodycing), Stiff"' Little Fingers; San Francisco— Automatt: the Tubes (Ricki Fat?" producing); New Yark—Electrtcm La&y: the Rolling Stones, the Clash, Ellen Shipley; RPMStudios: the ■ Pretenders.the Searchers;

Chicago—Pierce AmotvStudio:

Yipes; Sheffield, Alabama—Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: Bob Dylan (Barry Beckett & Jerry Wexler producing), Millie Jackson,, Johnny Rivers; Detroit—Superdisc: Philliper Wynne (George Clinton & Ren Dunbar producing);

Miami—Quadradial: Ted Nugent, James Brown; West Orange, _

NJ. —House of Music: Southside Johnriy & the Asbury Jukes.