ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

"DR. DRAKE, WHAT HAVE YOU WROUGHT?" DEPT. Following the example of Rick Springfield and General Hospital, other rock stars have decided to trade in their microphones for a sleazy love affair on the afternoon soaps. Bee Gee Maurice Gibb has signed to appear on two upcoming episodes of The Guiding Light. Maurice will portray—what else?-a pop singer, and those in the know ay his role will probably be expanded beyond the initial two episodes. Even stranger is the fact that everyon's favorite crazies, the 8-52's, are set to dance their mess around on the same afternoon show. No truth, however, to rumors that David Byrne will portray the title role in a soap revival of Young Doctor Malone, though The Young And The Rest Homes remains a possibility...

Todd Rundgren currently in the studio producing the next Psychedelic Furs LP, not so odd when one remembers that. Todd has produced records for acts. like the New York. Dolls and the Patti Smith Group. Meanwhile, Todd's own band, Utopia has left Bearsville (Swing To The Right is their final album for the label) to sign with Network Records, a subsidiary of Elektra/Asylurn.

Fans disappointed by the relatively low output of Blondle this year will be happy to know that they should be holding the band's new LP in their greedy little hands sometime this month. Enfitled The Hunter, the Mike Chapmanproduced LP will feature a variety of different rock styles. ranging from reggae to calypso to heavy metal (so what else is new?). Also out in May is a new book by Debbie. Harry, Chris Stein and Victor Bockris titled Making Tracks: The Rise Of Blondie, which, they hope will "counteract" the Lester Bangs tome which upset the band two years The group is also involving itself with. `activism" (huh?), planning upcoming benefit perfomances for Vietnam veterans and New York's Guardian Angels.

Things got a little wild during a recent Black Sabbath concert in New Haven, Connecticut: when the show was sold out, boatloads of heavy metal fanatics were arrested. trying to crash the gate and gain admittance. Meanwhile, two more Sab devotees were also arrested on the oliseum roof, drilling a hole through the ceiling to get inside. Things were just as weird inside the auditorium, where a well-wisher jumped onstage and presented bassist Geezer Butler with a boa constrictor. Good thing Ozzy Osbourne wasn't there.. he. might not have eaten...

Speaking of Ozzy. tragedy recently struck rocks wild man when his lead guitarist. Randy Rhoads, was killed in a plane crash in eariy March. Despite Ozzy's gross stage antics, many critics agreed that Rhoads was a fine guitarist with a bright future ahead. Condolences to family and friends...

Drummer Bruce Gary continues to be a very busy guy. In addition to his numerous activities reported here during the last several months (Jack Bruce & Friends, the Knack-evolved Game, lunch with Dylan nd Al Kooper), Bruce has found time, to record a new LP with a band calling itself the Mix. Other members include Robbie Krieger of the Doors, Don Preston of the original Mothers Of Invention and Arthur Barrow of Frank Zappas band. The album, due in May, is reportedly a jau fusion with be-bop overtones.

JUST WHAT WE NEEDED DEPT. Stars On 45 are all set to drive us crazy again this summer with a medley of Rolling Stones hits. Yummy!!

Bob Dylan has handed in his Christian button and has re-embraced his Jewish faith At least for this week...

Suicide vocalist and psychobilly "star" Alan Vega is recording. his new album at the Cars' Syncro Sound studio in Boston, with Ric Ocasek producing and the rest of the Cars backing up. in other musical couplings, Tom Verlaine is currently recording his third solo album at New York's Blue Rock Studio with Mink De Villes rhythm section and Lane Lovich on saxophone. Last but far from least, everyone's favorite nice guy Bruce Springateen is supposedly writing some songs for Donna Summer's forthcoming LP.

First Patrick Simmons founder of the Doobie Brothers, left the group. And now it looks like the Doobies will be brothers no more; they've apparently split to further their solo careers. Hope there's a future in McDonald's commercials.

Mendocino meets Green River-or the Bayou meets Tex Mex-as three members of the. Sir Douglas Quintet have joinìed with two former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival to record a new LP in San Francisco. Akhough it's not certain just yet, the new group-featuring Doug Sahm, Augie Meyer, Louis Ortega, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford-may also do some touring this summer.

Captain Beefheart.on Ronald Reagan: "A bad actor... he saddle soaps his hair, and tosses jellybeans through rope-tricks." The good Captain recently entered Los Angeles' Amigo Studios to begin work on his forthcoming Ice Creom For Crow. The new Magic Band includes percussionist Cliff Martinez ("He can play every one of my rhythms from Trout Mask Replica!" exclaimed the Captain), previously with Lydia Lunch and the Weirdos, Jeff Tepper and Gary Lucas on guitars and Brave Midnight Hatsize Snyder on bass. A photo portrait of Beefheart in his native Mojave desert was just voted the most popular work in exhibition at London's famed Critical Eye Gallery, and will probably be used for the cover of the new LP.

The series of cor~memorative postal stamps honoring the late Bob Marley were officially released by the Jamaican government in early March. The series will be available for a one year period, and each of the.seven denotninations features a different full color lithograph of Marley superimposed on sheet music. Souvenir sheets are available at a cost of $5.21 (Jamaican currency— $1.75 JA equals $1.00 U.S.), and can be purchased by writing to: Head Postmaster, Phjlateli.c Bureau, P.O. Box 7000, Central Sorting Office, Kingston, Jamaica, WI.

Our two favorite blubber boys, Flo & Eddie. recently debuted the pilot for their new one-hour television show in New York. The show is described as "a pop culture/periormartce/interview/ zany comedy program," and it may go national if the ratings are high on the east coast. The first two shows featured interviews with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss. Gregg Ailman, Gary U.S.. Bonds, the new Mamas (Mackenzie Phillips and Spanky McFarlane) of the Mamas & Papas. performances by the Catholic Girls and Twisted Sister, a. report on New York's Guardian Angels, and video reviews, the best of which received Ho & Eddie's special "Golden Hippo Award." The third segment of the show (which had yet to be aired at presstime) features an interview with our fearless Record Review/New York Editor, Billy Altman. The shows will also be broadcast in Los Angeles in May.

Gracejand, Elvis Presley's estate in Memphis, Tennessee. has always been one of the South's biggest tourist attractions. It should be an even bigger attraction now that the mansion has been bought and is being turned into an Elvis museum. It should be opened to the public by this June.

LABEL NEWS: Marvin Gaye has pulled a Diana Ross by leaving Motown Records and signing with Columbia. The Godfather of Soul James Brown has signed with Island Records, and is currently in Jamaica recording. with (ate you ready for this?) reggae extraordinaire session men Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

At presstime. the Lone Star Cafe in New York has schech~led a benefit for the late John Belusb~ for March 31st. Special guest performers will include L.A. punk hand Fear (one of Belushi's favorites; h.e was responsible for their first national television exposure), Delbert McClinton, Dr. John, Harry NUsson, Big Twist & the Mellow Fellows, and B/ues Brothers co-stars James Brown and Ray Charles. Proceeds will be donated to an actors' foundation being started in Belushi's name.

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg recently entered Bob Dylans studio to record a new rock composition entitled "Do The Meditation.~ Ginsberg says he "entered the world of rock 'n' roll to save it from bubblegum, commercialistic, spineless, neutral apolitical, aspiritual fatigue." Oh well, no one ever accused the bearded wonder of being short on words. Ginsberg also appears on one track of the latest LP from the howlin' hosers from London, the Clash.

Keith Richards will soon be making his motion picture acting debut, and, no, it won't be a remake of The Man With The Golden Arm or Lost Weekend. Keith ha.s signed to portray a Hoagy Carmichael-type singer in James M. Cain's Civil War era drama, Past All Dishonor. The Glimmer Twin's main squeeze Patti Hansen will co-star.

Jack Douglas, whp produced Double Fantasy for John & Yoko, says there are five unreleased Lennon songs "in the can" which he produced during the Double Fantasy sessions. The songs were originally to appear on a follow-up LP entitled Milk And Honey, and Douglas now claims that an album is in the works using the five songs, in: addition to tapes of Lennon philosophizing on "everything." The five new tunes are "harder rocking than the ones on Double Fantasy, more straightahead tales of love, with the exception of one song he based on newsp~per headlines, saying how funny some tragic circumstances could be."

In The Studio

NEW YORK, NY-Electric Lady: the Clash, Foreigner; Media Sound: David Sanborn; WOODSTOCK, NY—Bearsville Recording Studios: the Psychedelic Furs with Todd Rundgren; MEMPHIS, TN-Soundcastle: Juice Newton; HOLLYWOOD. CA—Rusk Sound: Lou Rawis; Conway Recording Studio: Dusty Springfield, Peter Criss; SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Automatt: Santana, Stacy Lattisaw, Carl Canton; MIAMI, FL-Criteria. Bow Wow Wow, Manowar, Balance; Db Studio: Regis with Barry Mraz; DETROIT, MlRMCJ Recording: Mitch Ryder; MONTSERRAT, W.I.—Air Studios: Nazareth.