Rock 'n' Roll News
The saga of Edward Van Halen, session player, continues! Eddie, who evidently won’t rest until he’s played onstage with every act in the Western World, was almost recently spied pickin’ with Patty Smyth & Scandal, when he knocked off two tunes at the L. A. Palladium.
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Rock 'n' Roll News
The saga of Edward Van Halen, session player, continues! Eddie, who evidently won’t rest until he’s played onstage with every act in the Western World, was almost recently spied pickin’ with Patty Smyth & Scandal, when he knocked off two tunes at the L. A. Palladium. Then it was off to Austin, Texas, where he did an “encore guest spot”
with Scandal! Still unsatisfied, the guitarist extraordinaire joined Patty & Co. in Dallas, where he played on three songs, including his fave Scandal tune, “Maybe We Went Too Far.” This is beginning to sound like one of the most expensive auditions in show-biz history.
Shake a hand, if you can: Little Richard's lawsuit against Specialty Records for songwriting royalty monies has been dismissed. No word yet if any further action is contemplated. Less interesting, no doubt, yet every bit as judicious, is the Allman Brothers’ suit against their former record label. Arista, claiming that the company’s refusal to allow the Allmans to record the last three albums on their contract “caused irreparable harm” to the band’s career and reputations. Reputations for what??
This in from our Heavy Metal Desk: Deep Purple’s recent concert in Auckland, New Zealand was marred/ complemented by violence when “2,000 bikers” reportedly clashed with Auckland’s finest. Apparently the Armageddon in Auckland got started when fans in the lighthearted Crowd merely tried to drink and take drugs in the parking lot. These things aren’t illegal in the other hemisphere, are they? In any case, the police reacted, reporting that the mob attacked them “with pieces of steel.” Auck!
The HM Desk is a-hoppin’! Word is that Motorhead almost literally brought down the house when they played the Variety Theater in Cleveland, reaching sound levels of 130 decibels inside the once-structurally-sound building and 110 dB’s outside. Plaster was falling everywhere, causing an estimated $100,000 worth of bonus damage. Accomplished lip-readers will be pleased to note that the Guiness Book Of World Records lists the indoor record as 120 dB’s, established by the Who in 1976.
Disband, dat band: Brian Setzer has officially left the Stray Cats, who—in consequence—no longer exist. No word on what Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker plan on doing, but pickin’ Brian’s linked up with the Honeydrippers, whose touring line-up tentatively also includes Robert Plant (vocals), Pan! Shaffer (piano), Buddy Williams (drums), Tom Barney (bass). George Wadenins (rhythm guitar), Jon Faddis (trumpet), Tom Malone (trumpet), Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Lou Marini (tenor sax), Ronnie Cuber (baritone sax) and Fourteen Karat Soul (background vocals),
Sara Romweber, a founding member of Let’s Active, has left the group for what this Bureau is told were “the usual reasons.” That means she was a Soviet spy and has completed her mission, we guess. Replacing Romweber on drums is Jay Peck. The band has also added guitarist/ keyboardist Tim Lee.
Among those slated to record songs for the soundtrack of Tuff Turf—a teen-gang soul-searcher scheduled for a January theatre release—are Southside Johnny, who sings the title track, Lene Lovich, Marianne Faithfull, and Jim Carroll, who also appears in the movie to sing two songs. Included is an “uncensored” version of “People Who Died,” featuring such lyrics as “It’s too soon, too soon, to put a bullet in the head of Reverend Moon.”
For our inevitable Duran Duran item, we’ll mention that John Taylor and Andy Taylor are working with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson on a project called The Power Station, which is also the name .of the studio Thompson’s Chic works out of. An album— deceptively titled The Power Station—is slated for a February release and this Bureau is happy to pass on that it supposedly sounds “very different from Duran Duran.” Here’s hopin’!
We’re saddened to report the death of Detroit musician Johnny Angelos. Angelos, in addition to being a mainstay on the Detroit club circuit, also wrote songs that were recorded by Joe Cocker and Jessie “Ed” Davis.
Fighting for space is our Yoo-Hoo Desk, so watch out! They’re reporting that The Great Imposters, a troupe of female impersonators, are now the opening act for Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Open the show for Frankie, but not your mouth, says our Heee Desk.
Did everyone get their copy of “Feed The World And Let Them Know It’s Christmas?” We hope so—-it was recorded by Band Aid, a makeshift group comprised of Duran Duran. Phil Collins. George Michael (of Wham!), Paul McCartney. Boy George. Ultravox, Bananarama and Spandau Ballet. All proceeds went to the Ethiopian Relief Fund.
Hey, guess who showed up at the Everly Brothers' recent show in London’s Hammersmith Odeon? None other than former fab fillers George Harrison and Ringo Starr, that’s who. Knowledgeable pundits suppose they wanted to hear a good Paul McCartney song written after 1970...
Philanthropy. Part Two: Queen are donating their artist and publishing royalties from South African sales of Queen Live to a school for deaf and blind children in that country.
Whoops, we offended the YooHoo Desk by not giving ’em that Queen item! We’ll smooth it out by letting them pass this news on: Boy George, having abused his famous hair for lo, these many years, is now sporting a Teddy Boy haircut to give his follicles a breather. Hair’s hopin’ everything works out, George!
Our Billy Squier Desk would like to pass this on: Mr. S. is rumored to be blaming the director of his video for “Rock Me Tonite” for the slump in his career.
To which our Heee Desk asks: what about the slump in your spine. Billy?
From the He’p! Desk: Charles Manson has been making demo tapes in prison and is sending them to prospective labels. The demo tapes include a cover letter from Manson's lawyer, saying (in part), “The material no doubt will hold a morbid fascination for a large number of consumers.” Which is why we have a He’p! Desk in the first place.
Philanthropy, Part Three: Also on the giveaway bandwagon are the Red Rockers, who raised over $7,000 at a San Diego benefit concert for that city’s Child Abuse Prevention Foundation.
Our Yoo-Hoo Desk is enjoying a banner month: now they tell us that the stage collapsed during Frankie Goes To Hollywood's most recent show in Chicago. In a tragic follow-up, no injuries were reported.
Beastie Both Worlds? Brit-reggae rockers Beastie Boys were recently awarded $40,000 in an out-of-court settlement regarding British Airways' unauthorized use of two seven-second snatches of a Beastie tune entitled “Beastie
Revolution.” “I’d like to commend British Airways for their taste,” Beastie Michael “Mike D” Diamond sanguinely noted.
Just in from our He’p! Desk: the Rolling Stones may actually tour once again in 1985. According to their London spokesman, Alan Edwards, rumors of the tour “would seem to be not unjustified.” Other than aesthetically, adds our Heee Desk. Meanwhile, the Stones are in Paris putting the finishing touches on their latest LP, the 596th of their career.
David Geffen has nailed down the rights to Michael Jackson's next major motion picture, which might be Streetdandy. The screenplay, written by Flashdance’s Tom Hadley, is supposedly about a New York street singer discovering his talents. Hope there’s a part for loveable “Webster” in there...
We are at a loss to explain this one: David Bowie has turned down the chance to play Peter Pan onstage! Is the part of Tinker Bell still open??
Bill Wyman is said to be working on two albums: one being his first solo album since 1981, the other a superstar collaboration called Up In Arms by Willie & The Poor Boys. The Poor Boys include Charlie Watts, Kenney Jones, Andy Fairweather Low, Chris Rea, Mickey Gee and Geraint Watkins. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from Up In Arms will be donated to multiple sclerosis research, and a Willie & The Poor Boys tour is not being ruled out for 1985.
Our Heavy Metal Desk is telling us that recent photos of Motley Crue indicate that the winds of change be blowin’, as the guys are wearing a lot less leather! Somebody tell our Heavy Metal Desk to shut up.
We're sorry to relate that Nicholas Dingley (Razzle), the drummer of Hanoi Rocks was killed in a car crash in Redondo Beach, California. At presstime, we understand that the driver of the car—Vince Neil of Motley Crue is free on bail, with a manslaughter charge pending.
