Rock 'n' Roll News

Rock 'n' Roll News

Rock ’n’ Roll High School? Surely R.J. Reynolds High in Winston-Salem, N.C., can lay claim to the honor—they recently filled the old auditorium for a show featuring Let’s Active, the dB’s and Chris Stamey—proud Carolinan acts all. Stamey and his drummer, Ted Lyons, Will Rigby, Peter Holsapple and Gene Holder of the dB’s and Mitch Easter and Faye Hunter of Let’s Active are all graduates of R.J.R.H.S., too. Monies from the concert went to the Red Cross Relief Fund for Ethiopia, by the way.

Well, it looks like it’s time for a David Clayton-Thomas update. What’s the 43-year-old ex-Blood, Sweat & Tears singer been up to, anyway? And why do we care? Because... Clayton-Thomas has spent the last two years writing, producing and (yep) singing commercials for such clients as McDonald’s, Ford Trucks and RC Cola, for whom he crooned this Bureau’s pick-o’-the-month: “Cola-Lovin’ Woman”! Music’s back in a big way!!

We’re happy to note that Pat Benatar gave birth to her first child, a daughter she and hubby Neil Geraldo have named Haley Egeana. The I’il dickens was born on February 16th and weighed in at seven pounds, one ounce.

Well, we’ve finally had to establish a Lawsuits Mid-’85 Desk to handle the barrage of litigation this Bureau must report. Their lead story this month: Yoko Ono, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have filed an $8.6 million lawsuit against Paul McCartney for alleged breach of contract. The suit purports that McCartney earns more royalties from Beatles songs than the other ex-moppers.

No word on whether or not it mentions that McCartney also wrote a few more of their tunes than Harrison, Starr and Ms. Ono.

Rockin’ REO! Our faves recently copped Star Hits’

[wotta mag!] Silliest Video of the Year Award for “I Do’wanna Know.” Quipped main man Keven Cronin: “It’s about time they started taking us seriously!” Way to quip, Kev!

And the He’p! Desk never sleeps... rumors are that Boy George and Rod Stewart are teaming up for a concert in Toronto on July 11. The prooflife-is-grand extravaganza will ostensibly feature material cowritten by the multi-talented duo and beamed to 200 different stations via satellite. Long-range weather forecasts indicate that July 11 will be the single finest day to go fishing in North America this summer, by the way.

Our creative white space award goes out to the Boston Phoenix, who printed a three-column... uh...blank picture...over a review of a Hall & Oates concert. Phoenix photog Michael Romanos declined to sign the group’s “photo approval letter,” which contained a clause stating that the band had the right to use any photos without mention of credit or payment [!] and that any photos could be used only once in any publication. Is there more? Of course! Greedy shutterbugs violating the morethan-fair contract would owe the picturesque duo $100,000 in “liquidated damages.” A spokesman for H & O says the letter—ostensibly modeled on Van Halen’s photo arrangements—has since been withdrawn. As for Romanos, he maintains that the demands musicians are making on photographers are “getting progressively worse.” Next month, we hope to report that musicians are now editing every rock mag in the world.

Wham! became the first Western popular music group to perform in the People’s Republic of China (they’re the commies) when they played the People’s Gymnasium in Peking. They were invited by the Youth Federation of China, a group composed of a modest number of people, slightly less than the population of the entire United States. At this writing, there are also five different versions of “Careless Whisper” topping the charts in Cantonese. Yep, that sure is some anti-imperialist nation they’ve got over there...

Just in from our Lawsuits Mid’85 Desk: persistent Saul Zaentz of Fantasy Records continues to sue John Fogerty. This time, he’s claiming that “The Old Man Down The Road” bears an uncanny resemblance to “Run Through The Jungle,” which Fogerty also wrote (while in Creedence Clearwater Revival), but signed away in his contract to Fantasy. In the words of Mr. Fogerty, “They sue me for breathing.”

Hey, we’re gonna tell you who’s guest-starring in Ratt’s video for “You Think You’re Tough”. Ozzy Osbourne, Herman Rarebell (Scorpions), Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Carmine Appice and Jake E. Lee are all slated to appear. Don’t thank us! In fact, don’t thank anybody!

Praxis Records—a small indie label out of Nashville—was calling local media reps to come hear their'‘latest signing," The Hornets Attack Victor Mature, play the Uptown club in Athens, Georgia. Little did anyoneincluding the club owners and I.R.S. Records—suspect that the Hornets were actually R.E.M., there to perform 15 newly-penned tunes. And attack Victor Mature, presumably.

This issue of CREEM marks the farewell appearance of Cynthia Rose as our “Letter From Britain” columnist, and she will be sorely missed. Cynthia is heading on to Dallas, where she’ll join the staff of Xtra magazine, an exceptional publication not unlike those Cynthia’s been associated with in the past. (Xtra's editor, John Morthland, is—in feet—a former editor of CREEM.) Replacing Ms. Rose as our “Letter From Britain” wordsmith will be the NME's Gavin Martin.

Motley Crue are recording a version of “Mississippi Queen” for their next album. Let us know if it’s any good.

Rick Allen has, indeed, rejoined Def Leppard in the wake of the auto accident that severed his left arm. He’s reportedly added some vocal tracks to Lep’s new album and is prepared to join the gang on their next tour with a drum kit specially adapted to his specifications.

The recent Canadian musicians aid for Ethiopian famine victims session (“Tears Are Not Enough,” co-written by Bryan Adams and producer David Foster) included a surprising variety of stars, including Anne Murray, Corey Hart, Neil Young, Rush, Bruce Cockburn and—of course— the Edmonton Oilers. This Bureau does not jest...the tape was actually flown to Edmonton where the pucksters added their parts. Pass that mike to Gretzky!

The story behind the music from Peter Bogdanovich’s upcoming film Mask is a strange one. The movie is based on the life of Rocky Dennis, who was born with craniodiaphysical dysplasia, a condition that disfigured his face. Rocky, it turns out, loves the music of Bruce Springsteen (“It was music loved by a child without hope,” according to Bogdanovich) and the film was originally slated to include “Thunder Road,” “The Promised Land,” and “Badlands.” Springsteen was to receive $160,000 for music rights and a $150,000 advance against videocassette sales. However, after Bogdanovich returned from a three-month trip to Europe, he found that Universal Pictures had replaced the Springsteen songs with four Bob Seger tunes. (Seger asking a reported $50,000.) Bogdanovich was somewhat furious, being quoted as saying, “It’s the difference between chamber music and Puccini,” and has filed a $10 million breach of contract suit against Universal, which will be withdrawn if Springsteen’s music is reinstated. The kickers? According to Rocky’s mom, “Rocky didn’t know who Bob Seger was,” and Springsteen had intended to donate half of his earnings to Rocky and the other half to a charity agreed upon by both.

Who put on the most successful tour of 1984? We were going to say Belfegore, but a poll of concert promoters, booking agents and arena managers came up with these numbers: Bruce Springsteen (71%), Prince (21 %) and the Jacksons (8%).

We are told that the producers of Dallas offered Paul McCartney “almost a million dollars” to appear in eight episodes of that show as “a wealthy British landowner.” Paulie turned ’em down, ostensibly because he didn’t want to be separated from his children, but actually because he can’t act. We think.

Lest our Heavy Metal Desk feel slighted, we’ll damn the consequences and go with this zesty item: Ron Keel, lead singer and sometime-guitarist for the amazing Keel, has produced a six-song EP for the (yes) L.A.-based metal group, Blitzkrieg. The disc will be available on Phoenix Records and “spotlights” three songs co-written by Ron himself! Keel over?

Guitarist Karl Precoda has left the Dream Syndicate...no word on who will be replacing him yet.

THE CREEM CHRONICLE: Where were you five years ago?

WEDDING BELLS ARE BREAKING UP THAT OLD GANG OF MINE...

Middle age insecurity dept: As you may have heard, Fred “Sonic” Smith married Patti Smith in a ceremony at Mariners Church in downtown Detroit on March 1. Meanwhile in New York, Lou Reed recently tied the knot with Sylvia Morales.