ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

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Recently mugged in New York was Ozzy Osbourne, himself a well-known mug. According to this piece of paper someone sent us, the mighty Oz was in a taxi en route to a photo shoot when “a knifewielding drug fiend demanded money” from him. It sounds exciting! The piece of paper continues: ‘‘The driver promptly pushed open the door, knocking down the thug and restrained him until police arrived on the scene.” Good work, cabbie! In other Osbourne doings, we understand Yoko Ono sent him a thank-you note for the letter Oz sent to People magazine blasting said publication for their cover story on Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s assassin.

Frank Zappa has signed with Poseidon Press to write his autobiography. Tenatively titled The Real Frank Zappa Book, it’s slated to be published in late 1988, at which point this Bureau will digitally sample some of the words therein for a rousing good column.

Honpred on Friday, March 13, at 12:30 p.m. (hey, this is history) were Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, who had a star dedicated to them on the intergalactically-famous Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

The rockin’ aggregate were only the 1,844th to receive the rare honor.

As a follow-up to The Doors: Dance On Fire video, MCA will be releasing The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl this summer. The film will contain what is said to be the only color footage shot of the band in a full-length concert, and will also have a digitallymastered soundtrack. Might be fun to dub off a whole bunch for your friends, eh? Look for the vid around the 20th anniversary of Jose Feliciano’s hit song, “Light My Fire.”

Our Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair Dept, would just like you to know that the new RCA Jefferson Airplane anthology— 2400 Fulton Street— is also available on CD. “Big deal!” you might say—and you’d almost be right, except the compact disc version of 2400 Fulton Street includes 10 additional Airplane tracks you won’t find on the vinyl version. So put that in your banana peel pipe and smoke it ...

Studio News: George Clinton is cutting tracks for his next LP, Otis Day And The Knights ... The Beach Boys are working with the Fat Boys on what may well be the definitive version of “Wipe Out,” slated to be released on Tin Pan Apple Records ... A-ha recording the theme for the next James Bond flick, The Living Daylights ... Universe now estimated to be at least 15 billion years old.

ou audiophiles who are gearing up for a digital audio tape recorder might consider making other plans. The music industry has opposed the introduction of DAT recorders into the U.S., mostly because they stand to lose a whole bunch of money on the deal: the technology would allow consumers to dub off CDs in all their pristine clarity. Having missed the boat on cassette recorders, the biz wants to make sure that any DAT recorders sold here will contain a computer chip that would block the recording of copyrighted music. (DAT records without the nega-chip are available in Japan and could be on sale in the States by year’s end.)

DAT's All!

In round one of the battle, the music industry scored a victory, with the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee placing a one-year ban on the sale of chipless DAT recorders. Jason Berman of the Recording Industry Association of America termed the vote a “great victory for American music.” As for Rock ’n’ Roll News, we know we’d be glad to pay a whole lot of money for a recorder that doesn’t record.

Belinda Carlisle, who has been recording for I.R.S. Records, has .tioved to MCA. Nothing strange about that, right?

You be the judge: when we at the Bureau first heard tell of this, word was that I.R.S. “forgot” to pick up Belinda’s option—this even though her solo debut album of a year ago went gold. “Sacre bleu”’s were heard at not only this Bureau, but at less signficant bureaus industry-wide.

When asked for a comment, an I.R.S. spokesman gave us this statement: “By mutual agreement by all parties, Belinda Carlisle has left I.R.S. Records to enter into a long-term pact with MCA Records ... Contrary to published reports, the move was amicable to all parties.” What could be more plausible?

When asked for his comment, Danny Goldberg, Belinda’s manager, said this: “For whatever reason, I.R.S. didn’t pick up Belinda’s option.” Then, when pressed to elaborate on this “whatever,” he added: “My guess is that they forgot ... ours was a business decision. We saw an opportunity and decided to maximize it by accepting MCA’s offer.” To further clarify this, he said—in answer to whether or not I.R.S. knew Belinda was a-goin’—“To an extent, they did ... they definitely made a mistake.” Hmmm.

Well, this Bureau even contacted an employee of MCA Records, who, when asked for a comment we could print, offered this: “Are you kidding?” As if we’d let the Heee Desk handle an investigation of this import!

The denouement? MCA—which distributes I.R.S. product—has reduced the minimum sales quota previously dictated as part of their distribution agreement ... sort of as payment for “stealing” her, we reckon. As a last word, an unnamed source told us that, for Belinda, it was a matter of “dollar bill green pastures versus an elbowgrease work ethic.”

Sacre bleu.

Slated for resuscitation this summer are the Turtles. Seemingly taking a cue from the Monkees successful ’86 revival, the powers that be have lined up the re-release of “Happy Together,” originally released 20 years ago, like everything in the world, a smash hit video of the same song and a 100-city tour (called “Classic Superfest”), brought to you by David Fishof, who also organized that danged Monkees’ tour.

By the way, “Happy Together” will also be the theme song for a movie called Making Mr. Right, just in case you get lonely for the tune or something.

Robert Palmer has reportedly suggested to Herman Rarebill, drummer for Germany’s own Scorpions, that he and the Scorps try recording together. Fortunately, the Scorps have been tied up working on their own album, after which this Bureau will be pleased to present them with any number of excuses.

Bruce Springsteen,

"Book Him"

Our He’p Desk—anxious to he’p anyone, anywhere and at any cost—has been bugging us for space for some time, so as to he’p fans of Bruce Springsteen, the New Jersey guitarist. They report that there’s an excellent magazine out there called Backstreets, a 34-page dandy that deals exclusively with what’s-his-name. It only costs $3, they say, but—despite this giveaway approach to marketing—is still chock-full of great black & white photos of this Springsteen fellow, his musical pals and even buildings in mystical New Jersey. Remarkable. The He’p Desk figures that— since CREEM’s never actually written about this “Chief”—we should tell our readers all about this swell, non-profit mag. Consider it done, you warm-hearted He’psters, you.