SMALLSTUFF

Rip It Up, Issue 17, 1 November 1978, Page 2

SMALLSTUFF

A volte face on Bruce Springsteen by New Musical Express. After coming down hard on the Darkness on the Edge of Town album, NME has published a lengthy in-performance piece that literally raves. It doesn’t say Bruce is the future of rock 'n' roll, just that he should be. The normally sceptical Tony Parsons topples from his tree, calling Springsteen’s New Jersey show the best gig he’s ever seen in his life. Four hours of hard rocking, all of Born to Run , all of Darkness, early songs, juke box hits, ending with Springsteen in a state of exhausted collapse . . . the three former members of The Damned Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible who recently came together as The Doomed for a one-off gig at London’s Electric Ballroom are to remain together under this banner . . . New Zealander Charlie Tumahai, formerly bass player with Be-Bop Deluxe until they disbanded a couple of months ago, has now joined The Hollywood Killers The band is recording new material to hawk around to the British record companies . . . the reformed Pretty Things are performing under the name of Phil May and the Fallen Angels. Another sixties group is back on the boards: the Downliners Sect are back in action with a line-up that includes three founder members, Don Craine, Keith Grant and Terry Gibson. They have just finished recording their first single for eight years . . . black radio stations in the States are being asked to boycott the Stones’ Some Girls because of the title song’s reference to black women. Jagger says he wrote the song tongue-in-cheek (or somewhere) after making love to two black girls . . . Andy Gibb is resting under doctor’s orders after laryngitis forced him to cancel concert dates . . . Dwight Twilley and partner Phil Seymour have split after two moderately successful albums. Seymour, who sang the Twilley band’s lead vocals from his drum chair, has played some LA club dates with a band called 20/20 . . . British drum vet Aynsley Dunbar has exited from Journey, with whom he made four albums. The divorce cited “musical differences" . . . “Well, I never heard of you either", was Tom Waits’ reply to an LA cop after Waits was pulled over and asked to explain an open bottle in his auto. Waits, whose new LP contains such songs as “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis,” was permitted to drive on . . . Linda Ronstadt (she of the roller skates) doesn’t know whether she will still be recording or touring in five years because by that time she "might decide to fall in love with somebody and stay with them, in which case I wouldn’t want to go on the road. There are still only two paths open for women: the geisha or the wife. Women do seem by nature to be more monogamous. I’m

more inclined to be that way. My life is set up for it” . . . Frank Zappa on disco: “Disco music makes it possible for mellow, laid-back, boring kinds of people to meet each other and reproduce" . . . The Moody Blues have undergone their first major line-up change since Denny Laine left more than a decade ago. Mike Pinder has left the band, to be replaced by Patrick Moraz, who played with Yes during Rick Wakeman’s two-year absence from that outfit. Pinder's departure was apparently motivated by his being unable to face the prospect of arduous touring . . . ironically, both Creem and Rolling Stone carried Who cover stories the week of Keith Moon’s death. Wrote Rolling Stone’s

Dave Marsh: "Moon seems to be on the way to recovery from whatever physical and mental demons have plagued him” . . . Aerosmith volunteered to pay the fines and bail for 50 kids arrested for smoking (cigarettes) at the group’s recent concert at the Fort Wayne Coliseum in Indiana. The arena has tough restrictions on smoking Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond are recording an entire album together with producer Bob Gaudio. Expect much chewing of scenery . . . Enough is enough department: Warners are said to be planning a major new push on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours which may involve repackaging the album, now approaching the 10 million unit mark . . . War’s bass player 8.8. Dickerson is taking a one-year leave of absence for health reasons. His replacement is Luther Rabb . . . despite record company and radio station pressure, Tom Petty is refusing to alter a line of his “Listen to her Heart” single. The troublesome lyric is “you think you're gonna take her away/with your money and your cocaine.” Tom refuses to change “cocaine” to “champagne”. “I mean”, says Petty, “first of all it’s anti-cocaine. I don’t even like the stuff. And second, what’s cham-

pagne going for these days? Two bucks a bottle?" Must be domestic eye-wash, Tom ... oh really? Pete Townshend describes Johnny Lydon (aka Rotten) as “like a white Jimi Hendrix”. Talking about the first time he met Lydon, Pete says, “I can’t explain it (now there's a song title Ed.). Just the feeling of being in the presence of someone that’s really great. And who isn’t gonna compromise.” You should hear what he says about you, Pete . . . more splits: Dave Lambert has severed his long association with the Strawba. Lambert plans to record a solo album in Los Angeles, where he has been writing with Gary Osborne and ex-Hollies front man Allan Clarke . . . release of Rod Stewart’s new album Blondes Have More Fun has been delayed . . . Wilko Johnson’s Solid Senders apparently walked off in a huff during a gig at Hitchin ("to the maps, gentlemen”). Ten minutes later a depleted Senders came back on stage with two members of the support band depping for the Senders’ rhythm section. Wilko told the audience: "I’d rather play with these guys anyway” . . . former Beach Boy Bruce Johnston has been called in to supervise the new Beach Boys album on CBS, which will be released after their final Reprise album, M.I.U. Johnston is reported to be tossing out tracks left and right, including what was to be the title song, “California Feeling" . . . Elvis Costello has been recently seen in the company of Todd Rundgren's wife Bebe, former companion of Rod Stewart, Ron Wood et al . . . esteemed record producer Tom Wilson died of a heart disease recently aged 47. Wilson produced Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home album and "Like a Rolling Stone” single. He later went to work for MGM/Verve where he was instrumental in the signing of the Mothers of Invention ... an unemployed John Travolta fan appeared in a British court charged with damaging people’s clothes. The disco kid was sniffing a pot of glue during Saturday Night Fever when he slumped unconscious, spilling the glue over two people next to him. He water told police: “I’ve seen the film five or six times. The glue makes it look like 3-D" . . Bob Marley and the Wallers are releasing a live double Babylon by Bus, featuring the best moments of concerts in Jamaica, America and Europe . . . English singer called Ivor Biggun. Probably a support act for Buster Hymen and the Penetrations . . . The Who deny reports they are not only planning to bring in a new drummer, but also expand the line-up to include another guitarist and keyboards player. A spokesperson rubbished the idea of a sixpiece line-up and a new change. "To what, he said, “the Noo’Oo or the Whom?" . . . speaking of band names: LA punk outfit The Dead Kennedys; Copenhagen group Shit and Chanel No. 5 . . . Robert Plant has come out of seclusion to sit in with Dave Edmunds and Dr Feelgood. There are rumours of a new Led Zep album . . . Dave Edmunds and Rockpile (Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, Terry Williams, are touring the US with Van Morrison . . . Scots hard rockers Nazareth, who have held the same line-up for over 10 years, have now added Zal Cleminson, formerly guitarist with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band . . .