rumours

Rip It Up, Issue 122, 1 September 1987, Page 8

rumours

UK & USA From RB in the UK: Sonya Waters has been confirmed as a fulltime member of the Woodentops. 'She has also appeared in a Thompson Twins video miming on keyboards ... No Tag have just finished a successful round of London's grass-roots venues and are taking a break to write more songs. Several venues have asked them back for better gigs ... Dance Exponents are on the dole in swinging Camden and gearing up to play ... Jed Town of Fetus Productions is recording with Greg McKenzie (ex-Normal Ambition and Kingsley Smith’s) and to avoid confusion with Jim Foetus/Thirwell will eventually be performing multimedia shows as Intensive Care Unit or ICU. Chills album Brave Words has been completed and awaits pressing. Tracks are ‘Creep,’ ‘Oncoming Day,’ ‘Speak for Yourself,’ 'Night of Chill Blue,’ 'Dan Destiny and the Silver Dawn,’ ‘Wet Blanket,' ‘Push,’ ‘Rain,’ Brave Words,’ ‘l6 Heartthrobs,’ ‘Ghosts’ and ‘I Think I Thought I'd Nothing Else to Think About.' Several US companies expressed interest in distribution during the Chills' encouraging week in New York. Meanwhile, Flying Nun UK has just released the Verlaines’ compilation Juvenilia and there are plans for a label compilation. The Chills will do a European tour before heading back to NZ for some pre-Christmas dates. Aretha Franklin made another live gospel LP in a Detroit church recently, with sisters Irma and Carolyn, plus Mavis Staples and the Mighty Clouds of Joy helping out with a 90 piece choir. Mavis Staples recently signed to Prince’s Paisley Park ... after the Revolution: Wendy & Lisa have finished their LP, selfproduced with ex-Prince drummer Bobby Z ... move over, George Michael: safe sex supporters include Motown’s Jermaine Stewart (‘We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off to Have a Good Time') and Smokey Robinson ('lt’s Time to Stop Shopping Around’) ... Prince has already sacked two directors off his new film. Black Sabbath's new singer Tony

Martin appears on the new LP Eternal Idol, out next month ... INXS have a new LP Kick out in Oct... Shirley Bassey and Yello appeared on UK TV’s Wogan singing ‘Rhythm Divide’ ... Sly & Robbie produced Curiosity Killed the Cat’s single ‘Free’ ... Bananarama’s Shiobhan married Dave Stewart at a French chateau last month ... Van Morrison is getting into some promo for his new LP Poetic Champions Compose: two-track live video which also includes an in-depth interview. The LP includes three instrumentals, plus the traditional ‘Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.'

Lou Reed on Sgt Pepper’s: “Let me tell you, it didn’t have any effect on me. I don't even own it. I thought it had some of the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life. ‘Mr Kite’ is absolutely unbearable. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. I don't see how people can even think of it seriously when you compare it to, like, the Velvet Underground’s first album” ... Aerosmith are back with Permanent Vacation, which features the Beatles Tm Down,’ the one Jacko wouldn't let the Beasties cover ... oh dear: here come the New Monkees, on TV and LP. But they can play better than the originals, says their hype ... Mick Jagger’s second solo LP is Primitive Cool ... will the Jagger/Bowie movie be called Rocket Boys? ... Pink Floyd are touring the US, without Roger Waters, and have a new LP Momentary Lapse of Reason (?).