SMALL STUFF

Rip It Up, Issue 4, 1 September 1977, Page 2

SMALL STUFF

The latest and She Greatest Rock Hews

1 1 California Ton Waits, that lovable drunk, was found not guilty of disturbing the peace after he’d been in a scuffle with a plain-clothes sheriff

a bit of film news Milos Forman (director of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) is to be the director of the movie version of the musical, Hair . . .and a bio film of Buddy Holly’s life is also currently being considered. A possible Buddy Holly is Wilie de Ville of New York group, Mink de Ville. If you’ve never heard of him, don’t be surprised

. . . meanwhile, Martin Scorsese director of Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn't Live Here etc is putting together a film to be called The Last Waltz which will feature footage from The Band’s farewell-to-performing concert with Van lyiorrison, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Ronnie Hawkins, Eric Clapton etc, etc. Other acts shot in the US and Europe, may also be included . . .

black musical The Wiz , based on the The Wizard of Oz, which has played on Broadway for some time, is now to be made into a film. It will feature Michael Jackson of the Jacksons, Diana Ross, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby . . .

Ronnie Lane, late of the Faces, played a gig in the carpark of his local pub in Shropshire, The Drum and Monkey. He was joined by mates Tom McGuiness (late of McGuiness - Flint), Eric Clapton (late of . . .), and occasional Rolling Stones’ piano player lan Stewart. They treated the locals to a set that included such favourites as "Dead Flowers’’, "Willie and the Hand Jive", “Oh La La”, “Key to the Highway”, ‘Little Queenie” and Clapton did a solo spot on “Stormy Monday” . . .

meanwhile the reformed Small Faces with Steve Marriott, lan McLagen, Kenny Jones and new bass-player, Rick Wells, replacing Ronnie Lane, have a new album out on Atlantic records, Playmates . . . Ronnie Lane has also been working on a duet album with Pete Townshend. It’s now finished and is titled Tough Mix . . .

ex-Pentangle bass player, Danny Thompson is recovering from a heart attack and therefore currently unable

to work . . . all-girl Californian group The Runaways have recruited a new bassist to replace Jackie Fox. Seems Jackie quit after two suicide attempts and several disagreements with the rest of the band. New member is Vickie Blue . . . new British sensation is Elvis Costello, who has already been compared with Bruce Springsteen, Van

Morrison etc, etc. His back up band includes ex-Sutherland Brothers bass player Bruce Thomas and ex-Chilli Willi drummer, Pete Thomas. The man’s slogan goes Elvis is King. Figures . . . The Rumour’s first solo album without Graham Parker is out and it’s called Max. Why, you may ask. Well, seeing as Fleetwood Mac called their album Rumours, then The Rumour just had to call theirs Max. There’s logic for you . . . Randy Newman’s first LP in quite some time is released in the States in September. It’s titled, Little Criminals . . . Dan Peek one third of America has quit the band. This leaves Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell to work as a duo or hire a new man . . . new Linda Ronstadt album, Simple Dreams, is yet again produced by Peter Asher and features the Rolling Stones, “Tumbling Dice”. Sounds interesting . . . Bill Bruford ex-Genesis and Yes drummer, is now working on a solo album with a band comprised of Dave Stewart on keyboards, Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Jeff Berlin on bass and vocalist, Annette Peacock ... Sid Vicious, bass player for the Sex Pistols was fined 100 pounds in London on a charge of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a flick knife . . . after a considerable lay-off before his last album The Idiot, Iggy Pop has now swung into action again. Iggy has another David Bowie produced album out in September. Titled Lust for Life it features nine songs, seven of which are cowritten with Bowie . . . meanwhile rumour has it that Bowie may hit the road later this year with Iggy in his backing band . . . The Beach Boys are now signed to CBS via James William Guercio’s Caribou label. But they still have one album to complete for Warner Brothers that’s to be called Adult Child. The switch to CBS has

been brought on by the less-than-impressive sales of their last two albums, 15 Big Ones and The Beach Boys Love You . . . Marc Bolan is to have his own half-hour TV series in Britain called Marc . . . Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra has put out a solo single, “Doing That Crazy Thing” which features Elton John among the backing musicians . . .

Levon Helm of The Band is working on a solo LP . . . while Rick Danko’s first solo album is released on Arista

. . . Rod Stewart is in the process of mixing his new album . . . Sea Level (with Chuck Leavell, Jai Johanny Johanson and Lamar Williams all late of the Allman Brothers) have drafted in new members Randall Bramblett on keyboards and sax and David Causey on guitar . . . and the Gregg Allman band drafts in Kenny Burke to replace Willie Weeks on bass . . . Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow have had constant problems since they lost keyboards player, Tony Carey and bass player, Jimmy Bain, some months ago. Now, latest bass player, Mark Clarke, has quit and they have not yet found a replacement for Carey on keyboards . . . Kursaal Flyers release a live LP later this year recorded at the Marquee in London . . . The Grateful Dead’s new LP Terrapin Station features orchestration on the title track by Paul Buckmaster and using the English Chorale . . . Johnny Winter, after working as a sideman on Muddy Waters last LP, Hard Again, has now recorded a straight - ahead blues LP with the Muddy Waters band, called Nothing But the Blues . . . new band recording on George Harrison’s Dark Horse label is Attitudes, which includes ace sessioneers Danny Kootch and Jim Keltner together with bassist Paul Stollworth and keyboards player David Foster.. .