RUMOURS

Rip It Up, Issue 44, 1 March 1981, Page 2

RUMOURS

Nash The Slash

UK & USA Rockpile have split to pursue solo careers. Seconds of Pleasure is now their first and final album ... Mike Bloomfield was found dead in his car. The 37 year old guitarist is known for his work with Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Electric Flag, Al Kooper and for his Takoma solo albums ... Bob Mariey has been receiving treatment at Dr Josef Issel’s cancer clinic near Munich ... Virgin Records will release in the UK 101’ers, Joe Strummer’s pre-Clash band with Richard Dudanski of PIL/Raincoats fame. The album, Elgin Avenue Breakdown features livs and studio tracks of covers and originals. It : appears on the Andalucia label ... the Specials are on holiday for six months. Brad has started his own label, Race Records, and has produced 45s for Night Doctor and Team 23 ... ska fans need not mourn. Chrysalis Dance Craze soundtrack LP hits NZ soon with 15 tracks in all. Three by the Specials, the Beat, Selecter and Madness plus two by Bad Manners and one from the Bodysnatchers ... new Selecter assortment have a new single and album on Selecter Records (thru Chrysalis), both titled Celebrate The Bullet... Adam & the Ants headline at the Children's Royal Variety Show. Princess Margaret will attend ... the lads that left Dexys have recorded their debut album. Dexys producer Pete Wingfield twiddled the knobs. Bureau is their name and they’re on WEA worldwide ... though spitting is out, splitting is in. "Billy Idol feels the need to become a soloist" (Tony James) so Gen X have split ... Tourists have too ... it is thought that Tom Petty and MCA are not seeing eye to eye. Petty intends to title his new album $8.98 if MCA insist on pricing it at $9.98, their soundtrack/ superstar retail price. Current LP title is the unlikely Benmont's Revenge ... BBC Publications have released a paperback, The Lennon Tapes with their Dec 6,1980 interviews

... the Clash have cancelled their UK tour. Their alternative-venues scheme (warehouses, hangars etc) proved a headache ... meanwhile in LA Eagle Joe Walsh and Rickie Lee Jones have nearly completed their respective new albums. Walsh’s band includes Jay Fergusson, Joe Vitale and George Perry ... Debbie Harry has purchased a $200,000 New York warehouse under the name of Joe Blow the Midget Inc. Neighbours are objecting to its use as a rehearsal studio ... George Martin will coproduce next Paul McCartney LP ... DJM will release a 45 of John Lennon with Elton John at Elton’s Madison Square Gardens concert, 1974. Tracks are Paul’s ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘What Ever Gets You Through The Night’ and 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ ... RCA have signed old mate Lou Reed and Mick Fleetwood has signed a solo deal with the same company ... Gang Of Four newie is produced by R&B producer Jimmy (Slave) Douglas. It’s entitled Solid Gold and all four lads reckon “it's brilliant’’ ... HM kids, Motorhead and Girlschool have recorded together ... Graham Bonnett has left

Rainbow ... Teardrop Explodes has new members on guitar, keyboards and bass. Julian Cope now croons only ... having completed Ellen Foley’s Spirit Of St Louis, Mick Jones will now produce the Hunter/Ronson Band ... Bruce Springsteen (nearly forgot him) will produce Gary U.S. Bonds ... cheapie Smithereens will star Richard Hell and blockbuster flick While My Guitar Gently Weeps stars strings, sorry Sting. By the way, Grace Jones has new 45, Sting’s ‘Demolition Man’ ... new Frank Zappa label is Barking Pumpkin. His new studio LP Crush All Boxes has been delayed. First release is 1980 tour live double Tinsel Town Rebellion ... Talking Head, Tina Weymouth is doing a solo project ... in 1981 Athletico Spizz 80 are known as the Spizzles ... future vinyl includes Holly & the Italian The Right To Be Italian (Richard Gottehrer produced), Stray Cats Stray Cats, Todd Rundgren Healing, Sister Sledge All American Girls, UK Subs Diminished Responsibility, Nash The Slash Children Of The Night, Phil Collins Face Values, Marvin Gaye In Our Lifetime, X Wild Gift (2nd Ray Manzarek produced LP), Nine Below Zero Don’t Point Your Finger, Little Feat Double LP (Benefit Concert tracks and old tracks), Judas Priest Point Of Entry, BLT (Robin Trower, Jack Bruce and Bill Lordan), James White & the Contortions Second Chance. Wellington Bunk Records’ campaign of world conquest continues, latest signing is SI outfit Spaces for a single (‘Just Like Clockwork’/'Farce’). Also expect platters from Taste of Bounty "in the next few weeks” and Steroids and Mockers "later next month.’/ Bunk have also acquired NZ rights to several USA indies. Breaking up is not so hard to do dept: Rumours rife of impending Shoes This High break-up, "for personal reasons” ... Protons (just when I was about to adopt them as great

white hope of ’81) on the rox with departure vocalist May Lloyd to drama school ... Wallsockets now reduced to a three-piece with vocalist Lynette Dunn having run away with a mime troupe. Pic ’n mix dept: Rodents fullfilling current obligations with Mark Hornbrook on bass. At least two Rodents soon to leave regular bassist and trumpeter required. On the sunny side: Naked Spots about to unleash new material on an unsuspecting world ... new version of the Red may soon appear ... Steroids have a new drummer ... Insects That Jive are now known as Vertical Smiles ... improving from gig to gig are Preservatives ... Lower Hutt band (no they don’t do 'Ten Guitars’) Scanners have re-emerged ... also playing around town, Ghetto (reggae), Kull-I-Shay and Mangaweka Viaduct ... performing around town while working on TV series with Rock’n’Rollßevival Club (currently booming) is Tom Sharpiin. Les Crew Christchurch The Newtones are recording an EP. Tracks are 'Santa Anna’, 'Christchurch Part Two', 'China' and 'Paint the Town Red'. It will be released on their own label ... Playthings’ live work is going from strength to strength. They are thinking about doing a live EP. Newz will have their appeal heard midMarch. Two of the band will stay in Christchurch until then. Meanwhile a Newz fan club has been formed. Contact PO Box 7336, Christchurch ... the Narcs will reside at the Hillsborough for two months. An extensive tour of the South Island will follow. The Solatudes are also planning a tour. Steamshack have parted company with their Christchurch management. They are now Auckland based ... Murray Couling is in the Nl. Hoovers are now looking for a bassist, a guitarist and a keyboards player. New name is the Replacements phone 897-905 if interested ... 25 Cents are experimenting with their material and their line-up. A guitarist is wanted phone Mary, 67-451 ... Phillip Clark has left System X. They have a new guitarist and their bass player is doing vocals ... Mike Lewis’s PA will be around for a few weeks longer ... the Victor Dimisich Band have split but there are plans to record some tracks ... Charles Atlas are Go. The Androidss are in transit to Auckland ... Pink Flamingos and Hammond Gamble are booked for the Hillsborough ... the Gordons will return to town with a bigger than ever PA ... bands at the Glad soon include Newtones, Old Dennis, Billy & The Blueflames, Flyte X 7 and the Screaming Meemees ... Bandit are now Kick and live at the Aranui. Laura Mitchell & JW Auckland On the eve of the release of Split Enz’ new album, Waiata, drummer Malcolm Green has left the band. The Mushroom Records’ press release reads: “Changes in attitude were needed on both Malcolm’s part and the band’s and it was decided that different paths should be trodden." Noel Crombie and Tim may do drumming chores on Enz tour. Expect the Malcolm Green Sound solo 45 on Ripper soon ... Swingers ace in the studio for two weeks recording a follow-up to their No.l Oz smash hit ‘Counting The Beat’. Pop Mechanix will tour Australia as support for Split Enz, March 17 to April 16. Their fab new single 'Jumping Out A Window’ will be released to coincide with the tour. Whether they return to NZ after the tour is anybody's guess ... also fab and a Ripper is new 45 from Newmatics and the Screaming Meemees ... don’t forget the 12 track fab Class Of 81. It’s in stores now and the Terry Hogan cover is hard to miss. Rick E. Morris sings 'Hello Girl’, Crocodiles’ new Aussie 45 ... Andrew Snoid produced two tracks for the Screaming Meemees’ first Propeller single, ’See Me Go’/Till I Die’ ... expect

Herco Pilots EP in stores soon ... Danse Macabre demoed ’Shreds’, ‘Mission’ and 'Torch' for possible Rem Records EP ... next Ripper 45 will be Lena Days ... Blams will do a 12 inch single for Propeller ... expect Broken Dolls’ debut 45 soon ... Coup D’Etat LP is out. Knobz forthcoming album is entitled Sudden Exposure. It was recorded at Mandrill with Alan Galbraith producing and Graeme Myre engineering. The 12 track platter hits stores late March as the band commence a 20 centre NZ tour.

At Jaggers in March will be Mad Ranks with ex X 7 members, Tim Powles and Warwick Keay and Greg McKenzie (guitar, ex Subjects) and Stewart Hunt (keyboards, ex Medusa) ... Dave Wilkinson (ex-Clips) has joined New Entrants ...

new Newtones drummer is Martin Archbold ... member six in Inside Information cabaret is Anna Phillips. Their new show is entitled The Next Big Thing ... new Pink Flamingos keyboards player is Peter Allison (ex Real to Reel)... drummer Steve Wester has left Herco Pilots ... Rhythm Method have informed RIU that “all Cockney accents have been phased out'" ... Knobz have a saxist, Johnny Tuska. ... Danse Macabre are not renamed the Ruptured Pixies. The Corporation Dunedin New-look Feedback may turn pro. Demo tracks of four of their songsTiave been recorded at 4ZB's studios. The band recently supported the Techtones at the Shoreline. Top Scientists made a few friends here with caging stints at the Lion and the Cook ... Techtones battled well against indifference at the Shoreline. Which brings us to the Battle of the Bands run by Shoreline manager Hans Buis. Seventeen bands have entered and the contest will take place over eight nights. The winner receives the production of a 45 plus 500 pressings at Tandem Studios, Christchurch, with SSOO cash towards travelling expenses. Details and selected reviews in next issue. Subscribe now. George Kay Tours Big news this month is that Stevie Wonder and his band, Wonderlove will do two evening concerts in April. Auckland’s Western Springs on April 11 and Wellington’s Athletic Park April 13. The Pointer Sisters return in April. Their dates are Hamilton April 21, Auckland 22 & 23, Tauranga 24, Napier 25, Wellington 26, Palmerston North 27, Christchurch 29, Dunedin 30. Likely in June are Devo and there is talk of Madness early May. On April 1 Kevin Borich commences an extensive tour of North Island pubs.