Rumours

Rip It Up, Issue 87, 1 October 1984, Page 2

Rumours

Foreign The handshakes have been completed and Madness now have their own label, Zarjazz, through Virgin. First release will be Feargal Sharkey's new single 'Listen To Your Father’. Madness left Stiff Records earlier this year and have accused label boss Dave Robinson of such misdemeanours as swiping ideas from their videos for use in a TV meat commercial

... Sting is reportedly clambering around the Himalayas in search of the Yeti. He has undertaken the journey after meeting Scottish explorer Bill Grant backstage after a gig this year. Sting is also part way through a solo album ... Robert Smith has been replaced as Banshees guitarist by John Carruthers. formerly of Clock DVA Pat Benatar is busy making lots of videos to cover for when her shape is unmarketable until she has a baby in March ... and Chrissie Hynde is expecting her second child also, this one by new hubby Jim Kerr Joan Jett recently wrote off her 1983 Jaguar... Afro musician Fela Kuti has again been prevented from touring the USA. After finally obtaining a visa from the USA government, Kuti was arrested on a charge relating to Nigeria's currency regulations as he tried to fly out. The rest of his entourage was allowed to go ... passed away recently; country troubador Ernest Tubb, aged 70; soul singer Esther Phillips; former lead singer of the Spinners, Phillipe Winne and Buddy Holly's old producer, Norman Petty Albums; Culture Club Waking Up With the House On Fire\ GoBetweens Spring Hill Fair, Andy Summers and Robert Fripp Bewitched, Stevie Wonder Woman In Red, John Cale John Cale Comes Alive (live); Ramones Too Tough To Die: Dream Syndicate Medicine Show, Residents George

and James ; Marc Riley and the Creepers Gross Out, George Clinton Some Of My Best Jokes Are Friends.

South First up the surprising news that the successful and popular Backdoor Blues Band have split because of the of "musical and personal differences". Only bassist Chris Claridge remains in ChCh and he intends to move away from the blues in his next musical venture ... ChCh's latest supergroup includes Wee Rob Failsafe, Stephen Birss (White Boys) and Eric van der Hoven (ex Southern Front). Former SF singer Harry Hepworth is about to unleash himself on the Australian music industry. Wayward Witches will travel to Auckland to play with the Freudian Slips and record some snappy wee ditties ... the Bats taking a break after their successful tour and hope to record a single shortly ... Rex Visible may join the Expendables on bass and guitar but even more definite is the news that Jay Clarkson's son Dane doesn't like school.

Peter Gutteridge has shifted permanently to ChCh which should see the Great Unwashed perform a little more regularly in future ... the Chills’ ’Doledrums' single to be remixed and will be out in time for the lucrative Xmas market ... upcoming from the House Of Flying Nun are the Rip's A Timeless Piece and Phantom Forth’s EEPP. Nun will also distribute the Stridulators debut 45 'Queue'/'lnside Track’. Look Blue Go Purple have approached the QEII Arts Council for a recording grant ... new tapes available from Wreck Small Speakers. Crystal Zoom. Rhythm Cocktail and Luke Hurley Hurley performs the title track from his tape ‘Japanese Overdrive’ on the forthcoming RWP special which will also feature snippets of Working With Walt, LBGR Love In A Gas Oven, WSSOES, the Rip, Crytal Zoom and the Backdoor Blues band ... tape label Apolistic Industries to go legal First project will be a solo album from Gamaunche's Richard Wallis. Scorched Earth Policy have been recording at Tandem and All Fall Down have been making use of Bill Direen’s four-track ... Nightshift studios is a hive of in-

dustry lately; Onset-Offset recording a second Krypton Hits cassette... also there have been the Haemogoblins, who have an eight-track album waiting for a record deal ... former My Three Sons bassist Peter Arnold has recorded a solo single which may be distributed thru F Nun.

TV Eye act the Hyphenears have new rekkie 'Garden Of Lycanthropy’ out soon, and the Decline And fall Of Say Yes To Apes double LP is being pressed too. The Teev machine will be used to record the Puddle in Dunedin, who count former And Band member George Henderson among their number ... host of TV’s After School, Oily Ohlson, will no doubt rocket into the charts with his single ‘Polynesian Santa Claus'... local folkset Lyn Clarke has recorded an LP and former Fondue Trout bassist Shane Sampson’s new outfit Cast have an eight-track cassette ... Frenchette have a single planned and Nightshift chief Arnie Van Bussel says there's a second compilation from the studio out soon ... the Punch are due to record demos at 3ZM soon ... Sneaky Feelings head to Auckland soon to play live and record a fab new single. What do local self-promotion experts the Axemen have in common with Leif Garrett, Ann Hercus and Jackie Onassis? They all appeared in the October issue of More magazine ... and what’s all this about a Pop Mechanix reformation? Alister Cain

North The new Mockers single, 'Forever Tuesday’ will be out early November. And it may just be in blue vinyl ... The debut single from Katango. 'Pop Boys’/'Pick It Up’ will be out October 23. To celebrate they're having two (count ’em) record launching parties at Zanzibar, October 25 and the Venue November 3.

Changes being rung on the Auckland venue scene. The Windsor is now being handled by Double Bookings, aka Doug Hood, who can be reached at 789-125 ... the old Rumba Bar will re-open soon with a different name. First act up will be Coconut Rough. And what of strong rumours that the Reverb Room will also be reincarnated? Primitive Art Group have just

released a double EP, Five Tread Drop Down on their own Braille label ... Pelicans' new mini-LP, Crazy Legs, should be out later this month Netherworld Dancing Toys will have the fruits of their one single deal with Virgin NZ out next month. A-side is The Real You', backed with 'Standing In the Rain’ and ‘New Zealand Love Song'. Don McGlashan did the honours in the producing and arranging departments ... Wellington’s Flesh D-Vice LP Some Blood-Stained Morning out soon, as will be the Strikemaster LP ...

new Auckland four-piece Big Wide World have a debut single out on RCA early next month. Venue mainman Russ Le Roq has put together an album of young Auckland bands entitled All Dressed Up and No Place To Play. The Lab studio’s Bill Lattimer donated studio time to the bands to make it possible. Featured are Chinese Eyes, Stick No Bills, Broken Edge, Plastic Pegs, Autobahn, The In Crowd, Standing Joke, Third Wave, the Wait, Splitting Image and the Bellboys ... Progressive Music Studios have just taken delivery of new 16-track recording gear and will be making it available at “competitive" rates. The eighttrack facilities will remain ... Jon Mark (ex Mark Almond band) is to join the staff at Marmalade studios in Wellington ... Mandrill

now does a midnight-to-dawn rate with Tim Foreman at the controls. Foreman previously worked in Brisbane, lecturing in Audio Engineering at Creative Space Studios . Andrew Clouston will shortly have a three-track EP out on the Eelman label, featuring musicians from the Pelicans and former Hulamen ... and will the Hulamen reform around Christmas time. Seems likely and their legendary EP could be rereleased in the new year with the uneven 'Fry Up' replaced by at least one other track... Economic Wizards EP Starve the Wizards out soon on Jayrem. It was recorded as part of the band's second prize at Victoria Uni’s top band competition. The victors, Working With Walt will have a self-titled 12" release soon also, again on Jayrem ... and Jayrem will have a compilation featuring IQU, Car Crash Set, Working With Walt, Pelicans, Jivebombers, Mockers out before Xmas.

Razor is a new adult graphics journal edited by Cornelius Stone. First issue features work by Stone, Graham Hedgeman, Stephen Jewell and others and articles on a wide range of topics, inquiries to 25a Ascot Avenue, Remuera, Auckland ... Wellington’s Cricketers Tavern has a blues festival organised for this month. An LP will be made of the highlights... Plans For A Building have begun work on their new EP at Last Laugh. Meanwhile guitarist Patrick Pound has left, to be replaced by Weston Prince (ex Danse Macabre). They play Hamilton and Cambridge gigs at Labour Weekend ... Body Electric have been recording in Auckland. Graham Wilkinson is the name not of a person but of a Auckland band. They have a

demo of their "Wilkmusic” and have been playing around the city

... also about town are the Catch, who have been playing one and a half years in practice rooms, and stress they had the name before they’d even heard of the English mob with the same handle... Fat ‘n’ Sassy have been playing nearly every weekend in the wilds of the Manawatu and have even gotten it sufficiently together to apply to the Arts Council for a recording grant so expect to hear a record sometime.

John Doe of Hit Singles Records has moved his programming talents from Radio Hauraki to 89FM ... and issue five of Outrage (formerly Anarchy, Outrage and Serious Intent) is available now for 70 cents plus SAE from PO Box 25-004, St Heliers, Auckland 5. RB & DT