September 1976

CREEM

MAIL

I am a reader of your magazine: A few months ago I read your April 1976 issue, and thought it was fantastic, but yet unbelievable! I am really interested in Jimi Hendrix. I like to hear and play his music. In your issue you had an interview on him called “Death May Be Your Santa Claus,” and stated it was up to date! How can this be, Hendrix is dead (Isn’t he?) I am starting to wonder about it.

CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE

ARTFUL DODGER: (Columbia) :: Having barely conquered my addiction to “Think Think,” the supra Beatles raver which opens side two, and having learned that “Think Think” stiffed as a single, I find myself clearheaded enough to report that if “Think Think” didn’t make it, this band will have to wait till next year and to point out that next years sometimes come for bands this tight, melodic, and intense.

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

You’ve heard of the Skinniest Man in Rock 'n' Roll, Well—how about the Skinniest Couple? At a recent show Peter Frampton (who's been known to share clothes with his ladyfriend/lookalike Penny) had a falling out with his trousers—he split them, in plain English.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Rick Johnson

NEW YORK—Earl Slick was not only the guitarist whose licks scorched through David Bowie’s Station To Station album (“Anything good on that album is mine,” he says); he had the je ne sais quoi to quit his $3,000 a week gig with Bowie and strike out with a band of his own.

Features

ROD STEWART: Britt’s Flit, Faces Split, Upper Glass Twit?

Tony Stewart

The Glamour Twins were simply passing through, pausing at London Heathrow airport en route to Paris, from Los Angeles.

Letter From Britain

Innocents Abroad

Simon Frith

According to Patti Smith, Mick Jagger is the best dancer since Nijinsky.

Zappa’s been workin’ on de railroad...

Michael Davis

(De Grand Funk Railroad, dat Is!)

Mark Farner: Can He Succeed In A Ted Nugent World? You Betcha!

Susan Whitall

Since he wasn’t available in L.A., we tracked down Mark Farner at his Michigan farm. He interrupted his chores to comment upon Zappa and the new album.

ALICE COOPER: Colonel Sanders’ Revenge

Richard Cromelin

His blood cells got him before the giant chicken did.

Creem Profiles

ELVIN BISHOP

(Pronounced “Boy Howdy!”)

Rewire Yourself

Catalogues Anyone?

Richard Robnso

In 1925 Hugo Gernsback envisioned a culture 50 years hence where everyone had a hi-fi, radio and tv set.

Features

Bernie Taupin: The Cheese Stands Alone

Jaan Uhelszki

Bernie Taupin eagerly and cordially invites you to a coming out party—no, to a public unpeeling of a second banana.

Eleganza

Ken To Leave Barbie For Cher?

Lisa Robinson

Happy Bicentennial. Esso jumpsuits. Marijuana leaf t-shirts. Headbands (still).

Stars Cars

STEVE MILLER

Features

YES: The Thinking Man’s Up With People

Robert Duncan

Or Has Patrick Moraz Gone To The Dogs?

RICK DERRINGER: LITTLE MAN WITH A BIG GUN

Billy Altman

Well, here we are in the middle of the first set on Friday night at the Shaboo Inn in captivating Willimantic, Conn.

KISS BLITZ LONDON

Through the whine of screaming air raid sirens a bomb EXPLODES!

Creemedia

Persona Non Grata Ad Astra

Trixie A. Balm

“Seen the new Bowie movie?” “Yeah, it was okay. Whadya think?”

Confessions of a FILMFOX

Jaan Uhelszki

Bernie Taupin not only longs to sing his own songs, make his own albums, but is pining for a picture deal. Just the other day he hinted very heavily to his buddy Henry “The Fonz” Winkler that he, and another chum of theirs; a certain Alice Cooper would very much like to guest star on Happy Days as a couple of J.D.’s.

Records

Rod Brings It All Back Home

John Morthland

First things first: this is as brilliant an album as any Rod Stewart has made.

ROCK 'A' RAMA

BOHANNON—Dance Your Ass Off (Dakar) :: Funky with chic! Not only do I agree with Christgau that calling disco shit may be code for “nigger music,” but (incest all the way, I say) Simon Frith is right when he says that disco is the real avant-garde.

Extension Chords

The Oberheim 4-Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer

Eric Goer

To do justice to this incredible machine in print, it is first necessary to mention names like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Larry Fast, James Newton-Howard (with Elton John), Tyrin Porter and Mike McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, Mike Utley (with Kris Kristofferson), Joe Zawinul (with Weather Report), Gary Wright, John Entwhistle Skip Konte (with Three Dog Night), and Tomita.

BACKSTAGE

Where stars tank up & let their images down.

THIS MAN IS: (Pick One)

Motor Mouth

Doctor, My Cat Is Sweating

Quite an invasion of rock "n" roll gangsters, hillbillies, and cool leather boys this month.

WHERE IS GAMRON WHEN WE NEED HIM?

Jeff Myles

What is the result when you mix devil worship, mass murder, and two Michigan filmmakers, add lots of blood, and simmer over a constant flame for 2½ years? A box office smash—at least that's what Jerry Younkins and Dan Jackson are hoping. Thirty months ago Younkins came up with the idea of making a quickie horror film that would beat The Exorcist to the drive-ins and enable him and his film partner to rake in the big bucks.

Pontiac Punks Play People Music

Air-Wreck Genheimer

What would you think if you read about a group of young Pontiac musicians who were better than the Doors, the Stooges, the MC5, Ted Nugent and Patti Smith rolled into one? In light of recent cram-it-down-your-throat promotion on everybody from Angel to ZZ Top , a justifiable reaction would be a common description of what male cows do after they eat.