6-4-13 The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (1983)
Over the next year or two, I will be quoting stuff from this book; usually designated by (RSE = Rolling Stone Encyclopedia). There’s some neat information in this book – but also some sloppy editing; when they didn’t like someone or didn’t feel like checking, they often went for the low road: Rod Stewart is from London (He’s actually Scottish) etc. Lots of obscure (and not so obscure) rock & roll birthdays!
No idea if they checked their own research, like Lilian Roxon (who I will designate as LR). Her fabulous 1969 book, “Rock Encyclopedia” is astonishing; I have no doubt she wrote every word of it (apart from quoting song titles and album titles). Of course, in 1969, there weren’t any mentions of Can etc. Getting artist’s birthdays wasn’t her strong suit.
Housekeeping:
Did anybody reading this ever get an RCA LP by Random Hold, ostensibly titled “Burn The Buildings” (1981, RCA Records, England)? I certainly never saw a copy.
Also never saw the LP by Ken Elliott, the keyboard player of Seventh Wave and Second Hand, “Body Music” (RCA UK PL 25262, 1979) – got one to sell me?
I’m also looking for 2 x LP’s by Kevin Ayers:
– Déjà Vu (Blau UK LP A014)
– As Close As You Think (Illuminated UK LP AMA 25)
Neither are on CD, that I am aware of.
There’s a Firesign Theatre CD that I cannot locate: “The Pink Hotel Burns Down” (Lodestone US CD) Have a copy you can burn for me? Or sell to me? Also need a legit CD of Proctor & Bergman’s “TV or Not TV”!
Can we confirm that Jona Lewie only had 2 LP’s on Stiff UK? “On The Other Hand, There’s A Fist” and “Heart Skips Beat”? One discography gives an LP titled “Gatecrasher” – WTF?
Anybody got a copy of the “Wonderful World” (1984) LP by Belgian group Telex to sell me? Or the Japanese CD boxed set?
The oldest record on my vinyl want list is “Ludo” by Ivor Cutler (Parlophone Records UK, 1967). I can pay a good sum of cash for this LP.
Ronkanefiles's Blog 
Gatecrasher:
http://www.discogs.com/Jona-Lewie-Gatecrasher/release/575477
Looks like a comp of pre-Stiff material. But then there’s also…
Alias – Jona Lewie:
http://www.discogs.com/Jona-Lewie-Alias-Jona-Lewie/release/3333807
The same record [on the same label] but with a different cover and title from a year prior! Weird West German comps. Here’s a Greek variant on “Heart Skips Beat:”
http://www.discogs.com/Jona-Lewie-Acropolis-Now/release/3115497
What about “Optimistic?”
http://www.discogs.com/Jona-Lewie-Optimistic/release/1580930
That’s one I never saw!
The Yanks love to believe that Rod Stewart is from Scotland but he was actually born in London. His father was Scottish and Stewart supports the Scottish International “soccer” (hate that word) team and Celtic FC – the domestic Scottish team.