EAST COASTINGS LITTLE FETES - Guests at the Oct
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EAST COASTINGS LITTLE FETES - Guests at the Oct. 1 listening party RCA threw for Diana Ross' CBS Closes Santa Maria Plant anxiously -awaited debut LP for the label, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," were treated not (continued from page 8) fect us at all." Ordover added that the divi- just to a sneak preview of the disc (which to our ears sounded like her best in years) but facility would close was CBS' decision in sion "spent quite a few months examining to a "surprise" visit from Ms. Ross herself. The stunning songstress emerged during the August to stop offering custom pressing the situation and carefully considered applause that accompanied the album's completion and after a brief introduction by RCA Records services to numerous small labels. "We customer service. In our opinion it won't be division president Robert Summer, gave an equally pithy thank you were told in August that we were one of the affected; we use Terre Haute as our main speech before mingling with the partygoers. The identity of the album's producer, low-level labels being let go because of distribution point." which had been shrouded in secrecy, was finally revealed to be Ross herself. We feel she's staff reductions," said Richard Seidel of The 588 workers now employed at Santa done a fine job in adding a hot, modern, dance music sound to many of the tracks Contemporary Records. "The closing really Maria will receive extensive job counseling to complement her always -distinctive pop stylings. The hard edge and conspicuous seemed imminent." and assistance. "We're going to help the lack of schmaltz really liberates Ross to But develop Roberts maintains that the decision employees identify jobs in the local area her artistry even further. to cut services to the smaller labels was not and assist them in resume writing and hand- Rolling Stone Magazine held a related to the decision to close Santa Maria. ling interviews," said Dwight Doerr, assis- schmoozer at its Fifth Avenue offices to "The whole issue of dropping accounts had tant plant manager at Santa Maria. "Once launch its new "Continuous History of no relationship to people working in the we identify those employers in the local Rock 'n' Roll" radio syndication. Seen plant," he said. "We decided for economic area who are in the hiring mode, we'll be roaming around amid the scores of reasons to pare down our accounts list sim- setting up future Interviews with those em- label, radio, press and ad folk was Roy ply because some of these small labels are ployers, either in our plant or in the Orbison, who we understand has been not economically feasible for us to handle. prospective employer's plant." hanging out around town with Bruce It didn't make any sense for us to have Doerr added that a "limited" number of Springsteen. Could Orby be Bruce's them, and we asked them to find other Santa Maria employees would be next reclamation project? ... Also feted places manufacture. last to We didn't want to be transfered to other CBS facilities, and that WRAPPED UP IN WORK - Dan Hartman week was lyricist/author Don involved in their small runs." all would be counseled as to what benefits wonders how he ever got roped into George, whose Sweet Man: The Real Equipment Duke from the Santa Maria plant they had accrued while employed by CBS. producing the forthcoming Plasmatics EP, Ellington, just published by G.P. will be shipped to other CBS manufacturing "For those close to retirement, we'll tell "Metal Priestress." Pictured are (l -r): Putnam & Sons, presents a racy look at operations, and the building will be sold them what their options are through the Ritchie Stotts and Wes Beech, Plasmatics; the career of the late great Ellington. George empty. The shut -down is not expected to company plan. There is also an extensive Hartman; and Wendy O. Williams, was honored with a lunchtime affect the CBS Records' production severance package being made available Plasmatics. get-together at the songwriter's Hall of schedule. "We will be able to handle all our to all employees to compensate them and fame on Times Square. Then there was the birthday own needs," said Robert Altshuler, vice help them to move through this transition party held for English IoonyJohn Otway at Max's Kansas City Saturday president, press and public affairs. period." night. The Stiff America artist just turned 29. Funny, he doesn't act it. In addition to manufacturing operations, HALLOWEENINGS - Oct. 31 is nearly always one of the two best evenings for concert the plant houses a distribution facility for FBI Nabs Two Pirates; activity during the year (no prizes for guessing the other), and this Halloween is certainly the company's Columbia House Division. no exception, at least in the New York area. How's this for a sampling of the talent ap- That operation will also be terminated, but One Other Sentenced pearing in and around town on a single evening: Meat Loaf at the Meadowlands (nice Benjamin Ordover, president, Columbia NEW YORK - The continuing anti -piracy ring, that); Frank Zappa making his annual Palladium pilgrimage; Devo at Radio City House Division said the closing "won't af- battle in the recording industry has pro- Music Hall; Grace Jones'"One Man Show" at the Savoy; and Souxsie and the Banshees gressed in three states, with recent FBI at the Ritz. If that's not enough to flip your wig, there's always the Monster Movie Club Rock, B/C Score raids in Oregon and Virginia, and the sen- Meet at the Peppermint Lounge or a trip up to Mount Vernon to catch the Sic F-cks at tencing of a tape pirate in Kentucky. the Left Bank. In On Sept. 21, agents assigned to the STUDIO BEAT - Lots of live album action on the studio calendars at the moment. No Summer Arbs sooner do the Police release "Ghost In The Machine" than news surfaces (continued from page 5) Bristol, Va. resident FBI office and officers that they are getting set to mix a double set up at Le Studio Morin progress of the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office con- Heights Studios near Montreal, when the ratings period began, with an '82 fiscated approximately 8,000 pirate 8 -track early release date in mind... Ditto Rush... Talking Heads are in at Blank lasted until Aug. 1 (more than halfway into Tapes going over tapes for, you guessed it, a live album. David Byrne is also working on the sweep) and effectively negated any and cassette tapes from vendors at the final mixes of the new B -52's LP at the moment. Brass Construction, now possibilities of a prosperous Tazewell (Va.) Flea Market. The seizure was signed to EMI "baseball America, is working with producer Randy Muller book." a joint operation between the two law enfor- at Blank, too, as are producers Dunn Pierson and Bruce Gray, who are finishing mastering However, baseball cement agencies and resulted in the a disc for Etuzi (that's pronoun- strike or not, the ced A -to -Z, geddit?), who've just inked with Handshake. strength of rock 'n' roll and black contem- destruction of the pirated product. LAST WEEK'S SPECULATION IS THIS WEEK'S FACT DEPT. Graham Nash porary product during the ratings sweep On Sept. 24, agents of the Portland, Ore. - is in- deed now reported to be involved in a recording project with the Hollies contributed significantly to rising FBI office raided Django Records, 1111 SW in London. Stark in DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS DEPT. Why does PolyGram rock department audiences. Top rock 'n' roll LPs and a that city, executing a search - warrant Issued by the U.S. VP Jerry Jaffe say he is "unable to comment at all" on the recent acquisition by deluge of top quality black- and dance - district Court for PolyGram of Greg Shaw's Bomp Records as a "talent feeding" arm? oriented singles dominated the charts dur- the Oregon district. Following the purchase BITE SIZED BITS Cachalots Eric DuFaure going into ing the sweep. of bootleg cassettes which were verified as - the studio next week with Ger- unlicensed man all -female group Malaria. The group became the first German outfit other than Rockwise, in the 11 weeks of charts recordings of live concerts by Kraftwerk to play New York clubs with recent dates at Mudd, Ritz and covered by the ratings sweep (Cash Box, Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC, the agents Studio 54. Cachalot will also be releasing the debut LP by New York nine -piece Swollen Monkeys. June 27 -Sept. 5), rock 'n' roll acts seized pirate cassettes and bootleg record The disc was produced by Saturday Night Live music coordinator Hal Wilner. dominated the Top 200 Albums chart. Rock albums from the shop. Among the other .. The Pretenders have been forced to cut their current U.S. tour short due to an injury suf- acts occupied the #1 spot all 11 weeks artists whose performances and composi- with fered by drummer Martin Chambers. Chambers severed REO Speedwagon (two weeks), Kim tions were being unlawfully reproduced arteries and damaged a ten- don in his right hand when a glass pane shattered as he was trying to force Carnes (two weeks), Moody Blues (two were the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Bob the window in his hotel room open after the group's Oct. 1 Philadelphia date. The Pretenders weeks), Pat Benatar (four weeks) and Jour- Dylan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. are rescheduling the remaining dates for early next year..