Thursday, September 28, 2017
The Smiths 'Strangeways Here We Come' 30th anniversary
Thirty years ago today The Smiths released their seminal studio album Strangeways, Here We Come. The band's fourth and final proper studio album was released after the band had broken up, but what a way to go out. Strangeways is a Morrissey/Marr masterpiece.
Indeed The Queen Is Dead most often receives praise by critics and fans for being the Smiths' crown jewel, however it is a colossal mistake to dismiss Strangeways. Like TQID, the rich and insightful final album by the Smiths is another collection of timeless songs, and boasts even stronger songwriting, lyrics, and production than its predecessor.
The brilliance is non-stop on Strangeways - "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" and "Death Of A Disco Dancer" are incredible album highlights, but those influential songs only scratch the album's surface. Morrissey's prescient and biting commentary never sounded better than on "Paint A Vulgar Picture," not to mention the classics "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" and "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish."
And yet, there are even more timeless treasures! From the haunting opening of "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours" to Moz's forlorn insistence on album closer "I Won't Share You," Strangeways is a flawless non-stop battery of gems.
Strangeways has more than earned its place in music history. Give it some love today.
Happy Birthday, Strangeways!
Published September 28th, 2017
More 30th love: Depeche Mode 'Music For The Masses' + 'Come On Pilgrim' by Pixies
Besides the 30th anniversary of Strangeways, Here We Come, two other very important classic alternative albums were released on this day in 1987.
By the time Music For The Masses was released, Depeche Mode were already well established as dark synth rock legends worldwide, but much less so in the United States. Music For The Masses changed that. The album's trio of alt-rock staples - "Never Let Me Down Again," "Strangelove," and "Behind The Wheel" - received much love and airplay on MTV's 120 Minutes and alternative radio, exposing new ears to the alluring melodic sexy magic of Depeche Mode.
Meanwhile, a then-mostly unknown band from Boston named Pixies released their debut album. Despite Come On Pilgrim being a mini-album/EP of demos, the raw material was a jolt of exciting, intriguing, unique indie rock. Many/most of the songs on the EP would later be re-recorded and released on subsequent albums, but Come On Pilgrim was a impressive introduction to a band that would go on to become legends and in turn inspire other legendary acts.
Published September 28th, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Liam Gallagher debuts "Greedy Soul"
Liam Gallagher unleashed a performance video of his new song "Greedy Soul." Like last month's video of "For What It's Worth," the new clip was shot live at Air Studios in the U.K. View the performance below:
"Greedy Soul" is the fourth song Gallagher has debuted off his forthcoming solo album As You Were. The album will be released on October 6th and is available to pre-order through Gallagher's store.
Last night Gallagher appeared on Later...With Jools Holland last night and performed "Wall Of Glass," and "Greedy Soul." The performance is archived on the BBC's website but is geoblocked, thus fans outside the U.K. cannot stream it, however a portion of the performance is available to stream here.
Published September 27th, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Smiths share "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" live
The Smiths were a bit off their game when it came to unleashing another live song from their archives this week. This week's live song was posted today instead of Monday, and besides being somewhat tardy they've opted to share only short snippet of the recording. Regardless, a tiny bit of The Smiths is better than entire catalogs of many, many bands. In that spirit, enjoy a taste of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" which was captured in August 15th, 1986 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago below:
UPDATE (10/3): The Smiths have now uploaded the full version of the song. Stream below or on Spotify.
Fans are encouraged to post memories of The Queen Is Dead and/or The Smiths on social media with a fitting hashtag (for example, #TQID2017) for inclusion on The Queen Is Dead official tribute site. View the page here.
The Queen Is Dead will be reissued as a 2CD, 5LP, and 3CD/1DVD box on October 20th with previously unreleased material. The material (original, demos, and previously unreleased material) included on these expanded editions was remastered by engineering guru Bill Inglot who worked with the Smiths previously on The Very Best Of The Smiths (Dan Hersch also contributed to that 2001 compilation).
All three editions of The Queen Is Dead are available to pre-order through Amazon. 2CD, 3CD/1DVD, 5LP
Published September 26th, 2017
All Night With The Trashcan Sinatras - 30th anniversary acoustic tour
Trashcan Sinatras kick off their 30th anniversary tour this week in Virginia. As previously reported, the acoustic tour All Night With The Trashcan Sinatras will see Frank Reader, Paul Livingston, and John Douglas performing two unique sets packed with beloved/well-known songs as well as covers, obscurities, songs they've never performed live, and songs they'll likely never again play live. Over the course of the tour every song they've released and recorded will be performed (the set list will vary from show to show -- they will not be playing 100 songs each night!).
Guitarist John Douglas recently revealed to The Art Of L.A. that an acoustic tour was appealing to the band because it challenges them to utilize their abilities in a different way, plus a stripped down affair is easy to navigate on the road. Douglas also discussed what fans can expect at these acoustic shows:
"We will be playing songs we have rarely or never played live before — b-sides, album tracks. These are the ones I’m most excited about playing — the shunned ones. I am finding myself being quietly impressed at our way with chords and words over the years, especially true in our quirkier moments. There are one or two tunes that time has been unkind to, but, as we Scots often say, ‘Failure is the manure of success’ and I honor the part they play in our tale."
Read the full interview with Douglas here.
Meanwhile Frank Reader was interviewed by The Washington Times - in the interview Reader discussed TCS' beginnings as a bar band, brushed off early comparisons to The Smiths, and explained how their recording modus operandi has changed over the years. He also suggested the band's longevity is in part due to the band writing and working as a team:
"Four people doing the work. I don’t think any band can sustain themselves with just one songwriter. A solo artist or songwriter can do that because he can go around and do his thing with different people. But an actual band with just one songwriter? Maybe The Who is the exception.
Nowadays everybody has help from outside forces. Like Radiohead."
Read the full interview with Reader here.
Don't miss the mighty Trashcan Sinatras when the acoustic tour rolls through the Magic Bag in Ferndale on October 8th. Tickets are available here. View the full tour itinerary below, and be sure to catch up with Trashcan Sinatras on Facebook and Twitter.
Trashcan Sinatras -- U.S. tour
Sep 27 -- Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
Sep 28 -- Asbury Park, NJ @ The Sain
Sep 30 -- Highland Lakes, NJ @ Seckler Stage
Oct 01 -- New York, NY @ Joe's Pub
Oct 03 -- Somerville, MA @ Once Ballroom
Oct 04 -- New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Oct 06 -- Cleveland, OH @ Winchester Music Tavern
Oct 08 -- Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Oct 09 -- Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Oct 11 -- Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
Oct 12 -- St Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
Oct 14 -- Kansas City, MO @ Gospel Lounge
Oct 16 -- Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Oct 17 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro
Oct 19 -- Seattle, WA @ Fremont Abbey
Oct 20 -- Portland, OR @ Dante's
Oct 23 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Oct 24 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
Oct 29 -- Austin, TX @ 3Ten
Oct 31 -- Nashville, TN @ Blue Bar
Nov 01 -- Atlanta, GA @ Smith's Olde Bar
Nov 02 -- Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse
Published September 26th, 2017
Monday, September 25, 2017
XTC announce expanded CD/Blu-Ray edition of 'Black Sea'
XTC announced details behind a new expanded CD/Blu-Ray edition of Black Sea, which is the fifth release in their series of expanded album reissues.
The CD includes the 2017 stereo album mix by Steven Wilson with bonus tracks; the Blu-Ray features a mix of the album in 5.1 Surround along with additional album mixes along with demos recorded by Andy Partridge, promo videos for "Towers Of London," "Generals & Majors," and "Respectable Street," and more. The release also features new liner notes written by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, Terry Chambers, Dave Gregory and Hugh Padgham.
This exciting expanded edition of Black Sea arrives November 10th and is available to pre-order here.
Published September 25th, 2017
Noel Gallagher returns with new LP 'Who Built The Moon" + world tour
Noel Gallagher announced details today behind his third solo album Who Built The Moon? and announced details for his North American tour. The album was produced by David Holmes and has been described as a psychedelic rock record with cinematic production. A delicious trailer previewing music from the eleven track album is available to enjoy below.
Gallagher has been intrigued with the idea of releasing a psych record for years. When he announced his debut solo album in 2011, he revealed he had been working with Amorphous Androgynous on "a trippy, experimental sounding record" that was "fucking far out...vaudeville, some of it's space jazz, krautrock, some of it's soul, some of it's funk...it's the furthest out I've ever been, that's for sure."
Much to the dismay of fans, the collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous was scrapped and never released, though two backing tracks from the sessions were later included on Chasing Yesterday. Garry Cobain of AA spoke of the recording sessions in 2015 and revealed that while Gallagher certainly was a fan of proggy, experimental music, the collaboration ultimately failed because Gallagher was "too afraid to be weird" and couldn't let himself go to explore and create these sounds.
It should be very interesting to see what Holmes was able to tease out of Gallagher for the new album. Earlier this morning Gallagher revealed that Holmes made him go into the studio cold -- without any songs -- and forced him to write the album in the studio. This was a major departure for Gallagher, but as he told Absolute Radio this morning, it "wasn't that hard." The interview with Gallagher -- which also includes a story about partying with Bono -- is available to view below:
Who Built The Moon? will be released on November 24th and will be released on LP, picture disc, standard CD, deluxe CD, and digital album download. The deluxe edition of the release adds one song - a live version of "Dead In The Water." Check out all the pre-order options here and view the tracklisting below.
UPDATE: Gallagher has now announced dates for his North American tour which kicks off February 9th in Detroit at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Theatre inside the Masonic Temple. The general onsale for tickets for the Detroit show is this Friday, September 29th at 10am, and the first pre-sale (Spotify + fanclub) kick off Wednesday, September 27th. Fans can sign up through Gallagher's website through September 26th at midnight PST to obtain access to the fanclub presale.
Noel Gallagher - North American tour
Feb 09 -- Detroit, MI @ Scottish Rite Cathedral Theatre/Masonic Temple
Feb 10 -- Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
Feb 12 -- Washington, DC @ The Anthem
Feb 13 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Merriam Theater, Kimmel Center
Feb 15 -- New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Feb 17 -- Boston, MA @ Boston Opera House
Feb 18 -- Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
Feb 20 -- Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre
Feb 23 -- Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theater
Feb 24 -- Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
Feb 25 -- Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre/Old National Centre
Feb 27 -- Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Feb 28 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
Mar 02 -- New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theatre
Mar 03 -- Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Mar 05 -- Austin, TX @ The Moody Theater
Mar 06 -- Dallas/Fort Worth @ Majestic Theatre
Mar 09 -- Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea/The Cosmopolitan
Mar 10 -- San Francisco @ Fox Theater
Mar 12 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
Mar 13 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
Mar 17 -- Mexico City, MX @ Vive Latino
Noel Gallagher - Who Built The Moon? tracklisting
01. Fort Knox
02. Holy Mountain
03. Keep On Reaching
04. It's A Beautiful World
05. She Taught Me To Fly
06. Be Careful What You Wish For
07. Black & White Sunshine
08. Interlude (Wednesday Part 1)
09. If Love Is The Law
10. The Man Who Built The Moon
11. End Credits (Wednesday Part 2)
Deluxe edition includes an extra track:
12: Dead In The Water (live at RTE 2FM studios, Dublin)
Published September 25th, 2017
Peter Murphy reunites with David J for trio of shows
Peter Murphy announced he'll reunite with ex-Bauhaus bassist and founding member David J (David John Haskins) for three shows in February. The trio of shows are part of Murphy's rescheduled residency dates at The Chapel in San Francisco (he postponed these shows earlier this year due to an issue with his voice).
From Murphy's press release:
"It’s with great feeling of gladness to announce that for the three Mr Moonlight Bauhaus shows on February 14th, 15th and 16th that David J has accepted my invitation to join me in performing and play his, what must be said, excellent original bass parts.
"During the 35 years of Bauhaus Mr. Moonlight tour of 2013, Emilio DiZefalo-China (my bass player and violin player) noted how unique David’s bass parts are – now we have David in person to play. It is obviously going to be a great pleasure personally to have David to my right in these shows. See you there, ‘let them know you’re coming!’"
Murphy will tackle a different solo album on each night of his career-spanning residency. The Mr. Moonlight shows with David J will be the only ones to focus solely on Bauhaus material. Check out the schedule for the residency below
Peter Murphy - The Chapel residency
Jan 23 -- Should The World Fail to Fall Apart
Jan 24 -- Should The World Fail to Fall Apart
Jan 26 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 27 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 28 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 31 -- Deep
Feb 02 -- Deep
Feb 03 -- Deep
Feb 04 -- Holy Smoke
Feb 07 -- Cascade
Feb 09 -- Dust
Feb 10 -- Ninth
Feb 11 -- Stripped
Feb 14 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Feb 15 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Feb 16 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Published September 25th, 2017
From Murphy's press release:
"It’s with great feeling of gladness to announce that for the three Mr Moonlight Bauhaus shows on February 14th, 15th and 16th that David J has accepted my invitation to join me in performing and play his, what must be said, excellent original bass parts.
"During the 35 years of Bauhaus Mr. Moonlight tour of 2013, Emilio DiZefalo-China (my bass player and violin player) noted how unique David’s bass parts are – now we have David in person to play. It is obviously going to be a great pleasure personally to have David to my right in these shows. See you there, ‘let them know you’re coming!’"
Murphy will tackle a different solo album on each night of his career-spanning residency. The Mr. Moonlight shows with David J will be the only ones to focus solely on Bauhaus material. Check out the schedule for the residency below
Peter Murphy - The Chapel residency
Jan 23 -- Should The World Fail to Fall Apart
Jan 24 -- Should The World Fail to Fall Apart
Jan 26 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 27 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 28 -- Love Hysteria
Jan 31 -- Deep
Feb 02 -- Deep
Feb 03 -- Deep
Feb 04 -- Holy Smoke
Feb 07 -- Cascade
Feb 09 -- Dust
Feb 10 -- Ninth
Feb 11 -- Stripped
Feb 14 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Feb 15 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Feb 16 -- Mr. Moonlight (Bauhaus set w/David J)
Published September 25th, 2017
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Classic Alternative - Episode #25: Echoic Pastures
Presenting Classic Alternative - Episode #25: Echoic Pastures
Rock it old school with a new episode of Time Warp online. This week's show includes music from Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Fall, The La's, Jane's Addiction, XTC, My Bloody Valentine, Severed Heads, Buzzcocks, and the new single from Morrissey.
Stream below or here and catch up with the archive of previous episodes here or here.
Music news stories from the past week:
Morrissey announces North American tour; plays Detroit
The Fall collect singles + b-sides on 7CD boxset
Stephen Morris + Mike Joyce talk drums at event in Manchester
Depeche Mode pay tribute to David Bowie with performance video of "Heroes"
Sex Pistols announce 4 disc anniversary boxset
New Order announce "full and final" settlement with Peter Hook
OMD announce Detroit show + limited edition 12"
Stream Morrissey's new single + details on Low In High School
The Smiths unveil live "Vicar In A Tutu"
Updated Detroit Concert Calendar
Detroit Concert Calendar
An updated list of upcoming shows coming through the Detroit area
SEPTEMBER
Sep 24 -- Stiff Little Fingers @ Magic Stick
Sep 26 -- Afghan Whigs @ Saint Andrew's Hall
Sep 26 -- Quicksand @ El Club
Sep 28 -- Lords Of Acid @ Saint Andrew's Hall
OCTOBER
Oct 01 -- Cold Cave w/Ritual Howls @ El Club
Oct 01 -- Paul McCartney @ Little Caesars Arena
Oct 02 -- Paul McCartney @ Little Caesars Arena
Oct 04 -- Thievery Corporation w/ City of the Sun @ Fillmore Detroit
Oct 05 -- The Church @ Magic Stick
Oct 05 -- Future Islands @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 06 -- Pixies @ Fillmore Detroit
Oct 06 -- Alice Glass @ Assemble Sound
Oct 06 -- Deadmau5 @ Caesars Windsor
Oct 07 -- Zola Jesus @ El Club
Oct 08 -- Trashcan Sinatras (acoustic) @ Magic Bag
Oct 08 -- The National @ Masonic Temple
Oct 08 -- Frankie Rose @ Marble Bar (moved from UFO Factory)
Oct 09 -- Atlas Genius @ The Shelter
Oct 11 -- Paul Weller @ Saint Andrew's Hall
Oct 11 -- Phoenix @ Fillmore Detroit
Oct 14 -- Electric Six @ The Loft
Oct 19 -- My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult @ Machine Shop
Oct 20 -- Peter Case @ Trinity House Theater
Oct 20 -- Algiers @ El Club
Oct 21 -- Cults @ Marble Bar
Oct 22 -- Chelsea Wolfe w/Youth Code @ El Club
Oct 23 -- Ministry w/ Death Grips @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 25 -- Wolf Parade @ The Crofoot
Oct 25 -- Boris @ El Club
Oct 27 -- Ben Folds @ Fillmore Detroit
Oct 27 -- Mutemath @ Saint Andrew's Hall
Oct 29 -- Ariel Pink @ El Club
Oct 30 -- Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 31 -- Tori Amos @ Michigan Theater
NOVEMBER
Nov 01 -- The Breeders @ Magic Stick
Nov 01 -- Arcade Fire @ Windsor Credit Family Union Centre
Nov 02 -- SQÜRL @ Mocad
Nov 03 -- LCD Soundsystem @ Masonic Temple
Nov 04 -- LCD Soundsystem @ Masonic Temple
Nov 04 -- Kalamashoegazer Fest @ Bell's Eccentric Cafe
Nov 04 -- Japandroids W/ Cloud Nothings @ Majestic
Nov 04 -- Lee Ranaldo @ El Club
Nov 04 -- Alvvays @ Magic Stick
Nov 05 -- Modern English @ Magic Stick
Nov 07 -- Luna @ Magic Stick
Nov 07 -- Elbow @ Saint Andrew's Hall
Nov 07 -- The Shins w/Baio @ Fillmore Detroit
Nov 08 -- Slowdive @ Majestic Theatre
Nov 08 -- Bully @ Marble Bar
Nov 11 -- Blitzen Trapper @ El Club
Nov 11 -- HIM @ Fillmore Detroit
Nov 14 -- Lydia Loveless @ Pike Room
Nov 14 -- St. Vincent @ Fillmore Detroit
Nov 15 -- English Beat @ El Club
Nov 15 -- Kamasi Washington @ Majestic Theatre
Nov 15 -- Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Tour @ Fox Theatre
Nov 16 -- Parquet Courts @ El Club
Nov 16 -- Mountain Goats @ Majestic Theatre
Nov 17 -- Jr Jr @ El Club
Nov 17 -- Pere Ubu @ Magic Bag
Nov 17 -- Bruce Cockburn @ The Ark
Nov 18 -- She Wants Revenge @ Majestic Theater
Nov 18 -- Jr Jr @ El Club
Nov 21 -- A Perfect Circle @ Fox Theatre
Nov 22 -- King Crimson @ Michigan Theater
Nov 26 -- Squeeze @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 28 -- Morrissey @ Fillmore Detroit (tix 9/29)
Nov 28 -- Baio @ Pike Room
Nov 28 -- Grizzly Bear @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 29 -- Richard Lloyd (Television) @ El Club
Nov 30 -- Gary Numan @ St. Andrew's Hall
DECEMBER
Dec 01 -- Chad VanGaalen @ El Club
Dec 03 -- Mogwai @ Majestic Theatre
Dec 31 -- Sky Ferreira & Iceage @ El Club
JANUARY
Jan 15 -- The Killers @ Masonic
FEBRUARY
Feb 07 -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Majestic Theatre
Feb 09 -- Noel Gallagher @ Scottish Rite Cathedral/Masonic Temple (tix 9/29)
MARCH
Mar 14 -- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark @ Majestic
MAY 2018
May 03 -- Peter Hook @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Published September 24th, 2017
Edited September 25th
The Fall collect singles & b-sides for 7CD set
The Fall announced the release of Singles 1978 - 2016. The massive 7 disc set is culled from the band's remarkable discography which to date boasts 32 studio records. Material from their latest album will not be included, however everything else is fair game, including material from all their eras and labels (Step Forward, Rough Trade, Kamera, Beggars Banquet, Cog Sinister, Permanent, Artful, Action, and Cherry Red).
The first three discs are the band's A-sides/singles; the final four discs collect the B-sides. A scaled down 3 CD set with just the A-sides/singles will also be available separately.
The Fall Singles 1978 - 2016 will be released November 24th and is available to pre-order here. View the tracklisting and trailer for the release below.
Disc One - Singles
01. Bingo-Master Breakout
02. It's The New Thing
03. Rowche Rumble
04. Fiery Jack
05. How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'
06. Totally Wired
07. Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul
08. Look, Know
09. The Man Whose Head Expanded
10. Kicker Conspiracy
11. Marquis Cha-Cha
12. Oh! Brother
13. C.R.E.E.P.
14. Draygo's Guilt
15. Couldn't Get Ahead
16. Cruiser's Creek
Disc Two - Singles
01. Living Too Late
02. Mr. Pharmacist
03. Hey! Luciani
04. There's A Ghost In My House
05. Hit The North (Part 1)
06. Victoria
07. Jerusalem
08. Cab It Up
09. Telephone Thing
10. Popcorn Double Feature
11. White Lightning
12. High Tension Line
13. Free Range
14. Ed's Babe
15. Why Are People Grudgeful?
16. Behind The Counter
17. 15 Ways
18. The Chiselers
Disc Three - Singles
01. Masquerade
02. Touch Sensitive
03. F-'Oldin' Money
04. Rude (All The Time)
05. Susan Vs Youthclub
06. (We Wish You) A Protein Christmas
07. Theme From Sparta F.C. #2
08. Distilled Mug Art (Mix 15)
09. I Can Hear The Grass Grow
10. Reformation! (Uncut)
11. Slippy Floor (Mark Mix)
12. Bury! #2+4
13. Laptop Dog
14. Victrola Time
15. Sir William Wray (Single Mix)
16. The Remainderer
17. Wise Ol Man
Disc Four - B Sides
01. Psycho Mafia
02. Repetition
03. Various Times
04. In My Area
05. 2nd Dark Age
06. Psykick Dancehall #2
07. City Hobgoblins
08. Putta Block
09. Fantastic Life
10. I'm Into C.B.
11. Ludd Gang
12. Wings
13. Room To Live
14. God-Box
15. O! Brother
Disc Five - B Sides
01. Pat-Trip Dispenser
02. C.R.E.E.P
03. Clear Off
04. No Bulbs
05. Rollin' Dany
06. Petty (Thief) Lout
07. L.A.
08. Vixen
09. Hot Aftershave Bop
10. Living Too Long
11. Lucifer Over Lancashire
12. Auto Tech Pilot
13. Entitled
14. Shoulder Pads #1B
Disc Six - B Sides
01. Haf Found Bormann
02. Hit The North (Part 2)
03. Tuff Life Booogie
04. Acid Priest 2088
05. Dead Beat Descendant
06. British People In Hot Weather
07. Butterflies 4 Brains
08. Zandra
09. Blood Outta Stone
10. Xmas With Snow
11. Everything Hurtz
12. Pumpkin Head Xscapes
13. Glam Racket
14. War
15. Hey! Student
16. The $500 Bottle Of Wine
17. Chilinist
18. Masquerade (PWL Mix)
19. Touch Sensitive (Dance Mix)
20. Antidote
Disc Seven - B Sides
01. Perfect Day (New Version)
02. I Wake Up In The City
03. Janet Vs Johnny
04. (We Are) Mod Mock Goth
05. My Ex Classmate's Kids (Live)
06. I Wake Up In The City (Mix 5)
07. Clasp Hands
08. Over Over (Rough Mix)
09. Hot Cake - Part 2
10. Cowboy Gregori
11. Cosmos 7
12. Monocard (Lunatic Mix)
13. Taking Off (Live)
14. Jetplane
15. Hittite Man (Single Mix)
16. Amorator!
17. All Leave Cancelled
Published September 24th, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
Morrissey announces U.S. tour
After first teasing fans with state abbreviations, then cities he'll play on his upcoming tour, Morrissey has now officially unveiled details for the U.S. tour. Moz kicks things off on Halloween in Portland and includes a Detroit stop November 28th at the Fillmore Detroit. The pre-sale for the Detroit show begins Monday, September 25th at 10am, and the general onsale is Friday, September 29th.
FIVE pre-sales have been announced for the Detroit show - I will update with more info as it becomes available. For now the pre-sale rundown is as follows (all pre-sales begin at 10am):
9/25 (Mon): Album bundle pre-sale
9/27 (Wed): Spotify* + Artist (Moz) pre-sale
9/28 (Thu): Live Nation + Citi
*Spotify will send you an email with a code if they determine you are a "big" fan. Read their policy here.
Morrissey -- U.S. tour
Oct 31 -- Portland, OR @ Schnitzer Concert Hall
Nov 02 -- Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov 04 -- San Francisco, CA @ Masonic Auditorium
Nov 05 -- Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Nov 10 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Nov 11 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Nov 16 -- Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
Nov 18 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
Nov 20 -- Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Nov 22 -- St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
Nov 25 -- Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
Nov 28 -- Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
Nov 30 -- Washington, DC @ The Anthem
Dec 02 -- New York, NY @ Theatre at Madison Square Garden
Dec 04 -- Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Dec 07 -- Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Published September 22nd, 2017
Stephen Morris + Mike Joyce talk drums at 'Stories From The Seat'
Drumming legends Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) and Mike Joyce (The Smiths) chatted up their craft in Manchester last night. During the Stories From The Seat event, host Mark Radcliffe of the BBC led the discussion which centered on drumming techniques and songwriting contributions Morris and Joyce made to seminal Manchester songs. Pete Marshall, who is currently playing for Paul Heaton (ex-Housemartins/Beautiful South leader) was also part of the panel discussion. The evening also included some performance sets including Morris performing along to Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and New Order's "Everything's Gone Green." Check out some fan-filmed pictures and video from the event below via Jeff Segal.
Published September 22nd, 2017
A post shared by Damian Brave Morgan (@damianbravemorgan) on
— Gizoid (@GBH68) September 21, 2017
Cheers to @stephenpdmorris @mikejoycedrums & @mandolinpete79 fascinating evening x pic.twitter.com/nnAekEBEq1— Gizoid (@GBH68) September 21, 2017
Oh man I just met Mike Joyce and Stephen Morris and I touched the drum machine he used in Joy Division that was quite A Moment— Gus Wray (@GusWray) September 21, 2017
Published September 22nd, 2017
Depeche Mode release "Heroes" in honor of 40th anniversary
Depeche Mode have been paying tribute to David Bowie on their Global Spirit tour by covering "Heroes." Today they shared a live performance of "Heroes" in celebration of the iconic track's advancing 40th anniversary ("Heroes" was released September 23rd, 1977). The performance video was shot by Timothy Saccenti during the band's Highland Sessions which took place in August 2016.
Dave Gahan revealed to NME:
"Heroes" is the most special song to me at the moment. Bowie is the one artist who I’ve stuck with since I was in my early teens. His albums are always my go-to on tour and covering "Heroes" is paying homage to Bowie."
Watch the performance below:
Published September 22nd, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Sex Pistols announce 4 disc 'Never Mind The Bollocks' boxset
The Sex Pistols are re-issuing a 3CD/DVD boxset in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Never Mind The Bollocks. This definitive super deluxe edition was originally released in limited quantities as a 3CD set in 2012 but is currently out of print. The 40th anniversary edition includes all of the previous material (3CD with remastered original material, demos, outtakes, live material) plus adds a DVD with performances from their legendary boat parties in 1977 along with music videos and a vintage interview with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten.
View the tracklisting for the set below and pre-order here.
The Sex Pistols also recently announced a book chronicling the recording, release, and aftermath of the seminal album. Details on 1977: The Bollocks Diaries are posted here.
Disc 1 – Never Mind The Bollocks
01. Holidays In The Sun
02. Bodies
03. No Feelings
04. Liar
05. God Save The Queen
06. Problems
07. Seventeen
08. Anarchy In The UK
09. Submission
10. Pretty Vacant
11. New York
12. EMI
Disc 2 – Studio Rarities, Demos, Outtakes, B-sides
01. No Feeling (B side of withdrawn God Save The Queen On A&M Records)
02. Did You No Wrong (B side of God Save The Queen)
03. No Fun (B side of Pretty Vacant)
04. Satellite (B side of Holidays In The Sun)
[Dave Goodman Demos]
05. New York
06. Unlimited Edition (Demo Version of EMI)
07. Liar
08. Pretty Vacant
09. Problems
10. No Future (Demo Version of God Save The Queen)
[Chris Thomas Demos & Outtakes]
11. Did You No Wrong (Alternative Vocal)
12. Seventeen (Alternative Vocal)
13. Satellite (Rough Mix)
14. Submission (Rough Mix)
15. Holidays In The Sun (Rough Mix)
16. EMI (Rough Mix)
17. Seventeen (Rough Mix)
18. Holidays In The Sun (Alternative Mix)
19. Body (Demo Version Of Bodies)
20. Submission (Alternative Mix)
21. Belson Was A Gas (Demo Version)
Disc 3 - live
[Trondheim – StudentersamfuNdet - Norway]
01. Anarchy In The UK
02. I Wanna Be Me
03. Seventeen
04. New York
05. EMI
06. No Fun
07. No Feelings
08. Problems
09. God Save The Queen
[Happy House – Stockholm – Sweden]
10. Anarchy In The UK
11. I Wanna Be Me
12. Seventeen
13. New York
14. EMI
15. Submission
16. No Feelings
17. Problems
18. God Save The Queen
19. Pretty Vacant
20. No Fun
DVD
[Riverboat Party – River Thames London 1977]
01. Pretty Vacant
02. Anarchy In The UK
03. Problems
[Happy House Stockholm – Sweden 1977]
04. Anarchy In The UK
05. I Wanna Be Me
06. Seventeen
07. New York
08. Problems
09. No Fun
[Winter Gardens – Penzance – Cornwall - 1977]
10. Problems
11. No Fun
12. Anarchy In The UK
Promo Videos
13. Good Save The Queen
14. Pretty Vacant
15. Holidays In The Sun
Radio 1 Rock On Interview
16. John And Sid Interview
Published September 21st, 2017
View the tracklisting for the set below and pre-order here.
The Sex Pistols also recently announced a book chronicling the recording, release, and aftermath of the seminal album. Details on 1977: The Bollocks Diaries are posted here.
Disc 1 – Never Mind The Bollocks
01. Holidays In The Sun
02. Bodies
03. No Feelings
04. Liar
05. God Save The Queen
06. Problems
07. Seventeen
08. Anarchy In The UK
09. Submission
10. Pretty Vacant
11. New York
12. EMI
Disc 2 – Studio Rarities, Demos, Outtakes, B-sides
01. No Feeling (B side of withdrawn God Save The Queen On A&M Records)
02. Did You No Wrong (B side of God Save The Queen)
03. No Fun (B side of Pretty Vacant)
04. Satellite (B side of Holidays In The Sun)
[Dave Goodman Demos]
05. New York
06. Unlimited Edition (Demo Version of EMI)
07. Liar
08. Pretty Vacant
09. Problems
10. No Future (Demo Version of God Save The Queen)
[Chris Thomas Demos & Outtakes]
11. Did You No Wrong (Alternative Vocal)
12. Seventeen (Alternative Vocal)
13. Satellite (Rough Mix)
14. Submission (Rough Mix)
15. Holidays In The Sun (Rough Mix)
16. EMI (Rough Mix)
17. Seventeen (Rough Mix)
18. Holidays In The Sun (Alternative Mix)
19. Body (Demo Version Of Bodies)
20. Submission (Alternative Mix)
21. Belson Was A Gas (Demo Version)
Disc 3 - live
[Trondheim – StudentersamfuNdet - Norway]
01. Anarchy In The UK
02. I Wanna Be Me
03. Seventeen
04. New York
05. EMI
06. No Fun
07. No Feelings
08. Problems
09. God Save The Queen
[Happy House – Stockholm – Sweden]
10. Anarchy In The UK
11. I Wanna Be Me
12. Seventeen
13. New York
14. EMI
15. Submission
16. No Feelings
17. Problems
18. God Save The Queen
19. Pretty Vacant
20. No Fun
DVD
[Riverboat Party – River Thames London 1977]
01. Pretty Vacant
02. Anarchy In The UK
03. Problems
[Happy House Stockholm – Sweden 1977]
04. Anarchy In The UK
05. I Wanna Be Me
06. Seventeen
07. New York
08. Problems
09. No Fun
[Winter Gardens – Penzance – Cornwall - 1977]
10. Problems
11. No Fun
12. Anarchy In The UK
Promo Videos
13. Good Save The Queen
14. Pretty Vacant
15. Holidays In The Sun
Radio 1 Rock On Interview
16. John And Sid Interview
Published September 21st, 2017
Liam Gallagher - Halfway to 90
Liam Gallagher turns 45 years old today. Happy Birthday to the OG Rock & Roll Star!
Liam Gallagher making tea is the best thing you'll see today. As you were. pic.twitter.com/JaAB0p6Qr2— BBC Three (@bbcthree) September 20, 2017
Life begins at 45 then as you were LFUKING x— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) September 21, 2017
Published September 21st, 2017
New Order + Peter Hook settle legal dispute
New Order announced they've settled legal issues with Peter Hook. The financial dispute was over royalties and the use of Joy Division and New Order assets.
As fans painfully know all too well, the acrimony between Peter Hook and the current members of New Order (Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Gillian Gilbert) has been ongoing for years. Sumner, Morris, and Gilbert officially split with Peter Hook in 2007 and continue to use the New Order name. New Order claim Hooky quit the band in 2007; Peter Hook claims he never quit the band, he was fired.
In 2010 Hook formed a new band Peter Hook & The Light with the initial intent to pay tribute to Ian Curtis by performing the work of Joy Division (2010 was the 30th anniversary of Curtis' death). New Order took issue with Hook using Joy Division (and later New Order's) assets such as music, images, merchandising, etc.; Hook took issue with the remaining members of New Order forming a new company (New Order Ltd) without him in 2011 and claimed the new company clandestinely shafted him from his stake in royalties from their back catalog. Thus the legal drama began.
Peter Hook filed suit against New Order claiming he was owed a substantial amount of money. New Order disagreed and tried to get the case thrown out, alleging Hook was acting out of spite and his suit was filed merely so he could rejoin the band. In 2015 a judge determined though there was "vitriolic criticism on both sides" there was "at least a reasonable prospect" that Hook could prove he was owed royalties. The ruling allowed Hook to continue pursuing the case, though the judge strongly suggested the parties settle because the financial stakes were "potentially substantial."
According to New Order the dispute has been resolved. Though the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, they described it as "full and final." They have offered up their official statement on the matter which is available to view below.
"New Order announce that today, a full and final settlement has been reached in the long running disputes with their former bassist Peter Hook.
The disputes were based upon Hook's use of various New Order and Joy Division assets on merchandising and in the promotion of shows by his new band, and the amount of money he receives from the use of the name New Order by his former colleagues since 2011.
The Joy Division and New Order names mean a great deal to so many of the fans, and the band felt it important to protect the legacy.
With these issues now dealt with, Bernard, Stephen and Gillian can continue to do what they do best, make music and perform live."
Peter Hook has not publicly commented on the settlement as of yet.
Published September 21st, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
OMD announce North American tour & limited edition 12"
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark have announced dates for a North American tour in support of their critically acclaimed new album The Punishment Of Luxury. As they promised this summer, they'll perform in Europe/U.K. this autumn and will head to the U.S. tour in 2018. The tour includes a stop at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit on March 14th. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20th) at 10am.
OMD also announced they'll release a limited edition 12" of their latest single "What Have We Done" featuring the single along with an extended mix of the track and exclusive b-side titled "Ha Ha Ha." The release is limited to 1000 copies worldwide and is available to pre-order here. Stream the extended mix of "What Have We Done" below.
OMD - North American tour
Mar 06 -- Washington D.C. @ Black Cat
Mar 07 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of The Living Arts
Mar 09 -- Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
Mar 10 -- New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Mar 12 -- Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Mar 14 -- Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
Mar 16 -- Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Mar 17 -- Milwaukee, WI @ Northern Lights Theatre
Mar 18 -- Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
Mar 20 -- Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Mar 21 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
Mar 23 -- Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore Ballroom
Mar 24 -- Seattle, WA @ Showbox/The Market
Mar 25 -- Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Mar 27 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
Mar 29 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern Theatre
Mar 30 -- Anaheim, CA @ The House Of Blues
Mar 31 -- San Diego, CA @ The House of Blues
Apr 02 -- Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Apr 05 -- Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Apr 06 -- Austin, TX @ Emos
Apr 07 -- Houston, TX @ House OF Blues
Apr 09 -- New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
Apr 10 -- Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Apr 12 -- Orlando, FL @ The Beacham
Apr 13 -- St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
Apr 14 -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
Published September 19th, 2017
Stream Morrissey's new single + tracklisting for 'Low In High School'
Morrissey premiered a new song and unveiled the tracklisting for his new album Low In High School. "Spent The Day In Bed" is the catchy and surprising synthy first single from the legend which recommends the listener to "stop watching the news" and chants "no bus, no boss, no rain, no train, no emasculation, no castration, no highway, freeway, motorway..." Stream the groovy new single below or over on Spotify.
Low In High School arrives November 17th and is available to pre-order through Morrissey's official webstore. The U.K. emporium is offering several bundles and various vinyl editions: clear vinyl (standard), white (Japanese edition), orange (Spanish edition), and blue (French edition). Check out pre-order options here and view the tracklisting for the album below.
UPDATE: Morrissey tweeted out state abbreviations yesterday and is now confirming the cities for his North American tour (dates/venues still TBA):
New York
Washington DC
Philadelphia
Chicago
Denver
Salt Lake City
Phoenix
Detroit
San Francisco
Seattle
Boston
St. Louis
Los Angeles
Pasó Robles, CA
Portland, OR
OR WA CA AZ UT CO MO IL MI DC NY PA MA— Morrissey (@officialmoz) September 19, 2017
Morrissey - Low In High School tracklisting
01. My Love, I'd Do Anything For You
02. I Wish You Lonely
03. Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up On Stage
04. Home Is A Question Mark
05. Spent The Day In Bed
06. I Bury The Living
07. In Your Lap
08. The Girl From Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel
09. All The Young People Must Fall In Love
10. When You Open Your Legs
11. Who Will Protect Us From The Police
12. Israel
Published September 19th, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
The Smiths "Vicar In A Tutu" live
Kick off the new week with another previously unreleased live song from The Smiths' archives in anticipation of the expanded reissues of The Queen Is Dead. Today The Smiths shared "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side," recorded live in London, Ontario in June 1986. Like the previous five installments in the series, it will not be included on the newly expanded editions of The Queen Is Dead. Stream below or on Spotify.
Fans are encouraged to post memories of The Queen Is Dead and/or The Smiths on social media with a fitting hashtag (for example, #TQID2017) for inclusion on The Queen Is Dead official tribute site. View the page here.
The Queen Is Dead will be reissued as a 2CD, 5LP, and 3CD/1DVD box on October 20th with previously unreleased material. The material (original, demos, and previously unreleased material) included on these expanded editions was remastered by engineering guru Bill Inglot who worked with the Smiths previously on The Very Best Of The Smiths (Dan Hersch also contributed to that 2001 compilation).
All three editions of The Queen Is Dead are available to pre-order through Amazon. 2CD, 3CD/1DVD, 5LP
Published September 18th, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Classic Alternative #24: Mystical Drone Of The Titans
Presenting Classic Alternative - Episode #24: Mystical Drone Of The Titans
Rock it old school with a new episode of Time Warp online. This week's show includes music from Cocteau Twins, Afghan Whigs, Sex Pistols, The Damned, New Order, The The, Dinosaur Jr., The Chameleons, Björk, Hüsker Dü, and Wire.
Stream below or here and catch up with the archive of previous episodes here or here.
Music news stories from the past week:
R.I.P. Grant Hart - Hüsker Dü drummer/songwriter
Sex Pistols mark 40th anniversary with 1977: The Bollocks Diaries
The The announce Radio Cineola Trilogy Boxset
Morrissey launches official website & Twitter
A Certain Ratio announce reissue series
The Damned tap Tony Visconti for new studio LP
Modern English announce tour; play Detroit
R.E.M. announce 25th anniversary expanded Automatic For The People
Radiohead share video for rarity "Lift"
The Smiths share "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side"
Gary Numan premieres "When The World Falls Apart"
The Jesus and Mary Chain pro-shot concert
Published September 17th, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Friday, September 15, 2017
A Certain Ratio launch LP reissue series
Manchester's post punk funk legends A Certain Ratio have announced plans to reissue their back catalog through Mute. This is exciting news for fans of the influential yet massively underrated Factory band as many gems in their back catalog have been out of print and/or incredibly hard to find, particularly on vinyl.
The first three reissues arrive November 24th - The Graveyard And The Ballroom (1979), To Each (1981), and Force (1986). The releases will be available on limited edition vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital album download and are available to pre-order now. The remainder of ACR's catalog will be released in 2018 with the next three releases - I'd Like To See You Again, Good Together, and acr: mcr - arriving February 23rd.
Pre-order The Graveyard And The Ballroom, To Each, and Force here.
A Certain Ratio also announced plans to play a hometown show in support of the reissue campaign on December 16th at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. No further dates have been announced.
"all the energy of Joy Division, but with better clothes" ~ 24 Hour Party People
Published September 15th, 2017
The Damned tap Tony Visconti for 11th studio LP
The Damned announced they'll head into the studio next month with legendary producer Tony Visconti to record their eleventh studio album and first since 2008's So Who's Paranoid? The band will be recording the album in Brooklyn and called working with Visconti a "dream come true." From their statement:
"We want to to the unexpected. We've never been predictable...neither has Tony. There will be a measure of experimentation and we know he'll do his best to artistically challeng us. He's been at the top of our producer list since we started thinking about recording the album, dream come true he's on board."
The new album from The Damned is still untitled and is expected to be released in 2018. Last year they launched a Pledge Music campaign in support of the album which you can check out here.
The Damned also announced the return of former bass player Paul Gray who played on The Black Album and Strawberries. He replaces exiting bassist Stu West.
Published September 15th, 2017
Thursday, September 14, 2017
R.E.M. mark 25th anniversary of 'Automatic For The People' with expanded editions
R.E.M.'s eighth studio album Automatic For The People turns 25 this year. To mark the milestone, the band announced a 25th anniversary edition of the album will be released November 10th.
Several physical editions will be released: 1LP (original remastered album on 180 gm vinyl); 2CD set with remastered album and live concert Live At The 40 Watt Club captured November 19th, 1992 in Athens; 4-disc deluxe edition with everything on the 2CD set and adds 20 previously unreleased demos, along with a mix of the album in High Resolution Audio and Dolby Atmos mix. Dolby Atmos has been described as a superior audio technology boasting "expansive flowing" and "multi-dimensional audio." The 4-disc set comes housed in a 12" x 12" lift top box and includes a 60 page book with rare photos, new interviews with R.E.M., and more.
View the tracklistings and stream "Mike's Pop Song" demo from the 4-disc deluxe edition below. Check out all the Automatic For The People pre-order options over at R.E.M.'s store .
Note: The 2CD set includes just the first two discs; digital album deluxe edition includes material found on first three discs; 4-disc set includes everything listed below.
Disc 1 - Automatic For The People
01. Drive
02. Try Not To Breathe
03. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
04. Everybody Hurts
05. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
06. Sweetness Follows
07. Monty Got A Raw Deal
08. Ignoreland
09. Star Me Kitten
10. Man On The Moon
11. Nightswimming
12. Find The River
Disc 2 – Live At The 40 Watt Club
01. Drive
02. Monty Got A Raw Deal
03. Everybody Hurts
04. Man On The Moon
05. Losing My Religion
06. Country Feedback
07. Begin The Begin
08. Fall On Me
09. Me In Honey
10. Finest Worksong
11. Love Is All Around
12. Funtime
13. Radio Free Europe
Disc 3 – Automatic For The People Demos
01. Drive
02. Wake Her Up
03. Mike's Pop Song
04. C to D Slide 13
05. Cello Scud
06. 10K Minimal
07. Peter's New Song
08. Eastern 983111
09. Bill's Acoustic
10. Arabic Feedback
11. Howler Monkey
12. Pakiderm
13. Afterthought
14. Bazouki Song
15. Photograph
16. Michael's Organ
17. Pete's Acoustic Idea
18. 6-8 Passion & Voc
19. Hey Love [Mike voc]
20. Devil Rides Backwards
Disc 4 – Automatic For The People Blu-Ray
Automatic For The People (+ bonus track: Photograph) mixed in Dolby Atmos
Automatic For The People (+ bonus track: Photograph) Hi-Resolution Audio
Drive (music video)
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (music video)
Everybody Hurts (music video)
Man On The Moon (music video)
Nightswimming (music video: British version)
Find The River (music video)
Nightswimming (music video: R version)
Automatic Press Kit
Published September 14th, 2017
R.I.P. Grant Hart, Hüsker Dü drummer/songwriter
Grant Hart, punk rock pioneer and drummer of the legendary Hüsker Dü has died. The news was revealed by Hüsker Dü, which posted a picture of Hart on social media overnight. Hart had been battling cancer and died at the age of 56.
In addition to his ferocious drumming skills, Hart shared songwriting and singing duties in Hüsker Dü. From 1977 through 1988 the trio created influential albums blending hardcore and melodic rock, paving the way for the college rock genre. After Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988 Hart went on to launch a successful solo career - first with the project Nova Mob, then later he recorded and released several critically acclaimed records under his own name. Hart's amazing life was chronicled in the 2013 documentary Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart.
Ex-bandmate Bob Mould, who had a sometimes tumultuous relationship with Hart paid tribute to his fallen bandmate:
"We made amazing music together. We (almost) always agreed on how to present our collective work to the world. When we fought about the details, it was because we both cared. The band was our life.
We stopped working together in January 1988. We went on to solo careers, fronting our own bands, finding different ways to tell our individual stories. We stayed in contact over the next 29 years — sometimes peaceful, sometimes difficult, sometimes through go-betweens. For better or worse, that’s how it was, and occasionally that’s what it is when two people care deeply about everything they built together.
The tragic news of Grant’s passing was not unexpected to me. My deepest condolences and thoughts to Grant’s family, friends, and fans around the world.
Grant Hart was a gifted visual artist, a wonderful story teller, and a frighteningly talented musician. Everyone touched by his spirit will always remember."
Read Mould's full tribute here.
Bassist Greg Norton has not yet commented publicly on Hart's death.
The trio had recently approved and announced a new box set Savage Young Dü, which focuses on their early recorded output from 1979 - 1982. The collection is reportedly first in the series of reissues/releases celebrating Hüsker Dü. The company putting out the release - Numero Group - shared a beautiful and heartfelt tribute written by Ken Shipley and posted it on the label's front page of their site. Shipley revealed Hart disclosed his cancer diagnosis in 2016 but told Shipley he was "positive about beating this thing in my guts." From Shipley's tribute:
"The last time I saw Grant was in March of this year. I was in Minneapolis to gather a few more bits and bobs and scheduled time to go to dinner. He wanted pizza and suggested Red's Savoy in downtown St. Paul. He ordered enough to have leftovers the next day. He was a bit gaunt, but wisecracking and flirting with the waitress all the while. This time we shook hands at the end. He was too weak for a hug. When plans were made to fly out to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle to pour through his archives, he wanted to join. But when it came time to go, he suddenly cooled to the idea and withdrew from the project entirely. "Can you get it out before I go?" he asked.
I'm sorry we failed, Grant. We pushed as hard as we could to get this beast into the wild, but it wasn't hard enough. You told me several times that you thought the material was subpar, that there were too many photos of Greg Norton, and insisted we change the title at the last moment just to see everyone scramble. And now it's two months to the release date and everyone is sad and asking a million questions. It's chaos down here and you're probably looking down with your arms crossed, a gigantic, mischievous grin running ear to ear. Just a boy living on Heaven Hill."
Read Shipley's tribute here.
R.I.P. Grant Hart, and thank you for the music.
Published September 14th, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Morrissey launches official website
Morrissey launched an official website today. The site will be his official headquarters for updates on the highly anticipated new studio album Low In High School. The follow up to World Peace Is None Of Your Business will be released through BMG on November 17th.
UPDATE: Morrissey has a Twitter account too
Meanwhile the 30th anniversary expanded editions of The Smiths' seminal album The Queen Is Dead (all three editions feature eight previously unreleased tracks) are set to arrive on October 20th.
Published September 13th, 2017
Sex Pistols mark 40th anniversary with '1977: The Bollocks Diaries'
Sex Pistols will mark the 40th anniversary of Never Mind The Bollocks with an official book chronicling the recording and release of the seminal album. 1977: The Bollocks Diaries details the creation, studio sessions, explosive arguments, chaos, controversy and aftermath of Never Mind The Bollocks as told by the Sex Pistols themselves along with contributions from the band's inner circle, collaborators, and key players. The 96 page hardcover book also includes photos, gig posters, art, reviews, and other memorabilia/rare items. 1977: The Bollocks Diaries arrives October 26th via Cassell Illustrated. Read more about the release here.
Never Mind The Bollocks by Sex Pistols was released October 28th, 1977.
Published September 13th, 2017
Radiohead premiere video for rarity "Lift"
In June Radiohead celebrated the 20th anniversary of OK Computer with the release of an expanded edition of the seminal album. OKNOTOK 1997 - 2017 includes remastered original material, b-sides, and the original studio recordings of three previously unreleased tracks. Radiohead released official videos a few months ago for two of the rarities - "I Promise" and "Man Of War" and now they've unveiled the official video for "Lift." Check it out all three videos below:
Published September 13th, 2017
Modern English announce North American tour
Fresh off this summer's Retro Futura, Modern English announced new dates for a North American headlining tour. The tour rolls through town November 5th at the Magic Stick in Detroit. Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 15th.
Modern English released a new album earlier this year titled Take Me To The Trees. The album is their first in 30 years to feature their original lineup. Stream it in full on Spotify.
Modern English - North American tour
Nov 01 -- Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Nov 02 -- Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
Nov 03 -- St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Nov 05 -- Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
Nov 06 -- Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Nov 08 -- Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
Nov 10 -- Asbury Park, NJ @ The Wonder Bar
Nov 12 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
Nov 13 -- Somerville, MA @ Once Ballroom
Nov 16 -- Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Nov 18 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
Nov 19 -- Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Nov 21 -- Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Nov 22 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC
Published September 13th, 2017
The Jesus & Mary Chain expand tour + watch pro-shot concert
The Jesus and Mary Chain have announced several more dates for their upcoming North American tour in support of Damage and Joy, their first new album in almost 20 years. The new dates do not include a Detroit area date, but if you're up for roadtripping check out the dates below.
While you're here...check out pro-shot video of The Jesus and Mary Chain's performance at BBC Music 6 Music Festival which took place March 24th. The encore is a solid set of Psychocandy gems!
Jesus & Mary Chain - North American tour
Oct 19 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Oct 20 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Cloak & Dagger Festival
Oct 22 -- Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spaces
Oct 24 -- Eugene, OR @ Macdonald Theatre
Oct 25 -- Portland, OR @ The Crystal Ballroom
Oct 26 -- Spokane, WA @ The Bing Crosby Theater
Oct 28 -- Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom
Oct 31 -- Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
Nov 02 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex Grand
Nov 03 -- Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
Nov 05 -- Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
Nov 07 -- Austin, TX @ Emo's
Nov 08 -- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Nov 10 -- Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theater
Nov 11 -- Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
Nov 12 -- Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Nov 14 -- Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
Nov 15 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Nov 16 -- Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
Nov 17 -- New York, NY @ Playstation Theater
Nov 29 -- Edmonton, AB @ Jubilee Auditorium
Published September 13th, 2017