For the first time since 2006, Waist High would like to proudly announce the (possible one-time) return of "Living In The Eighties News," a once very popular feature here at the world's most beloved new wave music blog. The return is prompted by the rash of new WH converts, including one now full time reader linked here from his Google search listening+to+The+Fixx+feel+my+nuts shriveling, but also because there is just too much going on. The Specials are reuniting for God's sake (kind of).
"Living In The Eighties News," as originally announced on 4/13/2005: "After a long and exhaustive selection process, Waist High would like to reveal the first of two replacements for the now permanently retired, much loved, crass, and extremely hateful 'Kern County Drunkard Watch.' Waist High, no longer wanting to GO TO HELL, would like to present: 'Living In The Eighties News,' which 1. Begins today. 2. Promises to keep you up to date on everyone from Haysi Fantayzee to Waist High pal Dave Wakeling. 3. Will steal it's material almost exclusively from Remember The Eighties News, on a weekly basis."
And so we find ourselves here at the end of 2008, back together again, let us begin with the band responsible for the 4 greatest words ever written, "Living+in+the+Eighties."
KILLING JOKE will release Duende - The Spanish Sessions in January 2009, the "fantastic live session recorded with the original Killing Joke line-up back together for the first time since 1982."
About the release, lead singer Jaz Coleman said, "Can you imagine it, the original line up hasn't been in the same room since 24th February 1982 and I am waiting for Paul to arrive here at Youths studio in Granada, Spain at any moment. Like most preconceptions the reality is always different. The door opens and there he is, we embrace, still the same athletic build, the same impeccable manners, the same fire in his eyes. Inwardly I am delighted for I feel we have truly transcended any petty differences of the past. "As most people are aware there have been many incarnations of Killing Joke over the years, however the original line up bears no comparison to later line ups, neither socially or musically. For example there are always two people moving in opposite directions. In the present tense this manifests as Youth insisting that we write some new songs for the tour whereas my concern is learning five hours of music (ie two sets) always the revolutionary and the reactionary, simultaneously. "Our conversations and debates follow a similar pattern. As for the sound it is far from polished to put it mildly but when it locks in it is both emotional and devastating. For me, my life seems strangely complete with these characters (who, when all is said and done, are family). We started as teenagers together. Killing Joke was our further education and now we are all approaching fifty!"
Tracklisting:
1. Requiem
2. The Wait
3. Tomorrows World
4. Bloodsport
5. Psyche
6. SO36
7. Millenium
8. Tension
9. Primitive
10. Are you Receiving
11. Whiteout
12. Pandemonium
13. Eighties
14. Love Like Blood
JERRY DAMMERS condemns The Specials' 2009 Reunion tour. The keyboardist, who is one of the group's founding members, said he was surprised to hear about the reformation - and was "deeply shocked" to have been left out.
He also claimed that he had never been extended an open invitation from frontman Terry Hall to join the group's 30th anniversary tour next year, as the singer has previously claimed.
"The prodigal sons came home, kicked me out, and have left the door open, great," Dammers said.
A statement, released on the keyboardist's behalf, continued: "These claims also contradict lawyers' letters stating that former members have resolved to go ahead without him, and that Jerry is not to speak to any of them.
"Attempts to imply that any proposed tour has Jerry's 'blessing', at this stage, are also highly misleading. These seem to be part of a wider attempt to rewrite the whole history of the band, in order to try and justify what is currently going on.
"Jerry does not wish to go into too much detail at this point, except to say that for over 25 years he had dreamed that his former bandmates might come back one day, and was deeply shocked to find that when they did, for some of them, it was apparently to kick him out."
The statement claimed that Dammers was not invited to a meeting where the band discussed their plans, but "Jerry turned up anyway and played the music he had started recording, and suggested starting serious rehearsals, but was subjected to a severe dressing down from people who had barely spoken to him in 25 years.
"Apart from the recording, Jerry wanted to try and aim for a proper reunion and 30th anniversary celebration, including (performing) the best part of both Specials albums, The Ghost Town EP, and a small amount of new material, in proper concerts, in venues worthy of the band's status and legacy."
The statement added Dammers saw the "whole thing as a takeover, rather than a proper reunion... At the moment this is not the proud reunion and 30th anniversary celebration Jerry had hoped for."
As previously reported on gigwise.com, The Specials will play six dates around the UK next year as part of their reunion.
MORRISSEY AND JOHNNY MARR are to reunite. The Smiths are said to be on the verge of reforming after Morrissey and Johnny Marr settled their past differences.
The band, who split in 1987, would likely embark on a series of live shows in 2009.
A music industry source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "The very fact that they are talking again is the most hopeful thing in years.
"A lot of people think of them as the best thing since The Beatles. They'd fill stadiums many times over."
In October, similar claims suggest the group were in talks to headline next April's Coachella Festival in California.
A reformation of the band's original line up would mark the first time Morrissey, Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce have performed together since 1987.
FACTORY RECORDS are set to release a 30th anniversary box set. Whether off the lip of a name-checking record store clerk, through such feature films as Control and 24 Hour Party People, or by way of some of the label's flagship acts, you've probably encountered the hallowed words Factory Records at some point in your travels. But there's more to the legendary Manchester imprint and music culture institution than Joy Division, the late, great Tony Wilson, the infamous Hacienda club, and the whimsical assignment of catalog numbers: there's the music, of course, something A Factory Box Set will positively teem with when it arrives January 12 in the UK, courtesy of Rhino, via idolator.com, (confirmed by publicity). Spreading some 63 Factory favorites across four discs in rough chronological order, A Factory Box Set indeed includes a healthy sampling of Joy Division and New Order, as well as representative offerings from New Order offshoots Electronic, Revenge, and the Other Two. But the set also finds room for other post-punk heavyweights and lesser-knowns (Cabaret Voltaire, A Certain Ratio, Section 25, the Wake, Quando Quango), Madchester staples (Happy Mondays, Northside), and even a few folks who would go on to bigger things (OMD, James). There through it all is perhaps the imprint's one true constant, the Durutti Column, who gets a track on each of the four discs. Factory buffs may notice the conspicuous absence in the tracklist of ESG, who are reportedly not included here due to licensing issues. A Factory Box Set commemorates the 30th anniversary of Factory Records' 1978 founding. No word just yet whether this thing will get its own honorary catalog number.
Photo: plastichead.com
Material: plastichead.com, gigwise.com & pitchforkmedia.com
"Eighties" lyrics courtesy Universal Music Publisher Group
COLEMAN/RAVEN/WALKER/FERGUSON
As part of their 50th Anniversary celebration, the Official UK Charts Company asked their readers to vote for their favourite UK #1 albums of all time. The Top 100 was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Monday Aug. 28, 2006.
The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band came in at #1, Michael Jackson's Thriller at #2, and Waist High favorite The Joshua Tree came in at #3.
"There is within music an ability to tap into the raw, revelatory power of beauty; music can give itself to the unknown whisper of the eternal in ways that other forms of art only hint at. The collage of sounds communicates something deep to the heart and, when combined with the presence of the voice, can be downright liberating. Few individuals, let alone bands, ever really reach a point where they are that open to the Unknown that it can give itself so freely through their music. U2 has done so time and again, but never with the level of directness and sincerity as they accomplished on The Joshua Tree."
Because it is not bakersfield.com, and because you can read the article without logging in, check out the Top 100.
Quote: Benjamin via amazon.com
SIMPLY RED will release a new single "Oh! What A Girl" on September 22nd which will precede their new studio album which is due for release in early 2007.
NEW ORDER's legendary Manchester club The Hacienda is the subject of a double-CD compilation Discotheque, Vol. 1: The Hacienda, charting some of the songs that made the club great.
XTC have announced that they are to release a nine-disc boxset of outtakes and rarities from frontman ANDY PARTRIDGE's personal archive. The set - entitled The Fuzzy Warbles Collectors Album - is due on October 16th.
DEAD OR ALIVE frontman PETE BURNS is in the recording studio working on tracks with producer Paul Masterson.
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN are to release a CD and DVD anthology More Songs To Learn And Sing on September 11th. The release will also be available as a single audio CD.
THE CLASH will release a boxset of singles on October 30th featuring the band's nineteen singles on individual CDs packaged in replicas of the original sleeves.
SCRITTI POLITTI have announced their first ever US tour dates which start on October 29th in LA and finish in Boston on November 12th. The band are also lining up more UK shows for the new year.
DEPECHE MODE will continue their series of remastered and repackaged albums in October with the release of three more CD/SACD titles, Some Great Reward, Songs Of Faith And Devotion, and A Broken Frame. Each release will feature a remastered audio CD plus a SACD with high-resolution audio mixes, bonus tracks and documentary footage of the band talking about the album. The band's forthcoming hits compilation will be called The Best Of - Vol 1 and will be released on November 13th with the brand new track "Martyr" preceding it as a single on October 30th.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
GARY NUMAN has announced plans to undertake a short UK tour playing just material from his 1980 album Telekon. The tour, planned for fans who want to hear more of Numan's older material, will only feature songs from that album plus singles and b-sides from the same period. The four-date UK tour takes place in December.
DEPECHE MODE will release a live DVD, Touring The Angel, on September 25th. The release will come as a triple-disc set containing an audio CD and two DVDs (one live DVD and one DVD of extras including extra performances, press conference footage and a documentary) and as a single live DVD.
THE WATERBOYS are working on a new album which is expected to be ready for a February or March 2007 release. The album is currently untitled but is expected to include new tracks "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn," and "The Crash Of Angel Wings." They have started lining up dates for 2007 with the announcement of ten UK shows in April.
DURAN DURAN's Big Thing and Notorious albums are thought to be the next DD albums to receive the remaster and reissue treatment, and are expected to be released in October with Notorious coming out as an expanded two CD package.
HOWARD JONES will have his Live In Salt Lake City DVD released on August 28th. The acoustic concert was filmed in 1996 in front of an audience of 4,500 fans.
THE CHURCH began a massive US tour in July which will conclude in August. The tour is in support of their new album Uninvited Like the Clouds. The twenty-seven date tour kicked off in Santa Barbara on July 18th.
THE ART OF NOISE will release a 4-CD boxset this month. And What Have You Done With My Body, God? will be released on August 14th and features 41 unreleased tracks, remixes and demos from the bands groundbreaking 1983/1984 recording sessions, as well as the band's three EPs, all on CD for the first time.
REM are to release a 2-CD and DVD anthology, And I Feel Fine, chronicling their IRS Records output between 1984 and 1987. The CD part of the release contains classic tracks from the era packaged with a 21-track rarities disc containing previously unreleased songs, live recordings, alternate takes, and mixes. The DVD, entitled When the Light Is Mine, features TV performances, interviews, and outtakes alongside all 11 videos the band made for IRS.
INXS' former frontman MICHAEL HUTCHENCE is the subject of a new movie by two filmmakers who want to protect the Australian rocker's legacy. Slide Away is now in production with video-maker Nick Egan directing. The film's title is taken from a posthumous duet that paired Hutchence with Bono. Johnny Depp is rumoured to be starring as the singer, who passed away in 1997.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
BLOW MONKEYS frontman DR. ROBERT has announced his first London show for almost five years which will take place at Filthy McNastys on July 14th. In the meantime, Robert has been working on a duets album with soul legend PP ARNOLD as well as working on bonus material for a long awaited Blow Monkeys DVD.
KIM WILDE will release her long awaited new album in September. The release, entitled Never Say Never, will appear on September 8th but will be preceded by a brand new reworking of Kim's 1988 single "You Came" on August 14th.
WORLD PARTY have lined up an extensive US tour for July, August and September which will include two prestigious shows at LA's The Roxy in August.
HEAVEN 17's back catalogue remasters are to finally see the light of day on August 7th with the release of reworked, remastered and expanded versions of Penthouse and Pavement, The Luxury Gap and How Men Are. The releases have been produced with the full co-operation of the band.
ANNIE LENNOX is in the studio again working on the follow-up to her 2003 album Bare. The album is still in the early stages and no release date has yet been set.
THE CLASH frontman JOE STRUMMER is to be remembered in a unique way after having a music festival named after him. 'Strummerville Nights' was launched in London on July 5th as a way of showcasing new bands.
PETER GABRIEL has launched a "Shock The Monkey" remix competition via his www.realworldremixed.com website. Various parts of the song are available to download and anyone wishing to remix them can then upload their version of the song where they can be voted on with Gabriel choosing an overall winner from the final shortlist.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
CULTURE CLUB are apparently looking for a new singer. An advertisement from Belerion Records has been circulating on the internet which states that the "original members of Culture Club are searching for a unique star vocalist" and are not interested in BOY GEORGE clones but instead want a "charismatic & unique performer in his or her own right with something truly fresh, contemporary and original to offer." The advert also states that the singer is wanted for a world tour and TV series in 2007.
GRACE JONES, STATUS QUO, THE JAM and SQUEEZE will all have albums released as part of Universal's new CD Story series. Each release will compile singles, key album tracks, fan favourites and b-sides across two CDs in hardback book style packaging featuring extensive sleevenotes and classic and rare pictures.
DURAN DURAN have sparked speculation about the direction of their new album with the announcement that they are working with urban hip-hop producers. The album, which is tentatively scheduled for a January release will retain an identifiably Duran Duran sound according to the band's NICK RHODES.
ROXY MUSIC have announced that they ARE working with founding member BRIAN ENO on their forthcoming album of new material, although Eno is not expected to appear at any of the bands upcoming live shows.
THOMPSON TWINS fans are campaigning for the band's catalogue to be reissued via the launch of a new website dedicated to getting their label to commit to the releases which have been rumoured to have been on their provisional schedule for some time.
THE CURE continue their reissue series with the release of massively expanded versions of their The Top, The Head On The Door and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me albums as well as ROBERT SMITH's side project THE GLOVE's album Blue Sunshine (a collaboration with SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES' bassist STEVE SEVERIN).
TONY HADLEY has started to confirm autumn shows to support his much anticipated Passing Strangers swing-inspired album. The shows, which will feature the former SPANDAU BALLET singer backed by a seventeen-piece band, kick off in October and continue until the end of the year.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
The Specials set to reform?
Singer Terry Hall drops some heavy hints. The original line-up of UK ska legends The Specials say they are the nearest they've been to reforming in 25 years.
The band's singer Terry Hall has revealed it's not an immediate prospect, but things are moving towards some kind of reunion.
He told BBC 6 Music: "People keep offering us money all the time, and you try and be polite but you have to say no matter how much money you've got that won't make us do it. We'll only do something if we feel its right. I mean this is the closest we've been in 25 years to maybe doing something but maybe not what's expected - I don't know."
Hall revealed he is immensely proud of the impact his band had, and of their influence on many different bands today, such as The Ordinary Boys, No Doubt and Blur.
He admitted: "Definitely The Jam and The Specials formed at a time when doing that was vital, and crucial and it wasn't about doing it because you could play guitar, you had to learn to play guitar to do it, but it was a vision, and you leave it at whatever point you leave it, we left it at 'Ghost Town,' and that's where it should have been left, I think trying to do three or four albums with that band would have killed it."
Hall and fellow bandmates Lynval Golding and Neville Staples left to form Fun Boy Three after the band scored their second UK Number #1 single in 1981 with "Ghost Town." The band carried on as the Special AKA, most notably scoring a hit in 1984 with "Free Nelson Mandela." Songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers split the band shortly afterwards.
Material: nme.com
ROXY MUSIC, currently reunited and working on their first studio album for over twenty years, are planning a remix album which will be released in advance of their new record and will feature a selection of remixers, DJs and producers' versions of songs from the Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry catalogue.
BELINDA CARLISLE will release a retrospective collection The Ultimate Collection in July in advance of a new solo album which is tentatively scheduled for late Autumn. The Ultimate Collection will feature all Belinda Carlisle's solo hits as well as tracks recorded by THE GO-GO's and will feature previously unreleased mixes. Initial quantities of the release will feature a bonus CD of remixes.
DIVINYLS' frontwoman CHRISTINA AMPHLETT has published her autobiography Pleasure & Pain - My Life in her native Australia and although there are currently no plans to publish it elsewhere, the book can be ordered via her website.
CHRIS ISAAK will release a greatest hits album and DVD in May which he will support with a greatest hits tour of the US in July and August.
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN are to have their first five albums reissued in DualDisc format in July. Each album (1985's Psychocandy, 1987's Darklands, 1989's Automatic, 1992's Honey's Dead, and 1994's Stoned and Dethroned) will be remastered and presented with the videos for all the singles.
ADAM ANT sees his 1995 album Wonderful revisited on June 26th as a series of downloads which will include the b-sides from the cassette and vinyl single versions of the single "Wonderful," three US remixes, and b-sides from the "Beautiful Dream" and "Gotta Be A Sin" singles as well as seven live tracks recorded at the Shepherd's Bush Empire gig in 1995 which include "Desperate But Not Serious," "Cartrouble," and "Dog Eat Dog."
LEVEL 42 release a definitive overview of their career so far on June 12th, The Definitive Collection features 18 tracks and includes the band's best known hits.
BOW WOW WOW have been remixed by MY BLOODY VALENTINE's Kevin Shields for the soundtrack to the forthcoming Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette which is described as 'a punk-rock drama.' Shields has remixed "I Want Candy" and "Fools Rush In," while the band's "Aphrodisiac" also features in its original form. Other artists with tracks featured on the soundtrack include THE CURE, NEW ORDER, SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES and GANG OF FOUR.
A-HA singer MORTON HARKET has started work on a new solo album. Although there is no release scheduled yet, Harket has said that he has already got enough material for several albums although he has qualified this by saying "but that doesn't mean any of it will go on there."
ERASURE are releasing a live double CD of their recent acoustic concert at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire. The release will not be available in the shops but can be ordered via links provided on Erasure's website.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
THE HUMAN LEAGUE, ABC and PSYCHEDELIC FURS are to play a one-off show at Los Angeles' legendary Hollywood Bowl on September 23rd.
SCRITTI POLITTI have scheduled the release of their new studio album White Bread, Black Beer for June 5th.
PAUL WELLER is to release a live double-album Catch Flame! on June 12th which is to feature material from all stages of the singer's career and includes material from his time with THE JAM and THE STYLE COUNCIL.
NEW ORDER are to release a live DVD in June, the set will feature two of their biggest shows from 2005 filmed in London and New York, and the June 19th release will be titled New Order - New York/Hyde Park. The band will also play a show in Liverpool, part of the cities' annual Summer Pops series of events on July 8th.
GEORGE MICHAEL will tour this year with dates starting in Madrid on September 27 and running through to UK shows in November and December. The tour is a celebration of George's 25 years in the music industry and will feature songs from all stages of his career and will include some WHAM! songs in the set.
DEPECHE MODE are to release fifty official bootleg recordings of shows on their current Playing The Angel tour. The band will start recording shows from the end of April onwards and each concert will be available as a double CD set with packaging designed by Anton Corbijn. The concerts will be available to order at the shows on the night or online.
THE CULT have announced more reunion shows. The band, who have just played four weeks of shows in the US, have announced a run of Canadian shows as well as some US festival appearances in April, May and June. Plans for shows in Europe and the UK later in the year are to be announced soon.
THOMAS DOLBY has announced a UK headline show in advance of his support slot for DEPECHE MODE at London's Wireless Festival in June. Dolby will play his own show at London's Scala on June 23rd.
TEARS FOR FEARS are finally releasing the long awaited double CD version of their classic Songs From The Big Chair album on May 1st. The release will feature original remastered album tracks and b-sides alongside bonus tracks including remixes and previously unreleased versions.
LIMAHL will release his new single "Tell Me Why" on May 26th in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with release dates elsewhere expected to be confirmed shortly.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
THOMAS DOLBY has announced an eight-week US tour starting in April, with more dates in the pipeline. The influential artist has said that he is slowly working on new material but has no specific plans for a new album at this point.
BELINDA CARLISLE will release a retrospective collection The Ultimate Collection in July in advance of a new solo album which is tentatively scheduled for late Autumn. The Ultimate Collection will feature all Belinda Carlisle's solo hits as well as tracks recorded by THE GO-GO'S and will feature previously unreleased mixes.
DURAN DURAN are working on a new album and hope to have a single ready for release by the start of summer.
COCTEAU TWINS have released two CD's chronicling their remarkable career from 1982 to 1996. Lullabies to Violane consists of two CD's of their singles and EP's and is the first time their non album tracks have been compiled. Volume 1 covers the bands 4AD recordings and Volume 2 their Mercury recordings.
ROXY MUSIC, currently reunited and working on their first studio album in over twenty years, are planning a remix album which will be released in advance of their new record and will feature a selection of remixers, and DJ's' and producers' versions of songs from the Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry catalogue.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
This post is dedicated to my #1 fans Bake Town and Todd.
HEAVEN 17's entire back catalogue of albums are to be reissued shortly in remastered and expanded editions featuring bonus tracks and a DVD of videos and TV appearances.
THE HUMAN LEAGUE have announced a short Irish tour in March. The band will play six shows including two in Dublin.
ABC have added more US shows and some Canadian gigs to their upcoming dates in May and June and MARTIN FRY will also be playing a series of dates in Belgium in August and is expected to join TOYAH and HOWARD JONES for a UK tour in October.
AZTEC CAMERA mainman RODDY FRAME has announced an extensive UK tour through May and June in support of his forthcoming, and currently untitled, solo album which is scheduled for an April 24th release.
THE MISSION will release a 2-CD retrospective, Anthology: The Phonogram Years, on March 13th which includes alternative versions, live and session versions and unreleased material. The release is followed, on March 20th, by the release of a DVD, Waves Upon The Sand which compiles two previous Mission video releases Carved In Sand and Crusade.
PET SHOP BOYS' new album, Fundamental, will be released on May 22nd and will be preceded by a single, "I'm With Stupid" on May 8th.
TEARS FOR FEARS have released a 2-disc live album, Secret World, the release features a CD of live tracks as well as a live concert DVD. The release which initially is only available in France also includes a radio edit of "Secret World" as well as two unreleased tracks "Floating Down The River" and "What Are We Fighting For."
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
Vocalist and keyboard player Jaz Coleman co-founded Killing Joke in 1978. Coleman is also an orchestral composer best known for his composition The Doors Concerto, performed by Nigel Kennedy. It is from Killing Joke that Waist High takes the title for her feature "Living In The Eighties News."
Additionally, it was Kurt Cobain who "couldn't help but brilliantly swipe the main guitar riff from the great 1985 single 'Eighties,' and use it as the basis for a highly successful single of his own, 'Come as You Are.'"
Quoted material: popmatters.com
DURAN DURAN'S NICK RHODES and JOHN TAYLOR have compiled a compilation album Only After Dark in an attempt to recapture the pioneering musical spirit of the late seventies and early eighties when they started DD from Birmingham's Rumrunner club. "By putting together this album our intention is to introduce songs by artists who influenced us," explains Rhodes. Artists featured include ULTRAVOX, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, PSYCHEDELIC FURS, SIMPLE MINDS and KRAFTWERK.
ERASURE have announced the US leg of their forthcoming acoustic tour.
DEAD OR ALIVE frontman PETE BURNS is publishing an autobiography Freak Unique in April which promises to document the singer's life in detail and is expected to feature appearances from a host of celebrities including BOY GEORGE and MARILYN.
CULTURE CLUB will release a remix album on March 6th. The Remix Collection features original mixes of some of their best known songs including "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me," and "It's A Miracle."
ABC, whose forthcoming new album is rumoured to be called Traffic, have added a number of shows to their US tour in May and June. The band currently have nineteen US shows onsale.
DEPECHE MODE kick off the release of their back catalogue at the end of March with the release of three albums, Speak & Spell, Music For The Masses, and Violator. Each album comes with bonus tracks and documentary footage. Their shows in Milan last weekend have been filmed for a live DVD which will be released in September and will feature the live shows alongside documentary footage from their Playing the Angel tour.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
JAPAN will release a definitive retrospective album, The Very Best Of Japan, on March 27th. The album will be the first Japan collection to feature material recorded for the Hansa label as well as for the Virgin label. On the same date, the band will release a DVD of the same name featuring seven promo videos, and the band's 1983 Oil On Canvas show.
PAUL WELLER will play a tiny London show as a warm-up for his appearance at the Brit Awards, where he will perform and receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The show will take place at Gibson Studios on February 13th.
ABC are close to completing work on their new studio album with thirteen tracks nearing completion, including "Ride," "Sixteen Seconds To Choose," and "Penitance Song." The line-up features MARTIN FRY and DAVID PALMER, and while STEPHEN SINGLETON, the third member of the classic ABC line-up is not involved, he will be releasing a solo album shortly. Meanwhile, frontman MARTIN FRY is to guest in an upcoming BBC TV show Just The Two Of Us in the UK where pop stars will be paired with celebrities and the couples will then perform in front of a live crowd. The show will be a primetime weekend show for BBC1 and is due to start in a few weeks time.
WHEN IN ROME have been reformed by original keyboard player MICHAEL FLOREALE who is working under the WIR name with new vocalist Jayden Frost. The duo will soon release a new album entitled Blue, and are lining up US shows later in the year.
THE JAM mainman RICK BUCKLER takes to the road this week with his new band THE GIFT, performing a range of covers including material from his former band.
DEAD OR ALIVE are back in the UK charts with "You Spin Me Round Like A Record." The song is currently number 5, and was a number one hit in 10 countries 21 years ago. It also went top 10 in the US.
Frontman PETE BURNS was back in the UK press recently because of his appearance as one of the housemates in Celebrity Big Brother. On January 7, fans of the show watching the live feed and internet stream saw Burns perform the song. The TV appearance was his first in many years. DEAD OR ALIVE also features Steve Coy. Coy is the producer, drummer and songwriter for the act and also handles all of their business affairs.
Material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com & undercover.com
Photo courtesy: deadoralive.net
GARY NUMAN has announced a full UK tour in support of his forthcoming album Jagged. The tour will be preceded by the previously announced album launch show at London's Forum on March 18th, and will consist of eleven shows in late April.
THE CULT are to reform for a tour and a possible new album. The group's nucleus of IAN ASTBURY and BILLY DUFFY will embark on a US tour starting in San Francisco in March. Only US dates have been announced so far, but international shows are said to be in the pipeline and the duo haven't ruled out the possibility of recording new material as The Cult.
SPLIT ENZ have announced that they are reforming for a five-city Australian tour in June. The band, who reformed in 2002 for a performance at their induction into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall Of Fame, had numerous line-up changes over their career including CROWDED HOUSE and TIM AND NEIL FINN.
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS will play a US tour through February and March although it looks unlikely that the UK and European shows postponed from last year are to be rescheduled any time soon.
THE CURE are expected to release a download-only compilation of rerecorded Cure classics at the end of the month featuring songs from the Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography albums. The compilation will come out under the name 4Play.
THE JAM'S 'best of' album Snap! is to be reissued as a double CD, restoring the release to it's full length on CD for the first time. The album was originally issued as a vinyl double-album which was shortened to 21 songs for the CD version due to the CD format's space restraints. The initial run of the album will also feature a live EP recorded at the final Jam gig at Wembley Arena in 1982.
All material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
ERASURE have announced a short set of acoustic dates across the UK in April. European and US dates are pencilled to take place after the UK shows which are to promote Erasure's upcoming album Union Street which presents songs from the band's catalogue reinterpreted in a country and western style.
DEAD OR ALIVE will reissue "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" on February 6th to tie-in with frontman PETE BURNS' current profile as a result of his appearance on the UK TV show Celebrity Big Brother. The single release is expected to be followed by a reissue of the recent Evolution compilation.
DEPECHE MODE are lining up a series of reissues througout 2006 with a Best Of collection in the shops in time for Christmas. The band, currently on their Playing The Angel world tour (which will be filmed for a live DVD to be released at the end of the year), will release three reissues every few months from now until Christmas, each album being released in a remastered SACD format featuring bonus material.
BAUHAUS release their DVD package Shadow Of Light/Archive in the UK next week, following the December release in the USA. The DVD features all the band's promo videos as well as tracks recorded live in London in 1982.
VISAGE will release a live DVD at the end of March although it is currently unclear whether the performance is archive footage of the original band, or of the current incarnation fronted by STEVE STRANGE.
ALISON MOYET has provided vocals for the new Moby single "Slipping Away." The former YAZOO vocalist will also return to the stage this year in a new play Smaller, with comic Dawn French.
TONY HADLEY is recovering at home after having his appendix removed in an emergency operation. The former SPANDAU BALLET singer has been forced to cancel some Dutch shows and is currently unsure whether he will be able to participate in his planned charity trek in Venezuela at the end of the month.
All material courtesy of: remembertheeighties.com
This post is dedicated to ALARM frontman MIKE PETERS who revealed just before Christmas that he is receiving treatment for cancer.
A-HA will play a special in store set and do a signing session at London's Oxford Street HMV on January 30th to mark the UK release of their new album Analogue, which is released on the same day.
NEW ORDER website neworderonline.com is looking for bands interested in covering a NEW ORDER track for a forthcoming tribute album they're working on. The site released their first NEW ORDER tribute, Community, in 2004 and are working on compiling Community 2 for this year.
PSYCHEDELIC FURS frontman RICHARD BUTLER has announced a series of solo shows in the US during March and April to promote his forthcoming solo album Richard Butler, which is scheduled for a March release.
ADAM AND THE ANTS will release their long-overdue DVD, Digital Tenderness in March.
PET SHOP BOYS have remixed the new MADONNA single "Sorry," featuring additional vocals from NEIL TENNANT, which will be released in February. It is currently undecided whether the mix will be used promotionally in the clubs or will feature on one of the single's commercial formats.
THE STRANGLERS have released a live album, Coast to Coast, exclusively via their website. The album will feature 18 tracks recorded live on the band's "Norfolk Coast" tour last year and is limited to just 2000 copies.
Former SPANDAU BALLET frontman TONY HADLEY has started to confirm shows for what is shaping-up to be an extensive UK tour. The By Request Tour will support his upcoming swing album.
IAN MCNABB will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his former band THE ICICLE WORKS with a tour dedicated to the band's catalogue and a new ICICLE WORKS album, however none of the other members of the original band will be involved.
OMD are to reform this year to tour and to record a new album. The reunion will feature ANDY MCCLUSKY, PAUL HUMPHREYS, MAL HOLMES, and MARTIN COOPER, and is expected to kick off with a UK tour in September which may expand internationally in the lead up to the release of a new album in Spring 2007. The band are also expected to announce special showcase performances which will see them perform their Architecture & Morality album in its entirety.
SCRITTI POLITTI will release their much-anticipated new album in March, with one (excellent!) track "Boom Boom Rap" having already been played on the radio.
MISSING PERSONS have reissued their 1982 debut album Spring Session M, which is now available with two bonus tracks "Mental Hopscotch," and "Hello, I Love You."Material courtesy: remembertheeighties.com
DEPECHE MODE seem set to headline the 2006 Coachella Music Festival. The band apparently announced their participation onstage this week but the festival billing is still officially unconfirmed.
THOMAS DOLBY will make three very rare live appearances in January when he joins THE BEAT who are playing three House of Blues shows in Anaheim, Hollywood and San Diego. Rumours indicate that Dolby might perform a few songs on his own before joining DAVE WAKELING'S band for some special encores. DRAMARAMA are also on the bill.
DEAD OR ALIVE, WHAM and ART OF NOISE are among artists featured in the latest installment of the popular 12"/80's series. The next release, 12"/80's/Dance will be a three CD collection released on February 27th and covers 80's dance music across the board featuring original 12" mixes many of which are available on CD for the first time.
THE SMITHS' guitarist JOHNNY MARR and bassist ANDY ROURKE will reunite at a special charity gig at Manchester's MEN Arena on January 28th. The show, in aid of cancer research, is being put together by Rourke and will also feature a billing of Manchester artists which will include NEW ORDER and is rumoured to include MORRISSEY.
BOY GEORGE is said to be one of the house guests in the new series of 'Celebrity Big Brother' which starts in January. If rumours are to be believed George will appear in the reality TV show alongside Anna Nicole Smith, Johnny Vegas and Jimmy Tarbuck.
MICHAEL JACKSON'S Thriller has been voted the 'Greatest Music Video Of All Time' by viewers of UK music TV channel The Box.
JOY DIVISION have been talking about recording new material. The seminal band that morphed into NEW ORDER after the death of singer IAN CURTIS, have been asked to contribute to the soundtrack to the forthcoming Anton Corbijn biopic 'Control' which is set to start filming in the new year. The band are also considering playing some live sets of all JOY DIVISION material.
All material courtesy of: remembertheeighties.com
WHAM! are reunited in A Different Story, a new documentary film charting the highs and lows of GEORGE MICHAEL'S career. George Michael's WHAM! partner ANDREW RIDGELEY agreed to talk about the duo's expereriences as WHAM! on camera for the first time since the eighties, with Michael saying, "I am so thrilled he agreed to take part. He is all over the movie. He is such a big part of my life."
ERASURE will release a new album Union Street on April 3rd next year. The release will feature a number of the band's previously released songs reinterpreted in an acoustic country and western style.
GARY NUMAN will release his much anticipated new album Jagged, described as "one of the heaviest and most electronic albums of his career" on March 13th next year, marking the release with a special show at London's Forum on March 18th.
PAUL WELLER has gone on record that THE JAM will never reform, saying "Why would I want to go back? For nostalgic reasons? That's never good enough." The former frontman has also rubbished reports that he is worth around 165 million, saying "If anyone knows where all those missing millions have gone, please give me a call."
PET SHOP BOYS have completed work on their new studio album. The release, currently untitled, will come out in April 2006. The album has been produced by TREVOR HORN.
MADNESS frontman SUGGS has said that he is encouraging THE SPECIALS to reform because he has enjoyed working with the reunited MADNESS so much. He says he has talked to THE SPECIALS about the idea, and "Six say yes, then one says no, then the last one says yes and the first one says no."
Material: remembertheeighties.com
MORRISSEY has revealed the tracklisting of his forthcoming album Ringleader Of The Tormentors which will be released in March 2006.
DAVID BOWIE is to release his 1983 concert video Serious Moonlight on DVD in March next year. In February, to precede the release, a digital only live EP will be made available featuring "Space Oddity," "China Girl," "Breaking Glass," and "Young Americans." Bowie will also star alongside Michael Caine in a new film The Prestige, which is due to start filming next year. The film follows the story of two competing magicians and Bowie will play an inventor challenged to design the ultimate magic trick.
PAUL WELLER will be awarded the UK's most prestigious music award, The Brit Awards' Outstanding Contribution To British Music title at the 2006 ceremony which will take place in London on February 15th.
THE CURE will release a new album next summer according to frontman ROBERT SMITH who confirmed that the band will go into the studio in January to start recording new material.
KRAFTWERK are to follow the success of the live album Minimum Maximum with a live DVD of the same name at the beginning of December. Their will also be a limited edition notebook package which will contain the CD, the DVD and an 88 page hardback book of pictures, technical information, and stage designs in a laptop style case.
MIDGE URE received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this years' Tartan Clef Awards, the Scottish music industry's annual award ceremony.
BAUHAUS will reissue their two live concert videos, Shadow Of Light and Archive, as one DVD at the beginning of December. The double DVD release will also contain all of the band's promo videos, as well as a live performance recorded at London's Old Vic Theatre in 1982. The band are currently on a reunion world tour.
BIG COUNTRY have released two live DVDs and another volume in their Rarities series. Both DVDs cover live concerts in Germany. Big Country Rockpalast features two shows, one from 1986 and one from 1991, while Live In Germany features two performances from 1995 alongside a host of extras including camcorder footage shot backstage and on the road by the band members themselves. The Rarities album features a number of songs in previously unheard versions including five songs never heard before.
All material quoted directly from: remembertheeighties.com
