Drew Crumbaugh — aka The Analog Loyalist, whose attempt to restore R.E.M.’s I.R.S. Records catalog was thwarted by Universal Music earlier this year — has taken a second crack at cleaning up the 1980 concert included on the reissue of Joy Division’s ‘Closer,’ and is offering the new version as a free download.
Fans planning to attend The Psychedelic Furs’ New Year’s Day concert in Las Vegas and three early January shows in California will now get a New Wave double bill as The Fixx has signed on to support most of the Furs’ upcoming West Coast dates — plays the band’s got a few year-end shows of its own planned, too.
R.E.M. famously didn’t tour behind its two best-selling albums — 1991’s ‘Out of Time’ and 1992’s ‘Automatic For the People’ — but the band did play a single concert in support of the latter record, a Greenpeace benefit at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Ga., exactly 20 years ago tonight.
This week’s new releases include a 2CD live set from Simple Minds, an archival live album from Dinosaur Jr on vinyl and MP3, reissues from The Jam and The Blue Nile, a CD/DVD 30th anniversary live set from The Pogues and a collection of Elvis Costello songs used in films.
Tonight’s edition of “Dark Wave” — the Sunday night “darker side of alternative” show on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave — featured The Danse Society, Depeche Mode, The Sisterhood, Cocteau Twins, Julian Cope, Xmal Deutschland, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Soft Cell, The Creatures, John Foxx and much, much more.
Welcome to the Week in Rock, where we round up all of the headlines posted on this site over the past week. This edition includes items INXS, James and Echo & The Bunnymen, R.E.M., The Sisters of Mercy, The Pogues, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Mission of Burma, Johnny Marr, Midnight Oil, Sugar, Morrissey and more.
Long-running Manchester act James has enlisted Echo & The Bunnymen for a 10-date tour of the U.K. this spring in support of the band’s ‘The Gathering Sound’ box set, a career-spanning collection that originally was due out in fall 2011 and then this past spring — and is now finally due for release next month in the U.K.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 