The long-planned triple-bass supergroup Freebass — which already lost Andy Rourke of The Smiths earlier this summer — has imploded on the eve of the belated CD release of its debut album, with Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield of The Stone Roses unloading on Peter Hook via Twitter.

Our friends at 24 Hour Service Station are providing us with three promo CD copies of their brand-new digital-only compilation ‘Hand in Glove: The Smiths Tribute’ to give away to Slicing Up Eyeballs readers.

This afternoon, the Andy Partridge-run Ape House Records offered an update on the forthcoming double-vinyl reissue of XTC’s 1986 album ‘Skylarking,’ declaring the new corrected edition of the album ‘is about 30 percent better sounding than any previously heard.’

In honor of House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers’ 45th birthday today, we share this ‘Snub TV’ clip from 1989 that features a ripping take on fourth single ‘Destroy the Heart’ and a gentle ‘Man to Child,’ off the band’s 1988 self-titled debut, with an interview with frontman Guy Chadwick sandwiched in between.

This week’s new releases include ‘Who We Touch,’ the 11th album from The Charlatans; ‘The Morning After,’ a new mini-album from James; a David Bowie tribute album featuring Duran Duran and Mick Karn; and reissues from Madness and Flesh for Lulu’s Nick Marsh.

In a cryptic tweet late Sunday night, Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell hinted that ex-Guns N’ Roses member Duff McKagan — who joined the alt-rockers earlier this year to replace on-again, off-again bassist Eric Avery — may have parted ways with the volatile band.

The first two solo albums by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure — 1985’s ‘The Gift’ and 1988’s ‘Answers to Nothing’ — are set to be reissued next month in expanded 2CD editions, each featuring digitally remastered versions of the original albums and a full contingent of B-sides, mixes and live tracks, some of which are previously unreleased.

Given the number of ’80s riffs that make it into the scripts of USA’s mystery/comedy ‘Psych,’ it comes as no surprise to see Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith doing a cameo (as himself) on last week’s episode.

Guitarist Vini Reilly — frontman of iconic Factory Records post-punk outfit The Durutti Column — recently suffered ‘a minor stroke,’ according to a post today on the band’s website, ‘but after four days in hospital and then discharging himself he is well on the road to recovery.’

No stranger to oddball photo shoots, Brit-rock iconoclast Morrissey appears on the cover of tomorrow’s Guardian Weekend magazine with a cat perched atop his unsmiling head for a feature headlined ‘Bigmouth strikes again: Morrissey lets rip.’

Twenty eight years ago today, the first of what would turn out to be two multi-day US Festivals — envisioned by their organizer, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, as ‘Woodstock West’ — opened in blistering 110-degree heat at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernadino County, Calif.

Former Flesh for Lulu frontman Nick Marsh next week will reissue his self-released 2006 solo debut — the 11-track ‘A Universe Between Us’ — in the U.K., and is relaunching the album with a pair of just-released music videos and a special concert Sunday night in London.

Modern English embarks on a second round of North American dates this weekend in support of its just-released ‘Blister EP,’ a download-only release featuring the title track, off this year’s ‘Soundtrack,’ plus a non-album cut and two demos.