Versions Galore — a great blog that celebrates cover versions “of, but not limited to, 80’s, funk, soul, rare groove, electronica, reggae, dub and indie” — recently asked Slicing Up Eyeballs to put together an hour-long mix of some of our favorite covers, and we happily obliged.
This week’s new releases include new albums from The Fixx (‘Beautiful Friction’), Soul Asylum (‘Delayed Reaction’) and Susanna Hoffs (‘Someday’), plus a new live album from Black Francis, a 2CD best-of from Blancmange, a reissue of Stan Ridgway’s ‘Mosquitos’ and a reissue of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World Live’ film.
The playlist from tonight’s edition of “Dark Wave” — the Sunday night “darker side of alternative” show on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave — featured Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, The sisters of Mercy, Giorgio Moroder, Yazoo, Ministry, The Normal, The House of Love and 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 about INXS, Depeche Mode, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Johnny Marr, Alison Moyet, The Cure, Public Image Ltd., The Dream Syndicate, Franke Goes to Hollywood, The Fixx and more.
Last night at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, producers and musicians Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson enlisted Johnny Marr and Alison Moyet, who joined the Rodgers-led Chic on stage to perform Ronson’s arrangement of The Smiths’ “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.”
Wax Trax!-era industrial rockers My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult will embark on a seven-week tour of the U.K. this fall to mark their 25th anniversary, a trek dubbed Back From Beyond! that also will find the group performing tracks off the upcoming debut from Bomb Gang Girlz, Thrill Kill Kult’s long-running group of backing singers.
INXS’ 1987 album ‘Kick’ sold 6 million copies and spawned four Top 10 singles in the U.S., turning the Aussie rockers into global superstars. Now, 25 years later, the band this fall will release an expanded edition of the album featuring three CDs and a DVD packed with remixes, demos, “unheard tracks” and a documentary.
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 