The Specials next month will release a 26-track live album dubbed ‘More… Or Less: The Specials Live’ in both 2CD and 2LP formats, collecting “the best of the best tracks” from U.K. and European dates on the band’s 2011 reunion tour, EMI Catalogue announced this morning.
The new Duran Duran concert CD/DVD/Blu-ray ‘A Diamond in the Mind’ is out this week in the U.K. and arrives next week in the U.S., and while the band put out a fairly uneventful video teaser back in April, here’s the first full track issued from the live film: a performance of classic hit ‘Planet Earth.’
Former Ride frontman Mark Gardener has teamed up with Cocteau Twins co-founder Robin Guthrie to record a new single called ‘The Places We Go’ that will be released digitally next week by Guthrie’s label Soleil Après Minuit ‘via all good download services.’ The track goes on sale July 9.
This month’s Auto Reverse mixtape includes brand new music from Dinosaur Jr and the Pet Shop Boys, plus some old favorites by the likes of The Undertones, R.E.M., The Dream Syndicate, The Fall, Depeche Mode, The Stone Roses, Felt, Talking Heads, Josef K, Paul Westerberg and much, much more.
As promised last week, the Pet Shop Boys premiered “Winner” — the first official single from their forthcoming 11th studio album Elysium — this morning on British radio, and now the duo has made the track available for streaming via the lyric video posted here.
Karl Wallinger will bring World Party back to the U.K. for the band’s first concerts in its native U.K. in a decade, with shows announced in Oxford and at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall this fall. It’s clear how many dates World Party will play; the band’s site only lists the London concert, but an Oxford date is on sale, too.
This week’s new releases include the U.K. edition of ‘A Diamond in the Mind,’ the new concert CD and live Blu-ray and DVD filmed on the band’s 2011 tour, plus expanded reissues of three Jimmy Sommerville albums, including the debut by Bronski Beat (‘The Age of Consent’) plus both Communards records (‘Communards,’ ‘Red’).
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 