Peter Buck plans to release something he’s calling a new “monkey concept single” in the coming weeks on vinyl label Mississippi Records as well as re-press his 2012 solo debut — but without the song “LVMF,” because he only cleared its profane Sonny Boy Williamson sample for the album’s first 2,000 copies.

It’s a nearly unparalleled landmark in the history of ’80s college rock: R.E.M.’s peerless debut album, Murmur, was released on April 12, 1983 — exactly 30 years ago today. Today we celebrate this milestone by looking back at the building blocks of the album we know and love.

Robyn Hitchcock will hit the road in the U.S. later this spring to support his just-released ‘Love From London’ album, playing a series of dates on the two coasts with his latter-period backup band The Venus 3 and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck serving as opening act.

The first weekend of Peter Buck’s three-weekend Todos Santos Music Festival in Baja California, Mexico, wrapped up Saturday night with what was essentially a reunion of latter-day R.E.M. minus Michael Stipe as bassist Mike Mills joined Buck and his steadfast R.E.M. sidemen Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin onstage.

In February 1981, R.E.M. played three known concerts, including a pair in Atlanta opening for Joe “King” Carrasco at the 688 Club. Little of this period has been seen on video, but Slicing Up Eyeballs is thrilled to be able to premiere — courtesy of Wuxtry Records in Athens, Ga. — this 40-minute set filmed at one of those Atlanta dates.

Our latest link round-up includes stories about following Morrissey around on tour, plus items on Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis’ stolen guitar, the Happy Mondays’ reunion album and a new solo record from Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie, plus an interview with former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.

Peter Buck finally announced his debut solo album today, posting a note on R.E.M.’s website that reveals the album — we’re still not sure what it’s called; he doesn’t mention its title — will be released this Friday in a super-limited, 2,000-copy vinyl-only run by Portland, Ore.-based Mississippi Records.

Last night in Seattle, former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck played his first-ever solo show — after conducting, as he noted from the stage, his first-ever solo soundcheck — he debuted his new backing band Richard M. Nixon as the opening act for the first of two Young Fresh Fellows album-release shows at The Sunset.

For months, former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck has been silent about his upcoming solo debut, but he’s finally opening up about the project, confirming it’s planned as a vinyl-only release and that he’ll sing eight of the album’s 12 tracks, with longtime sideman Scott McCaughey and Corin Tucker picking up the rest.

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 Dead Can Dance, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, The Fixx, The Mission, OMD, Laibach, The Wedding Present, Killing Joke, Morrissey, Devo, Madness and more.

Scott McCaughey tells the Seattle Weekly that former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck’s self-titled album — with guest turns by Mike Mills and Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker — could be out as early as next month, when Buck debuts his new band, dubbed Richard M. Nixon, at a pair of Seattle shows with Young Fresh Fellows.

This week’s round-up of headlines includes items about The House of Love, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Elizabeth Fraser, Robert Smith, World Party, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, Billy Bragg, The Stone Roses, Bob Mould, PiL, Paul Weller and more — plus our latest Auto Reverse mixtape.

R.E.M. formally announced its 25th anniversary expanded reissue of ‘Document’ on Tuesday, and offered up a short recording made by guitarist Peter Buck to be played at 1987’s New Music Seminar in which he “introduced” the attendees to the band’s then-forthcoming and heavily anticipated fifth album