The defunct Ministry next month will release ‘Every Day is Halloween: The Anthology,’ a 12-track compilation that appears to mix some of the band’s best-known singles with new covers of classic songs by AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones — and Amy Winehouse?

This week’s new releases include ‘Platinum: Greatest Hits,’ the physical edition of a new INXS best-of released online earlier this year; ‘MiXXXes of the Molé,’ a full-album remix of Ministry’s ‘Houses of the Molé’; and ‘BXI,’ an EP by Boris and The Cult’s Ian Astbury.

Breaking up two years ago hasn’t slowed Ministry’s output: Al Jourgensen’s defunct industrial-metal juggernaut next month will release ‘MiXXXes of the Molé,’ a track-by-track ‘trance metal’ remix of the band’s 2004 album ‘Houses of the Molé.’

This week’s new releases include brand-new studio albums from Laurie Anderson (’Homeland’) and Front Line Assembly (’Improvised Electronic Device’), plus expanded reissues from Spandau Ballet (’True,’ ‘Parade’) and A Flock of Seagulls (’Listen’).

For $200,000, New Order re-recorded ‘Blue Monday’ — allegedly the best-selling 12-inch of all time — for a Sunkist TV commercial (which also uses footage from the band’s Kathryn Bigelow-directed video for ‘Touched By the Hand of God’).

Could it be? Is that Ministry’s Al Jourgensen singing ‘don’t give me that so-so soda/that same old cola’ in this 1983 commercial for Shasta? And here’s a purported 1982 7UP jingle sung by Gary Numan, too.

This week’s new releases include Record Store Day-related reissues from R.E.M., Sonic Youth and Devo, plus the expanded edition of Iggy and the Stooges’ classic ‘Raw Power,’ and a new Revolting Cocks album.

Round-up of headlines from last week while we were on vacation, including news about Paul Westerberg, Echo & The Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, Front Line Assembly, Nine Inch Nails, Talking Heads’ Christ Frantz, Duran Duran and more.

[tweetmeme]Al Jourgensen may be hard at work on a purported synthpop album (and recording Christmas songs), but he’s not quite done with Ministry, the proto-industrial act he allegedly retired this year. Next summer will see the release of “Fix: The Ministry Movie,” a documentary about Uncle Al and Ministry featuring appearances by Nine Inch Nails’ [...]

[tweetmeme]As threatened, ex-Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen has released a Christmas song with guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite in memory of late Killing Joke/Ministry bassist Paul Raven. “It’s Always Christmas” is now available for 99 cents via iTunes, and Jourgensen’s 13th Planet Records has just posted the video shown above, which features a rambling intro from Uncle [...]

[tweetmeme]Legendary L.A. punk act X will celebrate the holidays this year by releasing a Christmas single — just like Ministry’s Al Jourgensen! — and performing four festive California concerts in late December.
The band’s original lineup — John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake — convened in August in Los Angeles to record a [...]

Is Uncle Al going soft? First ex-Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen lets slip plans to record a pop album, and now he’s announcing he’ll release a Christmas song — hey, just like Bob Dylan! — later this year in memory of late Killing Joke/Ministry bassist Paul Raven.
Building up to Tuesday’s release of Revolting Cocks remix disc Sex-O [...]