Author: Slicing Up Eyeballs

The Week in Rock: April 15-21, 2012

The Week in Rock: April 15-21, 2012

This week’s round-up of Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines includes news about The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, Ride, Public Image Ltd., Men at Work’s Greg Ham, Devo, Squeeze, Paul Weller, The English Beat, Ultravox, The Primitives, Translator and much more.

Video: The Cure, ‘Play Out’ — out-of-print ‘Wish’-era collection of live performances

Video: The Cure, ‘Play Out’ — out-of-print ‘Wish’-era collection of live performances

For fans of The Cure, today — April 21 — is significant for two reasons: It’s Robert Smith’s 53rd birthday and it’s the 20th anniversary of the release of ‘Wish’. So, as we wait for the alleged deluxe reissue of that 1992 album, here’s a little something to bide your time: the out-of-print VHS release ‘Play Out.’

Stream: Public Image Ltd., ‘Lollipop Opera’ — off ‘This Is PiL’ album, ‘One Drop’ EP

Stream: Public Image Ltd., ‘Lollipop Opera’ — off ‘This Is PiL’ album, ‘One Drop’ EP

On Saturday, Public Image Ltd. will release its first new music in 20 years in the form of the ‘One Drop’ EP, a Record Store Day release featuring four tracks off the band’s upcoming full-length album ‘This Is PiL.’ We’ve already heard lead single “One Drop,” but now comes a second new PiL track: “Lollipop Opera.”

Ride’s 20th anniversary reissue of ‘Going Blank Again’ to feature 1992 concert on DVD

Ride’s 20th anniversary reissue of ‘Going Blank Again’ to feature 1992 concert on DVD

Seminal British shoegazers Ride — signed to Creation Records in the late ’80s — next month will release a 20th anniversary reissue of their sophomore album ‘Going Blank Again’ that will packaged with the DVD debut of the 1992 VHS release ‘Going Blank Again: Live at Brixton Academy’ featuring newly mixed audio.

Linkage: Men at Work’s Greg Ham found dead, plus The Fall, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr

Linkage: Men at Work’s Greg Ham found dead, plus The Fall, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr

Our latest link round-up features sad news about Men at Work’s Greg Ham, who was found dead today in his Australian home, plus a 1990 interview with Mark E. Smith about his record collection, a chat with Lee Ranaldo about the future of Sonic Youth, and a webstream of the new electronic Dinosaur Jr project.

Stream: Devo, ‘Monsterman’ — theme song to Syfy’s new series ‘Monster Man’

Stream: Devo, ‘Monsterman’ — theme song to Syfy’s new series ‘Monster Man’

As you may have heard on this week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs show on Strangeways Radio, the ever-quirky Devo has recorded the theme song to the new Syfy series ‘Monster Man,’ a show that goes behind the scenes of a Hollywood prop shop. You can stream and/or download the track here.

Video: Squeeze performs ‘Tempted,’ ‘Pulling Mussels From a Shell’ on ‘Ellen’

Video: Squeeze performs ‘Tempted,’ ‘Pulling Mussels From a Shell’ on ‘Ellen’

With Squeeze, er, squeezing in some U.S. dates between and around the band’s appearances at the two-weekend Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, the group also managed to fit in an appearance on the ‘Ellen’ daytime talk show yesterday (‘I’ve loved their music for a long time,’ Ellen Degeneres says).

Vintage Video: Public Image Ltd., X, OMD, Simple Minds, INXS on ‘American Bandstand’

Vintage Video: Public Image Ltd., X, OMD, Simple Minds, INXS on ‘American Bandstand’

Dick Clark, who died Wednesday at age 82, and ‘American Bandstand’ played an important role in the ’80s, too, helping bring the burgeoning New Wave and college rock scenes to mainstream America at a time when the still-nascent MTV wasn’t universally available on American cable networks.

The Psychedelic Furs roll out new U.S. dates, including California shows with The Go-Gos

The Psychedelic Furs roll out new U.S. dates, including California shows with The Go-Gos

Having just wrapped up a run of spring U.S. dates across the northeast and midwest, The Psychedelic Furs have announced a new batch of American concerts in late spring and early fall, including two dates supporting The Go-Gos in California in late September.

Video: Paul Weller plays ‘The Attic,’ ‘Kling I Klang’ on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’

Video: Paul Weller plays ‘The Attic,’ ‘Kling I Klang’ on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’

Paul Weller dropped by BBC’s ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ last night to perform two tracks — ‘The Attic’ and ‘Kling I Klang’ — off his just-released new solo album ‘Sonik Kicks,’ both of which you can see via the clips posted here. Weller is due on these shores later next month to play a pair of gigs in New York City and one in Toronto.

The Jesus and Mary Chain returning to U.S. for new concerts in June, September

The Jesus and Mary Chain returning to U.S. for new concerts in June, September

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s brief run through Texas last month appears to be the beginning of an active 2012: In addition to today’s announcement of the band’s first-ever concert in China, the brothers Reid also will come back to the U.S. for a string of new dates in both June and September.

Playlist: Slicing Up Eyeballs on Strangeways Radio; Episode 68, first aired 4/17/12

This week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs show on Strangeways Radio featured brand-new music from Billy Bragg, Devo, Translator and the late Joey Ramone, plus favorites new and old from David Byrne, The Beautiful South, Easterhouse, Heaven 17, Pulp, Buzzcoks, James, Echo & The Bunnymen and more.

The English Beat to release new best-of, box set in U.S., expanded reissues in Europe

The English Beat to release new best-of, box set in U.S., expanded reissues in Europe

There’s a flurry of activity coming from The English Beat — or as they’re more properly known, The Beat — as Shout! Factory this week announced plans to release both a new single-disc best-of and a 5CD box set featuring the band’s three albums and two discs of bonus material.