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

Omnivore Recordings this fall will release the soundtrack to the cult 1987 documentary ‘Athens, GA – Inside/Out’ — which chronicled the music scene that spawned R.E.M., The B-52s and more — on CD for the first time, packaging it with a DVD of the film and five bonus tracks, two of which are ‘previously unheard performances.’

This week’s installment of The Week in Rock features news about Pet Shop Boys, Elizabeth Fraser, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne, Peter Buck, The Birthday Party, Peter Murphy, Ministry, Morrissey, The Stone Roses, Dinsaur Jr, Robyn Hitchcock, The Jesus and Mary Chain and more.

R.E.M. fans got their very first taste of guitarist Peter Buck’s debut solo album today when former Dream Syndicate frontman — and frequent Buck collaborator — Steve Wynn world-premiered the song ’10 Million BC’ during a guest DJ stint on Diane’s Kamikaze Fun Machine on New Jersey’s WFMU.

Dreams So Real — featured in the landmark rock doc ‘Athens, GA: Inside/Out’ and whose debut single and album were produced by R.E.M.’s Peter Buck — are reuniting for a pair of rare concerts next month, and are whetting fans’ appetites by streaming a previously unreleased early-’90s demo.