[tweetmeme]We may still be taking entries for this month’s Retro:Active 7 — Rare & Remixed giveaway, but we’ve got another great contest lined up: Our friends at 24 Hour Service Station are providing us with three copies of their brand-new Hand in Glove: The Smiths Tribute to give away to Slicing Up Eyeballs readers.

The Florida-based label is the same one that put out the New Order tribute we gave away earlier this year; this new salute to The Smiths features 14 classics — including “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” “I Know It’s Over” and “Reel Around the Fountain” — covered by indie acts such as Vampire Slayers, Thee Chinadoll and Skinnys 21 (see the full tracklist and hear Vanilla Swingers’ cover of “Hand in Glove” below).

And here’s the kicker: This is actually a digital-only release — you can buy it on iTunes — but the label has pressed up a limited number of promotional CDs, so the winners of this contest will actually receive the album on an old-fashioned compact disc.

To enter, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post — if you’re feeling inspired, you can also tell us what your favorite Smiths song is, and why. As always, be sure to use a real e-mail address, since that’s how winners will be notified. We’ll accept entries — from anywhere in the world — through noon Eastern time on Sept. 24.

See full ‘Hand in Glove’ tracklist and hear a sample after the jump…

Vanilla Swingers, “Hand In Glove” (The Smiths cover)

Tracklist: Hand in Glove: The Smiths Tribute

1. “Hand In Glove,” Vanilla Swingers
2. “Paint A Vulgar Picture,” True Tone
3. “What Difference Does It Make,” Vampire Slayers
4. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side,” Home
5. “Frankly Mr. Shankly,” Questionface
6. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me,” Pulse
7. “Death Of A Disco Dancer,” Loomer
8. “This Night Has Opened My Eyes,” Underwater
9. “Handsome Devil,” I Buried Paul
10. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others,” Skinnys 21
11. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” Edison Shine
12. “Girlfriend In A Coma,” Thee Chinadoll
13. “Reel Around The Fountain,” Q-Burns Abstract Message
14. “I Know It’s Over,” Rosewater Elizabeth

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:

• Morrissey wears a cat on his head, says ‘the Chinese are a subspecies’
• New cover art revealed for Morrissey’s ‘Bona Drag’ 20th anniversary reissue
• Morrissey’s ‘Bona Drag’ 20th anniversary reissue to feature 6 unreleased tracks
• Photo: Morrissey and Rick Astley backstage at the BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’ in 1989
• The Smiths Project: Janice Whaley recording covers of every Smiths song in 2010

[tweetmeme]This afternoon, the Andy Partridge-run Ape House Records offered an update on the forthcoming double-vinyl reissue of XTC’s classic 1986 album Skylarking, declaring the new corrected edition of the album “is about 30 percent better sounding than any previously heard.”

Ape House also revealed that the reissue — which is in the test-pressing stage and has not yet had a release date set — will arrive split onto two 45 rpm records (”because it will make the high end clearer and smoother”) and will feature a hybrid tracklist combining the different U.S. and U.K. versions: “Both ‘Dear God’ and ‘Mermaid Smiled’ are in their proper places at last,” although the exact order wasn’t revealed.

Furthermore, the reissue will come packaged in the “original artwork that the band planned and Virgin banned,” not “the last-minute Virgin replacement, the only one you’ve known.” There will be two different versions of the Skylarking reissue: a standard gatefold double LP and a “deluxe version in a board book format with copious notes from Andy and Colin (Moulding), original sketches, lyrics and photographs.”

As Partridge announced in June, Skylarking is being reissued “as it was intended to sound, but never has due to human error.” According to Ape House, mastering engineer John Dent was working on a vinyl reissue of Skylarking when he discovered that all previous vinyl and CD editions were manufactured with the sound polarity reversed. In today’s update, Ape House says Dent “has thankfully corrected this undetected error.”

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Vintage Video: ‘XTC at the Manor,’ 1980 doc about recording ‘Towers of London’
• XTC’s Andy Partridge debuts ‘Powers,’ ‘aural sculptures’ inspired by sci-fi artist
• XTC reissuing ‘Skylarking’ on vinyl ‘as it was intended to sound, but never has’
• Andy Partridge preps ‘aural sculptures’ inspired by sci-fi artist Richard M. Powers
• Help compile XTC’s ‘Bric-a-Brac Breakfast,’ sequel to 1990’s ‘Rag & Bone Buffet’
• Dukes of Stratosphear’s ‘Complete and Utter Dukes’ box set includes CDs, vinyl

[tweetmeme]There haven’t been many opportunities of late to post about The House of Love, so we take great pleasure in marking founding guitarist Terry Bickers’ 45th birthday today. In honor of the occasion, we share this “Snub TV” clip from 1989 — just before Bickers left the band — that features a ripping take on fourth single “Destroy the Heart” and a gentle “Man to Child,” off the band’s 1988 self-titled debut, with an interview with frontman Guy Chadwick sandwiched in between.

Bickers rejoined the House of Love in 2005 when the band reunited, and while the group released a new album, Days Run Away, and toured that year, not much has been heard from the House of Love in recent years. According to a post last May on this fan site, “Terry Bickers informs us that the band are currently rehearsing new material. They plan to record a few songs ‘in the not too distant future.’”

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• The House of Love releasing ‘Live at the BBC’

[tweetmeme]Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.

ARTIST: The Charlatans
RELEASE: Who We Touch
BACKSTORY: The Madchester survivors this week release their 11th album in the U.K. (it’s out in the U.S. next week; the band’s first American release in nearly a decade), a 10-track effort produced by Killing Joke bassist Youth. There’s also a deluxe edition with a 13-track bonus CD of “early versions, outtakes, alternate takes and mixes.”
BUY IT: Who We Touch via Amazon.co.uk

ARTIST: James
RELEASE: The Morning After
BACKSTORY: The long-running Manchester act this week releases its second mini-album of the year in the U.K., a companion to last spring’s The Night Before. The two discs, totaling 15 tracks, will be packaged together as The Morning After the Night Before for a U.S. release due out next week to coincide with the band’s upcoming tour.
BUY IT: The Morning After via Amazon.co.uk

ARTIST: Various
RELEASE: We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie
BACKSTORY: The Thin White Duke is honored this week with a new 2CD tribute album that benefits War Child. Among the contributors: Duran Duran (”Boys Keep Swinging”), Vivian Girls (”John, I’m Only Dancing”), French first lady Carla Bruni (”Absolute Beginners”) and Mick Karn (”Ashes to Ashes”).
BUY IT: We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie via Amazon.com

See more new releases from Madness, Lou Reed and Nick Marsh after the jump…

ARTIST: Madness
RELEASE: Wonderful
BACKSTORY: The ska-pop act’s reissue campaign continues this week with an expanded 2CD edition of this 1999 album, which was the first to feature all seven original members since 1984’s Keep Moving. The set includes three music videos of the album’s singles, and a 14-track bonus disc with B-sides, edits and other tracks.
BUY IT: Wonderful via Amazon.com

ARTIST: Lou Reed
RELEASE: This Is Lou Reed: The Greatest Hits
BACKSTORY: Sony Music releases a new 18-track best-of in the U.K. this week featuring early-career stuff like “Perfect Day,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Men of Good Fortune,” “Caroline Says II,” “Satellite of Love” and “Berlin” but is missing later classics such as “Dirty Blvd.”
BUY IT: This Is Lou Reed: The Greatest Hits via Amazon.com

ARTIST: Nick Marsh
RELEASE: A Universe Between Us
BACKSTORY: The former Flesh for Lulu frontman this week reissues his self-released 2006 solo debut  in the U.K. with new cover art. It’s the first release by Bellissima Records, the new record label started by Marsh and his partner, ex-Miranda Sex Garden leader Katharine Blake, who also produced the album and lends vocals and strings.
BUY IT: A Universe Between Us via Amazon.co.uk

[tweetmeme]In a cryptic tweet late Sunday night, Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell hinted that ex-Guns N’ Roses member Duff McKagan — who joined the alt-rockers earlier this year to replace on-again, off-again bassist Eric Avery — may have parted ways with the famously volatile band.

Without elaborating, Farrell tweeted: “Jane’s wishes Duff much luck with his band Loaded. What a fun time we all had working together. Look out for his record and tour this fall.”

McKagan quietly joined Jane’s Addiction early this past year, with the band confirming his role in March by releasing photos of the bassist playing them prior to an appearance at Farrell’s 51st birthday party in March. In May, McKagan made a more formal debut at a Jane’s show in May and reportedly spent time recording with the band.

While neither Jane’s Addiction nor McKagan have announced any separation on their respective websites, McKagan does use much of his most recent column in the Seattle Weekly to write about recording a new album with his band Loaded this past summer and his desire “to find Loaded a label home.” Making no mention of Jane’s, McKagan also writes, “It is time to start routing a (Loaded) tour for next spring and summer.”

UPDATE 9/8/10: Yes, it’s true. Billboard confirms the split, saying the band released a statement in which they said,  “We love the songs we worked on with him — and the gigs were a blast — but musically we were all headed in different directions. From here Duff is off to work on his own stuff so we wish him all the best.”

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:

• Jane’s Addiction’s final U.S. concert with Eric Avery on ‘Live Voodoo’ DVD, Blu-ray
• Video: Jane’s Addiction plays ‘Ain’t No Right’ with Duff McKagan on Cinco de Mayo
• Video: Jane’s Addiction debuts new song, ‘Soulmate,’ with Duff McKagan in L.A.
• Video: Jane’s Addiction makes public debut with bassist Duff McKagan
• Bassist Eric Avery quits Jane’s Addiction again, ‘with equal parts regret and relief’
• Vintage Video: Jane’s Addiction rehearses ‘Chip Away’ for ‘SNL’ in 1997
• Perry Farrell: Jane’s Addiction’s ‘Gift’ film coming out on DVD this year

[tweetmeme]Another Sunday night, another episode of “Dark Wave” on Sirius XM’s alt-’80s station 1st Wave. Tonight’s installment featured some unusual selections from big names like The Cure (”Just One Kiss,” the B-side of “The Walk”) and Depeche Mode (Black Celebration album cut “Here is the House”), plus the return of “No Name, No Slogan,” the 1989 single from Acid Horse, a hybrid of Ministry and Cabaret Voltaire.

“Dark Wave” airs each Sunday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern/7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific.

See full ‘Dark Wave’ playlist after the jump…

Playlist: Sirius XM’s “Dark Wave,” 9/5/10

Cocteau Twins, “Spooning Good Singing Gum”
The Sisters of Mercy, “Ribbons”
Stranglers, “Golden Brown”
Siouxise and the Banshees, “Killing Jar”
Killing Joke, “Change”
The Sugarcubes, “Coldsweat”
Ministry, “Cold Life”
Concrete Blonde, “God is a Bullet”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “The Mercy Seat”
The Mission U.K., “Tower of Strength”
Bauhaus, “In Fear of Fear” (Live)
New Order, “1963″
Duran Duran, “Lonely In Your Nightmare”
The Cure, “Just One Kiss”
Damned, “The Shadow of Love (The Ten Inches of Hell Mix)”
Depeche Mode, “Here is the House”
Iggy Pop, “Nightclubbing”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “Two Tribes”
The Smiths, “Sweet and Tender Hooligan”
Visage, “Fade to Grey”
Siouxsie and the Banshees, “You’re Lost Little Girl”
Love and Rockets, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven”
Motels, “Trust Me”
Kate Bush, “Hounds of Love”
Puscifier, “Trekka (The Great Unwashed Mix)”
The Cult, “Love”
Joy Division, “Colony”
Echo & The Bunnymen, “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo”
The Jesus and Mary Chain, “April Skies”
Kraftwerk, “Trans-Europe Express”
The Human League, “Louise”
Depeche Mode, “But Not Tonight”
Julian Cope, “Charlotte Anne”
Acid Horse, “No Name No Slogan”
Love and Rockets, “Holiday on the Moon”
The Smiths, “What Difference Does it Make?”
Bauhaus, “The Dog’s a Vapour”
The Cure, “A Forest” (Tree Mix)
The Sisters of Mercy, “Walk Away”

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Playlist: Sirius XM’s ‘Dark Wave,’ 8/29/10
• Playlist: Sirius XM’s ‘Dark Wave,’ 8/23/10
• Playlist: Sirius XM’s ‘Dark Wave,’ 8/15/10
• Playlist: Sirius XM’s ‘Dark Wave,’ 8/8/10
• Playlist: Sirius XM’s ‘Dark Wave,’ 8/1/10

[tweetmeme]The first two solo albums by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure — 1985’s The Gift and 1988’s Answers to Nothing — are set to be reissued next month in expanded 2CD editions, each featuring digitally remastered versions of the original album and a full contingent of B-sides, 12-inch mixes and live tracks, some of which are previously unreleased.

Both sets are due out Oct. 4 in the U.K., and to sweeten the deal for longtime fans, British outlet Townsend Records is throwing in “an exclusive artwork print” with each of the reissues, and each order will be entered into a drawing to win one of 200 signed prints — and one actual meet-and-greet with Ure himself.

Ure’s first solo album, The Gift, released while he was still in Ultravox and featuring the U.K. No. 1 single “If I Was” (see video below), comes with a 15-track bonus disc featuring the B-sides of the album’s three singles and the non-album single “Call of the Wild,” plus an extended mix of “That Certain Smile” previously only available on a promo single and unreleased live versions of “That Certain Smile” and “The Gift.”

Answers to Nothing, issued after Ultravox’s breakup and bearing the U.S. modern-rock radio staple “Dear God” (see video below) — which in no way can be confused with the XTC classic, of course — also features a 15-track bonus disc loaded up with the B-sides to that album’s two singles, plus five unreleased tracks: “Music #2,” presumably a companion to the “Dear God” B-side “Music #1,” plus “work in progress” mixes of “Sister and Brother,” “Answers to Nothing” and “Just for You.”

See full tracklists for Midge Ure’s reissues and music videos after the jump…

Tracklist: Midge Ure, The Gift

DISC 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “If I Was”
2. “When The Winds Blow”
3. “Living The Past”
4. “That Certain Smile”
5. “The Gift”
6. “Antilles”
7. “Wastelands”
8. “Edo”
9. “The Chieftain”
10. “She Cried”
11. “The Gift (Reprise)”

DISC 2: BONUS MATERIAL
1. “No Regrets”
2. “Mood Music”
3. “If I Was” (Extended Mix)
4. “Piano”
5. “The Man Who Sold The World”
6. “That Certain Smile” (Extended Mix) *
7. “The Gift” (Instrumental)
8. “Fade To Grey” (Live)
9. “Wastelands” (Extended Mix)
10. “When The Winds Blow” (Live)
11. “After A Fashion” (Live)
12. “The Chieftain/The Dancer” (Live)
13. “Call Of The Wild” (Extended Mix)
14. “That Certain Smile” (Live) **
15. “The Gift” (Live) **

* Previously available on promo-only release
** Previously unreleased

Tracklist: Midge Ure, Answers to Nothing

DISC 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “Answers To Nothing”
2. “Take Me Home”
3. “Sister And Brother”
4. “Dear God”
5. “The Leaving (So Long)”
6. “Just For You”
7. “Hell To Heaven”
8. “Lied”
9. “Homeland”
10. “Remembrance Day”

DISC 2: BONUS MATERIAL
1. “Answers To Nothing” (Extended Version)
2. “Honorare”
3. “Oboe”
4. “Dear God” (Extended Version)
5. “Music #1″
6. “Sister And Brother” (Alternate Single Edit)
7. “All Fall Down” (Live)
8. “Strange Brew” (Live)
9. “Dear God” (Live)
10. “Just For You” (Live)
11. “Sister And Brother” (Work In Progress Mix: No Vocals) *
12. “Music #2″ *
13. “Answers To Nothing” (Work In Progress Mix) *
14. “Just For You” (Work In Progress Mix) *
15. “Sister And Brother” (Work In Progress Mix: With Vocals) *

* Previously unreleased

[tweetmeme]Given the number of ’80s riffs that make it into the script each week of the USA Network’s mystery/comedy “Psych,” it comes as no surprise to see Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith doing a very funny cameo (as himself) on last week’s episode. The clip above includes his main scene, in which he’s been hired to play music — “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Mad World” get screen time — in the backyard of another guest star, Nestor Carbonell (aka “Lost’s” Richard Alpert).

Smith reprises his brief role at the end of the show, in the clip seen below, crooning while drunk at a party (”Blah, blah, blah, blah, wants to rule the world”), and then tackling “Head Over Heels” with stars James Roday and Dulé Hill during the end credits.

See more Curt Smith on “Psych” after the jump…

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal is 49 today; watch ‘Head Over Heels’ live in ‘83
• Tears for Fears set summer North American tour following Spandau Ballet trek
• Video: Ted Leo covers Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’
• Tears For Fears set L.A. concert prior to Australian tour with Spandau Ballet

[tweetmeme]Guitarist Vini Reilly — frontman of iconic Factory Records post-punk outfit The Durutti Column — recently suffered “a minor stroke,” according to a post today on the band’s website, “but after four days in hospital and then discharging himself he is well on the road to recovery.”

According to the post, Reilly, who turned 57 early last month, is “slightly unsteady on his feet and has lost some feeling in his left hand.” Nevertheless, the acclaimed guitarist is said to be “is in good spirits, (and) has been regularly playing his Juan Montero Spanish guitar and is steadily rebuilding his strength.”

Reilly’s apparently wasting no time; according to the Durutti Column site, he’s already booked a recording session beginning Tuesday with bandmate Keir Stewart to start recording the group’s next album. As for live performance, Reilly’s next appearance is Oct. 20 in London as part of Paul Morley’s “The Tony Wilson Interviews.”

In other news, the Durutti Column’s 1989 album Vini Reilly will receive a 2CD expanded reissue at the end of the year, featuring newly uncovered demos and a remastered edition of the album. The tracklist and new artwork — incorporating “some of the design from the aborted original design” — have not yet been revealed, nor has the release date.

[tweetmeme]No stranger to oddball photo shoots, Brit-rock iconoclast Morrissey appears on the cover of tomorrow’s Guardian Weekend magazine with a cat perched atop his unsmiling head for a feature headlined “Bigmouth strikes again: Morrissey lets rip.”

The folks at the Guardian are hyping the cover and Simon Armitage’s interview on Twitter today, but are remaining mum about its contents, aside from deputy editor Katharine Viner’s claim that, “He has some sparkling lines — with one appalling expection.”

That, of course, already has Moz fans, er, atwitter, worried that the singer has mouthed off again like he did during an infamous 2007 interview with the NME in which he aired his feelings on immigration, reportedly saying, “Although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.” He later sued the publication over the quotes.

UPDATE: The Morrissey interview is posted, and, sure enough, already is causing a bit of a brouhaha, at least according to the Guardian itself, which has posted a separate story claiming Moz “reignites a simmering row about his views on race” with new comments about China’s poor animal rights record: “Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare?” Morrissey asks Armitage. “Absolutely horrific. You can’t help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies.”

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:

• New cover art revealed for Morrissey’s ‘Bona Drag’ 20th anniversary reissue
• Morrissey reissuing ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ single in the U.K.
• Morrissey’s ‘Bona Drag’ 20th anniversary reissue to feature 6 unreleased tracks
• Photo: Morrissey and Rick Astley backstage at the BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’ in 1989
• The Smiths Project: Janice Whaley recording covers of every Smiths song in 2010