Ten Man RecordsToday is David Bowie’s 65th birthday; traditionally, this would be the age where he could officially retire from the workaday world and spend his golden years tending to his garden and doing the daily crossword. Of course, one of the perks of being rock music’s most influential artists is that you can take early retirement and that’s what Mr. Jones has done since approximately 2005, making only sporadic guest appearances on others’ records and certainly not doing anything of his own – his final release of new material is almost a decade old, 2003′s Heathen Reality. And if this does turn out to be all he plans to do for the rest of his career, well he’s earned it.

Robert Smith has threatened to retire The Cure several times in the past, but no one really believes him anymore. But still, they’re now over three years removed from their last release of new material – 2008′s 4:13 Dream – and have of late been concentrating on revisiting their sizeable legacy, performing their first few albums live in their entirety and reuniting with former members Roger O’Donnell and Laurence Tolhurst. A month ago they released the live double-disc set Bestival Live 2011, which captured their headlining performance of the English festival last Summer and later this year, they will be inducted into last year they were nominated for entry into the Rock’N'Roll Hall Of Fame.

This studio cover by The Cure of David Bowie’s “Young Americans” is no spring chicken itself and a touch ironic considering that neither coverer or coveree is either young or America; it dates back to a 1995 compilation for London radio station XFM.

MP3: The Cure – “Young Americans”
Video: David Bowie – “Young Americans” (live on The Dick Cavett Show 1974)

Patrick PantanoThe White Stripes’ affection for all things old – from toy cameras to Tesla coils – is well-documented, and that affection obviously extends to their own music. Their first three records The White Stripes, De Stijl and White Blood Cells have been out of print on vinyl in North America since 2005, and for an avowed analogphile as Jack White, that simply cannot stand. So as of this Tuesday, they’re going to be reissued on his own Third Man Records label with all the care and attention that you’d expect.

This live recording predates even their 1999 debut, coming from a 1997 gig at the now-defunct Gold Dollar in their native Detroit. It’s interesting to hear them turn their lean aesthetic to one of David Bowie’s glam-rock anthems, not to mention hearing Jack White perpetuating the falsehood that Meg White was his little sister. But my favourite part of the recording comes before the song even starts, when a woman in the audience comments that White, “sounds like a weirdo”. Lady, you have no idea. Nor do you know how much bragging you’ll be doing that you were at this show, where they were clearly completely unknown, in a decade’s time.

Inactive since 2007, Jack White has recently hinted that he and Meg might get back together to make a new White Stripes record in 2011. As established a couple weeks ago, David Bowie continues to be busy being David Bowie and not making music.

MP3: The White Stripes – “Moonage Daydream”
Video: David Bowie – “Moonage Daydream”

paulwesterberg.comIf Twitter is to be believed – and when has it ever been wrong about anything? – then yesterday was International Bowie Day, a day to pay tribute to all things thin white and duke-like. Which makes this the day after International Bowie Day. But every day is a good day for Bowie so I’ll not worry too much about being a day late, I prefer to think of it as being 364 days early for next year’s edition.

Point being, this week’s selection pays homage to not one but two of today’s great musical recluses. David Bowie, of course, hasn’t released a record of new music since 2003, toured since 2004 and sung live since 2006. And this trending downwards of activity hasn’t been accompanied by any formal statement of retirement or anything, thus keeping a flicker of hope in his legions of fans’ hearts that he might return to active duty soon, even though there’s no signs of that happening.

Paul Westerberg hasn’t quite pulled the same disappearing act, but his last widely available release was the soundtrack to the animated feature Open Season – not quite what one might expect from the man who fronted one of America’s greatest and most self-destructive rock bands in The Replacements. Since then he’s kept a pretty low profile when not tending to the Mats’ legacy via a steady stream of reissues, but occasionally pops up with digitally self-released homebrew albums or in the case of a couple weeks ago, a new 7″ under the guise of “Mr. F”. If nothing else, Westerberg is clearly keeping himself amused and his fans on their toes. Which is really how it should be.

And what Bowie and Westerberg have in common is this – a cover of the former’s “John, I’m Only Dancing” done by the latter way back in 1996, when Bowie was turning out a record every other year (Outside came in ’95, Earthling in 97) and Westerberg was working his second solo record Eventually. It was recorded for a radio session at San Francisco’s KFOG, the whole of which you can grab over at Captain’s Dead.

MP3: Paul Westerberg – “John, I’m Only Dancing”
Video: David Bowie – “John, I’m Only Dancing”

MyspaceThough I suspect they fall just on the wrong side of the bands reuniting vs profitability equation for them to ever get back together – if Radiohead couldn’t convince them to do it a few years back and open for them in their mutual hometown of Oxford, no one can – there’s still just enough going on with shoegaze godheads Ride that I can justify leading a post with this website’s namesake once in a while.

And in this case, it’s that Under The Radar reports their debut album Nowhere will be getting (another) reissue on December 21 via Rhino in commemoration of the record’s 20th anniversary. In addition to the eight tracks that appeared on the original LP, the three tracks from the Fall EP that were appended onto the original CD version and the four tracks from the brilliant Today Forever EP that were added to the 2001 reissue, in order to encourage those who already own one or more of the previous editions, this version will come with a second five-track CD featuring a 1991-vintage live show in Los Angeles. Can’t say as that I’ll be rushing out to pick this up, but it pleases me that there’s still enough interest and respect in the band and their music to justify packages like this. Update: Blurt has more details on the set, including the fact that the live disc will be a full 12 tracks and a heavyweight vinyl edition of the original eight-song Nowhere will also be released. Sweet.

MP3: Ride – “Vapour Trail”
Video: Ride – “Vapour Trail”

Some good, Ride-related news is that Andy Bell is again playing guitar. Bad news is that it’s in Beady Eye, Liam Gallagher’s new band with the bits of Oasis he’s not related to. They just made their first single available for download from their website and… well, it’s not going to make anyone forget that Noel was the songwriting talent of the band. Not even a little. The full-length is due next year Tangentially, Alan McGee tells BBC6 that he expects the Gallagher brothers to make up and re-form Oasis within a few years. I believe him.

Band Of Horses have announced Mojave 3 as support on their upcoming UK tour – this is exciting not because I will be attending any of those shows, but because it confirms Mojave 3 as an ongoing concern for Neil Halstead and hopefully Rachel Goswell. The band’s status post-Puzzles Of You has not been very clear, what with Goswell’s health concerns and Halstead’s solo career, but they’re still here! Huzzah.

MP3: Mojave 3 – “Some Kinda Angel” (live @ KCRW)

The Guardian and Vanity Fair look at the just-announced Pulp reunion and why it feels a little different/better than most other reunions despite it almost certainly just being done for the money. Elsewhere, 33revolutionsperminute dissects “Common People”.

Clash sends Kele to interview Gary Numan

Under The Radar reports that the recordings Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons made with The Dharohar Project while on tour in India earlier this year will be getting digitally released as an EP on December 7 entitled Laura Marling & Mumford & Sons & The Dharohar Project. Pitchfork is also streaming both sides of Marling’s just-released 7″ featuring Jackson C Frank and Neil Young covers. Mumford & Sons play a sold-out show at the Sound Academy on Saturday.

English post-punk godfathers Gang Of Four have slated a North American tour in support of their new album Content, due January 25. The tour begins on February 4 at the Phoenix in Toronto; tickets $30 in advance.

MP3: Gang Of Four – “Never Pay For The Farm”

Both Spin and Rolling Stone wonder, “where have you gone, David Bowie?” and come up with no answers that imply a return to music anytime soon, if ever. Coincidentally, The AV Club has assembled a primer on the works and phases of the Thin White Duke.

AmazonI was originally going to save this for next week so that it could go up ON Hallowe’en, but then realized that if I did that, it’d only be timely for a day and then be like the jack o’lantern that sits on the porch from November 1, slowly mouldering and having bits of its face eaten by raccoons. Okay, that’s not quite what I meant to say but it’s going up today so you can add it to Hallowe’en mixes, play it at parties, what have you.

“It” being Superchunk’s cover of the title track from David Bowie’s 1980 album, originally released as a b-side to the “1000 Pounds” single, circa Come Pick Me Up, and again on their 2004 b-sides compilation Cup Of Sand. I don’t know if there was any compelling reason to choose this particular Bowie tune, but they rip it up so why not?

Superchunk returned to active duty this year after nine years away with the excellent Majesty Shredding and will make a long-awaited return to Toronto on December 9 in a supporting slot for Broken Social Scene at the Sound Academy. David Bowie has been unofficially retired since 2003′s Reality, not touring since heart surgery cut short the promo jaunt for said record in 2004. In the interim, his legend has only grown as a new generation of indie kids discover his work and if/when he ever makes a new record or tours, the news would break Twitter in half. In the meantime, he is happily being David Bowie and probably ignoring calls from Coachella to come play their festival daily, if not hourly.

MP3: Superchunk – “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”
Video: David Bowie – “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” (live)