Cecil Womack, brother of Bobby Womack and one half of Womack and Womack, has died aged 65.

Womack passed away on February 1 in Africa. Bobby Womack confirmed his death earlier today (February 7).

In his later years, Womack was known as Zekuumba Zekkariyas after embracing his African heritage and finding family ties to the Zekkariyas tribe.

He was best known for Womack And Womack’s 1988 hit single “Teardrops“, which he recorded with his second wife, Linda Cooke, the daughter of soul singer Sam Cooke.

Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1947. He and his four brothers formed a gospel group in the 1950s and under the patronage of Sam Cooke, became The Valentinos.

Womack married Motown singer Mary Wells in the 1960s and wrote a number of songs for her. He went on to write for Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle and The O’Jays.

Earlier today Bobby Womack paid tribute to his brother, writing on Facebook: I was terribly upset when I heard about my brother’s passing, and I still am. We made music together for a long time, but we’ve had many differences over the years. Thankfully we got a chance to reunite last year after a very long separation – and little did I know that it would be the last time I would see him. I can only pass along what I have now learned, which is to not let anything – money, success, etc, come between you and your family.”

The first track Jack White has recorded with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes has been revealed online. Scroll down to hear it.

As revealed earlier this week, the pair worked on three songs, set to be released as a single on White’s Third Man Records. The single features new songs ‘You Don’t Have To Be Smart’ and ‘Horse Named George’, as well as a cover of hardcore band Adrenalin OD’s ‘Paul’s Not Home’ which you can hear below.

Haynes sings on all three songs whilst White plays guitar. The former frontman of The White Stripes also provides backing vocals on ‘Paul’s Not Home’. The song originally appeared on 1982’s ‘New York Thrash’ compilation alongside the first ever recorded Beastie Boys tracks, ‘Riot Fight’ and ‘Beastie’.

The single is released on February 14, but a number of limited edition versions of the 7″ will be pressed onto old medical x-rays, in what White is dubbing a ‘flex-ray disc’. These will be sold exclusively from Third Man’s Rolling Record Store van at South By Southwest next month in Austin, Texas.

The single is part of Third Man Records’ Blue Series, which has also seen special releases by Laura Marling, Tom Jones, Insane Clown Posse, Jeff The Brotherhood and Beck.

Elton John is the latest big name guest confirmed to appear on the new Queens Of The Stone Age album.

The unlikely collaboration was revealed by Dave Grohl, who is also drumming on the forthcoming album, when he interviewed Sir Elton as part of his week covering chat show host Chelsea Lately on her late night talk show in America last night (February 6). During the interview, Grohl told the audience that “Recently, Elton and I recorded something together. Something that people wouldn’t imagine the two of us doing together,” before Elton revealed that it was a new song for the upcoming Queens Of The Stone Age album.

Revealing details of the recording session, Elton added: “I was in Vegas and I flew back to LA and Engelbert Humperdinck had written me a very sweet letter and asked me to sing a duet with him. He is part of my history and I couldn’t say no so I went and recorded a song with him. Then I drove three blocks and went from Engelbert to Queens Of The Stone Age, which was a bit of a mindfuck.”

Grohl, interjecting, said: “I remember you (Elton) walking in and him being, like, (lethargically) ‘Have you got a ballad for me?’ and we were just like, ‘no, we do not have a ballad for you.'” Talking specifically about recording the song, Elton added: “After three hours we got it and he (Grohl) drummed on every take and every take was amazing. He’s built like a brick shithouse when he drums.”

Other guests confirmed to appear on the band’s new album include Trent Reznor, Mark Lanegan, Nick Oliveri and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. The band will be playing a number of festivals this summer, including Benicàssim in Spain, and Download in the UK.

Sony has announced that it will stop making its MiniDisc players in March 2013.

The Japanese electronics giant will cease production of the MiniDisc player next month, but it has said it will continue making the actual MiniDiscs, The Telegraph reports. The news marks the end for the audio system, which was launched by Sony in 1992 as a high-quality digital alternative to the much lower-quality tape cassette.

On their launch, MiniDisc players were seen as the future for audio equipment and Sony claimed the discs would be safe from risk of degradation for 30 years. As the players were recordable, they became popular with sound engineers and media professionals.

However, with the advent of MP3 players such as Apple’s iPod and cloud-based streaming services, the Minidisc has struggled to compete in the market and its demise has been on the cards for some time – Sony previously stopped making portable players in 2011.

David Bowie‘s Aladdin Sane will be remastered and reissued to mark its 40th anniversary this year.

Bowie’s sixth album, Aladdin Sane was originally released in April 1973.

The album was originally co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and recorded at Trident Studios in London and RCA Studios in New York. It would be the last album that the line-up of Mick Ronson (guitar, piano, backing vocals), Trevor Bolder (bass) and Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey (drums) would appear on and the first to feature pianist Mike Garson.

The reissue is set for release on April 15 and was remastered by Ray Staff at London’s AIR Studios, who cut the original LP during his time at Trident Studios and has remastered Ziggy Stardust‘s 40th anniversary edition last year.

The tracklisting for the Aladdin Sane 40th Anniversary Edition is as follows:

‘Watch That Man’

‘Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)’

‘Drive-In Saturday’

‘Panic In Detroit’

‘Cracked Actor’

‘Time’

‘The Prettiest Star’

‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’

‘The Jean Genie’

‘Lady Grinning Soul’

Morrissey has postponed more shows in the US due to illness.

The singer said that he wanted to restart his tour in Las Vegas on February 9, however, this show has now been pulled, as has his February 10 date in Phoenix.

Rescheduled dates are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Morrissey recently spoke out following his recent health troubles, which saw him hospitalised at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.

The singer issued a statement to fan site True To You, explaining that he was treated for concussion, a bleeding ulcer and Barrett’s esophagus.

He said that he was keen to pick up his North American tour in Las Vegas, writing: “I am fully determined to resume the tour on February 9 at the Chelsea Ballroom in Las Vegas. If there’s an audience of any kind in attendance, I just might die with a smile on my face, after all. If I am not there, I shall probably never again be anywhere.”

These postponed gigs are already part of dates rescheduled from October last year, when Morrissey stopped mid-tour to return to the UK to be with his ill mother. She has since recovered.

Meanwhile, Parlophone Records will put out a limited edition 7″ picture disc of Morrissey’s 1989 single “The Last Of The Famous International Playboys” and a remastered version of his second solo album, 1991’s Kill Uncle on April 8.

Both will feature rare Morrissey photos while Kill Uncle will boast a brand new cover.

The single release will be backed with live recordings, taken from a 2011 Janice Long Show session on BBC Radio 2. The 7″ single comes with ‘People Are The Same Everywhere’, the CD with ‘Action Is My Middle Name’ and the digital download with ‘The Kid’s A Looker’.

Reg Presley has died at the age of 71.

Presley died at his home in Andover, Hampshire – the town of his birth – from cancer yesterday (February 4), in the company of his family. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2012 during a tour of Germany, and is reported to have had a number of strokes before the diagnosis, according to messages posted by music publicist and close friend Keith Altham.

Last month (January 24), Presley posted a statement to fans on the band’s website, in which he announced his retirement from music due to failing health. “I am receiving chemotherapy treatment and at the moment not feeling too bad. However I’ve had to call time on The Troggs and retire. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the cards and calls and for your love, loyalty and support over the years… I shall miss you all. Lots of Love.”

Presley – born Reginald Maurice Ball – formed The Troggs in 1964. The band were signed by Kinks manager Larry Page the following year. Their signature song, “Wild Thing”, reached Number 2 in the charts in 1966, though the lesser-known follow-up, “With A Girl Like You”, gave them their first and only UK Number 1. Though they split in 1969, The Troggs soon reunited and remained a group until Presley’s announcement last month. Despite this, life within the band was not always rosy – as demonstrated on the notorious Troggs Tapes, an expletive-ridden recording of the band arguing in the studio.

In 1994, Wet Wet Wet’s cover of Presley’s 1967 song “Love Is All Around” (for the Four Weddings And A Funeral soundtrack) gave them the second longest-running UK Number 1 to date, remaining on the top spot for 15 consecutive weeks. Presley is reported to have used the royalties from the single to pursue his interest in crop circles and UFOs. The paranormal was a great passion of Presley’s – he published a book on the subject titled Wild Things They Don’t Tell Us in 2002. Presley also had a sideline in acting, appearing in TV’s Inspector Wexford.

Presley’s pop-meets-garage rock sound is said to have been an influence on artists as diverse as The Ramones, Iggy Pop, REM and Jimi Hendrix, who covered ‘Wild Thing’ at 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival. On Twitter, former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham wrote, “R.I.P. Reg Presley of The Troggs. A long time served in the rock trenches. Always innovative.”

Jack White has collaborated with Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes on three songs, set to be released as a single on White’s Third Man Records.

The single features new songs “You Don’t Have To Be Smart” and “Horse Named George”, as well as a cover of hardcore band Adrenalin OD’s ‘Paul’s Not Home’. Scroll down to listen to an excerpt from the track.

Haynes sings on all three songs while White plays guitar. White also provides backing vocals on “Paul’s Not Home”. The song originally appeared on 1982’s “New York Thrash” compilation alongside the first ever recorded Beastie Boys tracks, “Riot Fight” and “Beastie”.

The single is released on February 14, but a number of limited edition versions of the 7″ will be pressed onto old medical x-rays, in what White is dubbing a ‘flex-ray disc’. These will be sold exclusively from Third Man‘s Rolling Record Store van at South By Southwest next month in Austin, Texas.

The single is part of Third Man Records’ Blue Series, which has also seen special releases by Laura Marling, Tom Jones, Insane Clown Posse, Jeff The Brotherhood and Beck.

Jack White will be performing as part of the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles this Sunday (February 10). His debut solo album, ‘Blunderbuss’, has been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds have unveiled the video for their song ‘Jubilee Street’.

The NSFW promo was directed by longtime Cave collaborator John Hillcoat (Lawless, The Proposition), and features Brit actor Ray Winstone. The video was shot in the East End of London at the end of last year. Scroll down to watch.

Speaking about the video, Cave said: It was a real pleasure hanging around the set and watching Ray do his thing. He is a master. What a great actor. And of course, working with my friend and collaborator John Hillcoat is always a blast.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds will launch their new album, ‘Push the Sky Away’, with a special, sold out live show at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London on February 10.

The band will be playing the album in full with strings and a choir. A short film by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard about the making of the album, which is out February 18, will also be screened at the event.

Similar events will be held in Paris at Trianon (February 11), Berlin Admiralspalast (February 13) and Los Angeles Fonda Theatre (February 21).

For more information visit Nickcave.com.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds will be playing SXSW in Austin, Texas in March, Coachella Festival in California in April and Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain, in May.

Administrators responsible for the restructure of HMV are understood to be announcing plans to close between 60 and 100 stores this week.

According to The Telegraph, administrator Deloitte’s plans to restructure the business could result in the loss of 1,500 jobs at the music retailer. The location of the stores set to be closed are yet to be finalised, but the chosen shops will remain open until all their stock has been sold.

HMV went into administration last month, putting over 4,000 jobs and 223 stores at risk, but hopes of a rescue deal have been raised after restructuring firm Hilco bought the company’s £176 million worth of debt. The company are believed to be in talks with record labels, suppliers and HMV’s landlords as part of a plan to keep the retailer afloat in some capacity.

Hilco, which turned around the fortunes of HMV’s Canadian arm, and Deloitte believe that for the chain to emerge as a viable high street retailer it must reduce its number of shops to between 120 and 160. Deloitte has already cut 60 jobs at HMV, which led to staff hijacking the company’s Twitter account last week.

In a string of messages on the company’s Twitter account, Poppy Rose Cleere, who was HMV’s social media planner, criticised the company for getting rid of people who wanted to help secure the long term future of the company: “There are over 60 of us being fired at once! Mass execution of loyal employees who love the brand,” read one message. Another stated: “Under normal circumstances we’d never dare do such a thing as this.”

She later revealed that she felt senior members of staff at HMV “never seemed to grasp” how important social media was in building links between themselves and customers. “I would apologise for the #hmvXFactorFiring tweets but I felt like someone had to speak. As someone without a family to support/no mortgage I felt that I was the safest person to do so,” she wrote on her own personal Twitter account. She later added: “I wanted to show the power of Social Media to those who refused to be educated.”

Pulp made their first live appearance on TV together in 10 years on Jonathan Ross’ chat show this weekend, performing their new single “After You”. Watch it below.

Jarvis Cocker and co played the James Murphy produced single as well as a brief part of “Common People” as the programme began.

“After You” was made available to download last week (January 28). The band originally gave away the track as a present on Christmas Day 2012 to fans who attended their homecoming Sheffield Arena show on December 8.

The track was first demoed by the band during the sessions for their 2001 album We Love Life, but the new version is a fresh version recorded in November 2012, before being finished off with Murphy in December.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72YVDqBqBzo